Paul Allen, the play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Vikings, said Monday that he&#8217;s taking &#8220;a few days off&#8221; after a comment about &#8220;paid protesters&#8221; in Minnesota on his radio show last week.
&#8220;In conditions like this, do paid protesters get hazard pay? Those are the things that I&#8217;ve been thinking about this morning,&#8221; Allen said during his show on KFAN Friday.
The comments received backlash on social media, prompting an apology from Allen and his absence from the airwaves.
KFAN aired the apology from Allen on Monday during a commercial break ahead of the radio station&#8217;s &#8220;9 to Noon&#8221; show that Allen hosts, per <a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/vikings-announcer-paul-allen-paid-protesters-comment.html">Awful Announcing</a>.
&#8220;I made a comment on-air Friday about protesters and the weather that was insensitive and poorly timed and I’m sorry,&#8221; he said.  &#8220;It was a misguided attempt at humor and while it was never meant with any ill-intent or political affront, I absolutely and wholeheartedly want to apologize to those who genuinely were hurt or offended by it. Nine-to-noon doesn’t formulate political opinions. We don’t bash or praise political discussions or even focus on political issues.&#8221;
Allen claimed his show always tries to focus on sports and strives to offer an escape from more serious issues for their listeners, the outlet added.
&#8220;My best was lacking Friday, and for that I am sorry. I am taking a few days off, wanted to express these thoughts and my sincere apology with you before I do,&#8221; Allen added.
The announcer made the comments about paid protesters while discussing the misconception of how trees can apparently &#8220;explode&#8221; in Minnesota due to frigid temperatures. Allen then went on to ask if the people who have been on the streets in Minnesota protesting ICE were getting hazard pay because of the conditions.
Shortly after the Minnesota Vikings announcer&#8217;s show on Friday, Allen wrote the <a href="https://x.com/PAOnTheMic/status/2015145416463970317">following on X</a>:
&#8220;I have to stop watching all this for a little bit. I&#8217;m so sad this terror is happening all around us here in MN. I just prayed to God&#8217;s will for it to somehow stop and now and started crying. I truly am sorry for all hurting like me through this, and I just want us to be a Love Covenant again. Truly. Let&#8217;s all pray this stops somehow because it&#8217;s awful. And no more cheap one-liners from me.&#8221;
Allen&#8217;s comments were made before the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents.
Allen has handled play-by-play duties for the Minnesota Vikings since 2002. The station didn&#8217;t say when Allen would return to his normal hosting duties.

Illustration by Daily Wire staff

Minnesota Vikings Announcer To Take  ‘A Few Days Off’ After ‘Paid Protesters’ Comment

Minnesota Vikings

News

Protests

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is trying to rev up support to host an IndyCar race on the National Mall in August as part of the country&#8217;s celebration of 250 years. The only problem? Democrats are trying to pump the brakes on the idea.
Fast cars and freedom sound like an all-American good time. Several backseat-driving Democrats, however, think it&#8217;s &#8220;absurd&#8221; for Congress to give the green light to an IndyCar race in D.C. when lawmakers won’t even extend health care subsidies, Punchbowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/archive/12326-am/">reported</a>.
The race needs Congress to pass a bill for the event because, currently, there’s a ban on advertising on the Capitol grounds. And what do race cars have all over? Ads.
A United States Department of Transportation spokesperson emphasized what the event would mean to commemorate America250.
&#8220;The Grand Prix is an unprecedented opportunity to celebrate our nation&#8217;s proud racing pedigree, showcase the beauty of the National Mall, and generate millions in critical tourism revenue for the Capital. The Trump Administration is determined to make D.C. great again, and this race is another example of that commitment. We&#8217;ll keep working with our partners in Congress to outline the positive impacts it will have on the District and correct the record.&#8221;
The America250 celebration is already set to have a much-anticipated live UFC event on the White House Lawn, the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia, and the Patriot Games in Washington, D.C.
The proposed race would start at the Supreme Court and then do an entire lap around the National Mall, including the Lincoln Memorial. “Pit Row” would be set up by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The IndyCar Grand Prix idea has been floated to the aides of Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
A bipartisan prix is worrisome to the Democrats, who seem to only know how to white-knuckle the steering wheel. They argue it puts a strain on the U.S. Capitol Police and the surrounding roads. Democrats also think Republicans haven&#8217;t been helpful to them, according to Punchbowl News. They aren&#8217;t too keen on this race because so far the GOP has refused to hang a plaque honoring the victims of the January 6 Capitol riot, an aide told the outlet.
IndyCar told The Daily Wire that new events are something the organization welcomes.
“We continue to work on new events for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Major East Coast markets &#8211; like Washington D.C. and several other large metro destinations &#8211; are priorities for us,&#8221; a spokesperson said.
IndyCar has races scheduled for August already, but none in Washington, D.C. Per the league&#8217;s schedule, Secretary Duffy&#8217;s target date of August 21 is open. Still, it seems there might be a few pit stops before this event gets to the finish line.

An IndyCar Race Around The Capital Would Be As American As It Gets. Democrats Are The Roadblock.

An IndyCar Race Around D.C. Sounds Awesome But Democrats Are The Roadblock

INDYCAR

Sports

Washington D.C.

From Texas to Maine, this weekend will be icy and dicey for 230 million Americans. One of the country&#8217;s most notable meteorologists, The Weather Channel&#8217;s Jim Cantore, explained to The Daily Wire the impact and consequences of this weekend&#8217;s forecasted winter storm and frigid temperatures.
Much of the country will experience three different types of precipitation from this storm: snow, sleet, and freezing rain, according to Cantore.
&#8220;In Dallas, they&#8217;re gonna have multiple precipitation types. They&#8217;re going to start to snow, maybe go to freezing rain, and then end with the snow again,&#8221; Cantore said. &#8220;Nashville starts to snow, sleet, freezing rain. Then ends as snow or freezing drizzle. Washington D.C. starts to snow, heavy snow, goes to sleet, then freezing rain, maybe even a little rain just east of D.C., and then back to cold behind this cold front.&#8221;
The three types of precipitation are why Cantore says the forecast for the storm, officially named Winter Storm Fern, has fluctuated over the last week.
&#8220;All those cities I just mentioned are going to have different precipitation types at different times,&#8221; Cantore explained. &#8220;Exactly how much time you spend in the sleet, the freezing rain, the snow, it&#8217;s hard to forecast that. But at the end of the day, if there&#8217;s a two-inch liquid equivalent of all of that, that&#8217;s the pie. So how you cut up that pie into sleet, freezing rain, snow, rain — sometimes you can&#8217;t do it until the day of the actual event.&#8221;
Cantore says the worst part about the storm forecasted to cover more than half the country is that everyone affected will likely see ice, which can be the most dangerous form of precipitation.
&#8220;An inch of freezing rain in parts of Northern Louisiana, maybe even North Texas, in Northern Mississippi is a disaster because timber is one of their major economic inputs. So they have huge amounts of timber in Mississippi, and now you&#8217;re talking about one inch or two of ice — so they&#8217;re gonna lose trees, they&#8217;re gonna lose power lines. Two inches of ice on a power line weighs about 2,250 pounds. Even if they get an inch and a half, that is bad enough. That&#8217;s still 800 to 1,300 pounds, a tremendous weight on those lines.&#8221;
Cantore said it doesn&#8217;t take much ice to have severe consequences.
&#8220;You can have power loss with a 1/4 inch of ice. You can get more extensive power loss with a 0.5-inch [of ice]. Severe widespread power loss with 3/4 of an inch, and once you get over one inch of ice, now you&#8217;re talking about bringing the lines down and trees down,&#8221; Cantore said.
Areas affected by more than an inch of ice could be without power for more than a week, according to Cantore. The time frame to restore power depends on how quickly the ice thaws, which may not be immediate. The meteorologist explained that an arctic cold front follows Winter Storm Fern. For the South, Cantore estimates a thaw to begin sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.
The unpredictability of the storm and cold front calls for preparedness. Friday is almost too late, according to Cantore, but he suggests getting a generator if one is available, having a gas grill for cooking if power goes out, and stocking up on blankets and firewood to stay warm.
Cantore will ride out the storm in New York City, where the city could break its record for most consecutive days below freezing, which currently stands at 14.
&#8220;This is a big deal. We will likely have hundreds of thousands of people without power because of this large area of freezing rain potential, and that is a huge concern,&#8221; Cantore said.

America’s Favorite Meteorologist Breaks Down This Weekend’s Wild Weather Forecast

America's Severe Weatherman Jim Cantore Explains This Weekend's Wacky Weather

freezing rain

Jim Cantore

Severe Weather

Snow

The Weather Channel

Weather

Winter storm

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza continues to impress even after leading the Hoosiers to their first College Football Playoff National Championship title in school history.
The Heisman winner took to LinkedIn to share what he learned from Monday&#8217;s title game in a lengthy post that has already garnered quite the response from the corporate world.
&#8220;Monday night, my teammates and I had the honor of raising the National Championship trophy and bringing a CFB title back to Bloomington, Indiana, for the first time in history. With the guidance of our coaches and the unwavering support of Hoosier Nation, our band of brothers made the unbelievable believable,&#8221; Mendoza wrote.
The MBA student continued to share what winning has taught him about putting his major to use:
<blockquote>Here’s what winning a National Championship taught me about B2B sales 🏆 (kidding…kinda)
1. Believe in yourself: Four years ago, I was a two-star recruit playing high school football 30 minutes from Hard Rock Stadium with a dream of playing at the highest level. Two days ago, I became a National Champion in that same stadium, surrounded by the family who never stopped believing in me.
2. Take the risk: When it’s 4th and 5 at the 12-yard line, go for it.
3. Remember who got you there: Thank you to my teammates, coaches, support staff, professors, and everyone behind the scenes who helped make this happen.&#8221;
This isn&#8217;t his first update on the networking app. After winning the Heisman Trophy in December Mendoza shared the news on LinkedIn and updated his Honors and Awards section to reflect college football&#8217;s highest achievement.
This weekend, I was incredibly honored to be named the 2025 Heisman Trophy recipient. To the Heisman Trophy Trust, the voters, and the legendary winners who have come before me, it is a privilege to be recognized alongside such an esteemed fraternity.</blockquote>
Of course, now the awards section reflects winning the College Football Playoff National Championship.
LinkedIn is showing the world what Mendoza can do off the field. His football skills include insane runs on 4th and 5 that result in touchdowns, setting Indiana&#8217;s single-season touchdown record, and a nation-leading 33 passing touchdowns on the year. But off the field, he lists the following skills on his LinkedIn profile: Microsoft Excel, Accounting, Commercial Real Estate, Event Management, to name just a few.
There shouldn&#8217;t be a need to add the common LinkedIn headline &#8220;Open to work&#8221; to Mendoza&#8217;s profile. For someone who is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mendoza keeps his LinkedIn job-interview ready.
The Raiders, who desperately need a franchise quarterback and have the number one pick, sent executives to Miami to watch Mendoza ball out on college football&#8217;s biggest stage.
With a degree from Cal and Indiana, the football star has his business-to-business sales experience to fall back on if, for some reason, the whole NFL quarterback thing doesn&#8217;t work out. Either way, his 55,000+ followers on LinkedIn will eagerly await a profile update.

Hoosiers Quarterback Shares What Winning The National Championship Taught Him … On LinkedIn

Fernando Mendoza Shares What Winning The National Championship Taught Him On...LinkedIn

College Football

College sports

Indiana University

After decades of being the songwriter behind some of country music&#8217;s biggest hits for artists such as Rascal Flatts and Montgomery Gentry, Jeffrey Steele is using his own voice on his new and most personal song to date.
&#8220;A Voice&#8221; is a patriotic plea for Americans to unite and stand up for truth, Steele told The Daily Wire. The single, released January 16, shares the stories of Americans who Steele says don&#8217;t always have a voice, but make up the backbone of the country.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a time in the world when we&#8217;ve been relying on government to take care of us,&#8221; Steele said. “This is a song about people taking care of each other.&#8221;
The lyrics for this song evoke powerful imagery with lines, &#8220;I’m the Soldier, I fought and died for you. Gave up my life to give you the right to live the life you choose,&#8221; and &#8220;I’m a laid off factory worker whose factory’s China bound. We’re the coal miners, firefighters, the Charlie Kirk choir all lightin’ our lighters, finally waking up, we had enough, of the liars setting the world on fire.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“A VOICE” is a battle cry and a hope. A reminder that our voices matter and real strength is speaking truth with courage. I wrote this for anyone who’s ever been afraid to speak up. Use your VOICE. Please repost &amp; download:<a href="https://t.co/6sQ5AZN0Zc">https://t.co/6sQ5AZN0Zc</a> <a href="https://t.co/GINwOzy3wO">pic.twitter.com/GINwOzy3wO</a>
— Jeffrey Steele (@JSteeleMusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/JSteeleMusic/status/2012170965623480553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
Steele said he was told to keep some of those lyrics out so the song would play on the radio, but the Hall of Fame songwriter said he refused to make concessions for more airtime.
&#8220;The radio stations won&#8217;t play their records if they speak politically or not, and it&#8217;s not really political, it&#8217;s just real. It&#8217;s really what&#8217;s happening in the world. I sing it for my friends who can&#8217;t sing it that are in the business, in hopes that the new artists coming up will write what they see out there in the world.&#8221;
&#8220;I mean, if you look at the 60s, you see the hippie movement, the folk movement, there was a narrative there. Right now, the conservative side doesn&#8217;t have that.&#8221;
Prior to the song&#8217;s official release, Steele had played it at his tour stops for the last several months. He&#8217;s played his hits, including &#8220;Something To Be Proud Of&#8221; recorded by Montgomery Gentry, &#8220;Stick That In Your Country Song&#8221; recorded by Eric Church, and &#8220;My Wish&#8221; sung by Rascal Flatts — Steele says nothing has gotten the crowd on their feet like &#8220;A Voice.&#8221;
&#8220;People are getting up, screaming, and cheering. It&#8217;s bringing out a feeling, and I think it&#8217;s the journey of the song.&#8221;
Steele doesn&#8217;t want fame or notoriety. His studio walls honestly don&#8217;t have room for more accolades, and that&#8217;s saying a lot because it&#8217;s a big house. He just wants &#8220;A Voice&#8221; to be a wake-up call for people to speak up for the truth, so the country can be a better place for all.
&#8220;Everybody right now is being told to pick left and right, and the only two sides we have are up and down. It’s good or bad. It&#8217;s surprising when you stand up, a lot of people will stand up behind you.&#8221;
&#8220;A Voice&#8221; is available on all music platforms. Steele&#8217;s tour dates can be found <a href="https://www.jeffreysteele.com/">here</a>.

‘It’s Bringing Out A Feeling’: Legendary Songwriter Gets Behind The Mic To Shift Culture In New Song

'It's Bringing Out A Feeling': Smash Hit Songwriter Uses Own Voice In New Song To Shift Culture

Country Music

Tennessee

Taylor Swift is best known for headlining stadium tours, not appearing in court filings. But new legal <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304.1245.44_1.pdf">documents</a> in the lawsuit between &#8220;It Ends With Us&#8221; co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively place the pop star squarely in the drama, alleging she referred to Baldoni, who also directed the film, as a &#8220;b*tch&#8221; in a December 2024 text message to Lively.
Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation in a suit filed against him and his production company, Wayfarer Studios.
Text messages included in court docs filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of New York in Manhattan show how the two friends at the time viewed Lively&#8217;s &#8220;It Ends With Us&#8221; co-star amid the actors&#8217; feud over the 2024 film.
“I think this b*tch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin,” Swift texted Lively, language her legal team later acknowledged while disputing the timing of the exchange.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/justin-baldoni-releases-video-footage-to-prove-he-didnt-harass-blake-lively-her-team-responds">Justin Baldoni Releases Video Footage To Prove He Didn’t Harass Blake Lively, Her Team Responds</a>
In another exchange revealed Tuesday, Lively referred to Baldoni, who denies all accusations against him, as her &#8220;doofus director&#8221; and a &#8220;clown&#8221; to Swift.
The unsealed texts also appear to contradict statements from Swift&#8217;s representative, per <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/01/20/taylor-swift-text-messages-to-blake-lively-about-justin-baldoni/">TMZ, </a>who said last year the singer had no involvement with the film&#8217;s script and that a meeting with Lively and Baldoni was a setup.
According to TMZ, Lively said in her deposition that she sent Swift the script on her way to Lively&#8217;s apartment while Baldoni was still there and asked her to read it, stressing there was no pressure to do so.
The court filings also show Baldoni confided in others about his behind-the-scenes drama with Lively.
&#8220;If [Lively] doesn&#8217;t promote the movie she can leak that I&#8217;m a bad person or that she felt unsafe with me,&#8221; Baldoni said.
Lively&#8217;s sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit is set to go to trial in May. Baldoni&#8217;s $400 million countersuit was dismissed by the court in late 2025, and a hearing on a motion to dismiss Lively&#8217;s claims is set for January 23.

Credit: Gotham/GC Images/Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Unsealed Texts Show Taylor Swift Calling Justin Baldoni A ‘B*tch’ In Messages To Blake Lively

Entertainment

Taylor Swift

Michele Tafoya, a longtime NFL sideline reporter turned political activist, is running for Senate in Minnesota, telling The Daily Wire her home state is at a &#8220;crisis moment.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve raised my family here and I love this place, and we are at a crisis moment in Minnesota, a crisis of leadership,&#8221; Tafoya said in an interview ahead of Wednesday&#8217;s launch. &#8220;These career politicians that have brought us to this place show no inclination of getting us out of it.&#8221;
Tafoya spent nearly four decades working in sports, most notably as the sideline reporter for Monday Night Football on ABC and Sunday Night Football on NBC. After she stepped away from NBC in 2022, Tafoya became a regular voice in the political sphere, launching a podcast where she discusses the issues of the day.
Now, Tafoya is stepping further into the political fray with a bid to replace retiring Democrat Senator Tina Smith. Minnesota, which has not had a Republican senator in 20 years, has become a political flashpoint following allegations of widespread fraud that occurred under Democrat Governor Tim Walz, and the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Hours before Tafoya officially launched her campaign, Vice President JD Vance announced that he would travel to Minneapolis to hold a roundtable on the ongoing fallout from Good&#8217;s death. The tense political climate and prospect of a formidable Democrat opponent — Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan have both entered the race — pose a challenge for any Republican candidate. Tafoya says she&#8217;s ready.
&#8220;I have a willingness and a spine to do the hard work and really fight for all Minnesotans, and that&#8217;s what I will do in the Senate,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I bring new ideas to the mix and ask the tough questions, particularly about this fraud. We have to hold people accountable for this. This can&#8217;t just slip by anymore. This is right versus wrong, and we&#8217;re either going to choose the common sense that built this country or we&#8217;re going to choose corruption and craziness.&#8221;
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/02meCc00NNDMOBNl2fyvEbhQCnOJsMXfq01?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=eb58017e-7763-47e5-ab10-a94a092d25a2&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=1-20-2025%20Michele%20Tafoya%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F9b7b0bba-35b8-4b7f-a86d-46520d6c7cd0.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Tafoya has been critical of Walz amid the fraud scandal, and has also slammed Minnesota Democrats for adopting soft-on-crime policies.
&#8220;We have failed leadership that has led us to the chaos that we&#8217;re seeing. It has led us to the fraud and the circumstances in which we find ourselves,&#8221; Tafoya said. &#8220;We have a crisis of law enforcement. The local law enforcement here are not allowed to work with federal law enforcement, and that has resulted in some absolutely disastrous results.&#8221;
Tafoya told The Daily Wire she&#8217;s trading the gridiron for the GOP because she wants to see the Minnesota middle class thrive again.
&#8220;People are really struggling to make ends meet and we&#8217;ve had some good signs, like gasoline is at a five-year low and GDP is high, but 
healthcare is a mess and getting a college education costs a fortune,&#8221; Tafoya said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve got rent and mortgage that is too high, and these things need to be corrected.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;ve got fourth- and fifth-generation Minnesotans who love it here, who believe in this state,&#8221; she adds. &#8220;They don&#8217;t want to leave.&#8221;
Tafoya is proud of her political outsider status, but enters the race with a major ally in her corner: the National Republican Senatorial Committee for her campaign, led by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, has already endorsed her. That endorsement could help her emerge victorious from an already-crowded Republican field that includes former NBA player Royce White, former state Republican Party chair David Hann, and others.
Despite the challenges, Tafoya says she&#8217;s ready to fight — and win.
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to have to reach every single Republican in Minnesota,&#8221; Tafoya says. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to have to reach Democrats as well and find people who are willing to cross the aisle.&#8221;
&#8220;We have a lot of independents here in Minnesota. Right now it&#8217;s about reaching out for those votes and working really hard for those votes.&#8221;

Credit: Roy Rochlin/Ethan Miller via Getty Images

Former NFL Reporter Michele Tafoya Enters Minnesota Senate Race

Michele Tafoya

Minnesota

Politics

Senate GOP

U.S. Senate

On the sideline for the Indiana Hoosiers at Monday night&#8217;s national championship game, you&#8217;ll find coaches, players&#8230;and a Catholic priest.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is on a historic run as Indiana heads into the College Football Playoff National Championship, and he&#8217;s sharing the experience alongside his pastor, who has mentored him through the madness of this college football season.
&#8220;Fernando and a group of guys during the season would come in before games to pray,&#8221; Father Patrick Hyde told The Daily Wire.  &#8220;We would give them a blessing and just chat with them.&#8221;
Mendoza has been described as Tim Tebow 2.0, the total package for a college quarterback. Hyde describes him as authentic.
&#8220;He&#8217;s a joyful person and I always, at least as a Catholic priest, go back to the scriptures where Jesus says, &#8216;I have said these things to you so that you might have my joy and your joy might be complete,&#8217; and it&#8217;s a reminder to us that joy is something to be shared,&#8221; Hyde said. &#8220;As Christians the first joy we have is knowing Jesus, and we should desire to share that with other people.&#8221;
Hyde has witnessed Mendoza&#8217;s success for Indiana up close this season, attending every home game, the Big Ten Championship, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and now the National Championship.
<div id="attachment_1029565" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1029565" class="size-large wp-image-1029565" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Untitled-design-65-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-65-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-65-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-65-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-65.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Father Patrick Hyde</div>
&#8220;It&#8217;s a good reminder for all of us that we honor God by using the gifts and the talents we have,&#8221; Hyde said.
A priest may seem like an unlikely cheerleader, but Hyde has been able to establish a close relationship with Mendoza, who rarely misses church. When Mendoza transferred to Indiana, he made it a priority to join the St. Paul Catholic Center on Indiana&#8217;s campus.
&#8220;He was just another face in the crowd, but he&#8217;s tall so you recognized him,&#8221; Hyde said.
Then, after a game early in the season, Hyde&#8217;s 7-year-old nephew wanted to meet Indiana&#8217;s rising star. Through Hyde&#8217;s campus connections, his nephew got to meet Mendoza and other Hoosier players.
&#8220;After the game ended, Fernando and Charlie Becker, one of the wide receivers, came right back out to formally introduce themselves to us. We&#8217;ve gotten to know them really on a personal level since then,&#8221; Hyde said.
Mendoza&#8217;s impact on the Catholic community hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed. He makes his faith known in post-game interviews, and backs it up by having Bible study with his teammates.  Since Mendoza joined St. Paul in Bloomington, Hyde said the number of students in Bible studies has grown from 50 to 500 and more than 1,200 students attend Sunday Mass.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;">
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Credit: The Daily Wire
</div>
&#8220;Last year we had about 30 people who became Catholic. This year we have about 120 people who have expressed an interest in becoming Catholic. In one year we&#8217;ve seen a quadrupling, and that&#8217;s not the work of us, that&#8217;s the work of the spirit,&#8221; Hyde said.
Hyde, along with Father Ben Keller, who is also on staff at Indiana&#8217;s campus parish, has experienced Indiana football like never before this season: on the field, getting to celebrate the wins with the players they minister.
Post-game on the gridiron is as chaotic as it comes off on television, but Hyde somehow was able to find Mendoza after the semi-final win over Oregon.
&#8220;We were kinda just standing back on the sideline, just kinda moseying and it was like the parting of the Red Sea,&#8221; Hyde said. &#8220;All the sudden it was Fernando looking at me and Father Ben and Fernando just said &#8216;Father! That just really touched my heart, he was so happy to see us.”
Mendoza has shared other monumental moments with his church family. After winning the Heisman, college football&#8217;s most coveted award, in December, he brought the trophy to St. Paul&#8217;s for Father Hyde and other members of the staff to see. Hyde said Fernando told the church staff, &#8220;you all are a major reason why this happened.&#8221;
What Indiana Football has done this season has been described by many as a miracle. Three years ago, Indiana became the first Division 1 program to reach 700 losses. The Hoosiers were the worst team in football. But head coach Curt Cignetti has turned the team into the heavy favorite to win the title.
&#8220;The opportunity to see our team compete at this moment and to compete for a national championship, I think it&#8217;s an inspiration. Especially Fernando&#8217;s own story of being a low-regarded high school quarterback to winning the Heisman Trophy. It&#8217;s just a reminder for all of us that if we have those gifts, if we keep doing the right work and do things the right way, that the Lord is never outdone in generosity.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1029567" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1029567" class="size-large wp-image-1029567" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Untitled-design-67-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-67-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-67-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-67-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-67.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Father Patrick Hyde</div>
Hyde has documented his game days. The pictures of Mendoza posting at church with his Heisman Trophy, or Father Hyde celebrating a touchdown, are welcome posts for the Priest&#8217;s nearly 20,000 followers on X.
He never expected to do media interviews, or have people come up to him after seeing him at a game, but Father Hyde is calling it a blessing.
&#8220;When was the last time we saw an athlete who was achieving success with his or her team bring the media in on the relationship with their pastor, right?&#8221; Hyde said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a great opportunity to share the good news of what&#8217;s going on at Indiana&#8217;s campus, but to also share the good news of Jesus.&#8221;
The Hoosier-loving Priest is ready to watch Mendoza and Indiana take on the University of Miami. Hyde said on a personal level, he wants to bring the championship trophy back to Bloomington, calling a victory &#8221; a wonderful last chapter to this season.&#8221;
He will do his usual game-day routine and pray for the safety of the players on both teams. Hyde said he will pray for Indiana to play to the best of their abilities. But most importantly, his prayer is for the team to give all the glory to God.
&#8220;My hope is that Fernando&#8217;s witness is an inspiration to people to put your faith first, to give God a try,&#8221; Hyde said. &#8220;To get up and to go back to church if you&#8217;ve been away and to just trust that the Lord will help move you forward, but the Lord will also give you the strength day to day to do the right things that will make your life even better if you entrust your lives and your hearts to His providential care.&#8221;
Indiana and Miami kick off Monday night at 7:30 ET.

Credit: Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images/ Father Patrick Hyde

Behind The Bond Between A Heisman-Winning Quarterback And His Catholic Priest

Fernando Mendoza

The Florida Panthers celebrated their Stanley Cup win in patriotic fashion at the White House Thursday with President Donald Trump. No boycotting, no bad-mouthing, just love and respect for the country many on the team call home.
&#8220;On behalf of the whole organization and mainly the players, we are so honored to be here,&#8221; Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk told Trump. &#8220;Being an American, I know I said it last year, but I mean, nothing beats this. I&#8217;m so proud to be an American, and I&#8217;m so proud to be here with you and everybody else.&#8221;
The back-to-back NHL Stanley Cup Champs have transformed the Florida franchise. Though Tkachuk scored two goals in the Panthers&#8217; Stanley Cup Final series, hanging out with the President is at the top of his list of accomplishments.
&#8220;The two Cups was pretty good, but that walk with you might&#8217;ve &#8216;Trumped&#8217; it all there,&#8221; Tkachuk said, emphasizing the play on words. &#8220;That was pretty amazing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/FlaPanthers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FlaPanthers</a> star Matthew Tkachuk: &#8220;The two Cups was pretty good, but that walk with you might&#8217;ve Trumped it all&#8230; Nothing beats this. I&#8217;m so proud to be an American, and so proud to be here with you.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/r3LXfIU5fQ">pic.twitter.com/r3LXfIU5fQ</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2011917662264152301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As an honorary Floridian himself, Trump praised the Panthers for their historic accomplishments, including bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to South Florida. The President said he watched some of the Panthers&#8217; games last season and the players &#8220;know how to win.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s an honor to welcome to the White House the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Unbelievable team, unbelievable athletes, players. These men are responsible for the greatest feats in Panthers&#8217; franchise history.&#8221;
The President pointed out that he should be welcoming the three-time defending champions, but the Panthers lost in the final in 2023.
&#8220;The one that you didn&#8217;t make, what the hell happened to you? You should have won that game,&#8221; Trump said as the room erupted in laughter.
The Panthers gifted Trump a No. 47 jersey, a flashy championship ring, and a golden hockey stick, which Trump said will be &#8220;good for slashing.&#8221;
Trump loved the fact that the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers, one of the NHL&#8217;s seven Canadian teams — a big win for the Team USA crowd.
&#8220;You denied Canada the Stanley Cup for the 32nd straight year,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We have a little competition with Canada &#8230; We’re doing much better than Canada, but that’s okay. We want them to do well, and they’re going to do well.&#8221;
Canada and the United States are just weeks away from competing in the Winter Olympics that start in February. Tkachuk, who was raised in Missouri, told Trump he cannot wait to put on the Team USA jersey.
&#8220;Representing you and the millions back here next month in the Olympics will be one of the highlights of my life as well,&#8221; he added, while looking toward the president.
The NHL will pause for the Olympics, but when the season picks back up at the end of February, Tkachuk told Trump to make room for another Panther&#8217;s championship ring in the White House.
&#8220;We&#8217;re not stopping now, we hope to be here next year.&#8221;

Credit: Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images

‘I’m So Proud To Be An American’: NHL Champion Loves The USA And President Trump

Florida Panthers

During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist refused to say that a man can&#8217;t get pregnant.
The <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2011482034321920483">exchange</a> between Dr. Nisha Verma and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley took place during the &#8220;Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs&#8221; Senate Hearing. Dr. Verma was the witness Democrats brought in to represent their side of the hearing.
Senator Hawley repeatedly asked Dr. Verma throughout the exchange, &#8220;Can men get pregnant?&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m not really sure what the goal of the question is,&#8221; Dr. Verma said.
Senator Hawley&#8217;s question followed Senator Ashley Moody&#8217;s similar question to Dr. Verma. The reproductive doctor refused to answer Moody as well. Moody asked the question to point out that men were getting hold of the abortion pill.
Hawley reminded Dr. Verma that the goal of this point-blank question was to get to the truth.
&#8220;The goal is just to establish a biological reality,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Can men get pregnant?&#8221;
The Emory physician again refused to answer the question. Instead, she told the senator she takes care of people with many &#8220;identities.&#8221;
&#8220;I do take care of people that don&#8217;t identify as women,&#8221; she said while still refusing to say if men get pregnant.
Dr. Verma, who was speaking in favor of mifepristone, the abortion drug up for debate, urged the committee to follow the science and evidence on the medication, but couldn&#8217;t speak to the science behind a man&#8217;s reproductive limitations.
&#8220;I think you&#8217;re trying to reduce the complexity of a lot of people&#8217;s lives,&#8221; Dr. Verma said to Sen. Hawley.
Neither side budged from their beliefs during the exchange. In an effort to ignore the science and Hawley&#8217;s question, Dr. Verma said the question of whether men can get pregnant was being asked as a &#8220;political tool.&#8221;
&#8220;Yes/no questions like this are a political tool.&#8221; Dr. Verma argued. &#8220;I would be more than happy to have a conversation with you that is not coming from a place of trying to be polarized.&#8221;
&#8220;It is not polarizing to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;That is not polarizing, that is [the] truth.&#8221;
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Hawley appeared alarmed by the doctor&#8217;s lack of reproductive knowledge.
&#8220;We are here in a hearing about science, and about women and, for the record, it&#8217;s women who get pregnant, not men,&#8221; Hawley told the doctor. &#8220;And yet you won&#8217;t even acknowledge the basic reality that biological men don&#8217;t get pregnant. There is a difference between biological men and biological women. I don&#8217;t know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science if you won&#8217;t level with us on this basic issue. I thought we were past all of this.&#8221;
Verma claimed to be a &#8220;person of science&#8221; and continued to argue that &#8220;polarized&#8221; language and questions &#8220;don&#8217;t serve the American people.&#8221;
Dr. Verma is not the first one in Washington, D.C. to challenge basic biology this week.
During a Supreme Court hearing on two cases involving men in women&#8217;s sports, the lawyer representing the trans-identifying athlete couldn&#8217;t define the word &#8220;sex&#8221; in regard to biology when Justice Samuel Alito asked her to.
“We do not have a definition for the court,&#8221; Kathleen Hartnett said.
By definition, an obstetrician-gynecologist specializes in women&#8217;s reproductive health.
&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t trust her to give me an aspirin,&#8221; Fugitive Mama said on <a href="https://x.com/fugitivemama/status/2011498692021534844?s=20">X</a>.
Hawley didn&#8217;t get his answer, but got the final word.
&#8220;I am glad we had this exchange because it&#8217;s exceptionally clarifying. It is also in many ways quite depressing,&#8221; Hawley said.

Sen. Josh Hawley

‘Can Men Get Pregnant?’: Reproductive Doctor Refuses To Answer Senator’s Simple Question

A Reproductive Doctor From Atlanta Apparently Thinks Men Can Get Pregnant

Abortion

Abortion Drug

Josh Hawley

Senate

Transgender

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was flabbergasted to find out Mike Tomlin stepped down as the Steelers head coach during a Tuesday press conference.
&#8220;Holy sh*t!&#8221; Bisciotti exclaimed when a reporter asked if Tomlin would be a candidate in Baltimore. &#8220;Would that be awesome? Only if John takes the Pittsburgh job. Wow, wouldn’t that be interesting?”
Two rival coaches switching positions? That wild thought is technically a possibility now that Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons with the Steelers Tuesday. John Harbaugh parted ways with the Ravens a week ago after 18 seasons, seemingly at the hands of Tomlin, whose team got the best of Baltimore in their storied rivalry after the Ravens&#8217; kicker missed the game-winning field goal.
“I don’t know, that thing last week, maybe disqualified him from my opening,” Bisciotti said jokingly in regards to the Ravens losing to the Steelers.
The two coaches came into the season as the NFL&#8217;s most tenured leaders. Now they are both out of the league.
&#8220;After much thought and reflection, I have decided to step down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers,&#8221; Tomlin said in a <a href="https://x.com/steelers/status/2011167696659046497?s=20">statement</a>. &#8220;This organization has been a huge part of my life for many years, and it has been an absolute honor to lead this team. I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support. I am also thankful to the players who gave everything they had every day, and to the coaches and staff whose commitment and dedication made this journey so meaningful. I want to also thank Steeler Nation. Your passion, loyalty, and high expectations represent what makes this franchise truly special.&#8221;
Pittsburgh will hire only its fourth head coach since 1969. Before Tomlin was hired in 2007, Bill Cowher led the Steelers from 1992 to 2006, taking over for Chuck Noll.
Tomlin led the Steelers to a Super Bowl in 2009, marking the sixth championship for the franchise.
&#8220;During our meeting today, Coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our Head Coach,&#8221; Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a <a href="https://x.com/steelers/status/2011155388817948775?s=20">statement</a>. &#8220;Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin. He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career.&#8221;
Tomlin&#8217;s next moves are unclear. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Tomlin has indicated wanting to coach in warmer environments than the Steel City. The Super Bowl-winning coach would also be welcome on television as an analyst if he chooses that route.
Whatever direction Tomlin goes, the 53-year-old will be sought after. Tomlin leaves Pittsburgh as a winner, never recording a losing season.
&#8220;His track record of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be duplicated,&#8221; Rooney II said.

Credit: Joe Sargent via Getty Images

Coach Swap? NFL Owner Jokes About The Possibility After Mike Tomlin Steps Away From The Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers

The steps of the Supreme Court were the backdrop for hundreds of women and men who showed up on Tuesday to protect the sanctity of women&#8217;s sports.
For the first time, the Court heard cases on whether men could compete in women&#8217;s sports. While arguments occurred inside the courtroom, a rally could be heard outside the building, where the women leading the movement made their voices heard.
The two cases presented to the Supreme Court on Tuesday won&#8217;t have a decision for months. But Kaitlynn Wheeler is hopeful the outcome will ensure that women — and only women — can compete in women&#8217;s sports for generations to come. Wheeler, alongside other women, has fought for years to keep men out of women&#8217;s sports.
At Kentucky, Wheeler competed against Lia Thomas, the man who infamously tied with Riley Gaines, igniting the movement to save women&#8217;s sports
&#8220;I&#8217;m optimistic that it will be in our favor, in the favor of common sense, and in the favor of the overwhelming majority of the American people,&#8221; Wheeler said.
Trump signed the &#8220;Keeping Men Out Of Women&#8217;s Sports&#8221; executive order last February, but Wheeler wants federal law to reflect it so it cannot be so easily reversed.
&#8220;This is something that we need to get codified into law,&#8221; Wheeler explained. &#8220;We need to really look at Title IX, too, and even add on to Title IX, and make it into law because again, it can be taken down just as quickly as it was put up.&#8221;
Wheeler, like the defendants in court Tuesday, believes Title IX defines sex by biological sex, and it needs to reflect that.
&#8220;I think Title IX needs to define them, that way we eliminate the confusion,&#8221; Wheeler said.
&#8220;Everyone is so excited to be together because we have all been fighting for this for years now,&#8221; Payton McNabb, another one of the women at the frontlines of the movement, told The Daily Wire.
McNabb was severely injured by a man on a high school girls&#8217; volleyball team just before she turned 18. She couldn&#8217;t drive for months. She couldn&#8217;t finish out her volleyball season because she suffered a concussion and a neck injury from the spike.
&#8220;This stuff is just so insane that it doesn&#8217;t even sound real, but that&#8217;s actually a reality,&#8221; McNabb said.
<div id="attachment_1027361" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1027361" class="size-large wp-image-1027361" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Untitled-design-56-1-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-56-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-56-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-56-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-56-1.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Payton McNabb</div>
These women, along with Gaines, former gymnast Jennifer Sey, former ESPN anchor Sage Steele, and others, have spearheaded the fight, but men have joined the battle too.
Dakota Meyer is a girl dad, a Marine, and an ambassador with Sey&#8217;s clothing brand, XX-XY. He told The Daily Wire that more men need to speak up against males competing in the women&#8217;s category.
&#8220;My daughters are tall, so like they&#8217;re taller than a lot of the boys their age, but when they play a boys team, even at eight and nine years old, my daughters cannot keep up with them,&#8221; Meyer said.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fighting-for-the-bare-minimum-riley-gaines-speaks-out-before-scotus-trans-case?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=23&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=%E2%80%98Fighting+For+The+Bare+Minimum%E2%80%99%3A+Riley+Gaines+Speaks+Out+Before+SCOTUS+Trans+Case">‘Fighting For The Bare Minimum’: Riley Gaines Speaks Out Before SCOTUS Trans Case</a>
Tuesday saw many protesters oppose keeping men out of women&#8217;s sports, but the majority of the people present were there to back the movement to protect women. McNabb said she&#8217;s been most surprised by support from Democrats, even though she thinks that stating biology shouldn&#8217;t be a partisan issue.
&#8220;They understand that this issue is so real and it means so much to them because everyone has a woman in their life and this affects them ultimately in some way,&#8221; McNabb said.
The Tuesday rally in Washington, D.C., was a success on all accounts, according to McNabb. The now 20-year-old waits with the rest of the country on the high court&#8217;s ruling.
&#8220;I&#8217;m praying for a good outcome here,&#8221; McNabb said. &#8220;I&#8217;m praying over all the Supreme Court justices, but also everyone that&#8217;s been affected, and that the other side will have clarity and understand that they are loved and created in God&#8217;s image.&#8221;

llustration by Daily Wire staff

Women Rally At Supreme Court Steps As Justices Weigh Landmark Cases To Protect Female Athletes

Women Stand For Truth On Supreme Court Steps As Court Hears Case On Protecting Women's Sports

Supreme Court

Women's sports

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