(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) reacts after he was sacked against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his fractured left wrist could still play on Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the team will evaluate Rodgers’ availability later in the week and that the key to Rodgers’ potential return will be whether he can function safely with a brace protecting the wrist.

Mason Rudolph, who filled in capably in the second half of Sunday’s 32-14 over Cincinnati, would start for AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (6-4) when it faces the NFC North-leading Bears (7-3) if Rodgers cannot.

The 41-year-old Rodgers, the oldest active player in the league, appeared to hurt the wrist while getting hit after a heave to the end zone with the Steelers driving late in the first half.

The four-time MVP clutched the wrist in the huddle following the play, though he did stay in to make one more pass — an incompletion to Roman Wilson — before the drive ended in a Chris Boswell field goal. Rodgers did not return to the sideline during the second half, though he greeted his teammates in the locker room after they left the field.

(File Photo of New Brighton Area School District Logo and Rochester High School Athletics (Ram) Logo: Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of New Brighton Area School District and Rochester Area School District)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Both the Rochester and New Brighton school boards met yesterday to vote on a potential cooperative agreement between the athletic programs of the two districts for select sports beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The board of Rochester voted 6-1 in favor of tabling to both receive input and to gather more information, while the New Brighton board voted unanimously in a 9-0 vote to move forward. According to New Brighton superintendent Dr. Joseph Guarino, he will be meeting with members of Rochester’s administration to discuss the next steps after Rochester chose not to officially vote on the matter. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Penn State head coach James Franklin watches the action against Northwestern during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger,File)

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — James Franklin was hired as Virginia Tech’s coach on Monday, a little more than a month after he was fired during his 12th season at Penn State.

The Hokies became the first Power 4 football program to fill a coaching vacancy this season. Franklin was set to be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday morning.

He was fired by the Nittany Lions on Oct. 12, a day after they lost at home to Northwestern to fall to 3-3.

The 53-year-old Franklin went 104-45 at Penn State, winning a Big Ten championship (in the 2016 season), a Fiesta Bowl (2017) and a Rose Bowl (2022). Last season, he led the Nittany Lions to a first-round victory in the College Football Playoff.

“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” Franklin said in a statement. “My vision is simple: to restore unmatched excellence, to build something that lasts, and to serve this university, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor, integrity, and passion. I look forward to getting to work with our players, our staff, and the entire Virginia Tech community.”

Terms of Franklin’s contract were not released. Before he was hired by Virginia Tech, Penn State had been on the hook for a buyout worth nearly $50 million. But Franklin and the Nittany Lions negotiated a settlement under which he’ll be paid $9 million instead, according to multiple reports.

Franklin has a 128-60 overall record, including his three seasons at Vanderbilt. In Blacksburg, he takes over for his former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, who was fired on Sept. 14 after the Hokies lost their first three games by an average of 18.7 points. Virginia Tech started 0-3 for the first time since 1987.

Pry went 16-24, including 10-13 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, in his three-plus seasons. The Hokies (3-7, 2-4 ACC) have since been led by interim coach Philip Montgomery.

Franklin was maligned at Penn State for not winning big games — he went 4-21 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll — but he brings credibility to a Virginia Tech program that has struggled since Frank Beamer retired in 2015 after 29 years at the helm.

Athletic director Whit Babcock first hired Justin Fuente and then Pry in hopes of continuing the success enjoyed by Beamer, but both coaches floundered. That prompted Virginia Tech President Tim Sands to form a search committee to hire the next coach and limit the scope of Babcock’s role.

The Hokies have just four winning seasons since Beamer’s retirement and six since since Babcock became the AD in 2014.

The committee landed on Franklin, whose Penn State teams won at least 10 games six times during his tenure. Franklin also showed an ability to recruit in Virginia. In 2023, he signed six of the top 10 prospects in the state, according to various recruiting services, and one of his best players in the past five years was Tyler Warren, a tight end from the Richmond area who was a first-round NFL draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts this spring and is flourishing as a rookie.

“His experience, passion, and record of success embody our commitment to compete at the highest level,” Sands said of Franklin in a statement. “His selection is the result of unprecedented collaboration by our athletic administration with university leaders, esteemed alumni, including former NFL coaches and players, and our most dedicated supporters.

“James will provide the leadership and inspiration our student-athletes need, and the performance on the field that our university community, alumni, and fans expect and deserve.”

Virginia Tech has committed to providing Franklin with the resources he needs to be successful. The Board of Visitors approved a plan in late September to add $229 million to the athletic department’s budget over the next four years, primarily to bolster the football program. Half of that money, though, is coming from philanthropy and needs to be raised.

(File Photo of Reeves Field in Beaver Falls, Geneva College’s home football stadium)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Rochester, NY) Geneva College’s football team is headed to a 2025 postseason bowl game. The Golden Tornadoes will participate in an ECAC Division III bowl known as the 2025 Robert M. “Scotty” Whitelaw Bowl on Saturday, November 22nd tentatively starting at 12 noon taking place in Rochester, New York. Geneva, who is 6-4 overall and 6-2 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, will take on SUNY Brockport of Brockport, New York, who is also 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Empire 8 Conference. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown walks after being released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Nov. 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

(AP) Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder because a firearm was allegedly used, a prosecutor said Monday.

Brown appeared via video at a brief arraignment hearing in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in which his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, repeated that Brown already entered a not guilty plea. He was released from jail last week on a $25,000 bond and required to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

An attempted murder charge in Florida carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence in many cases. But Assistant State Attorney Stephanie Cruz said because Brown allegedly used a gun, he could face double that time behind bars because of a firearm sentencing enhancement. The law also carries a potential 20-year minimum mandatory sentence upon conviction.

Brown, 37, did not speak during the hearing, Judge Marisa Tinkler-Mendez set at status hearing tentatively for Dec. 22. No trial date has been scheduled.

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.

Eiglarsh said at a previous hearing that the affidavit is mistaken and that Brown actually used his personal firearm, and the shots were not aimed at anyone. Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.

Brown spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.

Brown was extradited last week from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) holds his arm after a hit by the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the initial concern is that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a “slight break” in his left, non-throwing wrist. NFL sources told Schefter that Rodgers will undergo further testing today to determine what the full extent of the injury is and how long he will be sidelined. Rodgers sustained the injury late in the second quarter and did not return to the game where the Steelers won 32-14 over the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

(File Photo of an Aliquippa Quips Flag)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Gibsonia, PA) Aliquippa High School defeated McKeesport 21-12 at Pine Richland High School on Saturday to win the high school football WPIAL 4A Championship. This was also the 800th win for the Aliquippa program and their record-extending 21st WPIAL title, the most in league history. The Quips had a lead of 14-12 with two minutes and twenty seconds left in the fourth quarter and their senior quarterback Marques Council threw a touchdown on a fourth and nine to senior wide receiver Qa’Lil Goode to put the Quips ahead for good. Aliquippa will be taking on Oil City starting at 6:30 p.m. this Friday at Slippery Rock University in the PIAA 4A quarterfinals and Beaver County Radio will be covering the game that begins at 7 p.m. on 99.3 and 95.7 FM and 1230 and 1460 AM.