Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson on record playoff runVideo
Joe Burrow knew Evan McPherson must be a special kicker if the Cincinnati Bengals were willing to spend a fifth-round pick on a position usually filled by undrafted players and journeymen. But the Bengals targeted McPherson and made him the only kicker taken in the 2021 draft, a decision that...
Mark Madden: Brian Flores’ case has merit, but proving guilt will be challenging
The Brian Flores lawsuit against the NFL has many sidebars, some of which Flores should have stifled at least temporarily. Flores says he was offered $100k per loss by Miami ownership by way of getting a better draft pick. I don’t buy it. Tanking isn’t done once the game starts....
Congress questions independence of NFL’s Washington probe
An investigation into sexual harassment of women employed by Washington’s NFL franchise was not as independent as the team and the league claimed, members of Congress said Friday. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform released documents that showed the league and the team, now known as the Commanders, agreed...
Rams’ Matthew Stafford hopes to follow in Clayton Kershaw’s footsteps
LOS ANGELES — Matthew Stafford got a call this week from a childhood friend who knows a little something about waiting a long time to win his first championship. Clayton Kershaw is hoping to be at SoFi Stadium next Sunday when Stafford leads the Los Angeles Rams (15-5) in search...
Jaguars name Doug Pederson as next coach
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Doug Pederson as their head coach Thursday night, ending a wild and winding search that ended up where it started more than a month ago. Pederson, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to their lone Super Bowl title, was Jacksonville’s first candidate interviewed when...
Browns owner: Hue Jackson ‘never accepted’ blame for losing
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam denied paying former coach Hue Jackson for losing games and said his one-time employee is only good at “pointing fingers” and needs to accept some blame for his dreadful NFL record. Earlier this week, Jackson intimated in a series of posts on Twitter...
Apparent beating of 49ers fan outside SoFi Stadium was kept secret for days, raising questions as Super Bowl nearsVideo
LOS ANGELES — Officials faced mounting questions Thursday about why they didn’t inform the public about the apparent beating of a San Francisco 49ers fan outside SoFi Stadium on Sunday and whether more security measures are needed before the Super Bowl. It took three days and an inquiry from The...
Elway defends himself, says Flores interview was no shamVideo
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John Elway is refuting Brian Flores’ claim in a lawsuit that his interview with the Denver Broncos in 2019 was a sham and conducted only to satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule. “While I was not planning to respond publicly to the false and defamatory claims by Brian...
Roger Goodell pressured by Congress to release Washington report
Former Washington Commanders employees and members of Congress pressured the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday to release a report about the team’s history of sexual harassment and its sexist, hostile workplace culture. They said the team and owner Dan Snyder have not been held accountable for their misdeeds....
Jim Harbaugh says he’ll stay at Michigan after Vikings interview
Jim Harbaugh will stay at Michigan after all, ending his dalliance with a return to the NFL after interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings for their head coach vacancy Wednesday. Harbaugh withdrew from consideration and will be back at his alma mater for an eighth season. “With an enthusiasm unknown to...
Former Browns coach Hue Jackson implies he was paid to loseVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns say suggestions by former coach Hue Jackson and an associate that he was paid by the team to lose games are “completely fabricated.” Jackson, who is now coaching at Grambling, made several posts on Twitter implying he received bonus payments from Browns owner Jimmy Haslam...
Brian Flores says he won’t drop lawsuit even if hired as NFL coach
Brian Flores says his lawsuit against the NFL over alleged racist hiring practices will continue even if he becomes a head coach again this offseason. Flores interviewed with the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints, who have yet to fill their coaching vacancies. If they call, Flores will listen, but...
Tom Brady bids football adieu, thanks everyone — except Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The greatness of Tom Brady’s NFL career can’t be exaggerated. He took the New England Patriots to the upper echelon of the league during his 20-year run with the team, filling the franchise’s trophy case with six Lombardi trophies while cementing his own status as possibly the...
Washington’s NFL team unveils new name as Commanders
Washington’s NFL team is now known as the Commanders. The new name unveiled Wednesday comes 18 months after the once-storied franchise dropped its old moniker following decades of criticism that it was offensive to Native Americans and under fresh pressure from sponsors. The organization committed to avoiding Native American imagery...
Rams’ Andrew Whitworth excited to go against former team in Super BowlVideo
LOS ANGELES — If anyone has an appreciation for the long, winding road the Cincinnati Bengals have taken to their first Super Bowl in 33 years, it is Andrew Whitworth. But if the Los Angeles Rams left tackle wants to win his first championship, he will have to do it...
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo says goodbye to 49ers fansVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Before Jimmy Garoppolo finished his 17-minute season-ending news conference, he wanted to deliver a message to the San Francisco 49ers fans who supported him the past five seasons. “It’s been crazy, man. Just all the comebacks at Levi’s, comebacks on the road, ups and downs. It’s...
Jim Litke: Tom Brady’s goodbye leaves (almost) everyone smilingVideo
The smart ones get out while people are still lining up to see them play. Tom Brady was even smarter than that. He was so good for so long that it made the toughest decision of his own career easy for everybody else. Sure, it could have gone smoother. As...
Buccaneers exploring options for successor to Tom BradyVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Long before Tom Brady called its quits, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began contemplating a future without the seven-time Super Bowl winner. Brady announced his retirement Tuesday, ending an unparalleled career that began with a two-decade stint with the New England Patriots followed by two seasons with the...
Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sues NFL, alleging racist hiringVideo
NEW YORK — Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the NFL and three of its teams Tuesday, saying racist hiring practices by the league have left it racially segregated and managed like a plantation. The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court sought class-action status and unspecified damages from the league,...
It’s official: Tom Brady has retired after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady walked away from the NFL on his own terms, still at the top of his game. Brady, the most successful quarterback in league history and one of the greatest champions in professional sports, officially retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records...
Coach John Harbaugh confident Ravens will bounce back next seasonVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens coach John Harbaugh has begun the process to make Baltimore a contender again after a frustrating season that ended with six straight defeats. “I’m pretty fired up, excited, ready to go,” Harbaugh said Monday during his first news conference since the season ended. “You think...
Tom Brady says he still is evaluating his future plans
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady says he’s still evaluating his future and the seven-time Super Bowl champion isn’t ready to make a decision about retirement. “I’m just still going through the process that I said I was going through,” Brady said Monday night on his SiriusXM podcast. “Sometimes it takes...
Bengals never waver en route to stunning Super Bowl seasonVideo
CINCINNATI — When the Cincinnati Bengals went down 21-3 early in the second quarter of Sunday’s AFC championship game, a third straight Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs seemed inevitable. The Bengals weren’t feeling it, though. They’d been coming from behind and winning close games all season. What transpired...
On to Super Bowl: Rams to host Bengals
Two years ago, the Cincinnati Bengals were the NFL’s worst team. Now they’re headed to the Super Bowl to play the Los Angeles Rams — in the Rams’ home stadium. Matching the biggest comeback in an AFC championship game, the Bengals rallied from an 18-point hole to stun Kansas City,...
Madden Monday: Maybe Patrick Mahomes is only a 1-win Super Bowl quarterback
One word to best describe the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game is “arrogance.” To blow off a sure field goal in hopes of scoring a touchdown with just five seconds to go at the end of the first half was pure arrogance....
