April Fools’ Day: Tom Brady, Funko, Peeps get in on the ha-ha holidayVideo
Pranks and jokes, welcome back. April 1 is here and it’s time again. April Fools’ Day. Let’s see who got in on the action, from a GOAT to Peeps. Brady brings back Expos Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is bringing back an old MLB franchise. He’s going to be...
Browns’ Malik Jackson: Jadeveon Clowney could ‘hop on’ Super Bowl contender
CLEVELAND — When he hit free agency, Malik Jackson had a short list of teams with whom the veteran defensive tackle would consider signing. All of them had to fit one requirement. They had to be a Super Bowl contender. The Cleveland Browns were a match. Jackson, who signed a...
WR Tyler Lockett stays with Seahawks on 4-year dealVideo
SEATTLE — Tyler Lockett is sticking around with the Seattle Seahawks, and likely as Russell Wilson’s favorite target, for the foreseeable future. The Seahawks and Lockett agreed to a four-year contract extension that includes $37 million guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to...
NFL planning to remove restrictions for vaccinated personnel
The NFL has plans to eliminate some restrictions from its current covid-19 protocols for vaccinated players, coaches and personnel. In a memo sent to the 32 teams Wednesday and obtained by The Associated Press, the league detailed potential amendments to the protocols used throughout the 2020 season and current offseason....
NFL owners approve 17-game regular season, 3 preseason games
The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games and planning to have full stadiums for those games. While reducing the preseason to three games, the league will be able to generate additional revenue, of course. America’s most popular sport also will provide more content for the broadcast partners...
New mock NFL draft predicts 2 Penn State players going in top 10
The latest mock draft from NFL Draft Bible founder Ric Serritella includes two Penn State players being selected in the top 10 — something that hasn’t happened in more than 20 years. The new draft, posted Monday on Sports Illustrated’s web site, puts linebacker Micah Parsons and defensive end Jayson...
Highmark Inc. purchases naming rights to Buffalo Bills’ stadium
Pittsburgh is no longer the only city with a Highmark Stadium. The Buffalo Bills’ home is also called Highmark Stadium. The team made it official with a formal announcement Tuesday morning. Highmark BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, a newly rebranded health insurer, has purchased the naming rights for what...
What’s ahead? NFL owners to meet about upcoming seasonVideo
What’s ahead for the NFL in 2021? Not even the teams know. They will begin finding out this week when the 32 team owners hold virtual meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. Two items top the agenda: increasing the regular season to 17 games and decreasing preseason games to three per team....
Ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson says team lied about rebuildVideo
CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson said owner Jimmy Haslam gave him a contract extension midway through a winless 2017 season, and he was lied to from the start about the team’s rebuilding plans. During a wide-ranging radio interview Monday with ESPN 850, Jackson said the Browns’ efforts...
AP source: 49ers trade up for No. 3 pick from Dolphins
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have made a big move to grab their quarterback of the future by trading up with Miami for the No. 3 pick in next month’s draft. Two people familiar with the deal say the Niners are trading their No. 12 pick along...
Son of former Steeler Ryan Switzer going to Boston hospital for care
CLEVELAND — Browns wide receiver Ryan Switzer said his 9-month-old son is being transferred to a Boston hospital specializing in rare children’s illnesses. Switzer provided an update Wednesday with a live video on his Instagram account from his son Christian’s hospital room at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina....
Lower cap leads to more cuts than usual in NFL
If it seemed as if NFL teams have been shedding contracts nearly as fast as signing them in recent weeks that’s because it’s almost true. With a shrinking salary cap in a sport with few contracts that are fully guaranteed, teams have spent the weeks leading up to free agency...
Former Penn State standout Donovan Smith reportedly cashes in with new contract
Former Penn State left tackle Donovan Smith has had a good couple of months. In February, he won Super Bowl XLV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And Wednesday, he reportedly agreed to a lucrative contract extension to continue to protect Tom Brady’s blindside. Smith and the Bucs agreed to a...
Jameis Winston eager for chance to succeed Drew Brees with Saints
NEW ORLEANS — Jameis Winston describes the prospect of taking over for retired, record-setting New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees as something that comes with a “tremendous amount of responsibility.” It’s also something Winston eager to do, albeit in his own way. “You be the best version of yourself,” Winston...
Eagles sign veteran quarterback Joe FlaccoVideo
The Philadelphia Eagles signed veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco’s agent, Joe Linta, made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday. The Eagles only had Jalen Hurts under contract before the move. Flacco, the 2012 Super Bowl MVP, started four games for the Jets last season and eight games for the Broncos...
Lawyer: Deshaun Watson assault suits followed blackmail attempt
HOUSTON — An attorney for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s accused of sexual assault and harassment in lawsuits filed by 16 women, on Tuesday questioned the allegations against the NFL player, claiming they were made following a failed attempt to blackmail his client for $30,000. The women, in lawsuits...
Texans QB Deshaun Watson facing 6 more sexual assault lawsuitsVideo
HOUSTON (AP) — Six more women filed lawsuits Monday accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment, bringing the total number of such lawsuits against the NFL player to 13. The claims in the six new suits, which were filed in a Harris County state district court,...
Lawyers battle over ‘race-norming’ in NFL dementia tests
PHILADELPHIA — The class counsel for thousands of retired players suing the NFL pledged Monday to try to remove race as a factor in dementia testing, but lawyers for Black players demanded he release the data on payouts by race in the $1 billion concussion settlement. They argue that Black...
No basement blues: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on hand for draft in Cleveland
CLEVELAND — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be leaving his man cave to announce this year’s rookie draft class within shouting distance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The league announced some its plans for this year’s three-day event in Cleveland, which will include some of the prospects...
Infant son of former Steelers WR Ryan Switzer back in hospital
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns wide receiver Ryan Switzer said his infant son underwent a blood transfusion on Sunday and has more tests ahead to try to determine why he has been bleeding. Switzer’s 9-month-old son, Christian, is back in the hospital for the second time after undergoing surgery last week....
Ex-Steeler Bud Dupree ready to play ‘with hair on fire’ to help Titans defenseVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans failed in their attempts to improve their pass rush in free agency a year ago. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Bud Dupree, their newest pass rusher, is ready to do everything possible to help Tennessee fix that issue once and for all. “Definitely, I’m...
Bengals cut Geno Atkins, sign offensive lineman Riley ReiffVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Cincinnati Bengals addressed two of their problem areas — offensive and defensive lines — through free agency and bid farewell to longtime star Geno Atkins. The Bengals on Friday released the 32-year-old Atkins, who has been with the team for his entire 11-year NFL career, two...
4 more women sue Texans QB Watson for sex assault
HOUSTON — Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sued by four more women who accuse him of sexual assault and harassments. The lawsuits were filed Thursday night, hours after the NFL said it was investigating earlier allegations by three massage therapists who said the quarterback sexually assaulted them during...
Browns agree to terms with former Rams CB Troy HillVideo
CLEVELAND — The Browns continued to upgrade their secondary by agreeing to terms on a contract with free agent cornerback Troy Hill, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Thursday. Cleveland needed depth and versatility at the position and found both in Hill, who will get...
WR Will Fuller agrees to 1-year deal with Miami DolphinsVideo
MIAMI — Receiver Will Fuller agreed to terms Thursday on a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, who were eager to acquire a deep threat to stretch the field for Tua Tagovailoa. Center Matt Skura, a starter with Baltimore for the past four seasons, also agreed to a one-year deal...
