UCLA Is Losing Their Squad To The Portal

PLUS Rory, Drama In The Vols’ Locker Room, Final Day Of The NBA Season, The Browns Give The Keys Back To Flacco

April 14, 2025

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

  • Drama In The Vols’ Locker Room

  • Final Day Of The NBA Season

  • UCLA Is Losing Their Squad To The Portal

  • The Browns Give The Keys Back To Flacco

  • Masters Recap

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Drama In The Vols’ Locker Room

Trouble brewing in Knoxville! Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava unexpectedly skipped Friday's spring practice amid tense NIL negotiations with the program.

Iamaleava's camp has been pushing to bump his deal from $2.4 million to around $4 million after seeing other quarterbacks like Miami's Carson Beck and Duke's Darian Mensah cash in on bigger deals this offseason. Tennessee's response? They "weren't going to blink and pay him any more money."

This isn't the first attempt at a renegotiation either. His representatives tried getting more money back in December right before the transfer portal closed, but Tennessee held firm. Now with the portal opening again on Wednesday, the pressure's mounting.

The situation has reportedly created frustration among Tennessee administrators and in the locker room. It's especially awkward timing with the Vols' Orange & White spring game scheduled for Saturday.

Iamaleava, who was the 23rd overall recruit in 2023, originally signed what was considered a groundbreaking $8 million NIL deal when he committed. After redshirting his first year, he led Tennessee to 10 wins and a playoff appearance last season, throwing for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Final Day Of The NBA Season

Strap in for what's going to be absolute chaos in the final day of the NBA regular season, especially in the West!

The Thunder (67-14) have locked up the #1 seed, with the Rockets at #2 and Lakers at #3. But positions 4-7 are a total logjam with the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, and Timberwolves all fighting for seeding and to avoid the play-in tournament.

All five consequential Western Conference games tip off simultaneously at 3:30 p.m. Eastern today, with massive playoff implications in each one. The Nuggets could finish anywhere from 4th to 7th depending on today's results!

In the East, things are more settled with all playoff matchups locked: Cavs-play-in winner, Celtics-play-in winner, Knicks-Pistons, and Pacers-Bucks. The play-in tournament will feature Magic-Hawks and Bulls-Heat.

UCLA Is Losing Their Squad To The Portal

The UCLA women's basketball team is experiencing a major roster shakeup just days after their historic first-ever Final Four appearance, with six players entering the transfer portal.

Junior standouts Janiah Barker (Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year) and Londynn Jones (who started 31 games) are both departing. Even more surprising is the mass exodus of UCLA's entire freshman class - Elina Aarnisalo, Kendall Dudley, Avary Cain, and Zania Socka-Nguemen. Dudley has already committed to Michigan.

Despite losing these players, the Bruins should remain strong contenders next season. Coach of the Year Cori Close still has dominant center Lauren Betts (Naismith Defensive Player of the Year) and All-Big Ten guard Kiki Rice returning. They'll also get Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker back from ACL rehab, plus freshman Sienna Betts (Lauren's younger sister) joining the squad.

This exodus comes during an especially active transfer portal season across women's college basketball, with stars like Ohio State's Cotie McMahon (heading to Ole Miss) and Florida State scoring leader Ta'Niya Latson (committed to South Carolina) also on the move.

The Browns Give The Keys Back To Flacco

This reunion with last year's Comeback Player of the Year provides major draft day clues - Cleveland is now widely expected to take Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick instead of a quarterback. ESPN's Draft Predictor gives Hunter more than 40% odds of being the Browns' selection, with Shedeur Sanders at just 11%.

The signing makes perfect sense after Cleveland cycled through FOUR different QBs last season. Deshaun Watson (expected to miss most of 2025 with his Achilles injury) posted the NFL's lowest QBR, Jameis Winston threw eight picks in three games before being benched, and two other passers flopped.

The Browns did trade for Kenny Pickett earlier this offseason, but also pursued other veteran options like Russell Wilson (signed with Giants) and Daniel Jones (went to Colts). With Flacco back, Cleveland can now target a developmental quarterback with their second pick (No. 33 overall) - they've already hosted Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, and Louisville's Tyler Shough on visits.

Flacco gives them a steady veteran who went 4-1 as a starter last year while throwing for 300+ yards in four straight Browns wins.

Day 1 Masters Recap

Day 1 of the Masters is in the books, and 44-year-old Justin Rose is your surprise leader after firing a career-best 7-under 65 at Augusta National!

Rose sits three shots clear of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and two others. The Englishman has come agonizingly close at Augusta before, finishing runner-up twice (2015 and 2017), and believes this could finally be his year, saying "I feel like I've played well enough to win this tournament... I just don't have the jacket to prove it."

Scheffler, the betting favorite and defending champ, looked every bit the part with a bogey-free 68 that has him in prime position heading into Friday.

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy's quest for a career grand slam hit a major roadblock. After cruising at 4-under through 14 holes, he collapsed with two double bogeys coming in to finish at even par.

The day's biggest disasters belonged to 21-year-old Nick Dunlap, who shot a brutal 18-over 90 (the worst Masters round by a player under 38 years old since 1995), and Spanish amateur Jose Luis Ballester, who created a different kind of splash by relieving himself in Rae's Creek - much to the crowd's amusement!

To the final moment with Rory

Internships 🙋

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Job Board 💰

1. International Marketing Coordinator - Elevate is hiring an International Marketing Coordinator to support a strategic international initiative with the San Francisco 49ers. This position will play a key role in growing the San Francisco 49ers’ global fan base, enhancing brand awareness, and driving meaningful fan engagement in international markets.

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Thanks for reading - see you soon!