The Lead

Antonio Brown spent just 11 days with the New England Patriots before they released him amid accusations of rape and sexual assault. With so much controversy swirling around the All-Pro receiver, what was the final straw? We look at the history of the Patriots taking on risky players and analyze the famous “Patriot Way.” In her column, Lindsay Jones says if Antonio Brown never plays in the NFL again, it’s entirely his fault: https://theathletic...

 A reporter goes undercover to try out for a G League Basketball team, and let’s just say it does not go well. The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf recounts his hilarious experience trying out for the Texas Legends, a developmental affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. And The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson reflects on the remarkable career of Shaun Livingston, who overcame a catastrophic knee injury and won three NBA championships. Livingston retired last week...

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney wants his players to talk about themselves and their backgrounds, so he created something called "the safe seat." It's part of a broader effort to address mental health issues among his players. It can be especially hard for college athletes to talk about mental health. And even though colleges are increasingly aware of the challenges, not every player gets the help they need...

Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? It turns out a women’s college basketball team planted the seeds for the viral internet trend that took over the Internet in 2014. The Athletic’s Steve Buckley joins us to talk about how it all happened and how three men with Lou Gehrig’s Disease inspired millions of people to transform a silly internet trend into millions of dollars for ALS research and awareness...

Wide receiver Antonio Brown is facing accusations of rape and sexual assault. Brown made his debut with the New England Patriots on Sunday after a tumultuous offseason. We talk with The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones about the Antonio Brown saga and the NFL’s history of handling players accused of violence against women. Read The Athletic's coverage on what might come next for Antonio Brown: https://theathletic...

It was another bad call. The LA Rams and New Orleans Saints met again yesterday, for the first time since last season’s NFC Championship game, when the Saints lost after one of the worst calls in sports history. That call sparked rule changes, protests, lawsuits and even a passionate speech from a U.S. Senator in Washington. The Athletic’s Larry Holder joins us to talk about Saints fans’ epic quest for justice after last season’s loss, and we hear fan reactions to yesterday’s heartbreaking game...

The award-winning sports show from Wondery, known for delivering the best storytelling in sports. Every Wednesday and Friday, co-hosts Tiffany Oshinsky and Anders Kelto dive into the biggest and most fascinating sports stories of the day, as told by the reporters who cover them up close. The Lead cuts through the chatter and brings you in-depth reporting and emotional stories, to help make sense of the complicated sports landscape. New episodes every Wednesday and Friday...