OKLAHOMA CITY — Anthony Edwards was fined another $50,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for using a curse word as an adjective during his postgame press conference following Minnesota’s Game 1 loss to the Thunder.

Edwards said he had to take more than 13 (bleeping) shots, which was his shot volume in Tuesday’s loss.

In goes another contribution to the swear jar.

The fine brought Edwards’ season long tally to $420K giving to the league for his transgressions. He has earned much of that. The NBA can’t countenance players delivering profanity-laced postgame comments or telling fans in the stands about the size of his genitals.

But, to some degree, it does feel like there are times where Edwards’ reputation precedes him. Because the 23-year-old guard has made efforts over the past few months to curtail his cursing when speaking to the media. And his slip Tuesday felt like just that, a slip.

Frankly, curse words are part of Edwards’ everyday vernacular. Eliminating his use of them in certain settings is part of a maturation process that is very much still in the infant stages. He certainly needs to improve in a number of off-the-court areas.

Everyone understands that repeat offenders are often shown little in the way of grace.

But slapping the guard’s wrist every time he commits a minor infraction seems counterproductive. Edwards is one of few players who fans are nearly as excited to hear talk as they are to see play. His charisma is one of his major selling points. For the first few years of his career, his postgame interviews were must-see content.

The volume of those has waned a bit in recent seasons, as Edwards has slowly withdrawn from the media. He turns down the majority of post-practice or shootaround interviews, and even somewhat regularly declines to provide postgame comments. The latter includes a multi-week media hiatus the all-star took after he began being fined by the league for his language prior to the calendar flipping to 2025.

And certainly, at that point, the league had to teach Edwards a lesson. He couldn’t be swearing at the volume he was, particularly when doing on-court interviews. That doesn’t fall in line with the image any pro sports league wants to portray.

Edwards didn’t see it that way. He was initially frustrated. But his improvements should be acknowledged. Efforts were being made to clean up his comments while still showing himself to be the athlete to whom so many fans are drawn.

That’s the line to walk. The NBA shouldn’t want Edwards to delete or mute his personality. It’s a selling point for the Timberwolves and the Association at large. Fans adore the guy who walked around the LA area surrounding Crypto.Com Arena after the Wolves bounced the Lakers in Round 1 of these playoffs.

Ideally, that can still come across without the language not suited for young kids or certain clientele. But should the NBA continue to crack down to this degree, punishing every minor slip of the tongue, it does risk Edwards pulling away further?

The ability to express who you are should be encouraged, within reason. The NBA’s challenge is to walk that line of maintaining cordiality, while promoting charisma.

The fine levied Tuesday, even if it’s pocket change to Edwards, felt like a step in a direction that is slightly too conservative.

All-defense recognition

Rudy Gobert earned his first second-team all-defense honor of his career when the two teams were announced by the NBA on Thursday.

Gobert nabbed the 10th-and-final spot on the all-defense teams.

Gobert was a level below the player who won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year honor a season ago for much of the 2024-25 campaign, but he was still the anchor and most important piece on a Minnesota defense that finished sixth in defensive rating this season by allowing 110.8 points per 100 possessions. that number dipped to 107.6 when Gobert was on the floor.

This selection marks Gobert’s eighth all-defense selection. He was named to the first team every season from 2017-22, and was first team again last year. Gobert received three first-team votes and 59 second-team votes from the 100-voter panel. He edged New York forward OG Anunoby for the final second-team selection.

Absent from the two teams was Wolves’ perimeter stopper Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels earned his first all-defense selection a year ago, when he was named to the second team. But, like Gobert, he got off to a slow start to the season overall. While his admission may seem like a slight, cracking the list of the league’s top 10 defenders each season is a difficult task, particularly for perimeter players whose efforts aren’t as well represented by defensive metrics.

Related Articles

Now the Timberwolves understand the challenge that is the Thunder

The Timberwolves attempted 51 3-pointers in Game 1. Can they win that way?

Frederick: We’ve always known Timberwolves and Thunder were ‘Next.’ But which one is now?

Anthony Edwards’ heroic shots get Timberwolves out of trouble

Mizutani: All aboard the Julius Randle bandwagon

If History Theatre has a signature show, it’s “Glensheen,” which will receive its 10th anniversary production this summer. But the company currently has something onstage that may deserve the same kind of enduring presence in our local theater scene.

“Whoa, Nellie!” is built around the life and times of a former Minnesotan with whom you’re almost certainly unfamiliar. Nellie King was a woman of the 1880s and ’90s who could be called a cultural curiosity. She was a chameleonic con artist, a vaudeville performer, a horse thief, a serial bride, a prostitute and a norm-defying gender bender, among many other things.

John Jamison II, front, and cast members in History Theatre’s premiere production of “Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West,” which runs through June 8, 2025 at the St. Paul theater. Josef Evans’ new musical follows the exploits of Nellie King, a 19th-century Minnesota woman who became a notorious outlaw. (Rick Spaulding / History Theatre)

Josef Evans has created a musical about her that stands among the most exciting and imaginative shows to have hit the History Theatre boards in recent years. It’s a darkly comic thrill ride that’s not only richly entertaining, but thought-provoking and finally heartbreaking. And it features a “wow”-inducing performance by Em Adam Rosenberg as Nellie.

It’s a role built for just such a star turn, as Evans’ musical (for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics) is about a woman who got by on charisma and an unslakable thirst for the public’s attention, one who proudly presented arresting officers with her newspaper clippings. The Nellie King we meet via Evans’ vision and Rosenberg’s compelling portrayal is one of those magnetic personalities who inspire with their sense of abandon before closer examination reveals shadings of the tragic.

The musical is framed as a vaudeville variety show with an experimental edge, a meta excursion in which other pop culture figures of King’s time (most of them largely forgotten) step forward to guide you through the story and the yarn grows more ripping by the scene. Evans employs a stylistic smorgasbord for his 16 songs, including thunderous rock, wafting waltzes, barbershop harmonies, pop balladry and even a show-stopping gospel number.

It all serves an itinerant tale that has interesting things to say about American culture’s confused history with the gender binary and how to enforce it, as well as what lies beneath a longing to be noticed and celebrated that extends long before the advent of social media.

There are echoes of Kander and Ebb’s “Cabaret” in this musical’s storytelling style, what with an emcee who wanders the aisles and engages the audience, as well as its unblinking gaze at the seedier sides of life. Director Laura Leffler has helped shape a crisply energetic production that benefits from the clear commitment of a very talented cast of nine that ably executes Joey Miller’s choreographic concoction of movement old and new.

There are convincing characterizations and fine voices throughout the ensemble, with John Jamison II a standout as our host, Bert Williams, a comedian of the era.

Related Articles

Review: The jukebox musical reaches its zenith with ‘& Juliet’

Theology gets a snarky, irreverent shake-up in Six Points’ ‘An Act of God’

Review: Children’s Theatre does modern Broadway well with ‘Frozen’

Theater review: Penumbra’s ‘When We Are Found’ celebrates love and resilience

Theater review: Guthrie’s ‘Nacirema Society’ turns out to be all about love and laughter

But no one can eclipse the star quality of Rosenberg, a non-binary actor who’s been primarily a Shakespearean on Twin Cities stages, but demonstrates that they have musical theater chops in abundance and an astonishingly versatile voice that can slide from operatic soprano to bluesy tenor.

We’ll likely look back upon their performance as one of the year’s best, and thank Evans for creating the memorable role that made it possible.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

‘Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West’

When: Through June 8

Where: History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul

Tickets: $74-$15, available at 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com

Capsule: A very entertaining, thought-provoking musical about one woman’s quest to go down in history.

The executive director of a St. Paul faith-based nonprofit that trains church clergy on addiction issues has been arrested and charged with possessing child pornography at his Roseville home.

Investigators executed a search warrant at the home of 67-year-old Drew Michael Brooks in October and found child sexual abuse material that had been printed and on his computer, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court charging him with 12 counts of possessing child pornography.

Drew Michael Brooks (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

As executive director of Faith Partners, Brooks provides “leadership, administration and training” to “people of faith to serve with an informed, compassionate response to the risk and prevalence of addiction,” according to its website.

Faith Partners’ work is used in nearly 1,000 congregations in 29 states from 23 different religious practices, according to Brooks’ online bio. He’s been with the nonprofit since 1999, and was its program manager for 11 years.

Brooks was released from the Ramsey County jail on Wednesday without having to pay a bond, court records show. His first court appearance is scheduled for June 10. An attorney is not listed in his court file, and he did not return a message Thursday seeking comment on the charges.

According to the criminal complaint, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip report from Microsoft on Dec. 25, 2022, that someone had accessed child sexual abuse material the day before. Other cyber tips involving the same Roseville address were received between October 2023 and April 2024.

Officers executed the search warrant at the home on Oct. 29, 2024, and detained Brooks and his wife. Officers found documents in the name of Faith Partners and a folder in a laptop bag containing printed images of child pornography.

Brooks’ wife told police she that knew her husband viewed pornography, but was not aware it was child pornography, the complaint says. She acknowledged Brooks’ role with the nonprofit, and said there are flash drives and computers in the home that he uses for work.

Brooks agreed to speak with officers, who had placed the folder on the interview table. He said he knew the folder contained images of children and that some were “sexual,” the complaint says. Brooks said he forgot the folder existed.

Brooks claimed he was sexually abused when he was child and later turned to drugs and alcohol. He said he was recovering by age 22, then started going to meetings for sex addiction.

Brooks said he was not initially interested in child pornography, but he “found it was only a click away,” the complaint states. He admitted he had looked at child pornography that week and that it was on a laptop in his home. Brooks voluntarily provided passwords to his devices and an open browser showed a webpage with child pornography.

Related Articles

Bonded by work and love, Israeli Embassy colleagues’ lives cut short by gunman

A Michigan police officer who killed a Black motorist won’t face a retrial, prosecutor says

New Jersey Democratic Rep. McIver released on recognizance on federal assault charges

Former Cloquet police officer convicted of stealing $35K from woman with dementia

Roseville woman who swindled $600K from New Brighton employer spared prison

Brooks said he is “not necessarily” sexually attracted to children and he “described an attraction/repulsion dynamic along with novelty (that) makes him seek the material out,” the complaint states.

The 36 printed images found in the folder were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which returned a report that 21 images contained child victims previously identified by law enforcement, the complaint says.

Brooks, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, has a work history that includes six years as a health promotion specialist at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City and seven years as a youth health promotion specialist for the city of Bloomington, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Viewers watched Eagan native Eva Erickson experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows on “Survivor 48.”

The first openly autistic player to appear on “Survivor,” Erickson immediately confided in fire captain Joe Hunter, knowing she’d have an ally who could help her in case she got overstimulated and fell into what she called an “episode,” losing control and sobbing uncontrollably.

And that’s what happened in the emotionally charged fifth episode, when she struggled at the immunity challenge and almost lost it for her team. She broke down into tears and moans and, after host Jeff Probst gave him permission, Hunter ran over and embraced Erickson, helping her to calm down and regain her focus. Erickson used the opportunity to tell the entire cast that she was autistic and that wasn’t a negative: “I’ve never viewed my autism as a roadblock to success. It’s not something to work around. It’s just part of who I am. There’s nothing bad about it.”

At a young age, doctors told Erickson’s parents she would never be able to hold a job or live independently as an adult. Erickson graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2022 and was the first and only female player on the school’s hockey team. She’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Brown University School of Engineering, where she’s captain of the men’s club hockey team.

In the time since the show started airing, Erickson has used social media to discuss and demystify autism to an ever-growing number of followers. Thanks to a strong alliance she made with Hunter and lawyer Kyle Fraser, she made it all the way to the final three in the finale, which aired Wednesday on CBS and is now streaming on Paramount+.

Erickson ended up taking second place behind Fraser and above Hunter. But she had a huge smile when she discussed her time on “Survivor” during an afternoon Zoom call on Thursday. Here’s what she had to say.

Q: Tell me about your decision to come out as autistic on national television.

A: I mean, for me, it’s part of my life. It’s not something that I hide in real life. It’s just not something that comes up in conversation, right? Like, if anybody asked me, I wouldn’t hide from it, but it was something that going into the game I wasn’t going to advertise, because it’s really just part of who I am. It’s not the defining characteristic.

I knew I was going to need to tell somebody in case (I had an episode). So I told Joe. But then when I had this opportunity to tell everyone, I wanted to do it justice. When Jeff opened the floor for me, I was so proud to share my story and be able to tell what it is like to be someone on the autism spectrum. I was very happy. I was shown so much support by my castmates in that moment. It was really amazing.

Q: That’s one thing that really struck me. You were so open about being autistic and your fellow castaways all supported you, which isn’t always the case in real life.

A: Yeah, yeah. Because there’s been so many times in my life when I have had these episodes, and people have not been willing to learn and understand, to see what’s going on. They’ve looked at me like I was a freak, like something was wrong with me. Like I was crazy, because I’m screaming, I’m out of control, and once I come down from that, sometimes the judgment that I receive is so hard on me. But I was not judged out there. These people, they cared about me.

“Survivor” is a reflection of society, right? It really showed me that we are at a point in society where people are willing to learn and understand, and that is so important when there is so much misinformation about autism. Being able to share my story and tell people about this, and the response I received out there, has been amazing. I’m so grateful.

Q: What was it about Joe that made you decide, hey, this is the guy I’m going to confide in?

A: Like I said, my strategy was that I needed to tell someone I had autism. I was immediately looking for that. When we got to the beach that first day in Fiji, Joe jumped to the top of my list immediately. The second we get off those boats, everybody’s finally able to talk to each other and say where you’re from, what you do for a living, this and that, just the important things about you.

The first, most important thing about Joe is that he wanted to tell everybody how proud he was to be a father. I knew the names of his kids before I knew anything about what he does in his life. He showed such love for his family that I felt that I can really trust this man, that he would be there for me.

Joe Hunter, left, rushes to calm Eagan native Eva Erickson after she breaks down at the immunity challenge on “Survivor 48,” airing Wednesday, March 26, 2025 on CBS. (Robert Voets / CBS)

Q: In the fifth episode, you had a major breakdown and revealed your autism to everyone. I must admit, I’ve watched that scene several times, and I cried every time watching Joe embrace you.

A: Yeah, absolutely, it was a very big, impactful moment. It just shows both his compassion and my strength to get through that together. It was such an amazing moment for so many reasons.

Q: How do you feel about showing America yourself at your most vulnerable?

A: I knew that this might happen. This is something that I face in my real life, and it’s a challenge. I do get overstimulated. I get overwhelmed. I have these episodes and I normally have strategies I can use. But “Survivor” just puts you in these situations that are different than your real life, that are so much more intense.

Related Articles

Spoiler alert: How Eagan native Eva Erickson fared on ‘Survivor’ finale

‘Lilo & Stitch’ review: Disney puts another one through the de-animation machine

Movie Review: ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ a sweet but unnecessary live-action remake

Movie Review: Romance and writer’s block in bilingual rom-com ‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’

Movie Review: Tom Cruise goes for broke in ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’

I was, like, OK this will probably happen. I’ll be very depleted out there. How am I going to handle this? My family, my parents, were a little worried. They’re, like, are you going to be OK with the world seeing you like this? And I was, like, yes, because I know that it will mean a lot to a lot of people. I didn’t realize how many people until it was really out there. But, you know what? This is part of who I am. We all bring things into the game. We all bring our baggage of our life. I was just bringing this part of me, and I was so proud to show it, and just thankful for the reception that I received. Because it is hard to be that vulnerable. But when you open yourself up and you are vulnerable like that, it changes lives. It certainly changed my life.

Q: You’re a relative newcomer to “Survivor,” correct?

A: Yup, I started watching in college, so only, like, three years ago.

Q: What was it that appealed to you about the show?

A: I’m a competitor, right? I play hockey. I’m definitely an athlete type. I was playing the dumb jock out there, which was my cover, but it was also very strategic. I thought I can use my engineering brain that I don’t get to use playing hockey as much. And then I could also use my athletic side in these challenges. I love to compete and I brought this mesh of those two sides. The component that I discounted when I got onto “Survivor” was the relationship part. That is actually the most impactful part of the game for me, the relationships that I built out there. It’s very cool to see how all those things come together. The game is so unique, there’s nothing like it. So, of course, I was drawn into such a phenomenal competition.

Q: What prompted you to apply?

A: I’d been watching “Survivor” at Georgia Tech with my teammates, and we’d play our own “Survivor” game. We had drinking game challenges and we had alliances and you voted people out. I won the first time I played with them. And they were like, hey, maybe you should apply for the real thing. I was, like, ha, that’d be really funny. But I didn’t apply then. It wasn’t until I came to Brown, where I met my boyfriend. He loves “Survivor.” His entire family has watched every season. They’ve all applied for “Survivor” multiple times. I thought, I bet my new boyfriend would think I was pretty cool if I applied for “Survivor.” So I made my video, and now I’m here. I’m living his dream. He was the one who really got me to go and do it and I wanted to make him think I was cool. I hope he thinks I’m cool now that I actually went on the show.

Q: So you applied once and made it onto the show?

A: Yup.

Q: Wow. So what was the most surprising thing about the experience for you?

The relationships. I really discounted the social game. I did not think that I was going to make these friendships that would change my life. Joe, this amazing man, has shown me what true masculinity is in bringing both an emotional strength as well as physical strength and just being this amazing human. He’s what every man should strive to be, and women too. He’s amazing. And then Kyle, he is like my brother, in that we have a very different relationship than what Joe and I have. Kyle and I are closer in age and closer in our life experiences and the things that we have gone through. I went to his wedding, and that’s the first wedding I cried at. We are very close. These two relationships have shaped my life. I have become a better person because I know these amazing men.

Q: Yeah, I was going to ask you about your post-show relationships.

A: We have a big group message chat with most of the cast, and then I have a smaller, fantastic four group message between Kamilla (Karthigesu), Kyle, Joe and I. I’m very close with those three. Each of them are different relationships, and they have each shown me things about myself that have made me a better person. I strive to be like them in many ways. I’m so thankful for getting to spend so much time with them out there and now meeting their family, their significant others, and them meeting my family.

Eagan native Eva Erickson, left, and Bianca Roses tend to the rice on the second episode of “Survivor 48,” which aired March 5, 2025 on the CBS Television Network. (Robert Voets / CBS)

Q: What was it like to watch the show every week?

A: It was a lot of just stuff, you know? Your brain is packed full of all the stuff from “Survivor,” your own thoughts and personal experiences, your memories, combined with what the edit is showing, which is different than what you experienced. And then the fans, people saying great things about you, people saying horrible things about you, people saying horrible things about your friends. You want to be, like, hey don’t say that about my friend, but you can’t.

I call Kyle every day. We debrief the episode. We talk about our lives and having his support, especially that we are one and two in this game, we are each other’s number one and two, you know? We are here for each other. Joe is harder to get a hold of. I can’t call him every day because he’s saving lives. But the cast supports each other and that allows us to get through the watching experience, because it is a lot of stuff going on in your head.

Eagan native Eva Erickson is one of 18 castaways competing on “Survivor 48,” which premiered Feb. 26, 2025. (Robert Voets / CBS)

Q: Have you connected with “Survivor” contestants from other seasons? I’ve always got the sense it’s like one big family.

A: Yeah, it’s a very cool alumni community. One of my favorite interactions from the finale last night was getting to meet Austin (Li Coon) from “45.” He was the runner up and getting to meet another person who has been in the exact same spot that I am gave me so much relief. I’ve talked to Sam (Phalen, from “Survivor 47”), I’ve talked to Charlie (Davis, from “Survivor 46”). Meeting (others who made second place) has been pretty freaking cool. I’m very grateful that I’ve gotten to connect with them and we can share this experience and know that, hey, the runner-up club is great. Having that support across seasons is so important. And I hope that whoever’s the runner up of “49” can come to me for support, too.

Q: Tell me about using your platform to speak publicly about autism.

A: I didn’t go onto “Survivor” to try to create this platform to speak about autism. It’s just part of my life. But I’ve been given this opportunity from my large following because of “Survivor” and now I am able to speak my mind on this topic that is so important to me. So making videos to speak about how autism has affected me in my life, how it presents itself, what autism is, is helping to educate people and so that they understand. Because my representation of autism is just one version. It is a massive spectrum where everyone has different experiences.

If anyone can connect to part of my story, or can see themselves, see their child, it helps them learn and grow and understand autism better. It helps the community. The world has a lot of misconceptions about autism right now, and it is so important for people like me to share my story so that we can clear those up and help open this conversation and recognize that autism is not something wrong with you, but it is something that is special and unique, and it makes you who you are. It might give you challenges that are different than other people, but it also gives you strength. And I am so glad that I get to use my platform to spread this message.

Q: Would you play the game a second time?

A: In a heartbeat. I’m very proud that I got to the end with this team. I created this team. I told Kyle and Joe that I wanted to be in the final three with them many episodes ago. This is who I want to go to the end of the game with. And I made this team, and my team got to the end, and my team won, but I didn’t win. And I wanted to win. I am so competitive. I want to go back and I want to get a chance to do it again. But first I want to finish my Ph.D.

Related Articles

Spoiler alert: How Eagan native Eva Erickson fared on ‘Survivor’ finale

‘Sesame Street’ moves in with Netflix, but will stay on PBS

Curtain coming down after 30 years at ‘Inside Edition’ for Deborah Norville

A slow death? Broadcast TV news gets overhaul as viewers decline

Mary Tyler Moore’s personal collection, including Minneapolis statue renderings, up for auction

Q: How did growing up in Minnesota affect your game?

A: I mean, I grew up outside. I have a cabin in northern Minnesota, in Chippewa National Forest, so I’m used to the woods. Every day out there, I would go collect wood, because at my cabin, me and my dad are always cutting up trees and hauling wood around. So every day, I was gathering wood on the island and feeling close to my family and the stuff I go through back home. It’s a very different environment, but it reminded me of my cabin and reminded me a lot of a lot of home. I went straight to Minnesota after getting back from Fiji, and got to spend time with my family there. So it was nice to get to go home to Minnesota for that.