Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes welcomed the New Year with an Instagram swipe at New York Knicks Coach Derek Fisher -- just one thorn in the player's side in a 2015 he has dubbed the worst year of his life.
The NBA suspended Barnes just days earlier for two games for a physical altercation with his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Fisher (Little Rock Parkview, UALR) at the California home of Barnes' estranged wife, Gloria Govan.
"Stuck in the 'triangle offense' w my ex & snitch, I mean former teammate & friend. Who went behind my back, messed w my ex, got caught, got dealt w for being a snake, then ran & told the Police & NBA," Barnes wrote in his Instagram post.
"Guess cause I didn't SNITCH, I get a 2 game suspension by the league 'They call that LIFE.' "
In addition to regretting his estrangement from his family, Barnes bemoans the trade that took him "away from a team & city I love."
Likening his life in 2015 to a bad reality show, Barnes admits he "had a hand" in his misfortunes.
"I was never perfect in my relationship, I didn't see eye to eye w my head coach," he said.
Barnes also took an apparent shot at R&B superstar Rihanna, who used social media to douse his suggestion to TMZ that the two were close.
"Lied on by a pop star Who's lucky I stuck to the script," Barnes fumed, before signing off:
"HAPPY NEW YEAR, LOVE #THEBADGUY."
The New York Post reported that Fisher had no comment when asked about Barnes at the Knicks' shootaround Friday.
Barnes' Grizzlies and Fisher's Knicks play in Memphis on Jan. 16.
Fly, Eagle, fly
The Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia came to a sudden end Tuesday when the Eagles announced the head coach had been fired with one game remaining in the season.
The Philadelphia Daily News bluntly summed up the news on the front and back pages of Wednesday's paper.
The back page headline on the paper read, "Dead Duck. Chip Kelly Era Ends Abruptly," which is a reference to Kelly's time as the Oregon Ducks head coach.
The front page had a little less harsh headline: "Goodbye Mr. Chip! See what happens when you blow up a team and it goes 6-9?"
Take the money and run
Notre Dame fired Charlie Weis on Nov. 1, 2009. And on Jan 1., 2016, the Irish finally got the former head football coach off their payroll.
When Weis was dismissed more than six years ago, he received one of the most infamous buyout packages in sports history. ESPN's Darren Rovell reports that the total amount Notre Dame paid Weis after Thursday was roughly $49.5 million. He spent less than five seasons in South Bend and won 35 games.
Weis, who also coached at Kansas from 2012-2014, earned about $25 million from Notre Dame and Kansas while not coaching either program. According to a breakdown from Matt Fortuna of ESPN.com, Weis received an initial payment of $6,638,403 immediately upon being terminated by Notre Dame. He also has received payments of roughly $2 million each year since his firing, which brings the total bill around $18 million after he was let go.
Not bad for a guy who won one bowl game -- the Hawaii Bowl -- during his five seasons at Notre Dame, which was capped by a 7-6 season in 2008.
QUIZ
Where did Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes play college basketball?
ANSWER
UCLA
Sports on 01/02/2016