Gale Sayers, Brian Piccolo friendship lives on in ‘Brian’s Song’
When Chicago Bears teammates Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo became roommates in 1967, the first time NFL players of different colors shared accommodations on the road, it hardly looked like a good fit. Sayers, 24 at the time, was an established star, a soft-spoken Black man who generally raised his...
Reports: Chargers’ team doctor accidentally punctured Tyrod Taylor’s lungVideo
COSTA MESA, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor missed last Sunday’s game because a team doctor accidentally punctured his lung, according to a person familiar with the case. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because of medical restriction issues. Rookie Justin Herbert...
Gale Sayers, Bears Hall of Fame running back, dies at 77
CHICAGO — Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, who made his mark as one of the NFL’s best all-purpose running backs and was later celebrated for his enduring friendship with a Chicago Bears teammate with cancer, has died. He was 77. Nicknamed “The Kansas Comet” and considered among the best open-field...
First Call: Pirates may ‘earn’ MLB top draft choice; NFL mask fines; former Penguins are NHL buyout targets
Wednesday’s “First Call” shows us that the Pirates may be in line for Kumar Rocker atop the MLB draft after all. We try to figure out when the NBA and NHL may restart for next season. And the NFL keeps handing out mask fines for coaches. Ready to Rock? ESPN’s...
Tim Dahlberg: Big night for Las Vegas Raiders, their new hometownVideo
LAS VEGAS — As the light outside faded, the glittering casinos on the Las Vegas Strip came to life Monday evening through the giant lanai doors in the new home of the Raiders. If the backdrop was spectacular, so was the scene on the field. There were the Raiders playing...
NFL rallies around Patriots’ James White after father’s deathVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Patriots running back James White said he is having trouble processing the sudden death of his father, but is finding comfort in celebrating his son’s first birthday. In an Instagram message Tuesday, White posted side by side photos of himself as a child sitting on the lap...
Unmasked: NFL fines coaches, teams for not covering faces
NFL coaches thumbed their collective — and exposed — noses at the NFL’s mask mandate in Week 2. The league responded with hefty fines of $100,000 per coach and $250,000 per club. The first three to get fined were Denver’s Vic Fangio, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and Seattle’s Pete Carroll,...
Raiders open Las Vegas stadium with win over Saints
LAS VEGAS — Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders delivered a performance worthy of their fancy new home. Too bad none of their fans were able to see it in person. Carr threw three touchdown passes and the Raiders gave their new fans in Las Vegas plenty to celebrate...
Giants RB Saquon Barkley tears ACL, likely done for seasonVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley likely will miss the rest of the season with a major injury to his right knee. The Giants (0-2) said an MRI on Monday confirmed Barkley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee Sunday in a loss to...
Broncos QB Drew Lock week to week with shoulder injury; WR Courtland Sutton out for yearVideo
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos star receiver Courtland Sutton will miss the rest of the season after tearing his left ACL in Denver’s 26-21 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press. The person said an MRI on Monday confirmed fears the Pro...
Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey out multiple weeks with ankle sprainVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Christian McCaffrey said he plans to attack his rehabilitation from a high-ankle sprain the same way he does everything else — with a full head of steam. The All-Pro running back is expected to miss “multiple weeks” with a high-right ankle sprain he suffered in Carolina’s 31-17...
Saquon Barkley, 49ers hit with potentially season-ending injuries
A star-studded cast of NFL players departed their games with injuries on Sunday. Many of them could miss the rest of the season. Start with running back, where Giants star Saquon Barkley is believed to have torn the ACL in his right knee early in their loss at Chicago. All-Pro...
Seahawks stuff Cam Newton on final play, beat Patriots 35-30
SEATTLE — Russell Wilson continued his sizzling start throwing five more touchdown passes. Unheralded second-year defensive end L.J. Collier made the play that assured those five TD tosses came in a victory. Collier stuffed Cam Newton at the 1-yard line on the final play, and the Seattle Seahawks held off...
Ravens dominate Texans, run regular-season win streak to 14Video
HOUSTON — Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass, Mark Ingram ran for a TD and the Baltimore Ravens added a score on defense to to beat the mistake-prone Houston Texans, 33-16, on Sunday. The victory is Baltimore’s 14th straight in the regular season, the longest streak in the NFL since...
NFL Week 2: 49ers blast Jets 31-13, but lose Garoppolo, Bosa, MostertVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Raheem Mostert ran for an 80-yard touchdown on San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage and Jimmy Garoppolo threw two TD passes — before both players sat out the second half with injuries — and the banged-up 49ers rolled past the inept New York Jets 31-13 on...
Eagles RB Miles Sanders explains choice to honor Antwon Rose Jr. on his helmet
PHILADELPHIA — Miles Sanders didn’t play for the Eagles in their season opener last week because the team was bringing him back slowly from a hamstring injury he suffered during training camp. But the second-year running back still offered a glimpse at his game-day attire. Like many other NFL players,...
Eagles RB, Penn State product Miles Sanders wants to ‘get respect’Video
PHILADELPHIA — Miles Sanders enjoyed one of the most productive rookie seasons in the NFL last season. The Eagles running back leapfrogged names such as LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson in the franchise’s record books, and he topped the class in categories such as scrimmage yards and all-purpose yards. But...
Empty seats make for some strange sights, sounds in NFL
DENVER — Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock felt like he was at the library, whispering in the huddle at empty Empower Field so the Tennessee Titans couldn’t eavesdrop. All the vacant seats at Gillette Stadium had Patriots star Julian Edelman reminiscing about his time in junior college. Aaron Rodgers capitalized...
QBs Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson set to star as Ravens visit TexansVideo
HOUSTON — Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson was torn when asked if he enjoys matchups such as Sunday’s against the Houston Texans and fellow talented and mobile quarterback Deshaun Watson. “That’s a great quarterback we’re going against (so) I say no, because of how dynamic he is, and our defense has to...
Bounce-back win shows Browns possess offensive potentialVideo
CLEVELAND — The chant seemed to come out of nowhere and quickly grew louder during a replay review to see if the Browns had indeed scored on a gorgeous, play-action touchdown pass. “O-B-J, O-B-J,” yelled many of the 6,000 fans, acknowledging Odell Beckham Jr.’s 43-yard scoring reception from Baker Mayfield....
Even Patriots players wish noisy Seahawks fans were present for home openerVideo
RENTON, Wash. — For a normal Sunday night game in Seattle, the fans would start showing up in the morning, giving themselves plenty of time to find parking and begin their preparations for the evening’s festivities. Those parking lots will be empty this Sunday. No tailgates. No party buses. No...
Mayfield throws 2 TD passes, Browns hold off Burrow, Bengals
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for two scores and 124 yards and the Cleveland Browns gave coach Kevin Stefanski his first NFL victory Thursday night by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 35-30 on the NFL’s 100th birthday. Mayfield connected with Odell Beckham Jr. on a...
Nike’s special anniversary Colin Kaepernick jersey sells out within seconds of releaseVideo
Nike’s limited edition jersey for Colin Kaepernick sold out in a swoosh. The black monochromatic No. 7 jerseys, which commemorated the four-year anniversary of when then-San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality, sold out in seconds...
Jets place Le’Veon Bell on IR with hamstring injuryVideo
NEW YORK — The New York Jets will face the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers without Le’Veon Bell. The star running back was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a hamstring injury. Bell was hurt in the second quarter of the Jets’ season-opening 27-17 loss at Buffalo on Sunday....
Stephen Gostkowski finally delivers in Titans’ 16-14 win at Denver
DENVER — A day after Tom Brady’s dud of a debut for Tampa Bay, Stephen Gostkowski failed to put all that Patriots pedigree to work in his first game with the Tennessee Titans. Until the very end. Unlike Brady, who lost his first game in a uniform other than New...
