New Saints running back Travis Etienne reveals we've been pronouncing his name wrong his entire NFL career

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne dropped a bombshell during his introductory presser with his new team. His revelation had nothing to do with his expectations for next season or his on-field play, however. It had to do with his name.

Turns out, everyone has been mispronouncing Etienne's last name since his college days. As Etienne explained Friday, his last name should be pronounced "AY-chan."

That pronunciation should be easy to remember, as there's another NFL running back whose last name is pronounced the same way. Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane may spell his last name differently, but it's pronounced the same way as Etienne.

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As Etienne explained Friday, he accepted a different pronunciation of his last name during his first year in college. Etienne said he tried to correct coaches multiple days before just allowing people to call him "ee-tee-EN."

At that point, Etienne just decided to roll with that pronunciation. But now that he's got a fresh start with a new team, Etienne wanted to set the record straight.

The 27-year-old running back should hear his name quite a bit next season. After rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns last year,Etienne signed a four-year, $52 million dealwith the Saints in the offseason. He's expected to play a significant role in New Orleans, teaming up with second-year quarterback Tyler Shough to give the Saints a young, promising offensive core.

The signing also puts Etienne in the same division as his brother, Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne. Travis celebrated that fact by noting that he's1-0 over his brotherso far in their NFL careers and hopes to keep adding to that streak.

Now that they are both playing in the NFC South, the Etienne brothers will play twice per season for the foreseeable future. That should give NFL announcers multiple chances to get their names right after Travis set the record straight.

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New Saints running back Travis Etienne reveals we've been pronouncing his name wrong his entire NFL career

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne dropped a bombshell during his introductory presser with his new team. His...

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Kansas State hires Belmont's Casey Alexander as next men's basketball coach

The first major-conference job to come open on this year's men's college basketball coaching carousel has officially been filled.

Kansas Statehas hiredBelmont'sCasey Alexanderto be its next head coach, theuniversity announcedMarch 13.

Alexander has signed a five-year contract, which will pay him $3.3 million during the 2026-27 season before he receives a $50,000 base salary increase each remaining year on his deal.

REQUIRED READING:Why Kansas State might've gotten it right with Casey Alexander | Wheeler

After taking over for his former coach, Rick Byrd, Alexander went 166-60 in seven seasons at his alma mater. The Bruins won at least 20 games in each of his seven seasons there and won three conference regular-season championships.

This past season, Belmont went 26-6 and won the Missouri Valley regular-season title before being upset by Drake 100-79 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, almost certainly denying it a shot at the NCAA tournament. The Bruins never played in the NCAA tournament under Alexander, though they qualified for the 68-team field in 2020 before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The 53-year-old Alexander was previously the head coach at Lipscomb and Stetson, where he combined to go 137-120 in eight seasons.

March 13: Wes Miller, Cincinnati

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 13: Kim English, Providence

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 11: Jeremy Ballad, Florida International

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 11: Adrian Autry, Syracuse

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 9: Mike Jones, UNC Greensboro

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 9: Phil Cunningham, Louisiana Monroe

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 9: Ed Schilling, Pepperdine

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Earl Grant, Boston College

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Stan Heath, Eastern Michigan

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Dwayne Stephens, Western Michigan

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 7: Rashon Burno, Northern Illinois

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 7: Michael Lewis, Ball State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 7: Mark Schmidt, St. Bonaventure

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 6: Darrell Walker, Arkansas-Little Rock

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 3: John Pelphrey, Tennessee Tech

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 27: Billy Gillispie, Tarleton State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 26: Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 20: Joe Scott, Air Force

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 18: Steve Lavin, San Diego

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 17: Jerome Tang, Kansas State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> January 12: Marvin Menzies, Kansas City

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

NCAA coaches fired during the 2026 college basketball season

March 13: Wes Miller, Cincinnati

Alexander's teams have been known for their up-tempo style and offensive explosiveness. Six of Alexander's seven Belmont squads finished among the top 100 teams in adjusted offensive efficiency,according to KenPom, an impressive feat from a small-conference program. He became known for his excellent player evaluation, which allowed Belmont to sign the likes of Wil Richard, Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Cade Tyson before each player transferred to a power-conference program.

"I'm incredibly excited to join the team at K-State and can't wait to get the journey started," Alexandersaid in a statement. "K-State has such a rich tradition and a wildly passionate fan base and I'm grateful for the opportunity provided by (Kansas State athletic director) Gene Taylor to be a part of it."

The 53-year-old Alexander replaces Jerome Tang,who was fired on Feb. 15after four seasons at the school. The university fired him for cause, which Tang plans to fight in court.

Kansas State made the NCAA tournament nine times over a 12-season stretch from 2008-19, which included two Elite Eight appearances, but it has missed the tournament in five of the past six seasons in which it was held.

The Wildcats went just 28-37 over the past two seasons despite high-priced additions out of the transfer portal like P.J. Haggerty and Coleman Hawkins.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Casey Alexander hired as Kansas State men's basketball coach

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Kansas State hires Belmont's Casey Alexander as next men's basketball coach

The first major-conference job to come open on this year's men's college basketball coaching carousel has officia...

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UFC to issue 85K free tickets for White House card

The UFC plans to give away 85,000 tickets for an outdoor viewing experience of its live event at the White House on June 14, promotion CEO Dana White announced.

Freedom Fights 250 is believed to be the first pro sporting event ever held at the White House.

"The way that the White House is laid out, you've got the White House, you've got the South Lawn, and then there's a road and then the Ellipse as a park that's right there," White told UFC's YouTube Channel. "We're going to be ticketing 85,000 people in the Ellipse. And the tickets are free, and we'll announce how we're going to be giving them away soon. But you should plan on going to Washington, D.C., for this event.

"There's going to be all kinds of activations in the Ellipse. There's going to be music, bands are going to be playing, and you can actually sit in the park and watch the fight on the screens, but you'll actually see the whole setup. It's right there. It will be a very unique, cool experience for fight fans."

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White announced Freedom Fights 250 last August after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. It is one of many events planned as part of the United States' 250th anniversary celebration this year, with Freedom Fights 250 falling on Trump's 80th birthday.

The fight card will be co-headlined by Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane competing for the interim heavyweight title. With a win, Pereira would become the first three-division champion in UFC history.

Undisputed champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje also will fight for the lightweight title.

--Field Level Media

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UFC to issue 85K free tickets for White House card

The UFC plans to give away 85,000 tickets for an outdoor viewing experience of its live event at the White House on Ju...

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Chinese embassy mocks “Shield of the Americas” in AI video

China's Embassy in the US briefly shared an AI-generated video poking fun at US President Donald Trump's Shield of the Americas Summit on Wednesday, days after Trump took the stage at the Florida event to warn about "hostile foreign influence" in Latin America.

The video, published by the Chinese embassy on its X account and produced by the state news agency Xinhua News Agency, is titled "Shield of the Americas, or shackles of the Americas?"

The 18-second animation shows a bald eagle dressed in a suit presiding over a meeting of white doves that appear to represent Latin American countries.

The eagle presses a red button that initially deploys an atomic bomb blast before promising to "keep everyone safe" with a large red, white and blue shield. However, the shield soon turns into a cage that traps the frightened doves, while the Eagle says: "Relax, sometimes security comes with a little control."

By early Friday morning, the video was no longer on the embassy's X account.

CNN contacted the US State Department for comment on the video and is awaiting a response.

The video, released days after a meeting that brought together right-wing and center-right leaders from 12 Latin American countries, seems to question the proposal presented by Trump during the summit: the creation of a "regional military coalition."

Although the summit was mainly presented as a security initiative, Trump also took the opportunity to warn about China's growing presence in the region, as part of a broader plan by his administration to reaffirm the United States' "preeminence" over the Western Hemisphere.

"We will deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets, in our Hemisphere," the administration declared in November 2025 while unveiling the "Trump Corollary" to the centuries-old Monroe Doctrine.

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But while James Monroe ordered Europe to stay away from the Americas, Trump is keen on shooing China away. In his inaugural address in 2025, Trump claimed falsely that China is "operating" the Panama Canal.

In fact, a Hong Kong-based company owned two key terminals on either end of the canal at the time. Last month, Panama's high court ruled the arrangement illegal, a decision Beijing decried as "truly shameful and pathetic."

The ruling notwithstanding, Trump continues to raise the issue in public. At the summit, the president said that the US "will not allow hostile foreign influence to gain a foothold in this hemisphere – that includes the Panama canal."

For decades, Beijing has expanded its commercial, financial, and infrastructure ties in the region.

In recent years, China has become one of the main trading partners for several Latin American economies and has financed large strategic projects.

One of the most recent examples is the "mega-port of Chancay in Peru," inaugurated in 2024 with support from the Chinese shipping giant COSCO Shipping, which significantly reduces maritime transport times between South America and Asia.

Trade growth also reflects this closer relationship. Between January and November 2025, Chinese exports to Latin America increased by 9.3% compared to the same period in 2024, according to China's General Administration of Customs.

Even countries politically close to Washington maintain strong economic ties with China. In Argentina, for example, imports from China exceeded US$16 billion in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 57.1%, despite President Javier Milei being considered one of Trump's staunchest allies in the region.

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Chinese embassy mocks “Shield of the Americas” in AI video

China's Embassy in the US briefly shared an AI-generated video poking fun at US President Donald Trump's Shield o...

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ICE replaces contractor at largest detention camp after scrutiny of living conditions

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is terminating the contractor running its largest detention facility and replacing it with a more experienced firm that will work to improve medical care and other services, the agency said Friday.

Immigration Detention Conditions

The contractor switch at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, comesas it faces scrutinyover living conditions that detainees have described as inhumane since its hasty construction and opening last year.

With an average of nearly 3,000 detainees in six long tent encampments, evidence has mounted to support claims of overcrowding, medical neglect, malnutrition and emotional distress. Anoutbreak of measlesalso recently hit the camp, which several Democratic members of Congress have called for closing.

Detainees say they struggle to obtain medication and health care, have lost significant amounts of weight because of a lack of food, and live in fear of security guards known to use force.At least 130 callsto 911 were made in the camp's first five months, which includedtwo deaths, several suicide attempts, fights and medical emergencies, The Associated Press reported last week.

Acquisition Logistics, LLC, the ousted prime contractor, had been awarded a deal last year worth up to $1.3 billion to build and manage the camp at U.S. Army base Fort Bliss. Ithad no prior experiencerunning an ICE detention facility, had never won a federal contract worth more than $16 million and lacked a functioning website.

ICE has selected Amentum Services, Inc., which has worked as a subcontractor at Camp East Montana, as the new prime contractor, according to a federal notice published Wednesday and an agency spokesperson who did not provide their name. The Washington Post reported the switch of contractors on Wednesday.

The spokesperson did not say what prompted the termination of Acquisition Logistics' contract, which records show had been set to run until Sept. 30, 2027, and has caused the government to commit nearly $600 million so far.

ICE has said it recently completed an inspection of conditions at Camp East Montana, but the findings have not been made public. Acquisition Logistics and its president and CEO Ken Wagner didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.

ICE said Amentum, known for its work with the military and intelligence agencies, was best suited to take over and improve operations.

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"Amentum's size, maturity and pedigree make them the right partner at the right time," the spokesperson said. "We will work closely with them in their implementation of higher standards of medical care, more thorough case processing and intake procedures, and delivery of performance requirements according to well-defined accountability measures."

Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat whose district includes the camp, expressed relief Friday that Acquisition Logistics had been replaced. She reiterated her calls for the facility to be shut down and for the contractors involved to be investigated for "the fraud they've perpetrated on the American taxpayer."

"Whether the new contractor is an improvement remains to be seen, and I remain deeply concerned about the chronic substandard conditions that exist at Camp East Montana," said Escobar, who has toured the facility seven times.

Based in Chantilly, Virginia, Amentum's parent company describes itself as a "global advanced engineering and technology solutions provider" serving U.S. government agencies and other customers. The company has provided services for ICE and other Department of Homeland Security divisions in the past.

The notice published in a contracting database said ICE was negotiating a no-bid contract with Amentum to run Camp East Montana, including providing secure housing, medical care and transportation. It indicated the contract would last 180 days, and it's unclear what would happen to Camp East Montana after that period.

"The contractor must demonstrate the capacity for rapid operational transition and sustained adherence to all regulatory and performance requirements, thereby safeguarding public safety and supporting national enforcement priorities," the notice said.

Citing the "proprietary nature" of the camp's infrastructure, the notice said no vendor other than Amentum could provide uninterrupted services there.

The facility is intended for short-term stays before detainees are shipped out, and the average stay has been nine days, according to ICE data. But some detainees have been kept for weeks or months while they challenge their detention or experience logistical problems related to their pending deportations.

The switch comes as ICE plans to operate warehouses across the country to hold far more detainees at single locations than Camp East Montana, with plans calling for some sites to have up to 8,500. Escobar called on ICE not to open the warehouses, including one planned near El Paso, that she said would "serve only as tools for the administration's inhumanity."

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ICE replaces contractor at largest detention camp after scrutiny of living conditions

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is terminating the contractor running its largest detention facility and replaci...

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