Former Titans scout Blaise Taylor was sentenced Wednesday to consecutive life terms, meaning he will spend the rest of his life in prison twice over after being convicted of poisoning his girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn child on July 1.
The sentencing came after more than 80 people sent in letters supporting Taylor’s character, an effort Nashville assistant district attorney Jan Norman addressed in court.
“Your honor, the defense just submitted 87 letters all speaking to Mr. Taylor’s character,” Norman said, via Alicia Patton of WKRN.com.
“They describe a man of honor, honesty, a man of great accomplishments and as someone who has faith in the Lord and was raised by a strong family. More than one of the authors of those letters actually stated he is someone they would want their own daughters to marry.
The person described in these character letters, the authors themselves, not one mentioned Jade Benning, not one of them mentioned baby Ivy, and not one single letter out of the 87 letters mentioned anything about what Blaise Taylor did.”
Taylor’s attorney, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, said the defense was not surprised by the ruling.
“We are extremely disappointed but not surprised by the harsh sentence,” Quinones-Hollins said. “This was a flawed trial of a tenuous case, and we will appeal and look forward to doing so.”
At this point, an appeal is Taylor’s only real path forward. He can either try to get a new trial or seek to have the charges wiped out altogether, or remain in prison for the rest of his life.
For now, Tennessee’s position stands: Taylor committed murder of his girlfriend and their child, and did so in a particularly heinous way. It will be up to Quinones-Hollins to show that mistakes were made at trial severe enough to change that outcome.
In Other News...
Iowa State Suddenly Has A Passing Game Problem To Solve
Iowa States passing game took a hit in the Cyclones game against Iowa when wide receiver Evan Boyd went down with a knee injury, and head coach Jimmy Rogers said he will miss the rest of the season. Boyd arrived as a transfer with Power Four experience and was expected to be a meaningful part of the offense, so his loss changes the early shape of the receiver room in a hurry.
Carter Pabst and freshman Jamal Polite Jr. are now among the players with a chance to absorb some of those snaps and targets. For Iowa State, the challenge is not just replacing one receivers production, but finding a way to keep the passing game balanced enough to support the rest of the offense after losing a player it had counted on. [Read more 🡒]
Tamin Lipsey Could Change Iowa States Biggest 2026-27 Question
Tamin Lipseys future could end up shaping one of Iowa States biggest questions for the 2026-27 season, and it has nothing to do with what happens on the floor in the near term. Lipsey and other student-athletes have joined a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a fifth year of competition eligibility, arguing that players from the Class of 2022 were improperly left out of the associations Five-for-Five model.
The case is still moving through the courts, with both sides ordered to submit legal findings by Sept. 17, 2026. For Iowa State, the issue carries obvious weight because Lipsey has been central to the programs recent success, and his eligibility status could eventually affect how the Cyclones approach their roster planning for the next season and beyond. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Just Raised Expectations For Jimmy Rogers In A Big Way
The first two weeks under Jimmy Rogers have given Iowa State a far different early read than the one many projected in the summer. With a nearly rebuilt roster and a new coaching staff, the Cyclones handled Southeast Missouri State in Week 1 and then went toe-to-toe with Iowa before falling just short in the rivalry game, a start that has already pushed this group beyond the preseason chatter that had them buried near the bottom of the Big 12.
Now comes the part that will really define how much this start matters. Iowa State still has a demanding run ahead, with conference play and a mix of home and road tests set to tell whether this is simply a promising opening or the start of something more durable, and bowl eligibility will depend on how the Cyclones respond once the schedule stiffens and the margin for error gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]