On Wednesday night, 12 people were killed in a mass shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Professional athletes and organizations took to Twitter to offer their prayers and condolences:
Heartbroken. Thoughts and prayers are with the people of this community, and those that have lost loved ones.
Praying comfort and healing to those affected by this senseless shooting. Thank you to the first responders who put their lives on the line to protect and serve us every day. Thousand Oaks is my home; I will do everything in my power to help those in need of support.
Our entire organization is heartbroken to hear about the senseless and terrible tragedy that occurred last night in Thousand Oaks. Our hearts go out to all the victims and their loved ones.
San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey runs against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
With much still to be decided in this year’s NFL playoffs, one thing is already certain coming out of wild-card weekend: A new champion will be crowned.
The No. 6 seed in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers upended the defending-champion and No. 3-seeded Philadelphia Eagles, 23-19, on Sunday in Philadelphia behind the strength of two fourth-quarter touchdowns from superstar running back Christian McCaffrey.
Trailing 16-10 on the first snap of the fourth, the Niners dialed up a trick play. The ball was pitched to wideout Jauan Jennings on what appeared to be an end-around, but the receiver rose up to pass and found an open McCaffrey for a game-tying 29-yard touchdown.
The Eagles re-took the lead on a field goal with eight minutes remaining, but it wasn’t enough. The 49ers capped a 10-play, 66-yard drive with a four-yard TD pass to McCaffrey with 2:54 to go. McCaffrey’s second touchdown reception of the contest proved to be the game-winner.
McCaffrey finished the day with 15 rushing attempts for 48 yards and six receptions (including his two touchdowns) for 66 yards — 114 total yards from scrimmage.
McCaffrey made sure to praise God in his first public comments after his clutch performance on Sunday.
“God is good,” he told Fox Sports’ Tom Rinaldi on the field moments after the final whistle blew. “Our team fights. We take it each day at a time and go as hard as we can every single time. … I love this group so much. I don’t have enough good things to say about them. I’m proud to be a part of this team.”
His 49ers now advance to the divisional round, where they will take on the NFC’s No. 1 seed and their bitter division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. The teams split their regular-season meetings, with the 49ers winning in Seattle in Week 1 and the Seahawks winning in San Francisco in Week 18.
At 29 years old, McCaffrey is in his third full season with San Francisco. He was traded to the 49ers mid-season in 2022 after spending the first five and a half years of his pro career with the Carolina Panthers. The former Stanford Cardinal was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time of his career in late December, and on Sunday, he became a first-team All-Pro selection for the fourth time. He was also named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.
The 2025-26 campaign has been one of McCaffrey’s best in the NFL, playing all 17 games (after being limited to only four in 2024 due to injuries) and accumulating 1,202 rushing yards with 10 TDs and 924 receiving yards with seven TDs. His 2,126 regular-season scrimmage yards this season were the second-most in his decorated career (behind 2,392 in 2019) and the third time overall he’s eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark.
McCaffrey’s incredible football skill is undeniable, and his accomplishments are abundant. His fame is international. Still, he says none of that sits on the throne of his heart.
“[My faith in Christ] means everything to me,” McCaffrey told Sports Spectrum at the Super Bowl in February 2024. “My faith has gotten me where I am in life and through all the ups and downs when I rely on God. Anytime I’m having a tough day or having a bad time in my life, I just get back to getting into the Word — it’s got all the answers. So it’s the most important thing in my life and it’s something that I know I’ll always have to lean back on and to make a priority.”
The son of former Denver Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey, Christian grew up in a football-crazed family with three brothers who went on to play Division-I football as well. But as important as football was to Christian, his relationship with Christ was much more so.
The star running back is often seen praying before or during each game, knowing he’s called to surrender to the One who holds all things in His hands. Leading up to the wild-card matchup with Philadelphia, he cited the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 4:16 in one of his Instagram posts.
McCaffrey isn’t shy to speak about his faith publicly and often posts Bible verses on Instagram for 2.7 million followers to see. He wants others to know that, as badly as he wants to add a Super Bowl title to his growing list of accolades, his faith is what ultimately motivates him.
“My faith is very important to me, and that’s why I’m praying all the time,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle in October 2023. “When you have a bunch of people chanting your name, it’s important that you give the honor and glory back to the Person — God — that’s allowing me to do this.”
As usual, the 49ers will rely heavily on McCaffrey against Seattle to avoid the fate they suffered the last time they faced the Seahawks, when San Francisco managed to score only three points. Saturday’s matchup will kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
Jordan Babineaux in 2008. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING JORDAN BABINEAUX
Jordan Babineaux played nine seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. He was undrafted after playing college football at Division-II Southern Arkansas.
Nicknamed “Big Play Babs,” Jordan played in Super Bowl XL with the Seahawks and made the famous tackle on Tony Romo after a botched field-goal attempt in the 2006 NFC Wild-Card Game between Seattle and Dallas.
Matt Forte welcomes Jordan Babineaux to the podcast to discuss his miraculous journey to the NFL and how he was able to overcome the loss of his dad to achieve success. Jordan also discusses his retirement and transition away from the game, and the importance of pivoting well.
#27 Jordan Babineaux was signed as a UDFA by the #Seahawks in 2004, making 10 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles, 32 PBUs, 4 sacks & a safety in 7 seasons pic.twitter.com/18dak4460x
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore passes during the Orange Bowl, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
For more than three decades, Oregon has been one of college football’s model programs. With flashy uniforms, rosters full of future NFL stars, and an imposing home atmosphere, the Ducks have become one of the country’s premier teams.
In its 108-year history, Oregon has won 14 conference championships and 17 bowl games. The program has been particularly successful during the 2000s, including two national runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014, and the program’s only Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Yet one thing has always eluded the Ducks: a national championship. That’s the drought No. 5 Oregon is trying to end this season as it faces conference-foe and No. 1 Indiana in the Peach Bowl on Friday night.
And if the Ducks are finally going to break through, quarterback Dante Moore will be a central reason why. After transferring from UCLA to Oregon in 2024, Moore sat behind future NFL quarterback Dillon Gabriel last season before taking over the starting job this season. Heading into Friday, he’s amassed 3,280 passing yards with 28 touchdowns (10th in the nation) and nine interceptions in 2025-26.
His breakout season has skyrocketed his NFL stock, with ESPN projecting him as the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft in its latest mock draft — though he could return to Oregon for another season.
He felt comfortable immediately upon arriving in Eugene, both on and off the field. Shortly after he enrolled, he connected with the team chaplain, where a conversation led to Moore getting baptized.
“Coach (Dan) Lanning asked me ‘what’s my why’ recently, and it’s to glorify God,” Moore said last March on the “Ducks of a Feather” podcast, hosted by former Oregon and NFL players Jonathan Stewart and Kenjon Barner. “God has blessed me with the body I have just to compete and play the game of football that I love, be around people that I’m building connections with for the rest of my life. I’m just doing everything to glorify Him.
“That can be being an athlete, it can be being a student. That’s why recently my Instagram for the past year-and-a-half now has been a lot of verses, a lot of me reading the Bible.”
Indeed, Moore’s social media presence reflects his faith. His Instagram bio says he’s a “Follower of Christ,” and those who follow Moore will often see pictures of what he’s reading in the Scriptures that day. He was also seen praying with his teammates ahead of Oregon’s Orange Bowl win over Texas Tech.
“I just want to do everything He’s blessed me to do,” Moore said on the podcast. “He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, so just understand that every day that’s what drives me to be thankful for that situation and the opportunity to be where I’m at.”
His spiritual journey started with a rollercoaster freshman year at UCLA, where he said he quickly learned from some difficult stretches.
“My freshman year, my first three games were amazing. Then everything goes downhill from there and I feel like, I’ve been at the lowest of lows and the highest of highs,” Moore told 247Sports’ Duck Territory blog in October. “Coach (Chip) Kelly did a great job of making sure that I stayed positive as a mindset, but it’s just hard when you’re a freshman and you’re a young guy and you’re 17 years old in L.A. and far away from home, to stay positive and smile through it all.”
For some athletes, a change of scenery can make all the difference. That seems to be the case for Moore. At Oregon, he found not only a fresh start, but a culture that emphasized trust, joy and purpose.
“Being here with Coach Lanning, a great coach who I love to death and who I’m blessed to have him — the way he talks, communicates and calls me, just having a head coach who I trust,” Moore told 247Sports. “He’s just always telling me like code words on the field to remember my childhood self playing football in little league smiling. At the end of the day, I play the game to glorify God and if it’s a loss or a win, it doesn’t matter as long as I play my 100% hardest — that’s where my smile comes from.”
That perspective will be tested again Friday night. Indiana handed Oregon its lone defeat earlier this season, 30-20 in Oregon on Oct. 11. Their rematch comes on the big stage of the College Football Playoff semifinals. The quarterback on the other sideline is Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, whom many experts believe will be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
But Moore isn’t approaching the moment with bitterness or pressure — rather, with gratitude and high praise for his counterpart, who is also not shy about sharing his faith in Jesus.
“He’s somebody that works his tail off, a very smart quarterback,” Moore said about Mendoza to reporters this week. “But I think the biggest thing that I take away from him is he gives glory to God through his success, through his accolades, through his wins, he always gives time to glorify God, and that’s something I appreciate. Respect towards him.”
Oregon and Indiana will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The winner moves on to the national championship game.
Arizona forward Tobe Awaka, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Every morning before sunrise, Tobe Awaka’s day began long before most high school students were awake. Growing up in Hyde Park, New York, Awaka chose a high school nearly two-and-a-half hours away by train — Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx — because he knew it would best prepare him for his future plans.
That meant waking up at 3:30 or 4 a.m. to catch the train, go to class, attend basketball practice, then make the long trip home — only to do it all again the next day.
“It was tough. It definitely had its ups and downs, but it helped mold [me] into the person and player I am today,” he said recently on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up?” podcast.
That early discipline, both in academics and athletics, set the tone for his future basketball journey. He didn’t start playing “high-level” basketball until ninth grade, and even then, his approach looked different from many future stars. Instead of structured drills in a gym, he was in his driveway, pretending an invisible defender was in front of him.
“I’d just do a bunch of different combo moves… kind of imagine myself going past them,” he said on the podcast. “I think that kind of helped build my creativity and my love for the game.”
Fast forward to the 2025-26 college basketball season, and that inner creativity and work ethic has helped Awaka become one of the most impactful pieces on the No. 1-ranked and 14-0 Arizona Wildcats. The senior forward is posting a double-double season, averaging 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and shooting 59.8% from the floor — numbers that place him among the team’s and Big 12’s most consistent performers this year. And it’s all coming from a reserve role; despite starting 36 of 37 games last season, Awaka has come off the bench for every game this season.
His 18 points against Utah on Jan. 3 matched a career high, and he chipped in 12 rebounds to go with it. But his growth hasn’t only come through box scores.
After transferring from Tennessee following the 2023-24 season — a choice he described as one of the toughest decisions of his life — Awaka leaned deeply on his faith to find clarity. What began as prayer and thoughtful reflection turned into a sense of spiritual peace that guided his decision.
“Honestly, once I got the green light spiritually from God that I was making the right choice and moving in the right direction, it was tough going through on that but I think ultimately it’s been to my benefit and for my good,” he said on the podcast. “Sometimes, as a believer, the unknown can be a little scary. The whole fact of having faith becomes real and true and something you have to put into practice, and that was definitely a moment where I had to.”
Now at Arizona, faith has become something Awaka lives out in community. What started as a personal pursuit of spiritual growth has grown into a space for teammates — and others across campus — to do the same. In one of his early days in Tucson, he visited a local barbershop for a haircut. He noticed his barber had a sermon from pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell playing on a nearby TV, which sparked an organic conversation about faith.
Their friendship grew from there, and the two decided to meet regularly for a Bible study. Other players soon caught wind of what they were doing and asked if they could join. The group quickly grew to six members and has continued expanding as others from across campus have been invited. Some meetings now include 15 to 20 people, Awaka said.
“It’s been really cool just to see how God has moved,” he said on the podcast. “Honestly, it just kind of started with two guys trying to dive deeper into their faith and learn more about it. It’s kind of grown into something cool and special. We’re still trying to grow it, still trying to get more guys on the team interested and bring them along, but it’s been a great experience.”
That boldness in faith wasn’t always instinctive for Awaka. It came through searching, wrestling and earnest exploration of truth. Around his freshman year of college, he found himself digging into every major religion — Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism and more — before landing where he felt alive with conviction.
“I went pretty deep and I landed on Christianity,” he said on the podcast. “I kind of read the Bible like a mad man. I read it front to back, then read through the New Testament again. I felt it deep in my soul that that was the truth and that’s where God wanted me to move. Even before that, it was just a lot of research, a lot of looking things up.”
Away from the court and classroom, Awaka is a big reader, using books to quiet his mind amidst the chaos of basketball and business school coursework. One book that left an impression was “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy, which he said reshaped his mental approach as an athlete. Ecclesiastes is also one of his favorite books in the Bible.
His faith went from something he followed because his parents did it to something he now claims as his. So when the decision to transfer schools came, he said it felt like “peace amongst chaos” when he got that “green light” from the Lord.
“There’s a lot of things swirling, a lot of people in your ear, but internally you have this gravity telling you that it’s going to be OK,” he said. He heard the Lord telling him to follow in His steps and He would lead him in the right direction.
“Adversity is inevitable. We see that all throughout the Scriptures,” he said on the podcast. “But at the same time, Christ isn’t going to take that away, necessarily, but He’s going to help us walk through that. I definitely believe and feel that’s what He was doing with me through that time.”
Awaka and Arizona next face Big 12-foe Kansas State at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
