One of the biggest stories of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been Vegas Golden Knights star Mitch Marner.

Everyone knew he was an elite player in the NHL, but the biggest knock against him during his time in Toronto was his play in the postseason. And, truthfully, it was not great.

But, the second he skips town? Well, he’s led Vegas to the Western Conference Final, and that’s kind of hilarious because we’ve seen this happen before.

Mitch Marner has been on fire in his first playoff push with the Vegas Golden Knights. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)

Marner scored just over a minute into Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks, which Vegas went on to win 5-1 to punch its ticket for a date with the Colorado Avalanche (lucky them).

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The goal was Marner’s seventh of the postseason, and he leads the playoffs in points with 18 points, three clear of the player tied for second, Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov of the now-eliminated Minnesota Wild.

I think a lot of people saw this coming. Toronto’s playoff problems are well documented. No Stanley Cup since 1967, and the Maple Leafs went nearly 20 years between series wins between 2004 and 2023.

Mitch Marner’s postseason play in Toronto earned him a lot of criticism. (John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images)

So, it’s kind of hilarious to see Marner explode the second he gets a taste of the playoffs with another team after arriving in Sin City via a sign-and-trade last summer.

In fact, I feel like we’ve all seen this before.

Remember when Phil Kessel was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Much like Marner, he became a popular target among fans and the media.

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Then, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the very next season, he won a Stanley Cup.

After a rough end to his time in Toronto, Phil Kessel went on to win back-to-back Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a third a few years later with the Vegas Golden Knights. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Something similar happened with Nazem Kadri, who won a Cup in Colorado a couple of seasons after leaving Toronto.

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It seems like Marner got out of Dodge at the right time.

Now, we’ll see if that remains the case. While Marner avoided an abysmal 2025-26 season, the Leafs are expected to use the first-overall pick in the upcoming draft on Penn State star Gavin McKenna, the kind of player who should be able to help right the ship in a hurry.

You’d think that one way to make sure you never get a traffic ticket in the mail is to stick your car in a museum and just not let it taste the sweet freedom of the open road.

Well, you’re wrong.

It turns out that it doesn’t even work if the car in question is a replica of KITT, the car from the David Hasselhoff talking car classic, “Knight Rider.”

David Hasselhoff poses with KITT, the talking Pontiac Trans-Am from the series ‘Knight Rider.’ (Photo by Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The Volo Museum is a car museum outside of Chicago, and one of the cars on display is a replica of KITT, the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am voiced by the great William Daniels (who went on to play Mr. Feeney from “Boy Meets World”).

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It’s a cool piece for any car collection, but you can understand why the museum was confused when it got a ticket in the mail claiming that KITT had gotten caught going 36 mph in a 25 mph zone in Brooklyn.

The car had never been out of the museum, let alone left the state, but sure enough, according to the Associated Press, the ticket came with a photo showing a black Trans-Am with a California plate that read “KNIGHT” getting caught on a traffic cam.

Veteran character actor William Daniels was the voice of KITT. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

That, of course, is the same plate seen on the show, and the same one on the Volo Museum’s replica.

So, how did a real ticket wind up getting sent to a museum that owns a replica of the car from “Knight Rider?”

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Well, no one seems to know. New York City hasn’t explained, and the museum is as confused as the rest of us.

“The fact that we’re legally tied to a movie prop is interesting,” Volo Museum marketing director Jim Wojdyla said. “We’re known for having our Hollywood cars from TV and movies, but I have no idea how we got registered from a ticket in New York to the plates in California to the Volo Museum in Illinois. We’re still trying to figure it out.”

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KITT from the 1982 TV series, ‘Knight Rider.’ (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Oddly enough, the same Trans-Am has been tied to five more unpaid tickets in New York City.

The museum has requested a hearing to fight the ticket, and I get the sense they will probably win.

The North Carolina NAACP defended a local branch president, Corine Mack, after she argued that it is “seriously disturbing” for any White person to fill in as interim mayor of Charlotte after Mayor Vi Lyles announced her resignation.

Lyles announced last week that she will be resigning as mayor on June 30, saying her term has been “has been the honor of my life.” While some are puzzled at her resignation only about halfway into her term, one aspect that has been noted is her controversy on the national stage after the stabbing of Ukrainian national Iryna Zarutska.

According to Axios, numerous local politicians are jockeying to fill the position, but Mack voiced outrage at the possibility that Lyles — who is Black — could be temporarily succeeded by someone who is White. As Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP president, Mack shared a now-controversial post on Monday, arguing that a White person taking the role would be part of a larger phenomenon of usurping Black representation.

“It is seriously disturbing for White folks to be lobbying to be the interim Mayor in Charlotte,” Mack wrote. “Our Mayor who recently resigned is a Black woman who is a registered Democrat. While Black representation is being undermined and stripped nationwide; White folks are either tone deaf or worse … self centered! It’s not about YOU!

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Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles has faced intense scrutiny since the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian national Iryna Zarutska. (Allison Joyce/Bloomberg)

“In Charlotte, Black Voters have been intentional about having Black representation,” she continued. “What is the consensus after several discussion; If the City Council votes a non-Black person in as interim Mayor again … voters will hold you accountable next year.”

Mack made a similar statement, doubling down to Queen City News by declaring, “Why would we replace  the Black outgoing mayor with a White person? That simple.”

She later added, “My question for the white folks who, up in arms and outraged, are they outrage about the fact that Black representation is under attack?”

Mack also defended the post on her personal Facebook page, arguing the outrage about how “any Black person who dares to have an independent thought and opinion.”

“On our NAACP Charlotte-Mecklenburg Branch page, White people are losing their minds in defense of Charlotte having the right to have a White Mayor. Anyone can run next year! This year the City Council will elect the interim Mayor,” she wrote. “It is very interesting to watch some White people in a frenzy about Black people loving and supporting Black people. Meanwhile, they create movements and spaces solely for white people all of the time.”

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Charlotte NAACP President Corine Mack addresses the media during a press conference September 22, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“The outrage must be about any Black person who dares to have an independent thought and opinion,” she concluded. Poor things! White people created race and racism. But, they continue to play the victim and create fake narratives. Everything in this country is predicated on race … White people did that! I won’t be silenced! In the meantime, I’m praying for this country.”

WBTV reported that Deborah Maxwell, president of the North Carolina NAACP, addressed Mack’s initial post on the following Wednesday.

“NAACP North Carolina stands with the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Branch and its long‑standing work to advance equity, justice, and accountability for Black communities,” she said.

She added further, “The NAACP evaluates leadership by actions, policies, and results, not by personal identity. What matters is whether decisions made by those in power strengthen or harm the lived experiences of Black residents.”

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Iryna Zarutska curls up in fear as a man looms over her during an attack on a Charlotte light rail train in North Carolina. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)

Maxwell also defended the local NAACP chapter’s duty to raise concerns if they think Black communities are being excluded from “meaningful participation or progress.” 

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“Black communities deserve leadership that listens, delivers results, and helps close long‑standing gaps in opportunity,” she said.

NFL schedule release day seems like a national holiday for football fans. They just can’t wait to see how creative, or how lame their teams and others around the league will share the upcoming season’s schedule. This year didn’t disappoint, overall. I say that because some teams did disappoint. That team likes to disappoint with their on-field play as well, but I won’t give it away just yet. 

Without further ado, here are the winners and losers of NFL schedule release day.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a news conference at the Raiders Headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Winners

Los Angeles Rams

At first, I thought it was going to be lame. It didn’t hook me from the start, coming across as low effort with the ASMR food presentation, but they delivered.

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From poking fun at the Washington Commanders changing their name from the Redskins, to the conspiracy that the San Francisco 49ers power station near their practice facility was causing injury to the players via electromagnetic field emissions, to trolling the Democrat mayor of Philadelphia butchering the spelling of Eagles, it was a chef’s kiss. Pun intended. 

Oh, and they have a humorous “Napoleon Dynamite” reference at the very end with their mascot. Another nice touch.

Atlanta Falcons

The Dirty Birds put together a compilation of “This is SportsCenter”-style commercials to share their season’s schedule. The new President of Football Operations and Falcons’ legend, Matt Ryan recreated his infamous “GET F****** SET!” call, but this time in an office setting. The release included many of the Falcons starters, including Bijan Robinson and Drake London. They poked fun at how to pronounce Bijan and London met a co-worker named Kendrick, alluding to the Kendrick vs. Drake rap beef. Members of St. André Golf, a prominent Atlanta-based comedy trio, Aaron Chewning, Hannah Rae Aslesen and Jonathan Pawlowsk, were also featured. 

To get all of your star players to participate, and your new coach to play a role too, is no easy task. Well done, Atlanta.

Las Vegas Raiders

Speaking of using star players, well, let’s just say star player (No offense Kirk). Raiders quarterbacks Kirk Cousins, who was signed in the offseason after his release from Atlanta, teamed up with the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, former Indiana Hoosier and national champion, Fernando Mendoza, to parody John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell’s comedy, Step Brothers.

The video starts by recreating the classic nicknames stand-off scene from the movie, but instead of “Nighthawk” and “Dragon”, Mendoza tells Cousins to call him “The Mendolorian”, a reference to Star Wars’ show The Mandalorian, and Cousins telling Mendoza to call him “Kirko Chains.” It’s hysterically poor acting, that’ll give you a Napolean Dynamite feel at times, and the tucked-in shirts are a funny touch. 

Cousins in a tucked-in Yoda shirt was comical, and the two measuring the size of their hands was a witty PG version of the movie’s antics.

Now fans hope the team’s play on the field will be as good as this video. If it’s anything remotely close, the season will be a success.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Rams awarded the Chargers a “Certificate of Achievement” for “Best Schedule Release Video” and I couldn’t agree more. My inner child was loving the Halo-themed release that was littered with Easter eggs trolling their opponents.

One of the characters throws a sticky bomb at a Broncos-themed character, referencing Bo Nix’s injury last season. They poke fun at Texans QB C.J. Stroud giving Bears QB Caleb Williams advice after their primetime showdown in 2024. Diana Russini and Mike Vrabel’s affair is referenced with “1 Hour Until Next Photo Dump” with a “message” from the New York Post. They gave the Chiefs character “zebra armor” so it looked like a ref. The Rams were mentioned with a Colorado Avalanche logo making fun of their GM wearing an Avalanche jersey in the NFL Draft room. 

It was so well presented with countless references to viral moments and gaffes. There’s a reason the video has more than 16 million views in 22 hours since it was posted.

A+ Chargers. A+.

The Las Vegas Raiders kickoff against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Oct. 4, 2021.

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Tennessee Titans

The Titans’ went will the man of the street approach again and it paid off big time.

Tennessee’s social media team went up and down Broadway, and the surrounding area in downtown Nashville to find lookalikes of key figures of their 2026 opponents.

From Will Compton, to Dominico “Big Dom” DiSandro, the chief security officer of the Philadelphia Eagles, to some random white dude in a Myles Garrett jersey who looked nothing like Garrett, it was another cheesy, extremely low-budget video that is easily in my top 3 of best schedule releases.

Losers

Arizona Cardinals

I’ll keep this brief. The Arizona Cardinals put together a Zoom call with what looks like the AI-version of the mascots of all of their opponents, led by an AI Muppet-like figure presented as the “Director of Mascot Match-ups.”

This was hilariously bad. The sound drops off in a way that isn’t properly explained and it sounds like a voiceover you’d hear after recording a voice memo on your phone. 

This may be worst schedule release I’ve ever seen. Incredibly forgettable and hard to get through.

New York Jets

This video is arguably not as bad as Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tendon rupturing in the first quarter of his first start in a Jets uniform, but it’s close.

The team went arts and crafts in this year’s release, and I went to bed. This would be an entertaining video to show up on your doom scroll late at night, seeing how paint colors can be mixed and matched to present the color of your opponent, but two and a half minutes of this? Come on. Give your fans something to get excited about.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers reacts during the second half of an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams in East Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 22, 2024. (Seth Wenig/AP)

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Not a single word was spoken in this video, but it screamed, “BORING!” to me.

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It’s fitting that two of the worst teams in the league would present schedule releases like this.

Overall, the league’s social media teams do a solid job. It’s fun to look for the subtle and not-so-subtle digs at each other and spend a few hours checking each team’s page to see what they cooked up. It got me fired up for the season, as it did for you as well, I’m sure.

A former private school teacher in Indiana pleaded guilty Thursday to child seduction, after authorities said she carried on a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student, according to court records.

Fox News Digital reviewed court records showing Torrie Lemon, 24, was sentenced to four years, though she avoided significant prison time. Records show she was ordered to serve 40 days in jail or prison followed by 1,420 days (nearly four years) of probation.

Prosecutors said the relationship came to light during a 2025 school trip after another student discovered explicit text messages on the teen’s cellphone.

Lemon, a former kindergarten teacher at the Colonial Christian School, was later charged in both Hamilton and Marion counties, and admitted to the allegations during a police interview.

“I was having an inappropriate relationship with a student from our school,” she told authorities, FOX 59 reported.

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Torrie Lemon, 24, was sentenced to 40 days in prison with nearly four years of probation. (Marion County Prosecutor’s Office)

The victim told investigators the relationship dated back to January 2025, when she and Lemon began spending time together and making sexual jokes before eventually kissing during a school field trip, according to court documents reviewed by FOX 59.

Authorities said the relationship was uncovered in April during a school trip to South Carolina, after another student saw explicit messages exchanged between Lemon and the victim.

Lemon was also allowed to sleep over at the victim’s home, where the two shared a pull-out couch in the basement, according to court documents, the New York Post reported. The girl’s father also told investigators his daughter began asking questions about Indiana’s age-of-consent laws after meeting the teacher.

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The former teacher and the victim were discovered to be sending explicit text messages to each other. (iStock)

The girl’s father told investigators he knew his daughter had “kissed, hugged and cuddled” Lemon, but said he did not report the relationship because he feared jeopardizing the teacher’s career, according to court documents.

Lemon also allegedly told investigators the victim’s mother suspected “there was more to their relationship” than friendship.

Court documents said the victim told investigators the pair had sex at Lemon’s apartment, which was located on school grounds.

Police also recovered text messages allegedly sent by Lemon to the student, including one message that read: “I love you more than I can describe. I love my girl.”

Police also recovered text messages allegedly sent by Lemon to the student, including one message that read: “I love you more than I can describe. I love my girl.” (iStock)

The Colonial Christian School did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Lemon was expected to be sentenced Friday in Marion County on two additional child seduction charges tied to the same investigation.