Sports
From HBCU cafeterias to the NFL, Chiefs player Bryan Cook’s wife shares her love story
Before they became husband and wife, parents and two-time Super Bowl champions, Bryan Cook and Jayla Thornton-Cook were student-athletes who spent their freshman yr at Howard University. In a recent interview with People MagazineJayla, who played on the HBCU women’s basketball team, recalls becoming friends with Bryan during summer classes.
“It’s funny – back then we argued every day. We were best friends, but we argued constantly. I thought, ‘This man always has something to say, whether it’s a witty comment or a joke,'” she said, explaining how they often bonded over food in the campus dining hall and at Chipotle. “That’s the best way for student-athletes to bond — eating together in the cafeteria.”
While the two became close, their athletic journeys separated them when Jayla moved to Syracuse to play basketball while Bryan continued his football profession at Howard. Four years later, Bryan transferred to the University of Cincinnati to join the football team and started training in Virginia. At the same time, Jayla returned to Washington to reap the benefits of her sixth yr of eligibility by playing for George Washington University after graduating from Syracuse. Finally being close to one another again, the two took the opportunity to rekindle their relationship.
Featured Stories
“As we grew older, I realized what I was really looking for in a partner. When I started feeling feelings for Bryan, it was funny to me. I thought, “Oh, it’s Bryan. How funny is that? But it all made sense as my feelings deepened,” she added. “But when we matured, everything changed. A big part of it was watching each other grow. We were both focused on our individual goals and it was inspiring to watch him chase his dreams while I worked to achieve mine.”
The duo has supported one another over the years. While Bryan was entering his rookie yr with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jayla was playing basketball and earning her degree at George Washington University. Although she watched his games from her dorm during her senior yr in the program, she remembers missing classes and practices to watch Bryan win his first Super Bowl.
“Watching him reach his highest level has been incredibly rewarding for me, especially since he’s not just my partner; he was always my best friend,” she said, recalling the “joy on his face” when the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I try to be there for him mentally and emotionally, which has been key, especially understanding the physical demands of the NFL,” she added. “The biggest challenge I remember from his rookie yr was coping with the emotional, mental and spiritual points of adjusting so quickly. It’s your dream, but when it happens so quickly, nobody gives you a playbook on how to take care of it, especially in the NFL.
Today, Jayla and Bryan are married and have a daughter, Jaycee, whom they welcomed in August. Whether it’s home or away games, Jayla continues to support her husband throughout the football season, explaining that she wants to see him “accomplish everything he has set out for himself” in and outdoors of football.
While balancing life with a newborn and a rigorous soccer schedule has proven to be a necessity, the family’s mantra is “grace,” which Jayla says has helped them each navigate these changes.
“It has been a difficult but rewarding journey, and focusing on grace has made a significant difference for us,” she said. “It’s definitely a new chapter for us, but my main goal is to see us start to come to grips with it and be able to appreciate where we are in life.”
Sports
Mike Tyson freaks out when a teenage reporter asks about his heritage: ‘It means absolutely nothing to me’
Mike Tyson was in full “Iron Mike” mode when a 14-year-old reporter did an interview and asked him about his heritage.
Jazlyn Guerra, the young journalist behind , was at Tyson’s weigh-in with Jake Paul on November 14 before their highly anticipated match. She he asked former heavyweight champion, what sort of “legacy” he hoped to leave behind. This query received an ominous response from Tyson, who taught the young teenager a lesson on how meaningless an inheritance is for a deceased person.
“I don’t believe in the word ‘heritage.’ I think it’s another word for ego. Heritage means nothing,” he said. “It was just a word that everybody clung to. Someone said the word and everybody latched onto it, now it’s used every five seconds.
“It means absolutely nothing to me. I’m just passing through,” Tyson added. “I will die and this will be over. Who cares about legacy after that?”
After a transient, awkward pause, the Brownsville, Brooklyn native continued his vicious tirade.
“Then I will die. I want people to think that I’m like this, that I’m great?” – he continued. “No, we are nothing. We’re just dead. We are dust. We are absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing.”
Guerra seemed momentarily bowled over by Tyson’s harsh outlook on life, but remained calm and politely thanked the champion for his insights.
“Well, thank you so much for sharing this,” she said. “That’s something I haven’t heard before.”
However, Tyson just isn’t yet done proving his thesis about the irrelevance of heritage.
“Can you actually imagine someone saying, ‘I would like my legacy to seem like this?’ You’re dead!” Tyson said. “Who the hell takes care of me when I’m gone? Maybe my children or grandchildren?
The interview quickly went viral, with many individuals expressing concern for the young Guerra.
“Oh my God, why did Mike say that to that little girl?” one user X he wrote.
“This shit just changed the trajectory of her life,” one user wrote.
“You can see her youth leaving her during this interview,” another person added. “And who thought it was a great idea for a kid to interview Tyson.”
Sports
58-year-old Mike Tyson defeated Jake Paul (27) by unanimous decision
YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul added Mike Tyson’s name to his list of unimpressive victories on November 15 after judges awarded him the victory in what was essentially an exhibition match.
According to , Netflix, which has made significant investments so as to add live sports to its portfolio, has faced backlash on social media for unreliable streaming and technical issues throughout the event’s broadcast.
On the eve of the fight on CNN, former HBO host Bomani Jones called the fight between the 2 men a “farce” and identified that the general public’s demand for the fight is a byproduct of desire. seeing someone knock Paul out.
According to The Associated Press, the fight set a Texas record for combat sports, grossing $18 million in opening revenues.
Apart from the record draw, the group was not pleased with the fight and what they witnessed, and booed because the fight became slower and slower.
The foremost event was uneven and was far more entertaining than the boxing match because Tyson looked his age.
Tyson, 58, managed to land just 97 punches over eight two-minute rounds, while Paul, 27, taunted and cajoled the much older and slower man.
In turn, the co-main event brought the most effective fight of the evening, ending with a controversial decision of the judges.
The 2022 reboot of Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, widely considered the Fight of the Year, was an exciting fight between two top contenders and was largely a disappointment.
Serrano and Taylor went to work on this fight, trading and exchanging combos in flurry of motion.
Although Taylor lost a degree for multiple headbutts and was eliminated after greater than 100 strikes, she ultimately won a unanimous decision that was met with choruses of boos from the group at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Due to the character of the controversial ending, the Taylor-Serrano fight will likely lead to a 3rd fight, nonetheless, Paul will likely proceed to be criticized for hand-picking opponents that he can very clearly beat within the boxing ring, whilst he appears to advocate for a match with Canelo Alvarez, probably boxing’s biggest draw after the Tyson fight.
“Boxing has collapsed long ago as an attraction for mainstream sports viewers, and in the age of social media, viewers seem more excited to watch a YouTuber fight a nearly 60-year-old former heavyweight champion than a real fight between boxers who are relevant to the sport,” wrote Keith Reed, author and sports editor, in an article for MSNBC. “This strikes me as symptomatic of our culture’s rejection of skills, qualifications, and experience as prerequisites for central office – in any profession, from the president of the United States on down.”
Sports
Long-time NBA assistant Phil Handy coaches the Unrivaled team
Longtime NBA assistant coach Phil Handy will develop into the head coach of an as-yet-unnamed team for the first time in the first season of the latest Unrivaled women’s skilled basketball league in 2025, sources tell Andscape.
The 3v3 league will debut in Miami in January 2025, and 36 basketball players will play in six teams. Unrivaled’s co-founders are WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
“I’m so excited to be a part of the first season of Unrivaled with some amazing coaches and athletes,” Handy told Andscape on Friday. “Supporting women in sport has been a long-standing passion of mine and I actually appreciate the opportunity to proceed to contribute to their development and success.
“I have always seen basketball as more than gender – it is about the skill, dedication and heart that athletes bring to the game. Exploring this deeper this off-season before the (WNBA) season starts in April feels like a meaningful and exciting way to stay connected to my roots. I love training athletes.”
Handy, 53, won three NBA championships as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. The former University of Hawaii guard was an assistant coach with the Lakers from 2019-2024 . , Raptors from 2018-2019 and Cavaliers from 2013-2018, after serving as player development coach for the Lakers from 2011-2013. The San Leandro, California native is widely known for running improvement camps around the world and training elite players in the offseason, including the late Kobe Bryant, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and USC women’s basketball goaltender JuJu Watkins.
The inaugural season of Unrivaled will begin on January 17, 2025. Team assignments, rosters and schedules might be announced on November 20.
-
Press Release8 months ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Business and Finance6 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Press Release7 months ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Business and Finance8 months ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump7 months ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Fitness7 months ago
Black sportswear brands for your 2024 fitness journey
-
Theater8 months ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Ben Crump8 months ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests