Roger Goodell: NFL learnings from 2020 technology here to stay
One of the major benefits of playing a full season pretty much on schedule during a pandemic is what the NFL learned technologically from 2020. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league has found new avenues of communication that will be common in future seasons. “Virtual meetings have now become standard...
Shailene Woodley confirms she’s engaged to Aaron RodgersVideo
Shailene Woodley confirmed that she’s engaged to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The actor discussed her relationship with Rodgers on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Monday, saying they got engaged “a while ago.” The 37-year-old Rodgers mentioned his engagement and thanked his fiancée while accepting his third...
Kansas City quarterback Mahomes, fiancee welcome baby girlVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his fiancee, Brittany Matthews, are parents to a girl. Matthews announced the Sunday birth of Sterling Skye Mahomes in a tweet. The birth came two weeks after Mahomes and Kansas City lost 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in...
AP source: Eagles send Carson Wentz to Colts for draft picks
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts, according to a person familiar with the deal. The Eagles will receive a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2022 that can turn into a first-round pick if Wentz...
Ex-NFL WR Vincent Jackson suffered from chronic alcoholism
TAMPA, Fla. — Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Vincent Jackson suffered from chronic alcoholism and other health issues, according to autopsy reports, prior to being found dead in a Brandon hotel room, Hillsborough County sheriff Chad Chronister said Wednesday. Jackson’s family also has concerns he may have suffered from chronic...
Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson found dead in hotel room
BRANDON, Fla. — Former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead Monday at a Florida hotel room, days after authorities spoke with him as part of a welfare check, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. A housekeeper discovered the 38-year-old’s body at around 11:30 a.m. Monday, official said....
NFL’s Chris Hogan declares for Premier Lacrosse League draft
Chris Hogan is trading touchdowns for goals and returning to his athletic roots. The NFL wide receiver, who most recently played with the New York Jets, announced Saturday he has signed with the Premier Lacrosse League and declared his eligibility to be selected in the league’s draft next month. “As...
Analysis: Texans self-destructing with each bad move
HOUSTON — J.J. Watt is gone from the Houston Texans, and Deshaun Watson wants out, too. The Texans have been making plenty of headlines this offseason. Not one has been good. Watt was released Friday, ending the tenure of the face of the franchise, and things could get even worse...
Johnny Manziel says he’s done with football — mostly
ATLANTA — No more football for Johnny Football unless it’s just for kicks. After a self-destructing pro career that never came close to fulfilling his enormous potential, Johnny Manziel says he’s done with the game that gave him his catchy moniker — even as he’s dabbling in a fledgling, fan-controlled...
J.J. Watt, Texans ‘mutually’ agree to split in more team upheaval
HOUSTON — J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans split Friday, ending the tenure of the face of the franchise and adding further turmoil to an offseason of upheaval. “I have sat down with the McNair family and I have asked them for my release and we have mutually agreed to...
Trevor Lawrence to have surgery before NFL DraftVideo
CLEMSON, S.C. — Former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will have surgery on his left, non-throwing shoulder before the NFL Draft. Lawrence’s representative, Kyle Strongin of MGC Sports, said Lawrence scheduled a workout for NFL personnel on Friday instead of waiting for Clemson’s pro day March 11 because of the upcoming...
Super Bowl champion Buccaneers celebrate with boat paradeVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Even on the water, it seems the connection between seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady and his receivers cannot be denied. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held a boat parade Wednesday to celebrate their first NFL title in 18 years on a sun-splashed day with thousands of...
Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid on leave after crash
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs outside linebackers coach Britt Reid, the son of head coach Andy Reid, was placed on administrative leave during an investigation into a traffic crash that left two young children injured, one critically, the team announced Tuesday. The team said Britt Reid was involved...
Analysis: NFL hopes for normality in 2021, starting at draftVideo
Maybe the lack of competitiveness in the Super Bowl was a good sign for the NFL. After a year in which the challenges of playing a full and barely interrupted season provided more than enough drama, Tom Brady and Tampa Bay’s rout of the reigning champion Chiefs brought some ho-hum....
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes to have surgery on toe injuryVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will have surgery this week on the turf toe injury he suffered in the playoffs, likely sidelining him for the start of the offseason program but ensuring he’ll be ready well before training camp. Mahomes met with coaches and trainers...
Super Bowl on CBS draws audience of 96.4 million viewers
NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rout of the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl drew a total audience of 96.4 million viewers. CBS said Tuesday the audience included record digital numbers for a game that had lost its competitive edge by halftime — Tampa Bay won 31-9...
Pitt graduate Marty Schottenheimer, coach of 4 NFL teams and winner of 200 games, dies at 77
Marty Schottenheimer, who won 200 regular-season games with four NFL teams thanks to his “Martyball” brand of smash-mouth football but regularly fell short in the playoffs, died. He was 77. Schottenheimer, a Fort Cherry and Pitt graduate, died Monday night in Charlotte, N.C., his family said through former Kansas City...
Bucs hope to keep core together to chase another Super Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady’s coming back. So is Bruce Arians. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already thinking about what it’ll take to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The challenge begins with trying to keep some key components together for next season. Brady threw three touchdowns passes on the...
Buccaneers defense rises to occasion again in Super Bowl win
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s defense finished its redemption tour with a Super Bowl championship. Overwhelmed by Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill during a loss to Kansas City in Week 12 of the regular season, a young Buccaneers secondary flipped the script in Sunday night’s NFL championship game by shutting...
Chiefs lose composure and see red amid a sea of yellow
Offsides. Unnecessary roughness. Unsportsmanlike conduct. Pass interference. And holding. Lots of holding. All those penalties were too much even for Patrick Mahomes to overcome: Good as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were Sunday — worthy champions, certainly — the Kansas City Chiefs put on a textbook display of...
Analysis: Credit or blame Tom Brady for all things Super Bowl
Credit Tom Brady. Or blame him. When it comes to the Super Bowl’s most successful performer, it all depends upon your perspective. Credit the quarterback, now 43, for his dominance of America’s most popular sporting event like no one before him. Blame him for making the collection of NFL championships...
Tom Brady wins 5th Super Bowl MVP award with vintage performance
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady took one final snap, went down on his knee, popped up and hugged his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates. With that big, familiar smile. They were champions and Brady put together another vintage performance on football’s biggest stage — doing everything his unquestioned greatness has forced...
Throngs of maskless fans celebrate Tampa’s Super Bowl win
TAMPA, Fla. — So much for the mayor’s order requiring masks at Super Bowl parties. Videos went viral on social media, showing throngs of mostly maskless fans and packed sports bars as the clock inside Raymond James Stadium ticked down on a hometown Super Bowl win for the Tampa Bay...
Buccaneers’ Bruce Arians scoffs at rumors, says he’s returning ‘for 2’
TAMPA, Fla. — Seconds after linebacker Devin White intercepted a pass in the end zone, Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians started doling out hugs. Players, assistants, staffers, they all got in line. Arians unplugged his headset, slipped on a Super Bowl championship hat and braced for the traditional Gatorade shower....
Tom Brady wins Super Bowl No. 7, Buccaneers dominate ChiefsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady made the Buccaneers, their fans and their city believe from the moment he arrived in Tampa Bay. With help from old friend Rob Gronkowski and a ferocious defense, Brady and the Buccaneers are Super Bowl champions. Brady threw two touchdown passes to Gronkowski and one...
