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Rose Bowl grudges die hard. Just ask Rodrigo Blankenship.
The veteran NFL kicker arrived at Tampa Bay Buccaneers minicamp Tuesday in hopes of securing a new job. When he crossed paths with quarterback Baker Mayfield, he was greeted with a less-than cordial welcome.
“I still don’t like you,” Mayfield said to Blankenship.
Mayfield issued the message with a dry delivery and a handshake, then walked away. ABC Action News’ Kyle Burger caught the interaction on camera.
Mayfield was almost certainly joking around with a nod to the pair's high-stakes football history on the field.
Blankenship's Georgia Bulldogs defeated Mayfield's Oklahoma Sooners in the 2018 Rose Bowl. Blankenship connected on two of three field-goal attempts and all six of his extra-point attempts in the game. His 38-yard kick in overtime helped extend the game as the Bulldogs went on to a 54-48 victory to earn a spot in the national championship game, where they lost in overtime to Alabama. Oklahoma's season came to an end.
The loss was Mayfield's final college game before he went on to become the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Now, like Blankenship, he's fighting for a new job with the Bucs.
Mayfield maintained the comedy routine when Burger asked about the interaction during his media availability.
"You trying to bring some back?" Mayfield said with a smirk when asked if his interaction with Blankenship brought back any Rose Bowl memories. "I know you, Kyle, trying to stir s*** up."
Mayfield then left the podium with a proverbial mic drop.
If all goes well for both players, they'll play prominent roles for the Bucs this fall. Mayfield signed with Tampa Bay in March to compete for the starting job alongside third-year pro Kyle Trask, who has backed up Tom Brady since being selected in the second round of the 2021 Draft. Reports out of Tampa give the early edge for the job to Mayfield.
Blankenship, meanwhile, is fighting for a roster spot. He had a strong rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, but has since been waived by the Colts and then the Cardinals last season amid inconsistency and injuries. He had surgery to repair a thigh injury in January and is in Tampa to compete for the job alongside fellow former Colts kicker Chase McLaughlin.
As of the time of this post, there was no word from Blankenship regarding his feelings about Mayfield.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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