5 Biggest Las Vegas Sports Stories Oct 18 - 25

#5 Tom Brady on the 2001 Tuck rule game

The tuck rule game.

It s one of the darkest days in Raiders' history, and the Las Vegas Raiders probably still feel the sting of that loss to this day. In fact, between a chance to move on to the AFC Championship game and the Raiders already up by three at the time, it could have been the year that the team finally got back to the Super Bowl!

Unfortunately for the Raiders, history would have other plans, and a series of events would play out that were so unbelievably ridiculous , that it s almost impossible to believe.  First, the Patriots were down by three with not much time left on the clock.  Tom Brady almost attempted a pass, but then tucked his hand to his side. The future GOAT was then tackled by Charles Woodson, which forced the ball out.

Now, the tuck rule would usually deem that the fake pass was a forward motion and that losing the ball would result in a fumble, but it didn t turn out that way. While the referees originally ruled the play a fumble that was recovered by the Raiders, the decision was reviewed and ultimately overturned. Brady would then go on to drive his team down the field and win the game.

That was just an unbelievable game. I still see it today and it s a great part of my football history and it s probably a very sour part of their football history, Brady said about the tuck rule game but that s the way it goes. We had that in 07 when we played against the Giants in the Super Bowl, and in 11 and in 17 one team wins and one team loses. It s a fluke call, one ball bounces your way or one goes the opposite way. I ll always feel I have some type of strong feeling or emotion toward the Raiders.

#4 Las Vegas to host nine NCAA Championship games

It s no secret that Las Vegas is reeling economically now due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and every little bit helps. Fortunately for Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and the University of Nevada Las Vegas placed 98 bids for NCAA championship events and received 9 of them.

The LVCVA weren t the only ones to nab big-name games, however, as UNLV also partnered with MGM Resorts for the 2023 division 1 men s finals. MGM also partnered with Las Vegas events to snatch the 2026 frozen finals for men s hockey. Below is a full list of events that Vegas will be hosting in the future.

• 2023 NCAA Division I Men s Basketball Regional at T-Mobile Arena


• 2023 NCAA Division I Men s Golf Regional at Bears Best Las Vegas


• 2023 National Collegiate Women s Bowling Championship at South Point Hotel.


• 2024 NCAA Division III Men s and Women s Soccer Championships at Peter Johan Memorial Field


• 2024  NCAA Division III Men s Golf Championships at Boulder Creek Golf club and the legacy golf club


• 2024 NCAA Division I Women s Golf Regionals at Spanish Trail Country Club


• 2025 NCAA Division II Women s Golf Championships at Boulder Creek Golf Club


• 2026 NCAA Division II Men s Golf Championships at Boulder Creek Golf Club


• 2026 NCAA Division I Men s Ice Hockey Championship from T Mobile stadium

#3 Kurt Busch in must win situation after Kansas

Kurt Busch made waves a few weeks ago when he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at his home track at Las Vegas Motor Speed and secured a spot in the playoffs. Fast-forward three weeks, however, and Busch is on the verge of missing out on the final four and arguably one of the last chances to win another championship in his career.

The reason he is on the chopping block has to do with a blown engine earlier in last Sunday s race, which pretty much guaranteed he finished behind the other title competitors. Another reason he is in a must-win situation has to do with no other drivers in the final eight having the same level of bad luck at Kansas, leaving him ineligible to make it on points alone.

Unfortunately for Busch, who qualified for the playoffs on points this year, he now must win at either Texas or Martinsville to keep his championship hopes alive. Joey Logano already locked up one spot in the final four last week at Kansas Motor Speedway, which only leaves three positions left to fill the championship four.

For those hoping he somehow squeaks out a win in the final two races, Busch has won twice at Martinsville in his career and once at Texas. Whether Busch can do so again remains to be seen and will depend a great deal on strategy, but it will at least be intense to watch play out.

#2 Raiders players testing positive for Coronavirus

Trent Brown was placed on the injury reserve/ Covid-19 list earlier this week, and while it was originally thought that problem was under control, things spiraled from there. In fact, the entire Raiders O-line were sent home to self-isolate after it was revealed that they were in contact with Trent Brown when he could have been contagious.

As if all that news isn t bad enough, especially with the Raiders facing Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, the team is now under investigation for allegedly mishandling procedures. One report alleges that Brown didn t have his tracking device on to track his movements while battling Covid-19, and there is also allegedly video of teammates hanging out without masks.

How everything ends up going in the weeks beyond for the Raiders remains to be seen, but this level of carelessness has to be punished somehow.

Note: four of the five players that were sent home on Wednesday will be eligible to play on Sunday, pending the results of their respective Covid-19 tests.

#1 Trent Brown's future in doubt?

While the Las Vegas Raiders were rocked by the announcement that they had to send their entire O-line home due to Covid-19 concerns, it doesn't seem to be an honest mistake at all. Whether intentional or not, Trent Brown tested positive for the virus on Monday and is even accused of removing his tracking device to monitor his movements at one point

Not only is that a slap in the face to the safety of the entire team and the NFL, it is also starting to show cracks in Trent Brown s character. These cracks might even be enough to get him released during the offseason, especially since Brown s contract is one of the biggest cap hits the team has right now.