Day: January 5, 2026
Catholic priest accused of changing the outcome of the last NFL game of the season
With everything on the line, a Catholic priest’s blessing may have changed the outcome of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium for “Sunday Night Football” with the season on the line. The game would decide who topped the AFC North and the final playoff spot.
‘The Catholic community in Pittsburgh is very strong.’
A perfect, dramatic ending was set up for the last game of the season, after the Steelers went ahead 26-24 with a late touchdown. After blocking their opponent’s extra point, the Ravens converted a pivotal fourth-down play to get into position for a 44-yard game-winning field goal.
However, kicker Tyler Loop pushed the ball right, and the Ravens lost in dramatic fashion.
Just after the game, NBC commentators Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth decided to sprinkle some Catholic lore on the ending and revealed that a priest may have been involved in the missed field goal.
At 6:15 p.m. local time, Tirico revealed, a priest was seen “spreading holy water” in the Steelers’ defending end zone, where the kick was missed.
“The Catholic community in Pittsburgh is very strong … and down at that end zone, Tyler Loop misses the … field goal … and allows the Steelers to win,” Tirico explained.
“So it’s not Tyler Loop’s fault,” Collinsworth laughed.
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The priest in question has since been named by local outlets as Father Maximilian Maxwell. Maxwell currently serves as the prior of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. According to WJCL, the Steelers have held their training camp at the college since 1966.
At the same time, Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia, was quick to claim Fr. Maxwell as one of its own and proudly boasted on the school’s Facebook page.
“Check out former Benedictine Military School theology teacher Fr. Maximilian Maxwell blessing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ football field with holy water before the game Sunday night!” the school wrote.
Following the dramatic ending, Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was asked about the potential blessed outcome.
“I’m not gonna ask questions,” Heyward said, per WJCL. “The good Lord made a good decision tonight. I’m thankful, and we keep moving on.”
RELATED: New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan resigns; pope appoints his replacement
Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
On the other side of the ball, Ravens players still kept their faith, particularly Loop, who said he will be leaning on his religion to get him through the tough moment.
“I had written down a little prayer before the game. … Faith is a big part of my life and right now I’m reading the book of Romans, and in Romans 8 it says God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”
Loop continued, “Ultimately, I’m here to love on the guys around me. I’m here to try and have their back … reminding myself that ‘hey, God’s got my back even when stuff sucks.'”
Ravens running back Derrick Henry told reporters that he advised Loop to keep his faith and trust in God’s plan.
“I just told him the story after this is gonna be great for him because God put him in this position to use him as an example,” Henry revealed.
The Steelers will host the Houston Texans in Pittsburgh on January 12.
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Knife-wielding person advances toward homeowner who complained about car vandalism, cops say. But homeowner is wielding gun.
Investigators in Arizona said a homeowner and his family member confronted an individual after 1 a.m. Friday after discovering knife damage on two of their vehicles, InMaricopa.com reported.
With that, the person reportedly advanced toward the homeowner while holding a knife, the outlet said.
‘I love it! That’s justice!!! He definitely found out!’
Unfortunately for the person reportedly holding the knife, the homeowner was holding a gun — and used it.
When Maricopa Police officers arrived at the scene on West Thornberry Lane in Homestead, they found an individual shot in the leg, the outlet said.
That person was taken to a hospital and was awaiting surgery as of Friday morning, police told InMaricopa.com.
Image source: Maricopa (Ariz.) Police
Turns out that officers later found other cars in the area with similar knife damage, police added to the outlet.
The homeowner who pulled trigger is not being charged with a crime, as it appears he was acting in self-defense, the outlet noted.
However, the wounded person is facing charges, InMaricopa.com said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.
Commenters reacting to the outlet’s story on Facebook appeared solidly behind the homeowner’s actions.
- “F’d around and found out,” one commenter said.
- “Lucky it was only his leg shot. Just saying. Good for the homeowner!” another user noted.
- “I mean, torturing my horse would get death — so why wouldn’t touching my vastly improved horse replacement that, at one time, took years of my life to pay for and develop into a usable vehicle?” another commenter quipped.
- “I love it! That’s justice!!! He definitely found out!” another user declared.
- “Sounds like the criminal deserved it — but will probably still sue homeowner for his injuries,” another commenter predicted.
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‘Very sick too’: Trump sets sights on more countries after successful Venezuela operation
Over the weekend, the Trump administration successfully captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. In the hours and days following the successful operation, Trump suggested that Venezuela is only the start of his efforts to retake control of the Western Hemisphere.
Talking to the press aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, President Trump set his sights on two more countries that he says need to be reined in.
‘Sounds good to me.’
“Colombia is very sick too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,” Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One.
RELATED: ‘We’re going to run it’: Trump reveals Venezuela’s fate following Maduro’s capture
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump suggested that the president of Colombia runs “cocaine mills and cocaine factories,” but they will not be running for much longer.
When asked if there would be an operation in Colombia to cut off the alleged drug trafficking and corruption, Trump told reporters, “Sounds good to me.”
Trump added that Cuban leadership has “only survived because of Venezuela” when asked if similar operations were planned in the country.
Similarly President Trump on Sunday added that “we need Greenland for national security.”
“If you take a look at Greenland … you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump said.
On Monday morning, Trump reiterated the message that the United States needs Greenland for “national security.” Trump lightly mocked Denmark’s handling of the territory, saying, “You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true!”
The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signaled his disapproval of Trump’s push for Greenland. Starmer told the BBC Monday that “only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark” should “decide the future of Greenland.”
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Vice Ganda sa kaniyang viral airport video: ‘Echuserang hindi n’ya daw alam ang pangalan ko’
Kumakalat ngayon sa social media ang video ni Vice Ganda na naglalakad sa airport, na kuha ng isang netizen.
UK demands Elon Musk”s X answer concerns about sexualized photos on Grok
Britain has demanded Elon Musk’s social media site X explain how its AI chatbot Grok was able to produce undressed images of people and sexualized images of children, and whether it was failing in its legal duty to protect users.
