Saquon Barkley Makes The Cover of Madden 26 🏈

PLUS Diggs Joins The Patriots For OTAs, ESPN Legend Passes, NBA Finals Are Set

June 02, 2025

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Welcome to Office Chair Sports! Your home for everything Sports & Biz! Today, we’re covering top news about:

  • Saquon Barkley Makes The Cover of Madden 26

  • Diggs Joins The Patriots For OTAs

  • ESPN Legend Passes

  • Bryant And Ott Head-To-Head For Suns Coach

  • NBA Finals Are Set

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Saquon Barkley Makes The Cover of Madden 26 🏈

Saquon Barkley just got the ultimate gamer recognition! The Eagles superstar is landing on the Madden NFL 26 cover and joining the exclusive 99 Club.

We're talking about a dude who rushed for 2,504 yards between regular season and playoffs, breaking the single-season record. He came within 101 yards of Eric Dickerson's regular season record too, but the Eagles sat him in the finale to keep him healthy for the playoffs. Smart move - he went off for 499 yards and 5 TDs in the postseason to help Philly win their second Super Bowl.

But nothing is more iconic than THAT reverse hurdle against Jacksonville where he spun past one defender, then literally jumped backwards over a cornerback without even looking. That play was so nasty it broke the internet.

EA Sports is maxing out his spin move, juke, agility and change of direction ratings, which makes total sense. Dude's the first Eagles offensive player ever in the 99 Club and first Eagle period since David Akers in 2006.

So the real question is… Madden curse?

Diggs Joins The Patriots For OTAs

The star receiver showed up to Monday's OTAs after being MIA all week and making headlines for some boat video that had coach Mike Vrabel talking about "making good decisions on and off the field."

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was just happy to see him, basically saying "hey, it's voluntary" and that he's not worried about Diggs staying up to speed.

The good news? Diggs looked sharp in the drills he could do, catching passes from Drake Maye and showing that quick route-running that made him elite. But he's still working back from that torn ACL he suffered with Houston last season, so he was watching from the sidelines during full-team stuff.

It's been a weird spring for Diggs apparently - teammates say he hasn't been around much since signing that massive 3-year, $69 million deal. But McDaniels seems chill about it, and there's some familiarity with the system from his Buffalo days.

Drama follows this dude everywhere, but when he's healthy, he's still one of the best in the game.

ESPN Legend Passes 💔

This is heartbreaking news.

John Brenkus, the creator and host of "Sports Science," passed away on Saturday after a long battle with depression. He was only in his 50s and had been incredibly open about his mental health struggles.

If you ever watched ESPN in the 2000s and 2010s, you definitely knew "Sports Science." Brenkus created this awesome show that basically used real science to explain wild sports moments - like breaking down what made Tyreek Hill so fast or how Joey Chestnut could demolish hot dogs. The dude won six Emmys and hosted over 1,800 segments.

The show started on Fox Sports Net in 2007 but really blew up when ESPN picked it up. It was one of those programs that could make anything interesting, whether it was serious athletic analysis or just fun random sports stuff.

What makes this extra tragic is that Brenkus had been really honest about his depression. He even shared a story in 2023 about how his dog literally saved his life during a suicide attempt. He'd been trying to help others by being open about his mental health journey.

The sports media world is mourning him hard right now. Dude created something that made science accessible and entertaining for millions of sports fans. Just a reminder that even successful, creative people can be fighting battles we don't see.

If you or anyone you know needs help, call or text 988.

Bryant And Ott Head-To-Head For Suns Coach

Phoenix has narrowed their coaching search down to two finalists - both from the 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers. They're targeting associate coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott, and both are heading to Michigan this week to meet with owner Mat Ishbia.

This is actually pretty smart by the Suns. The Cavs had the best record in the Eastern Conference and ranked first in offensive efficiency, so clearly these guys know what they're doing. Both Bryant and Ott just joined Cleveland last summer as Kenny Atkinson's first hires, and they're known for that toughness and player development approach.

The search started with over 15 candidates and got whittled down through multiple rounds. Other finalists included Miami's Chris Quinn, Dallas' Sean Sweeney, and OKC's Dave Bliss. Devin Booker has been involved in the process too, which makes sense since he's the franchise cornerstone.

Here's the wild part - this will be Phoenix's fourth different coach in four seasons! They went 36-46 this year after firing Mike Budenholzer in April, so they definitely need a fresh start. Both Bryant and Ott have solid résumés around the league, with Bryant having stops in Utah and New York, while Ott worked with the Hawks, Nets, and Lakers.

NBA Finals Are Set

The Thunder and Pacers are heading to the NBA Finals, and there's some wild irony here.

These two teams actually played each other on December 26th in a non-televised game because neither got picked for Christmas Day!

OKC was 23-5 and on an 8-game win streak but got snubbed despite having the league's best record. Indiana hadn't played on Christmas in 20 straight years despite making the conference finals last season. Both teams were basically treated like small-market afterthoughts.

That December game was actually incredible - Pacers led by 16 at one point, but SGA dropped 45 points (including 16 in the fourth) to lead a comeback win, 120-114. It would've been perfect for the Christmas spotlight but nobody cared at the time.

Now here we are. The two "forgotten" teams are meeting for the championship. OKC went 68-14 in the regular season and has been absolutely dominant in the playoffs, while Indiana pulled off some of the craziest comebacks in playoff history to get here.

Finals start on Thursday!

Internships 🙋

1. Loyalty Program Intern (Full- Time Seasonal) (Minnesota Wild) - The Loyalty Program Intern assists with the development and day-to-day execution of Customer Sales and Service activities and events; including tasks associated with the Wild Rewards program, providing support with game day needs, administrative projects, the development of relationships with Season Ticket Members and support of other related initiatives.

2. Game Day - Partnership Marketing (Indianapolis Colts) - The Indianapolis Colts are seeking Game Day Staff to help us run our commercial business game day operations during all Colts home game at Lucas Oil Stadium (August 2025 through end of the regular season: January/February 2026). You will be integrally contributing as a Colts team member, and we will offer you real work experience in the sports industry with hands-on fan engagement opportunities.

3. Intern, Photography and Digital Asset Management (Carolina Panthers) - The Carolina Panthers are seeking a dedicated Photo & Digital Asset Management Intern with a working knowledge of photographing, editing, and archiving images. This internship will provide an opportunity for a student or an individual who has recently graduated to gain practical experience working in a creative department and with the front office business operations of an NFL Club.

4. Intern - Creative Media (Carolina Panthers) - The Carolina Panthers Intern, Creative Media will play a key role in assisting with the creative output of various multimedia projects from early concept stages through production.

5. Marketing Project Management Intern (Utah Jazz) - The Utah Jazz are looking for a motivated student or recent graduate to join our marketing team for the 25/26 Season. This position will support the marketing Sr Project Manager and Project Manager in coordinating daily and large-scale projects that support all areas of Smith Entertainment Group, including SLC Stars, youth programs, community relations initiatives, brand campaigns and more.

Job Board 💰

1. Associate Coordinator, Partnership Services - Northern Arizona University - Learfield is actively seeking a part-time Associate Coordinator to work on campus. Our highly-valued Coordinators are a critical piece of our puzzle! Without their contributions, the property could not deliver on its commitments. We are looking for an experienced and well-organized Coordinator to provide the necessary support to our team!

2. Graphic Design Assistant (Cincinnati Bengals) - The Cincinnati Bengals are seeking a hands-on, innovative Graphic Design Assistant. Someone with resilient design skills, who can inspire and stimulate thought, while simultaneously creating world-class creative for Cincinnati Bengals Partnerships and Content Team.

3. Associate Coordinator, Paternership Services - Texas A&M University - Assist with game day and event operations and management, including set up of select in-venue signage, hospitality events/suites, and game day display. Fulfillment of on and off-field/court promotions for corporate sponsors (displays, promotional handouts, contests, etc.)

4. Sport Scientist and Performance Assistant - Overtime Elite (OTE) is seeking a Sport Scientist and Performance assistant who implements a professional, process driven, evidence based approach to developing general and game specific fitness for players. This role is responsible for assisting programs that contribute to assessing, monitoring and developing basketball fitness development.

5. Associate Manager, Lifecycle Marketing (Golden State Warriors) - The Golden State Warriors are looking for an Associate Manager to join our Growth & Retention Marketing team. In this role, will play a crucial role in developing and executing marketing strategies that engage and retain our fan base throughout their journey. This position reports to the Manager, Lifecycle Marketing.

Thanks for reading - see you soon!