Bills GM: Owner Terry Pegula acted alone in firing Sean McDermott

Bills general manager Brandon Beane had no input on the coaching change in Buffalo, he said at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.

Beane and head coach Sean McDermott were "equals" reporting independently to owners Terry and Kim Pegula, according to the GM. The Pegulas retained Beane and had him lead the coaching search for McDermott's replacement, which ultimately became an in-house promotion. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady was introduced as the new coach last month.

"That decision was ultimately Terry Pegula's. And his alone. The structure was Sean and I both separately report to (ownership) and we were equals in it. We had nine really good years together," Beane told CBS Sports in a sitdown interview at the network's makeshift studio in the media area of the combine.

"I think Terry, using his words, don't quote me, but something like we hit a proverbial playoff wall. I think he felt like we need something new. We need something fresh, just need to try something else. This was the decision he made and you follow along with it, 'Alright, you've made this decision.' Now we need to put our heads together and line up who are the best candidates.'"

Advertisement

Beane denied suggestions the Bills had McDermott's replacement signed, sealed and delivered before he was fired following an overtime playoff loss to the Bills.

Brady, who has never been a head coach at any level, former Chargers and Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn and Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo were among the candidates Beane interviewed.

Beane said Brady interviewing elsewhere for head-coaching jobs the past two seasons was a consideration when the organization defined what it was looking for in a coach. But he disputed any idea that familiarity gave Brady a boost or worked against him.

"To me, it's like, treat everyone the same. And so we started that interview and I said, 'let's treat Joe like he was with the Green Bay Packers.' Brian Daboll we interviewed and he had been there four years prior (as Bills offensive coordinator). We know him pretty well and did the same thing," Beane told Sirius/XM. "Just to make sure it was a level playing field. The thing about Joe, you feel his energy, you feel his presence. But he had a vision for our defense, for our whole team. This was a guy that had a holistic approach. Ultimately, he earned it, but it was not a foregone conclusion for sure."

--Field Level Media

byNeo

in

February 26, 2026

Bills GM: Owner Terry Pegula acted alone in firing Sean McDermott

Bills general manager Brandon Beane had no input on the coaching change in Buffalo, he said at the NFL Scouting Combin...

Read More

NFL draft prospect Bud Clark explains trash-talking Bill Belichick with Jordon Hudson jab

INDIANAPOLIS – First,Bud Clarkpulled off an electrifying pick-six in against Bill Belichick in the legendary former New England Patriots coach's debut with the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Then, he got a hit in, too – albeit a different type than he's accustomed to doling out.

The TCU safetysoaked in his critical interceptionin last September's season opener, holding the ball out as he strutted into the end zone on a 25-yard return. The second-quarter turnover turned out to be a harbinger of the evening to come. The Horned Frogs rolled to a 48-14 rout, playing spoiler and seizing the sizable spotlight afforded to Belichick.

Clark chose to extend his celebration into the postgame festivities.

"Belchick gotta call for his girlfriend," Clark said on an Instagram Live session, referencingJordon Hudson, the 24-year-old girlfriend of the coach who had loomed large in Belichick's transition to Chapel Hill. "He sad."

Now on the doorstep of realizing a football dream, Clark can look back on his playful moment and still smile.

"Just having a little fun," Clark said Feb. 26 at the NFL scouting combine. "He's a great coach. I didn't mean any harm by it at all, but he's got a young girlfriend, so I figure why not?"

That type of jab comes easily to Clark. Touting himself as a "fluent" trash-talker who can effortlessly get under his opponent's skin, the roving defensive back relishes throwing foes off their game. He credits his mom for both making him a "born killer" and bringing out his antagonist side.

Advertisement

"I've had a couple times where a guy gets riled up, and it's like, you're not even worried about the ball and the ball's coming toward you," Clark said. "You're just upset."

7. Washington Commanders – David Bailey, OLB, Texas Tech

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 8. New Orleans Saints – Jeremiah Love, RB, Notre Dame

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 9. Kansas City Chiefs – Makai Lemon, WR, USC

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 10. Cincinnati Bengals – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 11. Miami Dolphins – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 12. Dallas Cowboys – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 16. New York Jets – Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 17. Detroit Lions – Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami (Fla.)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 19. Carolina Panthers – Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 22. Los Angeles Chargers – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 23. Philadelphia Eagles – Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 26. Buffalo Bills – T.J. Parker, DE/OLB, Clemson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 29. Los Angeles Rams – Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 30. Denver Broncos – CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 31. New England Patriots – Cashius Howell, OLB, Texas A&M

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 32. Seattle Seahawks – Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

NFL mock draft: First-round projection going into the scouting combine

And if Clark can make a play on one of those passes whizzing past, all the better.

The sixth-year senior picked off 15 passes during his time in Fort Worth. That kind of playmaking range is probably to be expected of the former standout high school center fielder from Alexandria, Louisiana. It's also made him one of the more intriguing middle-round picks in this year's NFL draft.

As soon as a quarterback uncorks a throw, Clark says, "It's either my ball or nobody's ball."

Though coverage is his calling card, Clark extends his supreme confidence to other facets of his game as well. While the 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety is trying to bulk up, he's already comfortable getting physical in the run game.

"I don't care how big you are or how small you are," Clark said of his tackling mentaliy. "I'm gonna get you on the ground."

For all his bravado, though, Clark still has a hard time soaking in that he's on the verge of breaking through to the pros.

"It still didn't click in," Clark said. "I'm still here looking around and just amazed by everything."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NFL draft: Bud Clark explains trolling Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson

byNeo

in

February 26, 2026

NFL draft prospect Bud Clark explains trash-talking Bill Belichick with Jordon Hudson jab

INDIANAPOLIS – First,Bud Clarkpulled off an electrifying pick-six in against Bill Belichick in the legendary former New E...

Read More

Golfer Andrea Pavan hospitalized after falling down elevator shaft in South Africa

Golfer Andrea Pavan has pulled out of this week's DP World Tour event in South Africa after he was hospitalized following a fall down an elevator shaft.

According toRyan French of Monday Q InfoandGolf Channel's Brentley Romine, the 36-year-old two-time DP World Tour winner fell multiple floors in a building where he was staying after the doors of the elevator opened, but no cab was there and Pavan stepped through.

The Rome, Italy, native reportedly needed "extensive" surgeries on Wednesday night for his injuries, which included his shoulder and back.

Advertisement

"By all accounts, he's in good spirits, thankful to be alive and FaceTiming with his kids," J.T. Higgins, Pavan's college coach at Texas A&M, told Romine.

The DP World Tour confirmed Pavan's withdrawal due to injury, but did not offer specifics.

Pavan has eight total wins in his professional career, the last coming at the 2019 BMW International Open in Germany where he beat Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff. While at Texas A&M, he was a part of the program's 2009 NCAA championship team. He has played in three majors, including last year's U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

byNeo

in

February 26, 2026

Golfer Andrea Pavan hospitalized after falling down elevator shaft in South Africa

Golfer Andrea Pavan has pulled out of this week's DP World Tour event in South Africa after he was hospitalized follo...

Read More

Judge lets White House ballroom project continue, but suggests path for future challenges

A federal judge on Thursdayrejected the nation's top historic preservation group's attempt to blockto President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project, but also suggested a possible roadmap for the group to revive the challenge.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the Trump administration in December over the sprawling ballroom project and asked for a preliminary injunction, claiming the White House has been carrying out the construction unlawfully because Trump hadn't gotten approval from Congress or submitted his plans to the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts for review, which would give the public a chance to weigh in.

The president has been personally involved in ballroom details, from floor plans to marble selection. The sprawling ballroom project has an estimated size of approximately 89,000 square feet, according to lead architect Shalom Baranes. By contrast, the primary White House structure, the Executive Mansion, is just 55,000 square feet.

Trump has maintained that the project isn't subject to any oversight and that he should be able to continue with it without any serious scrutiny.

Thursday's ruling from senior US District Judge Richard Leon focuses on the Trust's choice to use the Administrative Procedure Act to challenge the project. The judge concluded the law was an an inappropriate tool for the Trust, in part because the White House office for the president's executive office and the office over his residence – which are managing the ballroom's construction – aren't agencies that a court could curtail under the law.

"Unfortunately for Plaintiff, its challenge fails because the White House office in question is not an 'agency' under the APA and because Plaintiff did not bring theultra viresclaim necessary to challenge the President's statutory authority to complete his construction project with private funds and without congressional approval!" Leon wrote.

The Trust, Leon said, raised "novel and weight issues" in the case and could potentially restructure the lawsuit to test the president's authority in a different legal approach.

Advertisement

In a Truth Social post, Trump called the ruling "Great news for America, and our wonderful White House!"

He added: "The Ballroom construction, which is anticipated to also handle future Inaugurations and large State Visits, is ahead of schedule, and under budget. It will stand long into the future as a symbol to the Greatness of America!"

The Commission of Fine Artsapproved the projectafter the lawsuit was filed.

CNN has reached out to the Trust for comment.

The lawsuit, filed last year after the East Wing had been completely demolished, hasforcedthe administration to make public details about the project that had otherwise been kept under wraps, including plans for a reimagined two-story East Colonnade revealed in December filings; information about the preservation of existing artifacts from the now-destroyed East Wing; and an expected timeline for construction.

CNN's Austin Culpepper, Devan Cole, Tierney Sneed, Katelyn Polantz and Kit Maher contributed.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byNeo

in

February 26, 2026

Judge lets White House ballroom project continue, but suggests path for future challenges

A federal judge on Thursdayrejected the nation's top historic preservation group's attempt to blockto President D...

Read More

US military builds up the largest force of warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is building up the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades, including two aircraft carrier strike groups, as President Donald Trump warns ofpossible military actionagainst Iran iftalks over its nuclear programfall apart.

Greece US Military

"It's proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal," Trump has said. "Otherwise bad things happen."

Trump likely will have a host of military options, which could include surgical attacks onIran's air defenses or strikesfocused on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, experts say. But they warn that Iran could retaliate in ways it did not afterattacks last year by the United States or Israel, potentially risking American lives and sparking a regional war.

"It will be very hard for the Trump administration to do a one-and-done kind of attack in Iran this time around," said Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group. "Because the Iranians would respond in a way that would make all-out conflict inevitable."

Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program and, earlier, overTehran's bloody crackdownon nationwide protests.

Aircraft carriers bolster US presence

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers have been in the Arabian Seasince the end of Januaryafter being redirected from the South China Sea.

The strike group, which brought roughly 5,700 additional service members to the region, bolstered the smaller force of a few destroyers and three littoral combat ships already in the region.

Two weeks later, Trump orderedthe world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, along with three destroyers and more than 5,000 additional service members to head there.

This will bring the Navy's presence in the region to at least 16 ships and it will dwarf the 11-ship fleet that was, until the Ford's departure, stationed in the Caribbean Sea.

More aircraft have arrived

Numerous additional U.S. fighter jets and support aircraft also have touched down in the Middle East and bases in Europe.

More than 100 fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s and F-16s, left bases in the U.S. and Europe and were spotted heading toward the Middle East by the Military Air Tracking Alliance. That team of about 30 open-source analysts routinely analyzes military and government flight activity.

It says it also has tracked more than 100 fuel tankers and over 200 cargo planes heading into the region and bases in Europe in mid-February.

Adding to that force, the United States has moved 12 F-22 stealth fighter jets to a base in Israel, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military movements.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan that were analyzed by The Associated Press showed more than 50 aircraft, nearly all likely part of the American buildup. There could be more in hangars.

Steffan Watkins, a researcher based in Canada and a member of the MATA, said he also has tracked support aircraft, like six of the military's early-warning E-3 aircraft, head to a base in Saudi Arabia. Those are key for coordinating operations with a large number of aircraft.

Advertisement

The massive wave was preceded by the arrival of Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles. U.S. Central Command saidon social mediathat the fighter jet "enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability."

At the time, analysts of flight-tracking data also noticed dozens of U.S. military cargo planes heading to the region.

The activity is similar to last year when the U.S. moved in air defense hardware, like a Patriot missile system, in anticipation of an Iranian counterattack after the Junebombing of three key nuclear sites.

Iran launched more than a dozen missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar days after the strikes.

Expectations of retaliation

Seth Jones, a defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it's important to note that the U.S. is not deploying a major ground force.

The U.S. deployed more than 500,000 troops during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s and roughly 250,0000 American forces in Iraq in 2003.

"So there are substantial limits to the force package," he said of the current military assets in the region.

The U.S. military buildup is technically the region's largest since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, even though the resources moved for the war dwarfed current assets, said Michael O'Hanlon, a defense and foreign policy analyst at the Brookings Institution.

O'Hanlon said the U.S. could simply use long-range B-2 bombers, as it had in June, if it wanted only to strike what is left of Iran's nuclear program. The forces in place now are clearly designed for attacking targets in Iran and defending against retaliation.

Many likely expect Iran to "just keep firing drones and cruise missiles back at Israel and American bases in regard to almost anything we might do," O'Hanlon said. But he said Iran could go bigger and broader, especially if its leadership feels targeted.

Vaez, the Iran expert at the International Crisis Group, said Iran is unlikely to limit its response as it did after the U.S. struck its nuclear facilities in June. Iran had signaled when and how it would retaliate with theattack on the military base in Qatar, allowing American and Qatari air defense to be ready and doing little damage.

"They have now come to the conclusion that the only way that they can stop this cycle is to draw blood and to inflict significant harm on the U.S. and Israel, even if that comes at a very high price for themselves," Vaez said.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran program senior director at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Iran is still believed to have ballistic missiles that can strike its enemies in the region.

"The Islamic Republic may think that would be a deterrent to Trump, whereas in reality, that might be an inducement to move the president from a limited operation to a larger one," said Taleblu, whose think tank has long been critical of Iran andhas been sanctioned by Tehran.

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

byNeo

in

February 26, 2026

US military builds up the largest force of warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is building up the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in d...

Read More