SEC Sues LSU, Lane Kiffin as Expulsion Threat Looms Over Former NFL Players

The SEC is taking LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin to federal court over the Tigers’ push to add former NFL players to their roster. The conference is seeking an injunction to enforce its rules, while SEC officials have reportedly discussed expelling LSU if the school moves forward. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has backed the conference. A Louisiana court hearing Thursday could determine whether players including Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris can suit up this season.

Tom Hardy is officially returning for Season 3 of MobLand. Paramount+ confirmed the renewal Thursday, putting to rest questions about whether Hardy would remain with the crime drama following reported tensions in Season 2. Hardy will reprise his role as fixer Harry da Souza alongside Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. Season 2 premieres Sept. 18, with new episodes dropping Fridays through Nov. 20. The early renewal signals Paramount+’s continued confidence in the series.

The Rockets are betting big on Amen Thompson’s future. Houston has agreed to a five-year, $208 million rookie extension with the 23-year-old guard, keeping him under contract through 2032 with a 10% trade kicker. Thompson broke out last season, averaging career highs of 18.3 points, 7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals. The deal further cements Thompson as a cornerstone of a Houston team that has won 52 games in each of the past two seasons.

Nvidia has confirmed its $12.93 billion acquisition of Hugging Face, one of its largest deals ever. The transaction gives Nvidia direct access to the AI developer platform used to build, test, and share open models, strengthening its position as demand for open-weight AI accelerates. Nvidia will pay about $11.9 billion to Hugging Face investors, plus up to $1 billion in equity-based retention awards for employees joining the chipmaker.

Myles Garrett is officially the NFL’s top player. The Los Angeles Rams pass rusher was voted No. 1 in NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2026 after setting a league record with 23 sacks last season. Bills QB Josh Allen ranked No. 2, while Garrett’s new teammate Matthew Stafford landed at No. 4. Garrett’s arrival, combined with Aaron Donald’s return, has made the Rams a favorite to contend for the Super Bowl.

Amelia Dimoldenberg is closing the door on Chicken Shop Date after 12 years. The creator announced that her hit YouTube interview series will end after a final lineup of guests, bringing an end to a format that grew from a teenage magazine column into a global digital franchise. The show has amassed roughly 1 billion YouTube views, with guests including Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, Andrew Garfield, Jack Harlow, and Idris Elba.

Lando Norris is building F1’s next generation. The reigning world champion has co-founded LN4 Fusion, a junior racing team that will compete in Formula 3, Formula Regional, and Italian Formula 4 starting in 2027, with plans to pursue F2. Norris is also launching the LN4 Legacy Programme to identify and fully fund promising young drivers, tackling one of motorsport’s biggest barriers: the cost of climbing the racing ladder.

Ceyair Wright is taking his talents from the football field to Hollywood. The Cincinnati Bengals cornerback left training camp after the team’s first preseason game to pursue an acting opportunity, and now that project is revealed: Wright will star opposite Storm Reid in Get Lite, a dance drama directed by Teyana Taylor for Paramount Pictures. The film, centered on New York’s Litefeet dance scene, begins shooting later this month and is set for an Aug. 20, 2027 release.

Uber’s $14.8 billion acquisition of Delivery Hero is seemingly moving forward after the German food-delivery company’s board endorsed the deal and urged shareholders to accept it. The combination would unite two major global delivery platforms and is expected to expand product development and opportunities for merchants, workers, and employees. The backing comes as Uber separately plans to cut more than 3,000 jobs, roughly 10% of its workforce.

Inde Navarrette is adding another major project to her post-Obsession breakout. The actress will star in The Waffle House Index, a sci-fi thriller picked up by Apple Original Films, with Plan B Entertainment producing. Louis Paxton is directing Andrew Nunnelly’s Black List script, which follows a Waffle House waitress whose chaotic night spirals into a bizarre survival story involving floods, crocodiles, a nuclear explosion, aliens, and a mysterious bunker. Navarrette will also executive produce.

Project Healthy Minds and Harvard Business School researchers are launching the Workforce Lab, a new coalition designed to measure what works for employee mental health. Founding members include ServiceNow, L’Oréal USA, KPMG, Apollo Global Management, and Universal Music Group. The long-term initiative will develop standardized benchmarks, ROI analysis, and actionable strategies to help companies connect workforce wellbeing with productivity, retention, and performance.

NFL Network is reshaping its weekday lineup for the 2026-27 season, bringing back NFL Total Access and The Aftermath in new formats while retaining Good Morning Football, NFL Fantasy Live, and The Insiders. The network is also expanding live programming around Monday Night Football, adding ESPN’s NFL Live and Monday Night Countdown to its schedule. NFL Total Access debuts Sept. 8, followed by The Aftermath on Sept. 14.

New York City is putting the brakes on AI in the classroom. The nation’s largest school system will ban students through eighth grade from using generative AI tools for the upcoming school year as it studies how kids interact with the technology. High schoolers, meanwhile, will get twice-yearly AI literacy classes, with select students allowed to use approved platforms under teacher supervision. The city will also recommend daily screen-time limits for middle and elementary school students.

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