It’s almost become a rite of passage for an NFL quarterback.

Your film is going to get broken down by The QB School.

This comes courtesy of former NFL quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan. He spent nearly a decade in the NFL spending time with the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

The 46-year-old journeyman uses his knowledge to break down quarterbacks via his YouTube channel, which offers some basic analysis, and his Patreon channel, which offers more nuanced analysis.

The roller coaster quarterback J.J. McCarthy took the Vikings on in the 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens was the most recent topic of discussion. This marked the first time O’Sullivan went in depth on McCarthy via his Patreon channel.

Here are some of the highs and lows of what O’Sullivan witnessed:

The good

There was a decent amount of praise from O’Sullivan despite McCarthy only completing 20 of 42 pass attempts in the game. He lauded some of McCarthy’s play on the opening drive, for example, such as the strike to star receiver Justin Jefferson near the sideline, as well as the dime to receiver Jalen Nailor deep down the field.

As hard as O’Sullivan was across the 90 minutes of film, he also wasn’t afraid to commend McCarthy when he felt like he did a good job. He loved the scramble drill in the final minutes when McCarthy escaped pressure before finding Nailor to move the chains. He also loved the perfect throw that McCarthy unleashed to Nailor on what proved to be his only touchdown of the game.

“That’s pretty sweet,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s not open. That’s thrown open. That’s a pretty spectacular throw.”

The bad

There was a distinct part of the game when O’Sullivan felt McCarthy started to get sped up. It came after a completion to Nailor across the middle of the field.

Though it was a good throw in a vacuum, O’Sullivan lamented the fact that McCarthy didn’t stick with his initial read and target tight end T.J. Hockenson on a wheel route. He highlighted how McCarthy shouldn’t have worked to Nailor on the backside, because there was no guarantee it was going to be there.

“This drive is when things are starting to look fast to J.J.,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re skipping over things.”

It appears O’Sullivan is spot on, because head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned earlier this week that McCarthy moved off Hockenson too quickly during his progression in the pocket.

“The miss there is rough,” O’Sullivan said. “It really is.”

The next time O’Sullivan was critical of McCarthy came on his interception to safety Malaki Starks. As much as he appreciated giving Jefferson a chance to make a play, O’Sullivan seemed to think there were better options in that moment than McCarthy simply throwing it up for grabs.

“You want to get him touches,” O’Sullivan said. “You’re going to force him the ball. You feel really good about getting 1 on 1. You don’t want to just blind chuck it either if it’s not the look that we’re looking for.”

It’s also worth noting that O’Sullivan was extremely hard on Jefferson for his effort throughout the game. He didn’t like how Jefferson lightly jogged in pursuit following an interception by cornerback Marlon Humphrey. He also didn’t like how Jefferson appeared to pull up on a few routes as his frustration manifested on the field.

The ugly

There was common theme that O’Sullivan harped on down the stretch as McCarthy’s mechanics slowly started to devolve.

“I guess I’d classify it as inconsistent footwork,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s the nicest way to do it.”

On a pretty good throw to Jefferson near the goal line that probably should’ve been caught, O’Sullivan noted McCarthy almost looks like he’s clicking his heels as he climbs up too far in the pocket.

“We’re not playing quarterback in a phone booth here,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re moving to problems and we’re going to hit our hand on somebody’s head because we can’t control our feet.”

The worsening of his fundamentals led to McCarthy airmailing Jefferson on what should’ve been a rather routine throw to the sideline.  It could’ve gone for a big gain as there was nobody within 10 yards of Jefferson thanks to the play design.

“You can’t miss that throw,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s brutal.”

There was a point that O’Sullivan referred to McCarthy’s struggles as “a floating dumpster fire” while continuing to buzz through the film.

“I cannot with this footwork,” O’Sullivan said. “These things are certainly fixable. These are not things that get fixed, though, from a game on Sunday to a game on Sunday. These are offseason things.”

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By SETH BORENSTEIN and ANTON L. DELGADO, Associated Press

BELEM, Brazil (AP) — About 100 protesters blocked an entrance to the United Nations climate conference on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon Friday morning.

André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 president, speaks with an Indigenous group blocking an entrance to the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Brazilian military personnel kept demonstrators from entering the site during negotiations at the COP30 meetings in Belem, but there appeared to be no physical altercations with the protesters.

Protesters wore clothing associated with Indigenous groups and some protesters formed a human chain around portions of the demonstration.

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Conference participants were rerouted and delegates entered the venue through another door and U.N. staff rushed to move metal detectors to the side entrance as hundreds of people formed long, snaking queues.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change told conference participants “there is no danger” from the peaceful demonstration in front of the venue.

The demonstration comes after protests Tuesday night in which Indigenous demonstrators clashed with security and stormed the entrance, resulting in minor injuries. Conference organizers have touted this edition of the annual meeting as an opportunity for indigenous people to have more prominence and power in climate talks.

On a stone slab by the cold waters of Austin’s Barton Springs, transgender Texans celebrate existence. Against the best efforts of the state, they’re still here, laughing and swimming in the heat of a late-August afternoon. 

Each year, nearly 800,000 people pay a small admission fee to pass through the gates of the capital city’s spring-fed treasure. Inside, visitors plunge into the pool, which stays between 68 and 74 degrees year-round, then lounge on the grassy hillsides that surround it.

That summer day, though, we weren’t within the manicured grounds of the official swimming hole but beyond its boundaries, on its spillway, where there are few rules and fewer lifeguards. This is the “free side.” A pink-, blue-, and white-striped Pride flag hung from the fence dividing us from the paying crowd. Water splashed out of the pool and back into the springs themselves, past a cement wall splattered with graffiti chaos. The sounds of rambunctious dogs, allowed on this side, mingled with 2010s hits (“Born This Way,” “We Are Young”) from a large Bluetooth sound system, perched precariously at the water’s edge. 

“As a community, we are stronger together, and being out and visible as a group holds a lot of power,” said Noor Z.K, an Austin organizer who attended the Barton Springs event. (Harmon Li/Texas Observer)

It had briefly stormed earlier, recalled Eden, one of the organizers of this Barton Springs “takeover.”  But right as the event’s 2 p.m. start time approached, “The sun came out and people started showing up.”

It was a typical afternoon at the springs: a day for paddleboards, for sharing beer and weed, for filling a grill with sizzling burgers and dogs. In many ways, it was a throwback to an older Austin, before tech money accelerated the pace of slacker life. But the reason for this particular gathering was anything but the typical harmonious vibes of the spillway. 

Five weeks prior, on a similar afternoon, three men’s verbal harassment of a group of women had turned to transphobic slurs and physical violence, according to interviews and a video of the incident posted to Reddit. A Good Samaritan, a young single father who’d gotten to know the women that afternoon, ended up in the hospital when he tried to step in to protect them and took a punch to the jaw for his efforts. (In mid-September, police issued arrest warrants for two men in connection with the assault.)

Eden, who requested partial anonymity, is part of Trans River Day, an informal group that usually organizes mass gatherings in San Marcos. This time, the group had brought its event to Austin to show that trans people wouldn’t be intimidated from enjoying the same cool waters as everyone else. “We will protect each other,” she said.

But it wasn’t just trans people looking out for each other. Eden told me that a free-side regular named Tim had approached and given her a beer, saying he’d been keeping an eye on the group “to make sure no one gave you any trouble.”

Eden estimated that about 100 trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming people stopped by. “Everyone is having the best day.”

Sometime between the violent attack and that calm August afternoon, someone had repainted part of the graffiti wall with the words “Protect Trans Joy” in stark, fresh black letters on a white background. All across the stone slab, LGBTQ+ folks sat in clusters, talking and dipping in and out of the water together. There were colorful swimsuits and dark black gothic beachwear, trans women topless and in bikinis, and shirtless trans men with their top surgery scars on display. Happy people who use every pronoun and none at all. 

One group was sharing snacks on a red checkered blanket until its owner came to collect it. “Sorry, sir, ma’am. I need this blanket back.” He then apologized for not asking about pronouns first, sparking a playful discussion of gender-neutral alternatives. “How about ‘chef’?” suggested one person as the group stood up. 

“Yes, chef,” said the blanket’s owner. More laughter. Then the weekly drum circle began in the park.

“Protect trans joy,” reads graffiti on the wall. (Harmon Li/Texas Observer)

Clouds gathered again as the sun started to set, and cisgender and trans folks alike wandered off to catch a rhythm together. Before leaving, I stopped to talk with two more participants, Jenna Madden and Aofi Ortega. Madden expressed a common sentiment I’d heard from others, including Eden: “Trans visibility is important, but also trans people deserve to have fun.” Ortega called the day “beautiful” and said she wished there were one every month. 

“It’s such a beautiful culture,” she added, a hint of sadness in her voice as the day came to an end. “I really, really truly love my friends, and I wish that more people were willing to be friends with them.” 

The post At Barton Springs, Trans Existence Becomes Resistance appeared first on The Texas Observer.

By MATTHEW PERRONE, Associated Press Health Writer

Associated Press (AP) — More Americans are injecting themselves with unapproved chemicals that are pitched as ways to build muscle, rejuvenate skin and extend life, the latest example of the nation’s fascination with alternative therapies and wellness hacks.

Behind the trend is the surging popularity of GLP-1 weight loss medications, a class of so-called peptides approved to help users quickly shed pounds.

But the peptides being promoted by influencers, celebrities and wellness gurus are different: Many have never been approved for human use and much of their purported evidence comes from studies in rats and other animals. Several peptides, such as BPC-157 and TB-500, are banned by international sports authorities as doping substances.

Andrea Steinbrenner receives an IV infusion at Pure Alchemy Wellness, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Chula Vista, Calif. (AP Photo/Javier Arciga)

“None of them are proven,” said Dr. Eric Topol, a research methods expert and director of Scripps Research Translational Institute. “None of them have gone through what would be considered adequate clinical trials, but nonetheless many people are taking these. It’s actually quite extraordinary.”

Those who’ve highlighted peptides’ benefits include Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has built a national following among Americans who are deeply skeptical of health experts, pharmaceutical companies and traditional medicine.

For years, the Food and Drug Administration has been trying to crack down on the space, sending warning letters to clinics that promote the products and adding more than two dozen peptides to a list of ingredients that should not be made by specialty pharmacies that often custom mix the formulations.

That approach may be coming to an end.

Kennedy has vowed to end “FDA’s war” on peptides and other alternative treatments that are embraced by many in his Make America Healthy Again movement.

Some of Kennedy’s friends and associates are among the biggest proponents, including self-described “biohacker” and “longevity expert” Gary Brecka, who sells peptide injectables, patches and nasal sprays through his website for $350 to $600 each.

In a May appearance on Brecka’s podcast, Kennedy again promised to “end the war at FDA” on peptides, stem cells, psychedelics and other fringe therapies.

“Music to my ears,” Brecka replied.

Brecka declined to be interviewed for this story.

Peptides are now part of the ‘circus’ of unproven wellness products

Peptides are essentially the building blocks of more complex proteins. Inside the human body, peptides trigger hormones needed for growth, metabolism and healing.

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The FDA has approved a number of peptides as medications, including insulin for diabetics who don’t naturally produce it and human growth hormone for children with developmental disorders caused by low levels of the hormone.

But many other peptides promoted online have never been approved, making them technically illegal to market as drugs. Under current FDA guidance these peptides also are ineligible for compounding — the process in which pharmacies mix made-to-order medications for patients.

That hasn’t stopped celebrities and influencers from touting them.

Joe Rogan, for example, has repeatedly praised BPC-157, a peptide derived from acids found in the gut.

“I had tendonitis in my elbow, I started using BPC-157 and it was gone in two weeks,” Rogan told his podcast audience last year.

He is among the celebrity clients listed on the website of Ways 2 Well, a Texas-based company that offers peptides, stem cells, vitamin infusions and other alternative treatments.

It’s all part of “the circus of unproven, expensive and possibly dangerous” offerings promoted by wellness and longevity clinics, said Topol, who has written about the industry.

For $99, Ways 2 Well offers a “peptide consult” with a physician, after which the company ships the peptide vials along with a “full kit with dosing, instructions and syringes,” according to its website.

Company founder Brigham Buhler is a former pharmaceutical sales rep. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Peptides are often pitched as a ‘natural’ alternative to modern medicine

Andrea Steinbrenner, a consulting executive, said she became intrigued by peptides after hearing about their benefits for “longevity, repair, anti-aging and energy,” from an acquaintance who runs a clinic outside of San Diego.

Steinbrenner and her husband now receive monthly infusions at the clinic, in addition to daily supplements.

“I think peptides are popular right now because we are the aging generation and we are looking for alternatives to modern day medicine,” she said. “I absolutely believe in modern day, western medicine— it’s necessary. But there’s a lot of other things in the universe that the earth supplies.”

Peptide proponents often suggest their products are safe because they are based on substances found in the body.

“Unlike synthetic pharmaceuticals, peptides are naturally recognized by your body,” Brecka told his more than 2 million Instagram followers in February.

Critics point out that the peptides for sale are often imperfect synthetics and are taken at doses much higher than any peptides in the body, raising the risk of allergic reactions and other harms.

Brecka sells more than a half-dozen peptides, including ipamorelin and CJC-1295 — both of which the FDA has flagged for serious safety risks.

Like other peptides sold on Brecka’s website, the ipamorelin vials carry the labeling: “research use only.”

Research claims are often a ploy to dodge regulators

The “research use” language is pervasive across the peptide space, even in forums where users trade tips for buying, dosing and “stacking” different drug combinations.

One Facebook group instructs members what words to avoid: “instead of ‘taking’ you are ’researching’ peptides.”

Lawyers who work in the field say the language is an attempt to skirt FDA regulations. The agency does not oversee chemicals that aren’t intended for human use.

It’s often unclear whether such peptides are being produced in the U.S. by pharmacies and mislabeled for research, or whether they are being purchased from chemical manufacturers, many located in China and not subject to FDA drug quality standards.

“Research-grade peptides are going to have junk in them,” said Paul Knoepfler, a cellular biologist at the University of California Davis. “They’re going to have chemicals used in the purification process and fragments of peptides that you don’t want.”

On platforms like TikTok, companies in China and other countries offer to ship dozens of peptide varieties to the U.S. for as little as $5 a vial.

“What’s actually in there?” Knoepfler said. “If someone injects it under their skin, what are they getting?”

FDA has worked to restrict peptides for years

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA issued over a half-dozen warning letters to businesses promoting peptides with “immune-boosting powers.”

Then in 2023, the agency added nearly 20 peptides to a list of substances that should not be compounded due to safety risks. Pharmacies violating the measure risk fines, legal action or potential loss of their state licenses.

That triggered pushback from wellness entrepreneurs and compounding pharmacies, including lawsuits.

One coalition, Save Peptides, warned its followers: “Our basic human rights to access alternative medical care using regenerative peptides is being stripped away by the FDA.”

A lawsuit brought by a large compounding pharmacy alleged that regulators had skipped legally required steps when adding peptides to FDA’s list of high-risk substances. The litigation forced the agency to backtrack, and the FDA late last year agreed to convene two public meetings of outside advisers to review several peptides flagged for safety risks.

In each case, the experts agreed with the FDA, voting that the substances were too risky to be compounded.

Some in the industry disagree.

“Physicians should have every available arrow in the quiver to treat illness and, because of the FDA’s inaction, they don’t,” said Lee Rosebush, who helped bring the lawsuit against FDA and represents a group of large compounding pharmacies.

Changes may be coming

The FDA, under Kennedy’s authority, recently removed a number of experts from the compounding advisory panel.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks at the inaugural Make America Healthy Again Summit at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

That could pave the way for appointing more peptide-friendly experts who might vote to allow some of the drugs that the FDA previously barred. Alternately, the FDA could simply release a list of peptides and tell pharmacies and clinics that the agency won’t enforce bans against them.

For now, doctors say they are fielding more questions from patients excited about peptides and seeking prescriptions.

“Patients should be really asking their health care professionals: Are these medications safe long term?” says Dr. Anita Gupta of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who served on FDA’s compounding committee until earlier this year. “That’s the question I would ask if I was a patient.”

AP video journalist Javier Arciga contributed to this story from San Diego.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.