NFL defensive mastermind Monte Kiffin dies at age 84
TAMPA, Fla. — Monte Kiffin, the longtime NFL and college assistant coach whose Tampa Bay defenses routinely ranked among the league’s best, died Thursday. He was 84. One of the architects of the ultra successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme, Kiffin spent 13 seasons as defensive coordinator of the Bucs under...
Bill Belichick joining ‘Inside the NFL’ for upcoming season
LOS ANGELES — Bill Belichick has added a second media job for the upcoming season. The CW Network announced Thursday that Belichick will be one of the analysts on “Inside the NFL.” Belichick, who coached the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles during his 24 years at the...
Former Browns QB great Bernie Kosar battling health challenges
CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns star quarterback Bernie Kosar has been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson’s disease, according to a story in Cleveland Magazine. The 60-year-old former player is on the list for a liver transplant, though University Hospitals hepatologist Anthony Post told the magazine that Kosar...
Former Cardinals star Adrian Wilson arrested on assault charge
PHOENIX — Former Carolina Panthers executive and Arizona Cardinals star safety Adrian Wilson was arrested June 1 in Arizona on charges of assault, property damage and disorderly conduct, according to the Scottsdale Police Department. The police department said in a statement Tuesday that all three charges are related to domestic...
No more confusion: Jags rusher Josh Allen changes last name to Hines-Allen to honor maternal family
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars star pass rusher Josh Allen has changed his last name to Hines-Allen to honor his maternal family and relatives who have worn that surname on their jerseys. That will also help eliminate confusion with the Buffalo Bills star quarterback. Hines-Allen announced the change Tuesday on...
Brett Favre is asking an appeals court to reinstate his defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe
NEW ORLEANS — Lawyers for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will ask a federal appeals court Tuesday to revive a defamation lawsuit Favre filed against a fellow Pro Football of Fame member, former tight end Shannon Sharpe, amid the backdrop of a Mississippi welfare scandal that is one of the...
Vikings’ Khyree Jackson, 2 former college football players killed in car crash in Maryland
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson was killed Saturday morning in a car crash in Maryland, police and the team said. Jackson, 24, was one of three people who died in an overnight three-car crash in Prince George’s County, according to Maryland State Police. The Vikings...
U mad, bro?: Pre-Fourth fireworks on state of the Penguins, insufficient Pirates, Mike Tomlin’s recent playoff fade
Thursday is Independence Day. So I plan on celebrating my independence from work. Hence, we are posting “U mad, bro?” a day early this week. Don’t worry. I’m offering up plenty of fireworks about the Penguins’ current roster, the Pirates’ ups and downs and Mike Tomlin’s recent track record. This...
NFL suspends safety Tashaun Gipson 6 games for PEDs
Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson has been suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. The NFL announced Gipson’s suspension Tuesday. Gipson, who turns 34 on Aug. 7, is a free agent and remains eligible to sign with a...
Here’s what you need to know about the verdict in the ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ trial and what’s next
LOS ANGELES — The NFL has been found guilty of breaking antitrust laws in its distribution of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on the “Sunday Ticket” premium subscription service. Even though the jury of five men and three women in a U.S. District Court awarded nearly $4.8 billion in damages Thursday...
Jury rules NFL violated antitrust laws in ‘Sunday Ticket’ case and awards $4.7 billion in damages
LOS ANGELES — A jury in U.S. District Court ruled Thursday the NFL violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription services and has awarded nearly $4.7 billion in damages. The jury ordered the league to pay $4 billion in damages to the residential class...
Steve Gleason to receive Arthur Ashe Courage Award at The ESPYS for his work on ALS awareness
LOS ANGELES — Retired NFL safety Steve Gleason, who has been fighting ALS since 2011, will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at The ESPYS on July 11. The 47-year-old Gleason spent eight years in the NFL before retiring in 2008. Three years later, he went public with his...
Receiver Brandon Aiyuk requests meeting with 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly huddling with the San Francisco 49ers after agonizing this offseason over his future. Aiyuk called for that meeting to discuss his contract impasse, ESPN’s Ryan Clark reported on Monday’s “NFL Live” show. July 23 is when Aiyuk and his teammates must report...
Chiefs release former Steelers DL Isaiah Buggs after off-field incidents
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs released defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs on Monday after two recent arrests in Alabama. The 27-year-old Buggs, who signed a $1,292,500 contract with Kansas City for the upcoming season, turned himself in May 30 after he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of...
Chiefs WR, New Kensington native Skyy Moore holds Summer Slam to benefit community
There is nothing like winning the Super Bowl. A minuscule percentage of players earn the opportunity to play in the big game. Even fewer can hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and even fewer can do it twice. As a two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, Skyy...
Kansas is making a big run at Kansas City’s pro teams with a plan to help pay for new stadiums
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas is making a serious run at becoming the new home for the reigning Super Bowl champions with legislators approving a plan Tuesday to lure the Chiefs and Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals away from Missouri. Bipartisan legislative supermajorities OK’d the measure to authorize state bonds...
Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff is injured after all, says he’ll be more open in the futureVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins will place outfielder Alex Kirilloff on the injured list after all with back trouble, six days after the struggling former top prospect was sent down to Triple-A. A contrite Kirilloff rejoined the Twins at Target Field on Tuesday for treatment, having acknowledged he understated the...
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk to his ex-quarterback: ‘They don’t want me back’Video
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brandon Aiyuk has issued another cryptic signal in his contract tug-of-war with the 49ers, five weeks before training camp begins, with or without him. Aiyuk, who did not attend the team’s mandatory minicamp two weeks ago, posted a TikTok video Monday of his FaceTime chat with...
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defends ‘Sunday Ticket’ package as a premium product
LOS ANGELES — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated during testimony in federal court Monday that the league’s “Sunday Ticket” package, the subject of a class-action lawsuit, is a premium product while also defending the league’s broadcast model. Goodell was called as a witness by the NFL as the trial for...
Rookie WR Keon Coleman playfully embraces Buffalo while showing serious side
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Wide-eyed, engaging and athletic, Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman has much to offer, be it tips on when to land the best deals for winter coats to using his lean 6-foot-4 frame and long muscular arms to snatch balls thrown over his head or behind him....
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars agree to 5-year, $275M contract extension
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed Thursday to a five-year, $275 million contract extension that makes him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history, according to multiple reports. Lawrence’s deal includes $200 million guaranteed and a $37.5 million signing bonus. Lawrence will get an average...
NFL players union could propose trading spring practices for longer training campVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Across the NFL, teams wrapped up their mandatory minicamps this week leading into about a month-long break before the start of a grueling season that could approach seven months for the teams that make the Super Bowl. The timeline of spring practice followed by a break...
Atlanta Falcons forfeit 5th-round pick, fined for tampering with Kirk Cousins
The Atlanta Falcons were stripped of a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft for violating the NFL’s anti-tampering rules before signing quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner in free agency in March. The NFL also fined the team $250,000, and general manager Terry Fontenot...
On edge: Browns star Myles Garrett unsatisfied by personal success, driven to take team to NFL titleVideo
BEREA, Ohio — The chase hasn’t ended for Myles Garrett, only intensified. While the Cleveland Browns’ superstar defensive end feels humbled by the accolades, awards and adulation that keep funneling his way, he doesn’t find any satisfaction on that road. “Never,” Garrett said. “It’ll never be enough.” As he approaches...
DK Metcalf excited for Seahawks future with Mike Macdonald
RENTON, Wash. — DK Metcalf has one issue with his new coach in Seattle, Mike Macdonald. “He’s a defensive coach. That’s one thing I don’t like about him,” Metcalf joked. “But it’s good for our team.” Seattle’s star wide receiver was present for the start of mandatory minicamp Tuesday after...
