Tom Ley

TMZ broke the news Sunday that former NFL running back Doug Martin had died in Oakland, Calif. at the age of 36. Though the precise circumstances of his death remain unclear, one thing we do know is that Martin died while in police custody. Through a statement, the Oakland Police Department has offered its version…

Our old pal Mike Lombardi just can’t keep himself out of the news. Following two reports about how nobody in college football can stand working with him, he is now the subject of another flurry of reports about a preseason fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia. The news of Lombardi’s trip, which took place two weeks…

Shohei Ohtani creates a world in which there are no stupid questions. Could there ever be a two-way player in the majors? Could he become an elite power hitter and a frontline starter? Could he recover from two Tommy John surgeries? Could he close out the NLCS with a six-inning, 10-strikeout performance while also hitting…

It can be hard to maintain friendships as an adult. People move to new cities, start families, and experience all sorts of other life events that make it difficult to keep in touch. Sometimes, you end up losing all of your friends because you can’t stop writing pro-genocide propaganda for Bari Weiss’s stupid website. That…

Defector has officially been publishing blogs for five years. Allow me to regale you with some of our accomplishments: As I sit here now and think about what it means to make it to our fifth birthday, I’m struck by how perfunctory it all feels. That’s not to say that I don’t feel immense pride…

People keep throwing dildos onto the court at WNBA games, which is an incredibly wack trend even before you hear who is taking credit for it: Crypto bros. On Wednesday, a powerful loser and crypto enthusiast who calls himself Lt. Daldo Raine—you may have just instinctively reached for a blunt object—spoke to ESPN’s Katie Barnes…

At this point it’s clear that the Caitlin Clark conversation, for lack of a better term, isn’t going anywhere. Some things just become so ubiquitous and so useful as a culture-war cudgel that they can never be put down. You have to accept the fact that everyone is eventually going to get their swings in. […]

Some people are fans of the Carolina Panthers. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Carolina Panthers. This 2025 Defector NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here. Your team: The house that David Tepper haunts. Your 2024 record: 5-12. I know what you’re […]

I can still remember the sound of the dull thud, and the scream that came after. It was a tournament game, and our pitcher, Paul, was dealing. He always did, because he could throw 80 mph as a 13-year-old, and he never missed the catcher’s mitt. Games with Paul on the mound were easy; I’d […]

Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was released by the Raiders last week, which immediately scanned as just another instance of the franchise deploying its “trip over your own feet” philosophy of roster construction. Yes, it’s strange to release a guy who you just signed to a four-year deal with $84 million guaranteed last offseason, but that’s […]