Jamaica Exodus went down 22-28 to the Tampa Mayhem in their debut 13s representative match on Saturday, May 11, at the Hillsborough High School in Tampa. The contest was a contrast of two halves. Tampa raced to a 16-4 lead at half time and seemed destined to rack up a big score against the visitors. Things looked even worse when the home team scored first just after the break.

However, the Jamaicans had a huge rally in the second half and almost snatched victory at the end, denied by desperate Tampa defense on the very last play of the game. Overall, Adrian Hall led Exodus with 10 points from three goals and a try, Ricardo Richards bagged two tries at center, and winger Oshane Christy got on the score sheet with a try. Tries for Tampa came from Gunnar Johnson, Justin Davenport, Lee Soprenuk, Justion Branca and Donte Salter. Jayeden Jeanes completed Tampa’s scoring with eight points from four goals.

Exodus Manager Mike Williams said, “This was an excellent test for our boys, tours such as this replicate the short turnaround time players will face when playing with the full Jamaica National side. I am pleased with the overall effort from the team, Tampa is a solid outfit and gave as good as they got. Our fight back in the second half was very pleasing and we look forward to touring again next year, hopefully in Tampa again.

The Jamaican team was proudly sponsored by Rapid Production, Maximize the Moment and JM Documents and Services. The team will now set its sight on possible participation in the Las Vegas 9s in 2025, and a return to Florida to take on one of the State based teams. The Exodus program was created in 2022 to further expose aspiring and national players residing in the USA, Canada, and Jamaica to high-level competition in North America.

Jamaica Exodus: Kareem Harris, Odane Lalor, Mike Williams, Sheldon Kelly (Atlanta Rhinos) Adrian Thomas, Andre McFarlane, Kevin Thomas (Duhaney Park Red Sharks), Adrian Hall, (Liguanea Dragons), Daniel Dean (Tampa Mayhem), Odane Christy, Oshane Christy (St Catherine Old Boys Thundercats) Chevaun Smith, David Williams, Jevaughn Henry, Hakeem Richards, Linval Green, Sean Reid (Washington Blvd. Bulls), Ricardo Richards, (West Kingston Hyenas), Sandino Hastings, (Unattached).

On the eve of preparations to compete in the Naples 9s Tournament on Saturday, May 20, in Florida, the National Women’s rugby league team has received a boost from two corporate entities to assist in their participation in the tournament.

 Local company Mailpac Group Ltd. has come on board to assist the team. The arrangement will see the Women Reggae Warriors jersey display the company logo on the front of the playing shirt.

The Reggae Warriors will feature players from the Jamaican domestic league, Canada, and the US.  The tournament will be the second representative opportunity for the women’s team since they participated in the Americas 9s in Toronto in 2019.

 “It is an exciting time for women’s rugby league in Jamaica. We are determined to provide adequate representative opportunities for our ladies and in this instance, Mailpac’s support is warmly welcomed and will impact our national female athletes in a positive way,” said Mike Williams, the team’s manager.

Meanwhile, the management of Mailpac Group Ltd wished the team the best of luck for the tournament.

“The management of Mailpac Group Limited wishes to extend best wishes for success to the team as they compete in Naples!”, it said in a statement.

 The team has also garnered support from Florida based company, On The Spot Loans LLC. The company’s logo will feature prominently on the team’s off-field wear for the tournament.

 “We are happy to have the assistance of On The Spot Loans LLC, we are looking forward to building the relationship, especially for when we compete in tournaments and games in the USA,” Williams said.

 Meldiana Parker of On The Spot Loans LLC said, “We are proud sponsors of the Women Reggae Warriors 9s team. We wish the team all the best, and we will be there in person to show our support.”

 The women’s bracket will feature four teams - Jamaica Reggae Warriors, Carolina Blues, New York Roots and Carolina Storm.

The men’s draw features eight teams in two groups. Group One features Jamaica Exodus, New York Roots, Southwest Florida Copperheads and Cleveland Rockers.  Group Two features Carolina Storm, Jamaica Hurricanes, San Diego Barracudas and Miami Speed.

Jamaica Women Reggae Warriors

Angel Griffiths, Brenda Doctor, Carole Kelly, Crystal Groves, Daina Fearon, Debisha Scarlett, Janelle Cole, Johneeka Smith, Kamoya Forrest, Kimberly Coombs, Lokara Walker, Moesha Bogle, Naomi Dodd, Shanae Gordon, Shanique Smith, Shawna-Kay Douglas, Sherine Johnson, Trishana Wilson.

The Los Angeles Chargers have suffered a painful loss on the eve of the playoffs as wide receiver Mike Williams was ruled out for two to three weeks.

Williams suffered a nonsurgical fracture in his back during the Chargers' Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos.

It was a game that had no playoff implications as the Chargers had already locked up their spot, and by playing his starters, head coach Brandon Staley drew criticism about what could have been an avoidable injury.

Responding to that criticism, Staley said he does not look at the situation that way.

"It's difficult to decide who plays and who doesn't and who is more valuable than the rest," he said. 

"What you are trying to do is set a standard for your program about how you do things. That is what I believe in, and I didn't want anybody to get hurt in [the game], regardless of their status, because everybody is important."

Williams has caught 63 passes for a team-high 895 yards this season, with a four-game absence due to a high-ankle sprain the only thing stopping him from eclipsing 1000 yards for the third time in four years.

The Chargers will go into Saturday's Wild Card contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars with Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer starting out wide.

Wide receiver Mike Williams has been listed as questionable by the Los Angeles Chargers due to a back injury for their AFC Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Williams left Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos with back spasms, though initial X-rays were negative, offering hope the problem would not impact his participation against the Jags.

The 28-year-old has not practiced all week, although head coach Brandon Staley said Williams needed time off, having had chronic back issues for years.

"He's progressing, getting treatment," Staley told reporters. "Just trying to get him as much rest as possible because of the short time frame of the week.

"We're at the point of the season where the reps aren't what matters – the rest is – in his case. Just trying to get him as much rest up until game time."

Under-fire Staley was criticised for not resting key players against the Broncos, given they were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs ahead of the game.

"I stand behind what we did in that football game," Staley added on Thursday. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt in that game regardless of their status."

Williams has 63 receptions for a team-high 895 yards with four touchdowns this season.

 Zion Johnson feels "things are starting to click" for the Los Angeles Chargers after they boosted their playoff hopes with a 23-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Quarterback Justin Herbert was outstanding at SoFi Stadium as the Chargers bounced back from their Week 13 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders in style.

While Herbert claimed the record for the most pass yards in a player's first three seasons in NFL history on Sunday, Mike Williams also stood out with 116 yards from six receptions on his return from an ankle sprain.

Speaking after the Chargers improved to 7-6 for the season, guard Johnson focused on the impact of players returning to full availability. 

"I feel like this is probably our first game since Week 1 where we had most of our guys active," Johnson said. 

"I think you can really tell with how explosive some of the passes were down the field and some of the things we were doing. 

"I'm just really glad that guys are getting healthy, and things are starting to click."

Wide receiver Williams set the Chargers on their way with a second-quarter touchdown, and head coach Brandon Staley was in no mood to play down the importance of his return.

"When you get Mike back in this movie, it just looks different, it feels different," Staley said. "There's just more available to you. Those guys were able to connect tonight.

"Nine guys caught passes tonight. That's the offense that we like to play, where people touch the ball."

The Los Angeles Chargers lost two strong players at important positions in Sunday's disappointing 37-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson and starting wide receiver Mike Williams both suffering injuries.

While still not great, the news is better for Williams, who was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain that will keep him out of action for "a matter of weeks, not days", according to Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.

Unfortunately for Jackson – who had not missed a game for the past three seasons – his campaign is over after rupturing his patella tendon. The Chargers signed Jackson to a five-year, $82.5million deal in free agency after he played four seasons with the New England Patriots and led the NFL over that span with a league-high 25 interceptions.

It adds to a troubling injured list for the Chargers, who are already without stars Rashawn Slater at left tackle and pass-rusher Joey Bosa after the pair were placed on the injured reserve at the end of Week 3, and five-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen was only able to return to the field in Week 7 in a limited fashion.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Staley said the Chargers would weigh up whether they need to make any significant moves before the rapidly approaching trade deadline on November 1.

"I think in the next couple days, we'll be able to assess our team a lot better," he said. "We'll take the next couple days and... make those types of discussions happen, and we'll see.

"We're always going to look for avenues to enhance our team and make it better."

On Bosa, Staley said he is "making progress" without providing any timetable for his return, while he also added that he limited Allen's work in his first game back from injury due to a visible lack of "burst".

"I just didn't feel like he could really burst the way that he wanted to and didn't want to risk anything happening," he said. "So no setback yesterday, but just didn't want to push it."

Mike Williams has reportedly agreed a three-year, $60million deal to stay with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

According to ESPN, the wide receiver will sign a contract that includes $40m guaranteed and $28m in the first year. 

Williams, who was drafted seventh overall in 2017 by the Chargers, had been heading for free agency but will be in Los Angeles when he begins his sixth year in the league. 

The wideout had a career-high 1,146 yards on 76 receptions in the 2021 season, the 12th best total in the league. 

The Chargers were expected to give Williams the franchise tag if an agreement could not be reached on a new contract.