DC Sports

The D.C. Defenders will face the Arlington Renegades in the 2023 XFL Championship Game. The 2023 XFL Championship Game will be played at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT Saturday, May 13 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas and will air nationally on ABC.

D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has been named the 2023 XFL Offensive Player of the Year. Ta’amu helped lead the Defenders to a 9-1 regular season record and a berth in the XFL Championship Game. All of the 2023 XFL awards were voted on by each team’s respective head coach and/or Director of Player Personnel.

Per American University: Nationally recognized assistant coach and legendary DMV basketball star Duane Simpkins has been hired to usher in a new era of American University men’s basketball, announced Director of Athletics and Recreation Dr. Billy Walker. Simpkins is the 18th head coach in the history of the program.

Simpkins comes to American after eight seasons on the staff at George Mason, working alongside two head coaches during his tenure. During his time in Fairfax, Simpkins helped guide the Patriots to a series of new program bests within the Atlantic 10. Mason set or matched A-10 program bests in league wins and tournament seeds in four seasons during his tenure. The Patriots matched a program best with 11 Atlantic 10 victories in 2022-23, and finished at 20-13 overall.

DJ Swearinger has signed with the DC Defenders of the XFL, who are currently in possession of a 61 record, the best in the league. Swearinger was a second round draft pick, drafted 57th overall by the Houston Texans, in the 2013 NFL Draft. His NFL career spanned nearly a decade, with stops in Tampa Bay, Arizona, Washington, Oakland, New Orleans, and Indianapolis, earning nearly $19 million overall during that time.

Recently, Swearinger hinted at returning to football when he tweeted, “My son say he want me to play football again. I told em I wan play too. Xfl hit me up saying they need me. If it ain the nfl I can’t really rock. Respectfully. That’s hustling backwards & a step down on my legacy I feel but maybe that’s ego talking or maybe that’s just facts???” to an overwhelming positive and supportive response, urging him to return to football.

Georgetown University announced today that Patrick Ewing will no longer serve as Head Men’s Basketball Coach and that it has begun a national search for new leadership of the program. Ewing was at Georgetown for six years with a 75-109,l record (.408 W-L%). In the last two seasons, Georgetown was 6-25 and 7-25.

Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said, “Patrick Ewing is the heart of Georgetown basketball. I am deeply grateful to Coach Ewing for his vision, his determination, and for all that he has enabled Georgetown to achieve. Over these past six years, he was tireless in his dedication to his team and the young men he coached and we will forever be grateful to Patrick for his courage and his leadership in our Georgetown community.”

The Washington Commanders announced today that they have placed the franchise tag on defensive tackle Daron Payne. Payne will earn $18.937 million on the tag if he and the Commanders cannot come to an agreement on a long-term deal, which would give him the fourth-highest annual salary among defensive tackles. Spotrac projects his market value as $19.49million a year.

Last season, Payne played and started all 17 games and recorded a career high 64 total tackles (33 solo), 11.5 sacks, 20 QBH’s, five passes defensed, and one fumble recovered. Payne finished the season becoming the seventh defensive tackle in franchise history to be selected to a Pro Bowl.

The Washington Commanders are looking to make a splash by potentially hiring the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, for the same position with the team. The Commanders announced today that they’ll be interviewing Bieniemy, who is coming off of a Super Bowl win against the Eagles last Sunday.

Per the announcement, “Bieniemy, who began his coaching career in 2001, has 15 years of experience working in the NFL with the Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. He has also coached for the Colorado Buffaloes in two stints as well as three seasons with UCLA. Prior to being promoted to the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2018, Bieniemy spent most of his coaching career working with running backs.

The Washington Commanders have parted ways with offensive coordinator, Scott Turner. The news, first reported by NBC Sports JP Finlay, was expected following Washington finishing 20th in total offense. Turner has been with Washington, as offensive coordinator, since head coach Ron Rivera arrived in 2020. The offense averaged 330.3 yards per game with 126.1 yards on the ground (12th) and 204.2 yards through the air (21st). Ron Rivera released the following statement:

“I met with Coach Turner today and informed him that we will be moving in another direction going forward with the offensive coordinator position,” Rivera said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we did not live up to the expectations and standard that I expected to see from our offensive unit. I felt it was best for a fresh start at the coordinator position heading into next year. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Scott and thanked him for his three years of service to our organization. I wish Scott and his family all the best in the future.”