The best Philly sports stories of the week

It's a busy time of year on the sports calendar. We've made it easier with a look a back at some of the best stories and moments from the past week before turning the page.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie walking along the sidelines — and definitely not meddling — before an Eagles game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

by Matt Mullin

Published April 2, 2022, 5:00 a.m. ET

It’s a busy time on the Philly sports calendar — doesn’t that always seem to be the case? — and it can be tough to keep up with all the news when you have five major professional sports teams, dozens of Division I college teams and countless individual performers to follow. It takes a small army of reporters to cover it all, so how can you be expect to keep the pace?

Now, it’s the weekend. Life has slowed down a little — even if sports haven’t. And you have some time to finally catch up on that story from Tuesday you had been wanting to read. The only problem, you can’t even remember what it was, let alone how to find it. Well, we’ve got some good news for you. Each weekend, the Inquirer.com sports staff will compile some of our best content from the week so you’ll never miss a story again.

So grab that cup of coffee, settle down on the couch and take a look back at the week that was in Philadelphia sports ...

Best of the Best

There were a lot of great stories this week, but here’s a look at our favorite...

Lurie says he doesn’t meddle in Eagles personnel decisions

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie spoke to the media at the NFL’s annual meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. this week, and when the subject of his involvement in the team’s on-field personnel decisions came up, the recent Oscar winner tried to distance himself from past reporting suggesting his involvement has increased over the years. Jeff McLane wasn’t buying it.

Lurie’s claim, of course, strains credulity and runs counter to recent reporting — or “reporting,” quote, unquote, as he derisively called it — by The Inquirer and elsewhere regarding his immersion in football matters related to his team. ...

His involvement, though, has increased, especially after Chip Kelly’s departure following the 2015 season, team sources, past and present, have described to The Inquirer. It was general manager Howie Roseman’s return to personnel that gave him complete authority over the roster, and the hiring of Doug Pederson that helped open the door for Lurie.

He disputed the notion.

“If I really had to say, I’d say slightly less involved,” Lurie said in his first news conference since he fired Pederson more than 14 months ago.

Top 5 Moments

A ton happened this week — no matter which team is your favorite — so here’s a look at some of the things that are worth remembering...

1. Villanova prepares for battle

The Wildcats are in New Orleans preparing for Saturday night’s Final Four showdown against Kansas, and they’re doing so without Justin Moore, who received some encouragement from NBA star Kevin Durant. That likely means more action for a player with a familiar last name: Chris Arcidiacono. Will they advance and — with an era of excellence that’s been 20 years in the making — join the ranks of some of college basketball’s other blue bloods?

2. Breaking barriers

New Sixers broadcaster Kate Scott and her play-by-play counterpart with the Bucks, Lisa Byington, made some (more) history in South Philly on Tuesday night when the Sixers-Bucks game became the first in American professional sports to feature two women calling the game opposite each other.

3. Blast from the past

As part of his session with the media at the NFL meetings, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie announced that the team would be bringing back kelly green in 2023 — specifically the uniforms the team wore in the late 80s and early 90s — thanks to a recently changed NFL rule. Needless to say, Philly is excited.

4. U.S. qualifies for 2022 World Cup

It was the end of an era for Concacaf, as changes to the World Cup format will make the qualifying stage much less significant in future years. But after missing the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. men’s national soccer team indeed qualified for this summer’s event in Qatar despite suffering a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica. It wasn’t pretty — the better moment came on Sunday night when American (and Chelsea) star Christian Pulisic scored a hat trick — but they got the job done.

5. Malcolm Jenkins retires

On Wednesday, former Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins hung up his cleats. Known for his social activism off the field, his play on the field, and his leadership everywhere, the two-time Super Bowl champ leaves a lasting legacy in Philly and beyond after 13 NFL seasons.

Worth Your Time

Here are a few of this week’s long reads that you may not have had enough time to check out during the week but are definitely worth a second look this weekend ...

Jameer Nelson: A Philly hoops icon

The latest installment of our Icons series comes from Frank Fitzpatrick and takes a look at Jameer Nelson, his love of basketball, and how it brought him to the brink of the Final Four with St. Joe’s and now back to the game as he looks to begin his next chapter.

Roseman says Eagles still ‘building’

In addition to Lurie — and coach Nick Sirianni — Eagles general manager Howie Roseman also took to the mic this week during the NFL meetings, where he provided a bit of a state of the roster after what many are considering an underwhelming offseason for the Birds. Jeff McLane was on hand and breaks down everything Roseman had to say about the team not being “all-in” on 2022.

Remembering Cheyney State

In 1982, led by legendary coach C. Vivian Stringer, the Lady Wolves became the first historically black college to play for an NCAA Division I basketball championship, men’s or women’s. Forty years later, they still remain the only HBCU to appear in a Final Four, which they did again in 1984.

More You Might’ve Missed

Here’s a look back at some of our other top stories from the week that you might have missed the first time around...

Coming Soon

Things aren’t going to get any slower next week at Inquirer.com, as we react to how Villanova’s Final Four run plays out, prepare you for Opening Day for the Phillies, and gear up for the home stretch of the Sixers season.