AP sources: Jets LB C.J. Mosley opting out of NFL seasonVideo
NEW YORK — New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley chose to opt out of the NFL season because of family health concerns, two people familiar with the decision told the Associated Press. The 28-year-old Mosley was entering his second season with New York after signing as a free agent in...
Belichick mum on plans for QB position as camp nearsVideo
BOSTON — Like all NFL teams, the New England Patriots face a variety of unknowns heading into a 2020 season in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. So it’s no surprise Bill Belichick is being coy about his expectations for the quarterback position as his team prepares for the start...
AP Source: ESPN tabs Levy, Griese and Riddick for MNF booth
Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick will be the new announce team for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the network has not announced its decision. ESPN biographer Jim Miller...
Stefanski preaches patience as Browns ramp up in unique campVideo
CLEVELAND — Instead of a whistle dangling from his neck, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski wears a sensor that blinks and beeps whenever he’s within 6 feet of someone in the team’s facility. Nothing could have prepared him for his first training camp in Cleveland. Stefanski said Thursday he still...
On Football: NFL opt-outs more prevalent than many expectedVideo
Now we know why a key topic in talks between the NFL and the players’ union focused on opt outs. Already, more than two dozen players have decided not to play the 2020 season. It certainly is not about the money, because those opting out voluntarily are getting a $150,000...
NFL MVP Lamar Jackson insists he’s ‘got to do better’ in 2020Video
Baltimore Ravens quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is eager to get started at training camp after an offseason in which he had a perilous encounter with a jet ski, tossed footballs to Antonio Brown and diligently avoided the coronavirus. Jackson guided the Ravens to a 14-2 regular-season record...
Mark Madden: Covid-19 chaos is spreading from MLB to NFLVideo
MLB is imploding, and not just the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen. As of this writing, 18 Miami Marlins have tested positive for covid-19. This past Sunday, when the outbreak began via three players testing positive, the Marlins players voted to play that day anyway. Memo to morons: You can’t rub dirt...
AP sources: Joey Bosa gets $135 million extension with Chargers
COSTA MESA, Calif. — Defensive end Joey Bosa has agreed to a contact extension that will make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. Two people familiar with the deal said the five-year extension is worth $135 million, which includes $78 million guaranteed at signing and $102 million overall....
On Football: Training camps’ look defines strange timesVideo
Don’t expect any footballs — or players — on fields at NFL training camps anytime too soon. No blocking sleds. No pass-rush drills. No whistles. As teams adhere to the medical protocols that wisely and necessarily have been ordered by the league and the players’ union, any sort of football...
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes becoming part owner of Kansas City RoyalsVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is joining the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals announced the addition of Mahomes, the star quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title last season, Tuesday. Mahomes is a former baseball prospect and...
Tim Benz: You have to laugh at Le’Veon Bell’s rant against former teammate
I’m not sure how good of an arm former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has, but I bet he could spin a decent halfback-option pass or two for the New York Jets if needed. After Saturday, though, I am sure he can throw stones from a glass house. Over the...
Mike Ditka rips kneeling athletes: ‘Get the hell out of the country’Video
Former NFL legend and Pitt Panther Mike Ditka has some unkind words for athletes and coaches who kneel for the national anthem. In an interview with TMZ Sports about his women’s pro football X League, Ditka was asked if his players would be allowed to do it. He gave an...
Jets trade disgruntled star safety Jamal Adams to SeahawksVideo
NEW YORK — The New York Jets traded disgruntled star safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, splitting with a gifted player whose relationship with the franchise quickly deteriorated because of a contract dispute. The Jets received a massive haul in the stunning deal Saturday, sending a 2022...
Patrick Mahomes knows risk, feels safe in return to Chiefs facilityVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was on every call involving the NFL Players Association and took a significant role in putting in place the return-to-play protocols for training camp. So while he acknowledges “some risk” in returning to the team facility Saturday, when Mahomes joined...
Chiefs’ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif first to opt out of 2020 NFL seasonVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs became the first player to opt out of the upcoming NFL season because of the coronavirus pandemic Friday. Duvernay-Tardif earned a medical degree from McGill University in Canada and has been working to fulfill...
Sources: NFL players can opt-out; salary cap slashedVideo
NFL training camps are set to open after the league and the players’ union reached agreement on several issues, including future salary cap mechanisms and how players can opt out of the upcoming season because of the coronavirus. The NFL Players Association’s executive committee and 32 player representatives approved the...
Ex-Redskins become Washington Football Team for 2020 season
The NFL team formerly known as the Redskins will go by the Washington Football Team for the 2020 season, giving the organization time to choose a new, full-time name. The club announced the placeholder name Thursday, ahead of the start of training camp next week. “The decision to use ‘Washington...
Analysis: Behind health, stability a key to NFL successVideo
Chiefs, 49ers, Saints, Ravens. All powerhouses last season. All in excellent position to be so again if the NFL gets to play during the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone who believes continuity isn’t an essential part of pro football success will need to re-examine that philosophy. As NFL teams finally get together...
NFL planning to allow social justice decals on helmets
The NFL is planning to allow players to have decals on the back of their helmets bearing names or initials of victims of systemic racism and police violence. The league has been in talks with individual players and their union since June about somehow honoring such victims. The initiative will...
Report: NFL offers to scrap preseason games; players to be tested every day for 1st 2 weeks of campVideo
The NFL has offered to scrap all preseason games, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press. The players’ association had sought no preseason games, and the league had reduced the exhibition schedule to two games. But Monday evening, the NFL said it would eliminate those preseason contests...
Former Pine-Richland, Pitt QB Ben DiNucci agrees to terms with Dallas CowboysVideo
Former Pine-Richland and Pitt quarterback Ben DiNucci agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys to a four-year rookie contract. DiNucci, a seventh-round pick, led James Madison to the FCS national championship game last year. DiNucci was at Pitt from 2015-17, playing in 12 games and making six starts. Prior to...
Jets, Giants won’t have fans at games in New Jersey, at least initiallyVideo
The New York Jets and Giants announced they will not have fans at home games this season “until further notice” because of the coronavirus pandemic. The teams, who play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ., and have separate training facilities in the state, released a joint statement Monday after...
What’s going on with Penguins’ Sidney Crosby? Mark Madden has sources telling him what’s up.
Based on the Penguins’ history when it comes to their players’ health, I’m sure we all had the same thought when the team returned to practice during the coronavirus pandemic. “Sid is going to get it. Mumps. Concussions. A broken jaw from a teammate’s slapshot. He’s gonna get the virus.”...
Players plead with NFL to address health, safety concernsVideo
NFL players are pleading publicly with the league to address several health and safety concerns on the eve of training camp. The league informed teams Saturday training camps will open on time even though discussions with the players’ union regarding testing for coronavirus and other health and safety protocols are...
Report: 15 former employees accuse Washington NFL team of sexual harassmentVideo
The Washington Post reported Thursday that 15 female former employees of the city’s NFL franchise said they were sexually harassed during their time with the team. In a statement, the team said it takes issues of employee conduct seriously and added, “While we do not speak to specific employee situations...
