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Two felony charges in one day were more than a bump in the NFL's offseason. They pointed to an ongoing problem for the league — players who wind up at the center of criminal cases.
Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts, accused of murdering his friend Odin Lloyd. Also Wednesday, Browns rookie linebacker Ausar Walcott was charged with attempted murder in New Jersey.
Both players were cut later in the day by their teams. On Thursday, the league said any club that now wants to sign Hernandez will face a hearing with Commissioner Roger Goodell first.
The question now is whether the veteran tight end and the rookie should have been in the league at all.
"It is difficult, it's always a balancing act," says Tony Dungy, who won a Super Bowl as Colts coach and has served as a mentor to players since leaving the NFL, including Michael Vick after the quarterback served federal prison time for dogfighting. "The league has a security department that sends out information, and every team is different in terms of how much its scouting department does and what areas are concentrated on most.
"It's really a matter of what you do with the information and what your organization feels is important. One thing you have to keep in mind is a lot of the (negative) things that happen come when they are 15 or 17 or 19 years old." According to FBI statistics cited by the league, the incidence of NFL players getting arrested is much lower than in the general public. The average annual arrest rate of NFL players is roughly 2 percent of about 3,000 players who go through the league each year, including tryouts and minicamps. That's about half the arrest rate of the general U.S. population, the league says. The NFL notes the disparity becomes even more dramatic when the group is narrowed to American men ages 20-34.
But Jeff Benedict, author of several books on athletes and crimes, including "Pros and Cons, The Criminals Who Play In The NFL," believes the FBI statistics are a bad gauge.
"The danger of doing comparisons with the general public is, if you look at these people and their backgrounds, how many of those guys who have been arrested in the FBI numbers have been to college, make a lot of money like NFL players do, and live in safe, good neighborhoods?" Benedict says. "The issue is why any of these guys are doing this when they have all these good things going on in their lives."
The San Diego Union-Tribune, which has tracked NFL arrests "more serious than speeding tickets" dating back to 2000, has listed 36 this year, including Hernandez and Walcott and three players who were charged twice.
By comparison, the NBA says six players of its players have been arrested since last July 1, and Major League Baseball says it's aware of three cases this year worse than a speeding ticket: two DUIs and a misdemeanor drug charge.
While granting that NFL rosters are far bigger than those in the NBA or MLB, Benedict says, "You can't take these tiny snap shots and say the NFL is low." Of course, even a few cases such as Hernandez's or that of Jovan Belcher — the Kansas City player who shot his girlfriend to death last December, then committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager — can create a widespread negative image.
And anyone who has suited up for an NFL team will face extra public scrutiny for even minor transgressions.
That, in turn, puts more pressure on the league's vetting process.
Dungy stresses that the amount of homework teams do is critical because they don't get all that much one-on-one time with prospective players. Some clubs do psychological analyses, even hiring outside agencies to handle them. Though others like the approach, Dungy is not a fan of it and always believed in his gut feeling about a player.
"You have to find out if they have grown from the issues, or there seems to be a pattern, or will these issues always be there," he says.
Bill Polian, who built the Bills, Panthers and Colts into Super Bowl teams as one of the NFL's most successful general managers and team presidents, strongly maintains that the league's vetting process is solid. It delves into players' histories from high school and college before they enter the league. Those investigations have become more sophisticated through the years; background checks include not only public records such as court documents and arrest data, but talking to teammates and coaches, high school principals and other people who have been a part of a player's life and development. "It uncovers a fair amount of information," Polian says. "It is not designed to uncover information that is usable in court, but it is a process by which the clubs try to ascertain a clear picture of the individual that they are thinking about taking."
But there's no way of knowing how playing football for a living will change a young man.
"First of all, it is important to remember that no team is immune from having a player run afoul of the law, whether it's a speeding ticket up to what we have seen in the Hernandez and Belcher cases, which are as serious as is possible to be," Polian says.
"There's no magic wand a team can wave and change that player who has had serious problems. It's no different than any other workplace in America, just more publicized."
Benedict agrees that teams perform due diligence on draft prospects and they know what they are getting — or avoiding — in their draft rooms when it comes to skills or 40-meter dash times or health issues.
"The hardest thing they deal with on draft day is the character question," he says. "That is what keeps them up at night." Former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist says the vetting process wasn't particularly thorough for many of his years in the NFL — he left after the 2007 season — but he's certain it is more efficient now.
"I think Michael Vick was the turning point on the timeline," Sundquist says. "He was
Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts, accused of murdering his friend Odin Lloyd. Also Wednesday, Browns rookie linebacker Ausar Walcott was charged with attempted murder in New Jersey.
Both players were cut later in the day by their teams. On Thursday, the league said any club that now wants to sign Hernandez will face a hearing with Commissioner Roger Goodell first.
The question now is whether the veteran tight end and the rookie should have been in the league at all.
"It is difficult, it's always a balancing act," says Tony Dungy, who won a Super Bowl as Colts coach and has served as a mentor to players since leaving the NFL, including Michael Vick after the quarterback served federal prison time for dogfighting. "The league has a security department that sends out information, and every team is different in terms of how much its scouting department does and what areas are concentrated on most.
"It's really a matter of what you do with the information and what your organization feels is important. One thing you have to keep in mind is a lot of the (negative) things that happen come when they are 15 or 17 or 19 years old." According to FBI statistics cited by the league, the incidence of NFL players getting arrested is much lower than in the general public. The average annual arrest rate of NFL players is roughly 2 percent of about 3,000 players who go through the league each year, including tryouts and minicamps. That's about half the arrest rate of the general U.S. population, the league says. The NFL notes the disparity becomes even more dramatic when the group is narrowed to American men ages 20-34.
But Jeff Benedict, author of several books on athletes and crimes, including "Pros and Cons, The Criminals Who Play In The NFL," believes the FBI statistics are a bad gauge.
"The danger of doing comparisons with the general public is, if you look at these people and their backgrounds, how many of those guys who have been arrested in the FBI numbers have been to college, make a lot of money like NFL players do, and live in safe, good neighborhoods?" Benedict says. "The issue is why any of these guys are doing this when they have all these good things going on in their lives."
The San Diego Union-Tribune, which has tracked NFL arrests "more serious than speeding tickets" dating back to 2000, has listed 36 this year, including Hernandez and Walcott and three players who were charged twice.
By comparison, the NBA says six players of its players have been arrested since last July 1, and Major League Baseball says it's aware of three cases this year worse than a speeding ticket: two DUIs and a misdemeanor drug charge.
While granting that NFL rosters are far bigger than those in the NBA or MLB, Benedict says, "You can't take these tiny snap shots and say the NFL is low." Of course, even a few cases such as Hernandez's or that of Jovan Belcher — the Kansas City player who shot his girlfriend to death last December, then committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager — can create a widespread negative image.
And anyone who has suited up for an NFL team will face extra public scrutiny for even minor transgressions.
That, in turn, puts more pressure on the league's vetting process.
Dungy stresses that the amount of homework teams do is critical because they don't get all that much one-on-one time with prospective players. Some clubs do psychological analyses, even hiring outside agencies to handle them. Though others like the approach, Dungy is not a fan of it and always believed in his gut feeling about a player.
"You have to find out if they have grown from the issues, or there seems to be a pattern, or will these issues always be there," he says.
Bill Polian, who built the Bills, Panthers and Colts into Super Bowl teams as one of the NFL's most successful general managers and team presidents, strongly maintains that the league's vetting process is solid. It delves into players' histories from high school and college before they enter the league. Those investigations have become more sophisticated through the years; background checks include not only public records such as court documents and arrest data, but talking to teammates and coaches, high school principals and other people who have been a part of a player's life and development. "It uncovers a fair amount of information," Polian says. "It is not designed to uncover information that is usable in court, but it is a process by which the clubs try to ascertain a clear picture of the individual that they are thinking about taking."
But there's no way of knowing how playing football for a living will change a young man.
"First of all, it is important to remember that no team is immune from having a player run afoul of the law, whether it's a speeding ticket up to what we have seen in the Hernandez and Belcher cases, which are as serious as is possible to be," Polian says.
"There's no magic wand a team can wave and change that player who has had serious problems. It's no different than any other workplace in America, just more publicized."
Benedict agrees that teams perform due diligence on draft prospects and they know what they are getting — or avoiding — in their draft rooms when it comes to skills or 40-meter dash times or health issues.
"The hardest thing they deal with on draft day is the character question," he says. "That is what keeps them up at night." Former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist says the vetting process wasn't particularly thorough for many of his years in the NFL — he left after the 2007 season — but he's certain it is more efficient now.
"I think Michael Vick was the turning point on the timeline," Sundquist says. "He was
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2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
NFL Network’s 2013 poll that asked players to vote for the best of their contemporaries has come and gone with no mention of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo among the league’s top 100 players. After finishing 72nd in 2011 and 91st last year, Romo was shutout this season. He joins the San Diego Chargers Phillip Rivers as the only quarterbacks to fall from such grace. Rivers’ descent was steeper. He was No. 26 two years ago, No. 61 last year and an afterthought on the most recent list that was finalized with this week’s unveiling of the top 10.
Three quarterbacks who were rookies last season hit the top 100 this go round – the Seahawks Russell Wilson (51), Colts Andrew Luck (23) and Redskins Robert Griffin (15). Colin Kaepernick (81) has started a total of seven games in his two seasons. His 49ers made it to the Super Bowl. In all, 14 quarterbacks made the list. Each of the rookie quarterbacks helped his team to the playoffs. Romo and Rivers were post-season spectators.
Drew Brees (11) of the Saints and Eli Manning (43) of the Giants also missed the 2012 post-season. But their resumes include Super Bowl victories. Playoff spectators Matthew Stafford (76) of the Lions and Cam Newton (46) of the Panthers, the first players selected in their respective drafts, apparently are on the list based on statistics and potential.
It should be noted that the Broncos Peyton Manning (2), Patriots Tom Brady (4), and Packers Aaron Rodgers (6) were top 10. All have been Super Bowl MVPs.
The methodology of the selection process was hardly scientific. NFL Network distributed ballots to all 32 teams around Thanksgiving. It was left to teams’ public relations department to distribute and the ballots. NFLN asked each voter to list his 20 best players in order. The network encouraged players to return ballots until April.
If you figure each team had 53 players on its roster that translates into an electorate of 1,696 players. NFLN received 481 completed ballots. That’s 28 percent of eligible voters. You city council elections should have such a turnout. We don’t know how many votes came from each team. We do now players could vote for themselves and teammates.
Surely some players voted as if it is a popularity contest. Others probably vote based on past accomplishments.
Early this month when it appeared he would not be in the top 100, Romo told reporters at Valley Ranch he held the entire exercise with little regard.
“ I just don’t think it matters too much,” he said. “I know this, I would have a hard time telling you who was great in the AFC last year. You just go by what’s written about and talked about.”
Still, Romo had as much national network exposure as any quarterback in the league during the regular season in 2012. Surely, he was seen.
Alex Riethmiller, a spokesman for NFL Network, said no omission raised more eyebrows and received more reaction than Romo’s. New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who averaged 94 receptions and 10 touchdowns over the last two seasons, has been a distant second.
By the way, the top 100, appears well on its way towards becoming a NFLN staple. It makes for prime off-season programming that elicits reaction.
For Romo, like the Cowboys, there is always next season.
Quarterbacks on the list
2) Peyton Manning, Broncos
4) Tom Brady, Patriots
6) Aaron Rodgers, Packers
11) Drew Brees, Saints
15) Robert Griffin III, Redskins
17) Matt Ryan, Falcons
19) Joe Flacco, Ravens
23) Andrew Luck, Colts
43) Eli Manning, Giants
46) Cam Newton, Panthers
51) Russell Wilson, Seahawks
61) Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
76) Matthew Stafford, Lions
81) Colin Kaepernick, 49ers
Cowboys on the list
12) DeMarcus Ware
35) Dez Bryant
41) Jason Witten
NFL Network spokesman: Tony Romo’s omission from top 100 players raises more eyebrows than any other | Dallas Cowboys Blog
Three quarterbacks who were rookies last season hit the top 100 this go round – the Seahawks Russell Wilson (51), Colts Andrew Luck (23) and Redskins Robert Griffin (15). Colin Kaepernick (81) has started a total of seven games in his two seasons. His 49ers made it to the Super Bowl. In all, 14 quarterbacks made the list. Each of the rookie quarterbacks helped his team to the playoffs. Romo and Rivers were post-season spectators.
Drew Brees (11) of the Saints and Eli Manning (43) of the Giants also missed the 2012 post-season. But their resumes include Super Bowl victories. Playoff spectators Matthew Stafford (76) of the Lions and Cam Newton (46) of the Panthers, the first players selected in their respective drafts, apparently are on the list based on statistics and potential.
It should be noted that the Broncos Peyton Manning (2), Patriots Tom Brady (4), and Packers Aaron Rodgers (6) were top 10. All have been Super Bowl MVPs.
The methodology of the selection process was hardly scientific. NFL Network distributed ballots to all 32 teams around Thanksgiving. It was left to teams’ public relations department to distribute and the ballots. NFLN asked each voter to list his 20 best players in order. The network encouraged players to return ballots until April.
If you figure each team had 53 players on its roster that translates into an electorate of 1,696 players. NFLN received 481 completed ballots. That’s 28 percent of eligible voters. You city council elections should have such a turnout. We don’t know how many votes came from each team. We do now players could vote for themselves and teammates.
Surely some players voted as if it is a popularity contest. Others probably vote based on past accomplishments.
Early this month when it appeared he would not be in the top 100, Romo told reporters at Valley Ranch he held the entire exercise with little regard.
“ I just don’t think it matters too much,” he said. “I know this, I would have a hard time telling you who was great in the AFC last year. You just go by what’s written about and talked about.”
Still, Romo had as much national network exposure as any quarterback in the league during the regular season in 2012. Surely, he was seen.
Alex Riethmiller, a spokesman for NFL Network, said no omission raised more eyebrows and received more reaction than Romo’s. New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who averaged 94 receptions and 10 touchdowns over the last two seasons, has been a distant second.
By the way, the top 100, appears well on its way towards becoming a NFLN staple. It makes for prime off-season programming that elicits reaction.
For Romo, like the Cowboys, there is always next season.
Quarterbacks on the list
2) Peyton Manning, Broncos
4) Tom Brady, Patriots
6) Aaron Rodgers, Packers
11) Drew Brees, Saints
15) Robert Griffin III, Redskins
17) Matt Ryan, Falcons
19) Joe Flacco, Ravens
23) Andrew Luck, Colts
43) Eli Manning, Giants
46) Cam Newton, Panthers
51) Russell Wilson, Seahawks
61) Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
76) Matthew Stafford, Lions
81) Colin Kaepernick, 49ers
Cowboys on the list
12) DeMarcus Ware
35) Dez Bryant
41) Jason Witten
NFL Network spokesman: Tony Romo’s omission from top 100 players raises more eyebrows than any other | Dallas Cowboys Blog
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2006/12/07
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The NFL has just finished a particularly ugly week in which Aaron Hernandez’s murder charge was the top story, joined in the headlines by Ausar Walcott’s attempted murder charge and Joe Lefeged’s illegal weapons charge. And the NFL realizes that’s a problem.
League spokesman Greg Aiello told USA Today that the NFL’s attitude toward arrests is, “One is too many.”
Our police blotter lists 27 NFL player arrests this offseason, so that would make 27 too many so far in 2013, a year that is now half over. (Other media outlets have published higher arrest numbers than 27; we only include a player’s arrest in our police blotter if he was an active player at the time of the arrest, which means we don’t include players like Titus Young who were arrested after they were released by their NFL teams.)
Aiello noted that the NFL is trying to do what it can to make sure its players are law-abiding citizens.
“We have policies and programs that hold all NFL employees accountable and provide them with programs of education and support,” he said.
The players who have been arrested this offseason are a very small minority: With 32 teams and up to 90 men per roster during the offseason, the players arrested represent about 1 percent of all players in the league. It’s unfortunate for the 2,700 or so NFL players who haven’t been arrested that the 27 who have been get such an outsized share of the attention.
NFL says one arrest is too many, totaling 27 too many this year | ProFootballTalk
League spokesman Greg Aiello told USA Today that the NFL’s attitude toward arrests is, “One is too many.”
Our police blotter lists 27 NFL player arrests this offseason, so that would make 27 too many so far in 2013, a year that is now half over. (Other media outlets have published higher arrest numbers than 27; we only include a player’s arrest in our police blotter if he was an active player at the time of the arrest, which means we don’t include players like Titus Young who were arrested after they were released by their NFL teams.)
Aiello noted that the NFL is trying to do what it can to make sure its players are law-abiding citizens.
“We have policies and programs that hold all NFL employees accountable and provide them with programs of education and support,” he said.
The players who have been arrested this offseason are a very small minority: With 32 teams and up to 90 men per roster during the offseason, the players arrested represent about 1 percent of all players in the league. It’s unfortunate for the 2,700 or so NFL players who haven’t been arrested that the 27 who have been get such an outsized share of the attention.
NFL says one arrest is too many, totaling 27 too many this year | ProFootballTalk
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Justin Bieber is finally getting some support from the NFL world -- 3-time Super Bowl champ Willie McGinest tells TMZ, Bieber is a GREAT neighbor ... despite claims by other NFL legends that the singer has a serious speeding problem.
The former Patriots linebacker -- who lives across the street from Bieber in their gated Calabasas community -- was out and about Monday when we asked about the Biebs' notorious alleged acts of neighborhood terrorism ... including allegations by ex-NFL stars Keyshawn Johnson and Eric Dickerson that Bieber's Ferrari is a dangerous menace.
But McGinest -- who left USC in 1993 just one year before Keyshawn joined the team -- says the rumors are all hype, telling us, "[Bieber's] a good neighbor. My daughters love him."
What's more ... McGinest says Bieber even goes above and beyond for the little kids in the neighborhood.
It all sounds nice -- but the fact still remains ... McGinest is pretty much the ONLY person who says Bieber's even remotely tolerable to live next to. And numbers don't lie.
Read more: NFL Legend Willie McGinest Defends Justin Bieber -- He's a Great Neighbor😡 | TMZ-com
Visit Fishwrapper: Fishwrapper Home | Fishwrapper-com
The former Patriots linebacker -- who lives across the street from Bieber in their gated Calabasas community -- was out and about Monday when we asked about the Biebs' notorious alleged acts of neighborhood terrorism ... including allegations by ex-NFL stars Keyshawn Johnson and Eric Dickerson that Bieber's Ferrari is a dangerous menace.
But McGinest -- who left USC in 1993 just one year before Keyshawn joined the team -- says the rumors are all hype, telling us, "[Bieber's] a good neighbor. My daughters love him."
What's more ... McGinest says Bieber even goes above and beyond for the little kids in the neighborhood.
It all sounds nice -- but the fact still remains ... McGinest is pretty much the ONLY person who says Bieber's even remotely tolerable to live next to. And numbers don't lie.
Read more: NFL Legend Willie McGinest Defends Justin Bieber -- He's a Great Neighbor😡 | TMZ-com
Visit Fishwrapper: Fishwrapper Home | Fishwrapper-com
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Three years after the Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly considered washing their hands of Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback made it clear Tuesday that he hopes to spend the rest of his career with the same organization. Appearing in London to promote the Steelers' Week 4 bout against the Minnesota Vikings at Wembley Stadium, Roethlisberger took aim at Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw's four Super Bowl rings.
"I want to pass Terry Bradshaw by getting more Super Bowl wins," Roethlisberger said, via Steelers public relations manager Burt Lauten. "That's our expectations in Pittsburgh. ... There is no other franchise I would rather play for than the Pittsburgh Steelers."
Roethlisberger is signed through the 2015 season, but his salary-cap number balloons to $18 million in 2014. The Steelers are expected to approach him about a contract extension next offseason.
Big Ben needs three more rings to dethrone Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Even with the backing of one of the NFL's most consistently competitive franchises, that's a tall order. The Steelers' defensive nucleus is declining with age while the offense just lost its top playmaker to the Miami Dolphins. Simply put, the pipeline has run dry. Once held up as the draft-and-develop model, the Steelers now have just five players with more than 10 career starts from the draft classes of 2008 to 2012 . To put that in perspective, the Indianapolis Colts have four players who have started at least nine games (plus T.Y. Hilton, who was the team's second-leading receiver) from the 2012 draft class alone.
Even if Roethlisberger plays at an MVP level for the next half-decade, he could be the one player keeping this team afloat. The surrounding talent doesn't support an annual run at the Lombardi Trophy.
Big Ben wants more Super Bowls than Terry Bradshaw - NFL-com
"I want to pass Terry Bradshaw by getting more Super Bowl wins," Roethlisberger said, via Steelers public relations manager Burt Lauten. "That's our expectations in Pittsburgh. ... There is no other franchise I would rather play for than the Pittsburgh Steelers."
Roethlisberger is signed through the 2015 season, but his salary-cap number balloons to $18 million in 2014. The Steelers are expected to approach him about a contract extension next offseason.
Big Ben needs three more rings to dethrone Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Even with the backing of one of the NFL's most consistently competitive franchises, that's a tall order. The Steelers' defensive nucleus is declining with age while the offense just lost its top playmaker to the Miami Dolphins. Simply put, the pipeline has run dry. Once held up as the draft-and-develop model, the Steelers now have just five players with more than 10 career starts from the draft classes of 2008 to 2012 . To put that in perspective, the Indianapolis Colts have four players who have started at least nine games (plus T.Y. Hilton, who was the team's second-leading receiver) from the 2012 draft class alone.
Even if Roethlisberger plays at an MVP level for the next half-decade, he could be the one player keeping this team afloat. The surrounding talent doesn't support an annual run at the Lombardi Trophy.
Big Ben wants more Super Bowls than Terry Bradshaw - NFL-com
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Those who see Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt's dominance up close and personal on a regular basis are running out of superlatives.
Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips predicted after one season that Watt would end up with a Hall of Fame bust in Canton. One year later, Phillips touted Watt's second season as the best in NFL history by a defensive lineman. Texans All-Pro linebacker Brian Cushing has taken the Watt plaudits to an even higher level, suggesting the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year could rewrite the league's record books.
"The things that he's going to be able to accomplish are unbelievable," Cushing told ESPN-com's John Clayton last week on the "Inside The Huddle" podcast. "When you talk about the potential that he has of really being the greatest defensive player ever, he could be."
Lawrence Taylor was the highest-ranked defensive player on NFL Network's 2010 production "The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players" of all time. Cushing concedes it's "very premature" to put Watt in that category after just two seasons.
The ceiling is there, though, if Watt can steer clear of major injuries in a scheme that suits his strengths. We've already examined Watt's historic 2012 season in which he obliterated records for batted passes and defensive stops while lapping the field in tackles for loss.
Along with Adrian Peterson, Watt was the most consistent difference-maker in the NFL last year. Nothing I saw on film would leave me to believe Watt can't give Taylor a serious run for his money if he enjoys a long and healthy career.
J.J. Watt could become best ever, Brian Cushing says - NFL-com
Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips predicted after one season that Watt would end up with a Hall of Fame bust in Canton. One year later, Phillips touted Watt's second season as the best in NFL history by a defensive lineman. Texans All-Pro linebacker Brian Cushing has taken the Watt plaudits to an even higher level, suggesting the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year could rewrite the league's record books.
"The things that he's going to be able to accomplish are unbelievable," Cushing told ESPN-com's John Clayton last week on the "Inside The Huddle" podcast. "When you talk about the potential that he has of really being the greatest defensive player ever, he could be."
Lawrence Taylor was the highest-ranked defensive player on NFL Network's 2010 production "The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players" of all time. Cushing concedes it's "very premature" to put Watt in that category after just two seasons.
The ceiling is there, though, if Watt can steer clear of major injuries in a scheme that suits his strengths. We've already examined Watt's historic 2012 season in which he obliterated records for batted passes and defensive stops while lapping the field in tackles for loss.
Along with Adrian Peterson, Watt was the most consistent difference-maker in the NFL last year. Nothing I saw on film would leave me to believe Watt can't give Taylor a serious run for his money if he enjoys a long and healthy career.
J.J. Watt could become best ever, Brian Cushing says - NFL-com
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Football is more than just a sport we watch on Sunday afternoons while we eat ourselves into food comas. The NFL product has become a well-stitched fabric of American society that transcends the realm of sports.
Baseball is often referred to as America’s pastime, but football is a true symbol of American culture. It’s big, loud and hard-hitting, and, most of all, it encourages mass consumption of unhealthy food and drinks.
Sports are often used to distract us from the grim realities of real life, but the NFL is more than just a television show that diverts attention for three hours a week. It has become a symbol of the way of life American soldiers fight to protect every day.
Football does not exist without America, and America is not quite the same without football.
The close association between the NFL and the USA has generated some tremendous imagery throughout the league’s history. It interweaves country and sport in a pure, emotional setting.
As you sit and scarf down your hot dog and cold brew this Independence Day, take a look at some of the greatest moments in NFL history that have combined the greatest sports league on the planet with the greatest country in the world.
The Most Patriotic Sights in the NFL Since 2000 | Bleacher Report
Baseball is often referred to as America’s pastime, but football is a true symbol of American culture. It’s big, loud and hard-hitting, and, most of all, it encourages mass consumption of unhealthy food and drinks.
Sports are often used to distract us from the grim realities of real life, but the NFL is more than just a television show that diverts attention for three hours a week. It has become a symbol of the way of life American soldiers fight to protect every day.
Football does not exist without America, and America is not quite the same without football.
The close association between the NFL and the USA has generated some tremendous imagery throughout the league’s history. It interweaves country and sport in a pure, emotional setting.
As you sit and scarf down your hot dog and cold brew this Independence Day, take a look at some of the greatest moments in NFL history that have combined the greatest sports league on the planet with the greatest country in the world.
The Most Patriotic Sights in the NFL Since 2000 | Bleacher Report
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In the NFL, sometimes stats can be the most misleading aspect of the game. We see a guy catch a bunch of touchdowns and assume he has reached a pedestal of greatness. A player hits double-digit sacks, and we are ready to crown him the next Reggie White.
But what if we look beyond the numbers?
There are many factors that go into a list of statistics, for better or worse. Did someone play great because he was in a contract year? Have injuries prevented someone from playing to his full potential? And what about the guys with no supporting cast around them?
Whatever the case may be, sometimes we have to go beyond the stats and realize that there is more to players than meets the eye.
Let's examine the 10 most egregious cases in which statistics are clearly lying about players.
Pictures: How the Stats Lie About These 10 NFL Players | Bleacher Report
But what if we look beyond the numbers?
There are many factors that go into a list of statistics, for better or worse. Did someone play great because he was in a contract year? Have injuries prevented someone from playing to his full potential? And what about the guys with no supporting cast around them?
Whatever the case may be, sometimes we have to go beyond the stats and realize that there is more to players than meets the eye.
Let's examine the 10 most egregious cases in which statistics are clearly lying about players.
Pictures: How the Stats Lie About These 10 NFL Players | Bleacher Report
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To some the US's National Football League is synonymous with violence - legitimate violence where men weighing 300lbs (136kg) or more collide like crashing trains. But it's the violence off the field of play that's currently causing concern. Does the NFL have a crime problem?
Last week Aaron Hernandez, 23, one of the NFL's elite players playing for one of the league's elite teams, the New England Patriots, was charged with murder. Further charges may follow as police investigate whether he was involved in an unsolved double homicide, which took place last year.
It's not an isolated case. NFL players have been charged with any number of crimes over the years, from rape to dog-fighting. Twenty-nine players have been arrested since February.
Another NFL star, Ray Lewis, 38, who won the Super Bowl this year with the Baltimore Ravens was charged with the murder of two men outside a nightclub in Atlanta in 2000. He subsequently negotiated a plea agreement, where the murder charges against him were dismissed in exchange for his testimony against two other men accused of involvement. And six years before that perhaps the biggest murder case of them all, involving former NFL star OJ Simpson. Simpson was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman in a criminal court but a civil court disagreed and ordered him to pay $33.5m in damages to the victim's families. Simpson is currently serving a 33-year jail sentence in Nevada after he was found guilty of committing armed robbery and kidnapping in 2008.
These high profile cases have led fans and the media to ask whether the NFL has a crime problem.
But what do the numbers tell us?
Brent Schrotenboer, a sports writer for USA Today, has compiled a list of NFL Arrests Database. It lists 664 arrests from 2000. That sounds like a big number but put in context, Schrotenboer says, it's not. "The NFL arrest rate for active players is around one in 47 but in the general population the arrest rate is actually double that, it's about one in 25. It's a surprise. It seems like you hear about an NFL arrest every week but it turns out they're still better behaved than regular society."
When the general population numbers are broken down even further the NFL players look even more like model citizens. The Bureau of Justice's figures reveal that the arrest rate for men is one in 15.
Active NFL players are aged, in the main, between 21 and 34 and the arrest rate for that demographic is one in 8. The arrest rate for people of Aaron Hernandez's age - he's 23 - is a startling one in 6.
It needs to be pointed out that it's not that one in six 23-year-old men in the US get arrested every year. The figures are for arrests, not people. Some people are arrested time and time again - prolific burglars, for example - and this will bump up the arrest figures.
Some NFL players are repeat offenders too. Cincinnati Bengals corner back Adam "Pacman" Jones has been arrested, charged or cited eight times since 2005.
But in general terms there are about six times as many arrests among the general population of young American men, as there are among football players.
Even US women are more likely to be arrested than players - albeit by a small margin. Their arrest rate is one in 46.
One in 46 was the overall arrest rate in the UK in 2010. The arrest rate for men was one in 27 and for women it was one in 145. Ex-Oakland Raiders player Barret Robbins has been convicted of a string of offences since being released in 2004, including attempted murder
It wasn't possible to look at the arrest rate for a particular age group as there wasn't available data.
When the NFL players do transgress there is one particular crime they commit regularly - drink driving.
In December 2012 Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent was charged with the intoxication manslaughter of his teammate Jerry Brown. Police estimated that Brent had been travelling at up to 134mph while over the legal limit.
In 2009 Cleveland Browns player Donte Stallworth was convicted of intoxication manslaughter after hitting a man with his car in Florida.
Cincinnatti Bengals player Adam Jones has been in regular trouble with the law
But again the figures don't really suggest that the NFL has a drink driving problem.
"Drink driving makes up 30% of all active player arrests during a year," says Schrotenboer. "But the drink driving arrest rate is about half that of their age bracket in the US general population."
So why do negative perceptions surround the NFL?
Many argue that it's because of the high profile of the players and also because the NFL season is comparatively short compared to other US sports (the regular season lasts for only four months) but the demand for news coverage is 24/7 and that inevitably leads to off-season stories, which invariably prove negative.
Other critics would argue that the one in 47 figure is still too high because unlike a lot of the general population the players had an education in college, earn very good money and live in safe neighbourhoods.
BBC News - Does the NFL have a crime problem?
Last week Aaron Hernandez, 23, one of the NFL's elite players playing for one of the league's elite teams, the New England Patriots, was charged with murder. Further charges may follow as police investigate whether he was involved in an unsolved double homicide, which took place last year.
It's not an isolated case. NFL players have been charged with any number of crimes over the years, from rape to dog-fighting. Twenty-nine players have been arrested since February.
Another NFL star, Ray Lewis, 38, who won the Super Bowl this year with the Baltimore Ravens was charged with the murder of two men outside a nightclub in Atlanta in 2000. He subsequently negotiated a plea agreement, where the murder charges against him were dismissed in exchange for his testimony against two other men accused of involvement. And six years before that perhaps the biggest murder case of them all, involving former NFL star OJ Simpson. Simpson was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman in a criminal court but a civil court disagreed and ordered him to pay $33.5m in damages to the victim's families. Simpson is currently serving a 33-year jail sentence in Nevada after he was found guilty of committing armed robbery and kidnapping in 2008.
These high profile cases have led fans and the media to ask whether the NFL has a crime problem.
But what do the numbers tell us?
Brent Schrotenboer, a sports writer for USA Today, has compiled a list of NFL Arrests Database. It lists 664 arrests from 2000. That sounds like a big number but put in context, Schrotenboer says, it's not. "The NFL arrest rate for active players is around one in 47 but in the general population the arrest rate is actually double that, it's about one in 25. It's a surprise. It seems like you hear about an NFL arrest every week but it turns out they're still better behaved than regular society."
When the general population numbers are broken down even further the NFL players look even more like model citizens. The Bureau of Justice's figures reveal that the arrest rate for men is one in 15.
Active NFL players are aged, in the main, between 21 and 34 and the arrest rate for that demographic is one in 8. The arrest rate for people of Aaron Hernandez's age - he's 23 - is a startling one in 6.
It needs to be pointed out that it's not that one in six 23-year-old men in the US get arrested every year. The figures are for arrests, not people. Some people are arrested time and time again - prolific burglars, for example - and this will bump up the arrest figures.
Some NFL players are repeat offenders too. Cincinnati Bengals corner back Adam "Pacman" Jones has been arrested, charged or cited eight times since 2005.
But in general terms there are about six times as many arrests among the general population of young American men, as there are among football players.
Even US women are more likely to be arrested than players - albeit by a small margin. Their arrest rate is one in 46.
One in 46 was the overall arrest rate in the UK in 2010. The arrest rate for men was one in 27 and for women it was one in 145. Ex-Oakland Raiders player Barret Robbins has been convicted of a string of offences since being released in 2004, including attempted murder
It wasn't possible to look at the arrest rate for a particular age group as there wasn't available data.
When the NFL players do transgress there is one particular crime they commit regularly - drink driving.
In December 2012 Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent was charged with the intoxication manslaughter of his teammate Jerry Brown. Police estimated that Brent had been travelling at up to 134mph while over the legal limit.
In 2009 Cleveland Browns player Donte Stallworth was convicted of intoxication manslaughter after hitting a man with his car in Florida.
Cincinnatti Bengals player Adam Jones has been in regular trouble with the law
But again the figures don't really suggest that the NFL has a drink driving problem.
"Drink driving makes up 30% of all active player arrests during a year," says Schrotenboer. "But the drink driving arrest rate is about half that of their age bracket in the US general population."
So why do negative perceptions surround the NFL?
Many argue that it's because of the high profile of the players and also because the NFL season is comparatively short compared to other US sports (the regular season lasts for only four months) but the demand for news coverage is 24/7 and that inevitably leads to off-season stories, which invariably prove negative.
Other critics would argue that the one in 47 figure is still too high because unlike a lot of the general population the players had an education in college, earn very good money and live in safe neighbourhoods.
BBC News - Does the NFL have a crime problem?
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2006/12/07
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The federal judge overseeing the case brought by thousands of former N.F.L. players who have accused the league of hiding the dangers of concussions ordered both sides to mediation Monday. United States District Court Judge Anita B. Brody, from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, ordered Layn Phillips, a retired federal judge, to serve as mediator in the case.
Brody said she would not rule on the N.F.L.’s motion to dismiss the case until Sept. 3 to give the mediator time to bring the sides closer. She had expected to rule on that motion July 22. Brody said she had an “informal exploratory telephone conference with lead counsel” Monday before referring the case to a mediator.
The league and the lawyers representing more than 4,000 players and their wives will now meet in a conference room instead of a courtroom to try to iron out their differences, which will not be easy given the complexity of the case.
The players have charged that the league concealed for years and even decades what it knew about the long-term dangers of repeated hits to the head. The N.F.L. has rejected that argument and said it had issued warnings consistent with medical research available at the time. It also claims that player safety was and is governed by collective bargaining agreements negotiated between the league and the players.
It may also be difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether a player’s brain damage was the result of hits to the head absorbed while playing in the N.F.L., in college or at some other time.
Brody ordered the sides to refrain from publicly discussing the mediation. In a statement, the league said, “We respect and will comply with the court’s order regarding mediation and will be available to meet with Judge Phillips at his direction.” The executive committee for the former N.F.L. players said, “We have received the order and will follow the court’s directive. Per the order, we will have no further comment on this process.”
Judges often turn to a mediator to bring sides closer in a multifaceted case like this one, legal experts said. For instance, mediators were called in to help settle disputes during the lockouts by the N.F.L. and the N.B.A. in recent years.
Mediators cannot make binding rulings, but they can try to narrow some of the issues. If either of the sides thinks the case stands a better chance in the judge’s hands, no progress may be made.
“It would be a great feat for the mediator to settle the case,” said Gabriel Feldman, the director of the Sports Law Program at Tulane University. “He might bring them closer, but to what? This is complex litigation. A settlement here would be dollars going to the plaintiffs, and I’d be surprised at this early a stage for the N.F.L. to give a large settlement.”
The two-month window for the mediator gives Brody more time to write or adjust her opinion on whether to dismiss the case. Both sides have talked about the strengths of their arguments, but they have a lot to lose potentially, perhaps giving them an incentive to settle. If Brody’s ruling is appealed, as many legal experts expect, the case could drag on for months and generate even larger legal bills. The discovery process can also be expensive.
On its surface, the N.F.L., backed by 32 wealthy owners, might appear to have a greater ability to absorb mounting legal fees. But discovery, which could take years, might unearth evidence that could hurt the league’s reputation. At the same time, the retired players, many of whom say they have significant health concerns, may prefer to settle rather than wait years for the legal process to play out, with no guarantee of a settlement.
Because the judge has still not ruled, the scope of the case remains wide, involving retirees who played decades ago as well as those who retired recently. Phillips, a former district court and appeals court judge who now practices in California, could give the two sides a sense of how he might have ruled were he presiding over the case and, in doing so, nudge them closer to a settlement.
“Presumably, the judge is experienced and he can give both sides an appraisal of the case from the perspective of someone who’s sat on the bench,” said Matthew J. Mitten, a mediator and the director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University. “It doesn’t hurt to take a step back and take a reality check.”
www-nytimes-com/2013/07/09/sports/football/judge-orders-nfl-concussion-case-to-mediation-html?_r=0
Brody said she would not rule on the N.F.L.’s motion to dismiss the case until Sept. 3 to give the mediator time to bring the sides closer. She had expected to rule on that motion July 22. Brody said she had an “informal exploratory telephone conference with lead counsel” Monday before referring the case to a mediator.
The league and the lawyers representing more than 4,000 players and their wives will now meet in a conference room instead of a courtroom to try to iron out their differences, which will not be easy given the complexity of the case.
The players have charged that the league concealed for years and even decades what it knew about the long-term dangers of repeated hits to the head. The N.F.L. has rejected that argument and said it had issued warnings consistent with medical research available at the time. It also claims that player safety was and is governed by collective bargaining agreements negotiated between the league and the players.
It may also be difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether a player’s brain damage was the result of hits to the head absorbed while playing in the N.F.L., in college or at some other time.
Brody ordered the sides to refrain from publicly discussing the mediation. In a statement, the league said, “We respect and will comply with the court’s order regarding mediation and will be available to meet with Judge Phillips at his direction.” The executive committee for the former N.F.L. players said, “We have received the order and will follow the court’s directive. Per the order, we will have no further comment on this process.”
Judges often turn to a mediator to bring sides closer in a multifaceted case like this one, legal experts said. For instance, mediators were called in to help settle disputes during the lockouts by the N.F.L. and the N.B.A. in recent years.
Mediators cannot make binding rulings, but they can try to narrow some of the issues. If either of the sides thinks the case stands a better chance in the judge’s hands, no progress may be made.
“It would be a great feat for the mediator to settle the case,” said Gabriel Feldman, the director of the Sports Law Program at Tulane University. “He might bring them closer, but to what? This is complex litigation. A settlement here would be dollars going to the plaintiffs, and I’d be surprised at this early a stage for the N.F.L. to give a large settlement.”
The two-month window for the mediator gives Brody more time to write or adjust her opinion on whether to dismiss the case. Both sides have talked about the strengths of their arguments, but they have a lot to lose potentially, perhaps giving them an incentive to settle. If Brody’s ruling is appealed, as many legal experts expect, the case could drag on for months and generate even larger legal bills. The discovery process can also be expensive.
On its surface, the N.F.L., backed by 32 wealthy owners, might appear to have a greater ability to absorb mounting legal fees. But discovery, which could take years, might unearth evidence that could hurt the league’s reputation. At the same time, the retired players, many of whom say they have significant health concerns, may prefer to settle rather than wait years for the legal process to play out, with no guarantee of a settlement.
Because the judge has still not ruled, the scope of the case remains wide, involving retirees who played decades ago as well as those who retired recently. Phillips, a former district court and appeals court judge who now practices in California, could give the two sides a sense of how he might have ruled were he presiding over the case and, in doing so, nudge them closer to a settlement.
“Presumably, the judge is experienced and he can give both sides an appraisal of the case from the perspective of someone who’s sat on the bench,” said Matthew J. Mitten, a mediator and the director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University. “It doesn’t hurt to take a step back and take a reality check.”
www-nytimes-com/2013/07/09/sports/football/judge-orders-nfl-concussion-case-to-mediation-html?_r=0
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2006/12/07
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Everyone is granted one non-Aaron Hernandez question this month, so here's mine: What's next for the read option?
After what it did for Washington, Seattle and San Francisco last season, you would think we would see more of it in 2013 ... and maybe we will. Only this time defenses will be prepared, with coaches spending so much offseason time studying the scheme that Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin predicted a short shelf life -- calling it "the flavor of the month."
If that sounds like a challenge, that's because it is. Which is why I wonder if the read option is here to stay, or if Tomlin's prediction is right. So I posed that question to several defensive-minded coaches last month, and the verdict was unanimous. The arrow points toward Tomlin.
"I don't think it stays," said Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis, defensive coordinator of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. "A young quarterback can do it, OK? But that young quarterback will never get a second contract because he's going to be beaten up. And you can't be a passer and take hits on your shoulder like these guys are going to do getting tackled."
Makes sense to me.
Of course, talk to people in Seattle and San Francisco, and they'll tell you that neither Russell Wilson nor Colin Kaepernick took those hits. Both operate outside the pocket and -- unlike Washington's Robert Griffin III -- don't usually carry the ball through the middle of the field, instead using the sidelines to their advantage to avoid harmful blows.
But then I watched Kaepernick in Super Bowl XLVII when Baltimore had linebacker Terrell Suggs glued to him, and I remember one hit in particular -- after Kaepernick completed a handoff -- that convinced me Lewis is on to something. Suggs buried Kaepernick, knocking him to the turf and, in the process, sending an unmistakable message: Keep playing that game, and I'll keep hammering you ... with or without the football.
"It's option football," said Lewis. "We all coached in college, and we're used to playing option football and the assignments that come with it. When I was coaching at Idaho State we'd go down to BYU to watch spring practice, and they'd be working on Air Force and Wyoming and teams running the wishbone. They'd have a whole team of guys -- walk-on kids -- running the wishbone offense vs. their defense because they only saw it a couple of times a year. It was different than what they were used to, and it's the same theory here."
But the read option is more than different; it's wildly successful. It helped make RG3 the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year and Washington a division champion for the first time since 1999. It made an unexpected star of Seattle rookie Russell Wilson, who assumed more control of the offense as the season wore on. And it played to the strengths of the athletic Kaepernick, who led San Francisco to the Super Bowl and had the 49ers within five yards of a sixth Lombardi Trophy.
In a copycat league, you would assume more teams tilt toward quarterbacks who can run the read option -- figuring that if it works for others it can work for them. But there lies the problem: It worked so well that clubs spent the offseason preparing for it -- consulting collegiate coaches, assembling teaching tapes for players and, finally, practicing to defend it in OTAs.
What happens next is up to them and the RG3s of the NFL, but there's a feeling the read option is on the clock.
"It's obviously not being taken very lightly," said Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano, whose Colts play the NFC West this season, "and I don't think anybody should. It's the trend right now. But if you go back to the wildcat when it was first sprung by Miami on New England ... they weren't ready for it. Nobody was. It had its success, then peaked a little bit, then fell off. I don't know how long this will last but we're going to be ready -- just as everyone else will be -- to defend it."
And there's the key: Being ready. It's another way of saying "playing disciplined defense," or what Green Bay didn't do in its playoff loss to San Francisco. Basically, it's assignment football, and those who deviate from it are those who catch glimpses of Kaepernick from behind.
"Just my opinion," Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said, "but if you're a disciplined football team you're going to play it OK."
Too many times last season that didn't happen, with quarterbacks allowed to win as running backs. Kaepernick carved up Green Bay for 181 yards rushing in the playoffs. RG3 had 134 in one game vs. Minnesota and six times ran for 72 or more yards, while Wilson ran for 92 yards and three TDs against Buffalo. Heck, Cam Newton -- a quarterback who can run over people -- four times ran for 71 or more yards and has 22 rushing TDs his first two seasons.
"Seattle did a nice job with it with Russell Wilson -- with the concepts that they took out of it to use -- and Carolina does some of the same where they look to protect the quarterback more," said Lewis. "So there may be variations of that.
"But it's like Michael Vick when he first started in Atlanta and Donovan [McNabb] when he was first in Philly. It's a different style of quarterback. Then what happens when you get to that second contract is that it becomes a different deal. You're not running like you were.
"That's why the NFL had the wildcat guys. That was a way to take the quarterback out of the mix. You don't get him hurt, still probably run it but make it 11-on-11 football rather than 10-on-11 football. It evened the deck a little bit for the offense to defense. I think the same thing is true here."
Bottom line: While the read option is here, it probably isn't here to stay. I wondered when I saw RG3 play the piñata again and again; then became more skeptical when I first saw Suggs flatten Kaepernick. But it wasn't until I listened to defensive coaches detail how determined they were to stop it that I became convinced we may not be having this conv
After what it did for Washington, Seattle and San Francisco last season, you would think we would see more of it in 2013 ... and maybe we will. Only this time defenses will be prepared, with coaches spending so much offseason time studying the scheme that Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin predicted a short shelf life -- calling it "the flavor of the month."
If that sounds like a challenge, that's because it is. Which is why I wonder if the read option is here to stay, or if Tomlin's prediction is right. So I posed that question to several defensive-minded coaches last month, and the verdict was unanimous. The arrow points toward Tomlin.
"I don't think it stays," said Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis, defensive coordinator of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. "A young quarterback can do it, OK? But that young quarterback will never get a second contract because he's going to be beaten up. And you can't be a passer and take hits on your shoulder like these guys are going to do getting tackled."
Makes sense to me.
Of course, talk to people in Seattle and San Francisco, and they'll tell you that neither Russell Wilson nor Colin Kaepernick took those hits. Both operate outside the pocket and -- unlike Washington's Robert Griffin III -- don't usually carry the ball through the middle of the field, instead using the sidelines to their advantage to avoid harmful blows.
But then I watched Kaepernick in Super Bowl XLVII when Baltimore had linebacker Terrell Suggs glued to him, and I remember one hit in particular -- after Kaepernick completed a handoff -- that convinced me Lewis is on to something. Suggs buried Kaepernick, knocking him to the turf and, in the process, sending an unmistakable message: Keep playing that game, and I'll keep hammering you ... with or without the football.
"It's option football," said Lewis. "We all coached in college, and we're used to playing option football and the assignments that come with it. When I was coaching at Idaho State we'd go down to BYU to watch spring practice, and they'd be working on Air Force and Wyoming and teams running the wishbone. They'd have a whole team of guys -- walk-on kids -- running the wishbone offense vs. their defense because they only saw it a couple of times a year. It was different than what they were used to, and it's the same theory here."
But the read option is more than different; it's wildly successful. It helped make RG3 the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year and Washington a division champion for the first time since 1999. It made an unexpected star of Seattle rookie Russell Wilson, who assumed more control of the offense as the season wore on. And it played to the strengths of the athletic Kaepernick, who led San Francisco to the Super Bowl and had the 49ers within five yards of a sixth Lombardi Trophy.
In a copycat league, you would assume more teams tilt toward quarterbacks who can run the read option -- figuring that if it works for others it can work for them. But there lies the problem: It worked so well that clubs spent the offseason preparing for it -- consulting collegiate coaches, assembling teaching tapes for players and, finally, practicing to defend it in OTAs.
What happens next is up to them and the RG3s of the NFL, but there's a feeling the read option is on the clock.
"It's obviously not being taken very lightly," said Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano, whose Colts play the NFC West this season, "and I don't think anybody should. It's the trend right now. But if you go back to the wildcat when it was first sprung by Miami on New England ... they weren't ready for it. Nobody was. It had its success, then peaked a little bit, then fell off. I don't know how long this will last but we're going to be ready -- just as everyone else will be -- to defend it."
And there's the key: Being ready. It's another way of saying "playing disciplined defense," or what Green Bay didn't do in its playoff loss to San Francisco. Basically, it's assignment football, and those who deviate from it are those who catch glimpses of Kaepernick from behind.
"Just my opinion," Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said, "but if you're a disciplined football team you're going to play it OK."
Too many times last season that didn't happen, with quarterbacks allowed to win as running backs. Kaepernick carved up Green Bay for 181 yards rushing in the playoffs. RG3 had 134 in one game vs. Minnesota and six times ran for 72 or more yards, while Wilson ran for 92 yards and three TDs against Buffalo. Heck, Cam Newton -- a quarterback who can run over people -- four times ran for 71 or more yards and has 22 rushing TDs his first two seasons.
"Seattle did a nice job with it with Russell Wilson -- with the concepts that they took out of it to use -- and Carolina does some of the same where they look to protect the quarterback more," said Lewis. "So there may be variations of that.
"But it's like Michael Vick when he first started in Atlanta and Donovan [McNabb] when he was first in Philly. It's a different style of quarterback. Then what happens when you get to that second contract is that it becomes a different deal. You're not running like you were.
"That's why the NFL had the wildcat guys. That was a way to take the quarterback out of the mix. You don't get him hurt, still probably run it but make it 11-on-11 football rather than 10-on-11 football. It evened the deck a little bit for the offense to defense. I think the same thing is true here."
Bottom line: While the read option is here, it probably isn't here to stay. I wondered when I saw RG3 play the piñata again and again; then became more skeptical when I first saw Suggs flatten Kaepernick. But it wasn't until I listened to defensive coaches detail how determined they were to stop it that I became convinced we may not be having this conv
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A federal judge in Philadelphia, who had been expected to make a preliminary but crucial ruling this month on concussion-related suits filed against the National Football League by more than 4,000 former players, instead has ordered mediation to explore a settlement.
The judge's order puts both sides under a gag order not to discuss the mediation.
But the order sparked speculation by legal experts on whether a settlement is possible, and also whether avoiding a trial might deprive the public of information about the alleged link between concussions and long-term brain damage.
Robert Boland, who teaches sports law and management at New York University, said the mediation order hints at the potential for a settlement.
"I think that indicates that there have been some discussions toward settlement. There has to have been some progress in those discussions generally for a mediation to be ordered," said Robert Boland, who teaches sports law and management at New York University.
But Boland said he wouldn't "hazard a guess" at how effective the mediation might be.
"If the NFL was maintaining that it was going to win the (dismissal) motion hands down and wanted to wait to see the outcome of that, that would be a different story. Or if the plaintiff's thought they were going to win the motion hands down," Boland said.
"There's an old saying here in New York that it's much better to go to the bank after a settlement than the appellate division (after losing in court). Settlement is definitive as opposed to jury verdicts." Football, particularly NFL football, is at the forefront of issues surrounding concussions that occur in many sports. This is the time of year when parents across the nation are making decisions about whether to allow their children to play youth and high school football.
In their suits, the former players allege that for decades the NFL knowingly failed to protect players from concussions. The suits allege long-term effects such as depression, dementia and suicide, such as the 2012 death of former star NFL linebacker Junior Seau and the 2011 suicide of former Chicago Bears great Dave Duerson.
More than 200 suits filed across the country against the NFL by ex-players have been consolidated in Philadelphia. U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody had been expected to rule July 22 on an NFL motion to dismiss the suits. The league argued that because the players were covered by collective bargaining agreements, the matter should be settled by arbitration.
Brody ordered the mediation on Monday after what she described as an "exploratory" telephone conference with the attorneys for both sides. "I order parties, through their lead counsel, to engage in mediation to determine if consensual resolution is possible," she wrote.
Michael Kaplen, a practicing attorney in the field of traumatic brain injury who teaches a course in brain injury law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., questioned whether a settlement – and the confidentially that could entail -- would be in the public interest.
"I'm not so sure it is the right solution to this issue …. The facts surrounding this case are so important not only to the players involved in the case but to everybody else who has an interest in the issue of sports concussions," Kaplen said.
"These facts need to be set forth in the public arena. They can't be hid under the rug in exchange for payment of money. And that's what I'm afraid is going to happen."
Kaplen added, "This impacts any child that's playing any type of sport … the parents, the coaches, the school systems who have looked to the NFL as their model. It goes to college athletic programs, and the implications are just huge. It's like if the tobacco companies settled cases before all the (court) discovery took place, we wouldn't know what they knew, when they knew it and how they hid information." Brody appointed Layn Phillips, a retired federal judge, as mediator. She also asked both sides to "identify mediators experienced in resolving complex matters."
Brody ordered Phillips to report to her by Sept. 3 on the results of the mediation and said she would not rule on the NFL's motion to dismiss until then.
The two sides responded with brief statements saying they would comply with the order and make no further comment.
The judge heard arguments in April on the NFL's motion to dismiss.
The case is full of complex issues. While the NFL argued the players had no right to sue because of collective bargaining agreements, the league and the NFL Players Associated operated without a collective bargaining agreement from 1987 to 1993. One issue before the judge is whether that puts players who were in that 1987-1993 period in a different class.
"Her decision could be a complex one that might disenfranchise some people and give other people certain rights. This (mediation) would allow the parties maybe to agree to ultimately what direction that takes," Boland said.
Kaplen was not surprised by the judge's decision. But he does not interpret her order as a hint that a settlement may be in the works.
"The court system prefers that (settlement) to a knockdown, drag-out fight," he said. "I think she could have done this unilaterally, which frequently happens. In all federal and state courts, there is a push by the judiciary to bring the parties to the table to mediate their disputes."
He said being ordered into mediation carries no guarantees. "That means the parties have to show up. It doesn't mean they have to mediate in good faith," he said.
But he also said there are incentives for both sides to settle.
"From the players' perspective, they could lose everything and never get a settlement if she dismisses the case," Kaplen said. "From the league's perspective, if she doesn't dismiss the case or only dismisses portions of the case, then what I'm talking about in terms of the facts are going to come out in discovery.
The judge's order puts both sides under a gag order not to discuss the mediation.
But the order sparked speculation by legal experts on whether a settlement is possible, and also whether avoiding a trial might deprive the public of information about the alleged link between concussions and long-term brain damage.
Robert Boland, who teaches sports law and management at New York University, said the mediation order hints at the potential for a settlement.
"I think that indicates that there have been some discussions toward settlement. There has to have been some progress in those discussions generally for a mediation to be ordered," said Robert Boland, who teaches sports law and management at New York University.
But Boland said he wouldn't "hazard a guess" at how effective the mediation might be.
"If the NFL was maintaining that it was going to win the (dismissal) motion hands down and wanted to wait to see the outcome of that, that would be a different story. Or if the plaintiff's thought they were going to win the motion hands down," Boland said.
"There's an old saying here in New York that it's much better to go to the bank after a settlement than the appellate division (after losing in court). Settlement is definitive as opposed to jury verdicts." Football, particularly NFL football, is at the forefront of issues surrounding concussions that occur in many sports. This is the time of year when parents across the nation are making decisions about whether to allow their children to play youth and high school football.
In their suits, the former players allege that for decades the NFL knowingly failed to protect players from concussions. The suits allege long-term effects such as depression, dementia and suicide, such as the 2012 death of former star NFL linebacker Junior Seau and the 2011 suicide of former Chicago Bears great Dave Duerson.
More than 200 suits filed across the country against the NFL by ex-players have been consolidated in Philadelphia. U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody had been expected to rule July 22 on an NFL motion to dismiss the suits. The league argued that because the players were covered by collective bargaining agreements, the matter should be settled by arbitration.
Brody ordered the mediation on Monday after what she described as an "exploratory" telephone conference with the attorneys for both sides. "I order parties, through their lead counsel, to engage in mediation to determine if consensual resolution is possible," she wrote.
Michael Kaplen, a practicing attorney in the field of traumatic brain injury who teaches a course in brain injury law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., questioned whether a settlement – and the confidentially that could entail -- would be in the public interest.
"I'm not so sure it is the right solution to this issue …. The facts surrounding this case are so important not only to the players involved in the case but to everybody else who has an interest in the issue of sports concussions," Kaplen said.
"These facts need to be set forth in the public arena. They can't be hid under the rug in exchange for payment of money. And that's what I'm afraid is going to happen."
Kaplen added, "This impacts any child that's playing any type of sport … the parents, the coaches, the school systems who have looked to the NFL as their model. It goes to college athletic programs, and the implications are just huge. It's like if the tobacco companies settled cases before all the (court) discovery took place, we wouldn't know what they knew, when they knew it and how they hid information." Brody appointed Layn Phillips, a retired federal judge, as mediator. She also asked both sides to "identify mediators experienced in resolving complex matters."
Brody ordered Phillips to report to her by Sept. 3 on the results of the mediation and said she would not rule on the NFL's motion to dismiss until then.
The two sides responded with brief statements saying they would comply with the order and make no further comment.
The judge heard arguments in April on the NFL's motion to dismiss.
The case is full of complex issues. While the NFL argued the players had no right to sue because of collective bargaining agreements, the league and the NFL Players Associated operated without a collective bargaining agreement from 1987 to 1993. One issue before the judge is whether that puts players who were in that 1987-1993 period in a different class.
"Her decision could be a complex one that might disenfranchise some people and give other people certain rights. This (mediation) would allow the parties maybe to agree to ultimately what direction that takes," Boland said.
Kaplen was not surprised by the judge's decision. But he does not interpret her order as a hint that a settlement may be in the works.
"The court system prefers that (settlement) to a knockdown, drag-out fight," he said. "I think she could have done this unilaterally, which frequently happens. In all federal and state courts, there is a push by the judiciary to bring the parties to the table to mediate their disputes."
He said being ordered into mediation carries no guarantees. "That means the parties have to show up. It doesn't mean they have to mediate in good faith," he said.
But he also said there are incentives for both sides to settle.
"From the players' perspective, they could lose everything and never get a settlement if she dismisses the case," Kaplen said. "From the league's perspective, if she doesn't dismiss the case or only dismisses portions of the case, then what I'm talking about in terms of the facts are going to come out in discovery.
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As players like Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and even Darrelle Revis begin to enter the latter half of their illustrious careers, there is now room for a new generation of great young cornerbacks to build their own legacies in the NFL.
With passing records breaking on an annual basis, the demand for great cover men has never been so high. The role an NFL cornerback must play on a team is as complex and physically demanding as ever, and a great cornerback can be the difference between going home in December or watching confetti in your team’s colors fall from the rafters at the end of the season.
There are a handful of quality young corners that are building a strong reputation in the NFL, including Cleveland’s Joe Haden or the athletic freak in Arizona by the name of Patrick Peterson.
However, one player is (literally) head-and-shoulders above the rest—Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks.
Sherman is known for his trash talking and brash attitude, but he has earned every right to speak whatever he wants with his stellar play on the field.
As the 154th selection in the 2011 draft, Sherman hardly fits the stereotypical mold of being a small, quick defensive back. Sherman, along with several other members of the Seahawks’ secondary, stands out because unusual size for the position.
Who Is the Next Lockdown Cornerback in the NFL? | Bleacher Report
With passing records breaking on an annual basis, the demand for great cover men has never been so high. The role an NFL cornerback must play on a team is as complex and physically demanding as ever, and a great cornerback can be the difference between going home in December or watching confetti in your team’s colors fall from the rafters at the end of the season.
There are a handful of quality young corners that are building a strong reputation in the NFL, including Cleveland’s Joe Haden or the athletic freak in Arizona by the name of Patrick Peterson.
However, one player is (literally) head-and-shoulders above the rest—Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks.
Sherman is known for his trash talking and brash attitude, but he has earned every right to speak whatever he wants with his stellar play on the field.
As the 154th selection in the 2011 draft, Sherman hardly fits the stereotypical mold of being a small, quick defensive back. Sherman, along with several other members of the Seahawks’ secondary, stands out because unusual size for the position.
Who Is the Next Lockdown Cornerback in the NFL? | Bleacher Report
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There can be no doubt that Trayvon Martin’s death was tragic and unnecessary. George Zimmerman should not have presumed Trayvon Martin was up to no good. George Zimmerman should not have followed Trayvon Martin. And George Zimmerman should not have engaged Trayvon Martin in the exchange that, as a jury of six women found on Saturday night, reasonable doubt existed as to whether Trayvon Martin was killed by a man who was acting in self defense.
But our legal system requires prosecutors to prove all elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In this specific case, prosecutors had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that George Zimmerman was not acting in self defense.
The sharp conflict in testimony from multiple witnesses regarding whether the 911 call made by a neighbor in the moments before the fatal gunshot contained audible cries for help from Trayvon Martin or from George Zimmerman created more than enough reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was the one wailing and moaning for assistance — which made it impossible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was not acting in self defense.
For non-lawyers and those who were not watching the trial carefully and thus not realizing what prosecutors could and couldn’t prove, it’s a confusing and frustrating result. In the sports world, the confusion and frustration has emerged via various comments made on social media.
Deadspin has compiled plenty of tweets, from the NFL and elsewhere. Some are highlighted below.
Falcons receiver Roddy White, who rarely bites his tongue, sounded off loudly on Twitter. ”F–king Zimmerman got away with murder today wow what kind of world do we live in,” White said. ”All them jurors should go home tonight and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid.”
Marcus Vick, the brother of Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, continued a theme he began during the prosecution’s closing argument. ”Like I said before, a dogs life mean more then a human of color,” Marcus Vick said. ”My people’s did 2 years over some bullshit when this dude took a human life. Y’all MF’s sick. . . . Zimmerman u peace of DOG shit if I ever seen u I would run up n let u beat my ass then I’ll pop u right between the eyes u cricket Bitch.”
Even Giants receiver Victor Cruz, who isn’t known for saying or doing outlandish things, offered up a chilling prediction for George Zimmerman’s future, via Deadspin: ”Zimmerman doesn’t last a year before the hood catches up with him.”
Bengals linebacker James Harrison made a very strong point that gets to the core of the case. ”Think I’ll go pick a fight and get my ass kicked then pull my gun and kill somebody and see if I can get away,” Harrison tweeted.
Ravens receiver Torrey Smith, who lost a brother last year under far different but no less tragic circumstances, realizes that eye-for-an-eye revenge shouldn’t happen. ”Also as mad as a lot of people are over the verdict…trying to take out Zimmerman isn’t the answer neither,” Smith said.
The answer should have been for prosecutors to select charges that prosecutors were extremely confident they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt. By swinging the bat for a second-degree murder conviction, the Plan B effort to convict Zimmerman of voluntary manslaughter and put him away for 10-to-30 years became muddled. If the prosecutors had chosen manslaughter and only manslaughter charges, perhaps the case would have been easier to piece together and present. (Even then, it would have been hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was not acting in self defense at the moment the shot was fired.)
Perhaps, then, prosecutors should have done what prosecutors in St. Augustine recently did in response to a claim that Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew punched a bouncer at a club. There, prosecutors honestly concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, so charges weren’t pursued.
A different form of justice would have still been available for Trayvon Martin, and justice can still be had for him. Trayvon Martin’s family can and should sue Zimmerman for negligently and/or recklessly provoking the exchange that became the fight in which Zimmerman apparently defended himself with deadly force. Like O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of double murder despite overwhelming evidence of guilt, Zimmerman will have to testify in a civil case, both at deposition and at trial. Seeing him forced to answer tough questions from a zealous lawyer under oath could help Trayvon Martin’s family obtain the peace they hoped Saturday’s verdict would bring. And Zimmerman could end up being responsible for a crippling verdict, with any significant money he ever earns for the rest of his life going to Trayvon Martin’s family.
The money will mean nothing to Trayvon Martin’s family. Knowing that they can continue to chase Zimmerman for more and more money to satisfy the verdict over the coming decades could mean a lot.
It may not be the desired form of justice, but justice can indeed be had, under a far lower legal standard than the one required to take away an American citizen’s liberty. And while the evidence presented over the past few weeks at trial showed plenty of reasonable doubt regarding criminal charges of murder and manslaughter, the evidence also indicates that the Martin family could easily win a lawsuit against Zimmerman for at least negligently provoking the fight that resulted in Trayvon Martin’s death.
Here’s hoping they pursue it quickly, since George Zimmerman definitely should be accountable at least financially for choosing to pursue Trayon Martin and to provoke the fight that claimed his life.
Zimmerman verdict sparks strong reactions from some NFL players | ProFootballTalk
But our legal system requires prosecutors to prove all elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In this specific case, prosecutors had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that George Zimmerman was not acting in self defense.
The sharp conflict in testimony from multiple witnesses regarding whether the 911 call made by a neighbor in the moments before the fatal gunshot contained audible cries for help from Trayvon Martin or from George Zimmerman created more than enough reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was the one wailing and moaning for assistance — which made it impossible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was not acting in self defense.
For non-lawyers and those who were not watching the trial carefully and thus not realizing what prosecutors could and couldn’t prove, it’s a confusing and frustrating result. In the sports world, the confusion and frustration has emerged via various comments made on social media.
Deadspin has compiled plenty of tweets, from the NFL and elsewhere. Some are highlighted below.
Falcons receiver Roddy White, who rarely bites his tongue, sounded off loudly on Twitter. ”F–king Zimmerman got away with murder today wow what kind of world do we live in,” White said. ”All them jurors should go home tonight and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid.”
Marcus Vick, the brother of Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, continued a theme he began during the prosecution’s closing argument. ”Like I said before, a dogs life mean more then a human of color,” Marcus Vick said. ”My people’s did 2 years over some bullshit when this dude took a human life. Y’all MF’s sick. . . . Zimmerman u peace of DOG shit if I ever seen u I would run up n let u beat my ass then I’ll pop u right between the eyes u cricket Bitch.”
Even Giants receiver Victor Cruz, who isn’t known for saying or doing outlandish things, offered up a chilling prediction for George Zimmerman’s future, via Deadspin: ”Zimmerman doesn’t last a year before the hood catches up with him.”
Bengals linebacker James Harrison made a very strong point that gets to the core of the case. ”Think I’ll go pick a fight and get my ass kicked then pull my gun and kill somebody and see if I can get away,” Harrison tweeted.
Ravens receiver Torrey Smith, who lost a brother last year under far different but no less tragic circumstances, realizes that eye-for-an-eye revenge shouldn’t happen. ”Also as mad as a lot of people are over the verdict…trying to take out Zimmerman isn’t the answer neither,” Smith said.
The answer should have been for prosecutors to select charges that prosecutors were extremely confident they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt. By swinging the bat for a second-degree murder conviction, the Plan B effort to convict Zimmerman of voluntary manslaughter and put him away for 10-to-30 years became muddled. If the prosecutors had chosen manslaughter and only manslaughter charges, perhaps the case would have been easier to piece together and present. (Even then, it would have been hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was not acting in self defense at the moment the shot was fired.)
Perhaps, then, prosecutors should have done what prosecutors in St. Augustine recently did in response to a claim that Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew punched a bouncer at a club. There, prosecutors honestly concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, so charges weren’t pursued.
A different form of justice would have still been available for Trayvon Martin, and justice can still be had for him. Trayvon Martin’s family can and should sue Zimmerman for negligently and/or recklessly provoking the exchange that became the fight in which Zimmerman apparently defended himself with deadly force. Like O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of double murder despite overwhelming evidence of guilt, Zimmerman will have to testify in a civil case, both at deposition and at trial. Seeing him forced to answer tough questions from a zealous lawyer under oath could help Trayvon Martin’s family obtain the peace they hoped Saturday’s verdict would bring. And Zimmerman could end up being responsible for a crippling verdict, with any significant money he ever earns for the rest of his life going to Trayvon Martin’s family.
The money will mean nothing to Trayvon Martin’s family. Knowing that they can continue to chase Zimmerman for more and more money to satisfy the verdict over the coming decades could mean a lot.
It may not be the desired form of justice, but justice can indeed be had, under a far lower legal standard than the one required to take away an American citizen’s liberty. And while the evidence presented over the past few weeks at trial showed plenty of reasonable doubt regarding criminal charges of murder and manslaughter, the evidence also indicates that the Martin family could easily win a lawsuit against Zimmerman for at least negligently provoking the fight that resulted in Trayvon Martin’s death.
Here’s hoping they pursue it quickly, since George Zimmerman definitely should be accountable at least financially for choosing to pursue Trayon Martin and to provoke the fight that claimed his life.
Zimmerman verdict sparks strong reactions from some NFL players | ProFootballTalk
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We are so quick to define a franchise by the actions of a few players.
The Seahawks have an Adderal problem. The Cowboys have a DUI problem. The Patriots have a character problem.
But that's far too simplistic. Lest we forget who wields the real power in the NFL, who holds the hammer in the collective bargaining agreement with the players, and who should truly be setting the example in terms of character and staying on the right side of the law. It's management. They're the decision-makers, the same men who gossip and blindly ridicule kids coming out of college. The men who ask players if their mothers were prostitutes, or if they are gay; and hold youngsters to Roger Goodell's personal conduct policy to which these very coaches and executives run afoul of.
Never underestimate the degree of hypocrisy of which the NFL is capable. And make no mistake, in the aftermath of the Denver Broncos having two top execs arrested on DUI charges in a shockingly small period of time -- and with equally shocking reported levels of alcohol in their systems -- the players, the NFLPA and other teams are watching to see if Goodell responds appropriately. And by appropriately, I mean with the same vigilance and severity with which he has disciplined players.
"Roger has to come out strong here," said an exec with one AFC team. "No matter what the team does, he has to send a signal here. This has to be more than what he gave (Lions president Tom) Lewand." (Goodell suspended Lewand 30 days and fined him $100,000 after his DUI, then lessened the suspension to 21 days).
It turns out Goodell let the Broncos, which consulted with the league, dole out the punishments. Matt Russell (director of player personnel) was suspended indefinitely, and Tom Heckert (director of pro personnel) was suspended for one month.
What isn't quite as shocking is that this happened in Denver. There have been whispers about what some other execs have termed "a frat-house culture" in the Broncos front office, and about some of the off-field decisions those men have made, both now and in the past.
The fact that the Broncos knew about the original DUI, from Heckert, and chose to say or do nothing about it, until it was revealed by the Associated Press after the arrest of Matt Russell speaks much more deeply than any of the tough-talking statements released by the team after the fact.
That reeks of a cover-up. Coming out and letting everyone know that Monday, team officials are gathered at Broncos headquarters deciding how to handle this situation rings a bit like a PR grab, after that fact.
It wasn't that long ago that the Cowboys were burying Jerry Brown, who died in a car driven by drunk teammate Josh Brent. Is it too much to ask men who are in their 40s, and have been around the NFL for quite some time, to not drive around with open containers in their cars, as police allege in their report, and to not get into the driver's seat of their cars at three-times the legal limit?
We're so quick to point the finger at players. But let's keep in mind there are thousands of them in the league, with disparate backgrounds and level of means, education. There are only 32 college scouting directors and general managers, however, and when you factor in the nepotism and cronyism that run rampant in this league, it makes getting those positions increasingly difficult. There are too many good men and good execs on the golf course now, unable to get back in, to tolerate this kind of behavior.
When teams offer a second, third or fourth chance to those with checkered pasts, it sends a distinct signal to others on the outside who bear no such blemishes, but maybe don't play the political game as well, don't have as powerful an agent, or don't have the same connections or benefactors making sure they land on their feet.
John Elway, the Broncos boss, gets more kudos and awards than pretty much any NFL executive these days, but these blights are on his hands and on his watch. He recast this entire front office in his image, kicked aside some like former general manager Brian Xanders who helped him learn the personnel game, and now, with his team in Super Bowl or bust mode, must explain why several members of his inner core can't uphold the modicum of behavior that Goodell demands.
This is his distraction, and he must now figure out how to convey to his locker room why the men charged with picking the team and running the team and deciding on the very futures of these players can't keep from running into patrol cars in their free time. Elway, whose transparency and candor was so refreshing when he launched on to the management scene on Twitter and elsewhere, should have taken to his account, or some public forum, upon Heckert's arrest.
And for all the accolades that come their way, this is the same front office that found a way to let a still-impactful Elvis Dumervil get away to the Super Bowl champs, a Baltimore team that ended the Broncos' season. And as much as they will blame Dumervil's former agent and blame a fax machine, this is a guy with 50 sacks who had a new deal worked out with Denver and who then, as a free agent, took less money to go to Baltimore. That's on Elway.
They drafted Brock Osweiler over Russell Wilson. (Yes, a lot of teams passed on Wilson, but the Broncos spent considerable time researching quarterbacks leading up to the 2012 draft). They gave Drayton Florence $1.5 million guaranteed, only to cut him shortly thereafter. Their decision to pay Champ Bailey more than $10 million this season will certainly be watched closely.
No one's perfect, or expected to be, and make no mistake, Elway has done some special stuff in a short period of time -- most notably, convincing Peyton Manning to come to Denver, a short-term gamble based on grabbing a Lombardi quickly. But let's also keep perspective about this regime and recognize that their biggest challenge, and most important decision, is upon them n
The Seahawks have an Adderal problem. The Cowboys have a DUI problem. The Patriots have a character problem.
But that's far too simplistic. Lest we forget who wields the real power in the NFL, who holds the hammer in the collective bargaining agreement with the players, and who should truly be setting the example in terms of character and staying on the right side of the law. It's management. They're the decision-makers, the same men who gossip and blindly ridicule kids coming out of college. The men who ask players if their mothers were prostitutes, or if they are gay; and hold youngsters to Roger Goodell's personal conduct policy to which these very coaches and executives run afoul of.
Never underestimate the degree of hypocrisy of which the NFL is capable. And make no mistake, in the aftermath of the Denver Broncos having two top execs arrested on DUI charges in a shockingly small period of time -- and with equally shocking reported levels of alcohol in their systems -- the players, the NFLPA and other teams are watching to see if Goodell responds appropriately. And by appropriately, I mean with the same vigilance and severity with which he has disciplined players.
"Roger has to come out strong here," said an exec with one AFC team. "No matter what the team does, he has to send a signal here. This has to be more than what he gave (Lions president Tom) Lewand." (Goodell suspended Lewand 30 days and fined him $100,000 after his DUI, then lessened the suspension to 21 days).
It turns out Goodell let the Broncos, which consulted with the league, dole out the punishments. Matt Russell (director of player personnel) was suspended indefinitely, and Tom Heckert (director of pro personnel) was suspended for one month.
What isn't quite as shocking is that this happened in Denver. There have been whispers about what some other execs have termed "a frat-house culture" in the Broncos front office, and about some of the off-field decisions those men have made, both now and in the past.
The fact that the Broncos knew about the original DUI, from Heckert, and chose to say or do nothing about it, until it was revealed by the Associated Press after the arrest of Matt Russell speaks much more deeply than any of the tough-talking statements released by the team after the fact.
That reeks of a cover-up. Coming out and letting everyone know that Monday, team officials are gathered at Broncos headquarters deciding how to handle this situation rings a bit like a PR grab, after that fact.
It wasn't that long ago that the Cowboys were burying Jerry Brown, who died in a car driven by drunk teammate Josh Brent. Is it too much to ask men who are in their 40s, and have been around the NFL for quite some time, to not drive around with open containers in their cars, as police allege in their report, and to not get into the driver's seat of their cars at three-times the legal limit?
We're so quick to point the finger at players. But let's keep in mind there are thousands of them in the league, with disparate backgrounds and level of means, education. There are only 32 college scouting directors and general managers, however, and when you factor in the nepotism and cronyism that run rampant in this league, it makes getting those positions increasingly difficult. There are too many good men and good execs on the golf course now, unable to get back in, to tolerate this kind of behavior.
When teams offer a second, third or fourth chance to those with checkered pasts, it sends a distinct signal to others on the outside who bear no such blemishes, but maybe don't play the political game as well, don't have as powerful an agent, or don't have the same connections or benefactors making sure they land on their feet.
John Elway, the Broncos boss, gets more kudos and awards than pretty much any NFL executive these days, but these blights are on his hands and on his watch. He recast this entire front office in his image, kicked aside some like former general manager Brian Xanders who helped him learn the personnel game, and now, with his team in Super Bowl or bust mode, must explain why several members of his inner core can't uphold the modicum of behavior that Goodell demands.
This is his distraction, and he must now figure out how to convey to his locker room why the men charged with picking the team and running the team and deciding on the very futures of these players can't keep from running into patrol cars in their free time. Elway, whose transparency and candor was so refreshing when he launched on to the management scene on Twitter and elsewhere, should have taken to his account, or some public forum, upon Heckert's arrest.
And for all the accolades that come their way, this is the same front office that found a way to let a still-impactful Elvis Dumervil get away to the Super Bowl champs, a Baltimore team that ended the Broncos' season. And as much as they will blame Dumervil's former agent and blame a fax machine, this is a guy with 50 sacks who had a new deal worked out with Denver and who then, as a free agent, took less money to go to Baltimore. That's on Elway.
They drafted Brock Osweiler over Russell Wilson. (Yes, a lot of teams passed on Wilson, but the Broncos spent considerable time researching quarterbacks leading up to the 2012 draft). They gave Drayton Florence $1.5 million guaranteed, only to cut him shortly thereafter. Their decision to pay Champ Bailey more than $10 million this season will certainly be watched closely.
No one's perfect, or expected to be, and make no mistake, Elway has done some special stuff in a short period of time -- most notably, convincing Peyton Manning to come to Denver, a short-term gamble based on grabbing a Lombardi quickly. But let's also keep perspective about this regime and recognize that their biggest challenge, and most important decision, is upon them n
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Golf Channel teams up with the National Football League this fall for the 20th season of Big Break by featuring several of the NFL’s all-time greats playing alongside aspiring professional golfers. Big Break NFL will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m. ET and airs weekly on Tuesdays nights.
NFL legends competing on Big Break NFL include Hall-of-Famers Jerry Rice and Chris Doleman, along with Tim Brown, Marc Bulger, Al Del Greco and Mark Rypien. Filmed at Dorado Beach Resort in Puerto Rico, the series will feature each of the six NFL legends joining two Big Break competitors (one male and one female) to form three-person teams. On the line will be $50,000 to the winning NFL legend’s designated charity, along with 2014 PGA Tour and LPGA tournament exemptions, cash and other prizes for the Big Break competitors.
“I have been a fan of Big Break for a long time, and I wanted to experience the pressure and excitement of competing on this series first-hand,” said Rice, who will be playing this week at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, airing on NBC. “The nerves we all faced on this show – knowing that everything potentially was on the line for your team with one golf shot – are experiences I will never forget.”
NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” sideline reporter and Emmy Award winner Michele Tafoya joins Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott to co-host the season.
A look at the football players competing on Big Break NFL
• Tim Brown (46, Dallas, Texas, 3 handicap) – The first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy award in 1987, Brown is one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history. He played in the NFL for 17 years, including 16 seasons with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders.
• Marc Bulger (36, Sarasota, Fla., 4 handicap) – A 10-year NFL veteran quarterback, Bulger competed with the St. Louis Rams for nine years, highlighted by two Pro Bowl appearances (2004, 2007) and the 2004 Pro Bowl MVP.
• Al Del Greco (51, Birmingham, Ala., plus-1 handicap) – One of the greatest placekickers in NFL history, Del Greco’s 17-year NFL career included stints with the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. He finished his career 17th on the NFL’s all-time scoring list with 1,584 points.
• Chris Doleman (51, Atlanta, Ga., 3 handicap) – With a career spanning 15 years, which included eight Pro Bowl selections, Doleman was inducted in 2012 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is recognized as one of the top defensive players in NFL history.
• Jerry Rice (50, Atherton, Calif., 1 handicap) – Three-time Super Bowl champion Rice is generally regarded as the best wide receiver ever to play in the National Football League.
• Mark Rypien (50, Spokane, Wash., 1 handicap) – The first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL, Rypien’s 12-year NFL career – the majority with the Washington Redskins – included two Super Bowl championships, Super Bowl XXVI MVP and two Pro Bowl selections (1989 and 1991).
Jerry Rice Among Legends on Big Break NFL | Golf Channel
NFL legends competing on Big Break NFL include Hall-of-Famers Jerry Rice and Chris Doleman, along with Tim Brown, Marc Bulger, Al Del Greco and Mark Rypien. Filmed at Dorado Beach Resort in Puerto Rico, the series will feature each of the six NFL legends joining two Big Break competitors (one male and one female) to form three-person teams. On the line will be $50,000 to the winning NFL legend’s designated charity, along with 2014 PGA Tour and LPGA tournament exemptions, cash and other prizes for the Big Break competitors.
“I have been a fan of Big Break for a long time, and I wanted to experience the pressure and excitement of competing on this series first-hand,” said Rice, who will be playing this week at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, airing on NBC. “The nerves we all faced on this show – knowing that everything potentially was on the line for your team with one golf shot – are experiences I will never forget.”
NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” sideline reporter and Emmy Award winner Michele Tafoya joins Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott to co-host the season.
A look at the football players competing on Big Break NFL
• Tim Brown (46, Dallas, Texas, 3 handicap) – The first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy award in 1987, Brown is one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history. He played in the NFL for 17 years, including 16 seasons with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders.
• Marc Bulger (36, Sarasota, Fla., 4 handicap) – A 10-year NFL veteran quarterback, Bulger competed with the St. Louis Rams for nine years, highlighted by two Pro Bowl appearances (2004, 2007) and the 2004 Pro Bowl MVP.
• Al Del Greco (51, Birmingham, Ala., plus-1 handicap) – One of the greatest placekickers in NFL history, Del Greco’s 17-year NFL career included stints with the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. He finished his career 17th on the NFL’s all-time scoring list with 1,584 points.
• Chris Doleman (51, Atlanta, Ga., 3 handicap) – With a career spanning 15 years, which included eight Pro Bowl selections, Doleman was inducted in 2012 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is recognized as one of the top defensive players in NFL history.
• Jerry Rice (50, Atherton, Calif., 1 handicap) – Three-time Super Bowl champion Rice is generally regarded as the best wide receiver ever to play in the National Football League.
• Mark Rypien (50, Spokane, Wash., 1 handicap) – The first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL, Rypien’s 12-year NFL career – the majority with the Washington Redskins – included two Super Bowl championships, Super Bowl XXVI MVP and two Pro Bowl selections (1989 and 1991).
Jerry Rice Among Legends on Big Break NFL | Golf Channel
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It has been almost two years since former NFL quarterback Marc Bulger retired, but he's still representing the league. On the golf course, at least.
As the Baltimore Sun notes, Bulger is included in the group of former NFL players who will compete against pro golfers in Big Break NFL, a program that will be televised by Golf Channel in October.
“Since I have only been retired from the NFL for two years, Big Break was a great opportunity to feel the competitive ‘rush' that all of us NFL players miss once our playing days are over,” Bulger said in a statement. “It was an amazing experience getting to compete against true NFL legends in another sport we all have a passion for while at the same time fulfilling a second passion of mine, helping our men and women in uniform. Big Break exceeded all of my expectations.”
Joining Bulger from the NFL ranks are Jerry Rice, Chris Doleman, Tim Brown, Al Del Greco and Mark Rypien. It's set to air on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Oh, and Bulger is pretty good at the whole golfing thing.
He's apparently a 4 handicap. If he wins the competition, he'll get $50,000 for his Marine Corps Scholarship foundation, which benefits those in the armed forces, police officers and fire fighters.
Marc Bulger to join other former NFL stars on the links - CBSSports-com
As the Baltimore Sun notes, Bulger is included in the group of former NFL players who will compete against pro golfers in Big Break NFL, a program that will be televised by Golf Channel in October.
“Since I have only been retired from the NFL for two years, Big Break was a great opportunity to feel the competitive ‘rush' that all of us NFL players miss once our playing days are over,” Bulger said in a statement. “It was an amazing experience getting to compete against true NFL legends in another sport we all have a passion for while at the same time fulfilling a second passion of mine, helping our men and women in uniform. Big Break exceeded all of my expectations.”
Joining Bulger from the NFL ranks are Jerry Rice, Chris Doleman, Tim Brown, Al Del Greco and Mark Rypien. It's set to air on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Oh, and Bulger is pretty good at the whole golfing thing.
He's apparently a 4 handicap. If he wins the competition, he'll get $50,000 for his Marine Corps Scholarship foundation, which benefits those in the armed forces, police officers and fire fighters.
Marc Bulger to join other former NFL stars on the links - CBSSports-com
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2006/12/07
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On day two from the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, Dave Dameshek is joined by an all-star lineup of guests on an all-new Dave Dameshek Football Program: NBA legend Charles Barkley, Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, voice of Super Bowl XLVIII broadcaster Joe Buck, Denver Broncos head coach John Fox and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. Here's what else is on tap for Friday:
» Former NFL quarterback, West Virginia athletic director and noted NFL father Oliver Luck talks about his son's success, what to expect from rookies Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, and his work with USA Football on "NFL Total Access" at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Plus Denver Broncos coach John Fox, Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith, and all the day's news from around the league.
» NFL Evolution sits down with the NFL's vice president of football operations Merton Hanks to clear up some misconceptions about the NFL's leg and thigh pad rule.
» Get a jump on the weekend's football talk with "NFL AM" beginning at 6 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
» In the wake of Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent's retirement from the NFL on Thursday, Albert Breer writes about other athletes who've had it all and thrown it all away.
» Adam Schein reveals his choices for the most important players on every NFC team. Your fantasy draft is just weeks away. But don't worry, NFL-com Fantasy has you covered. Practice your strategy with NFL-com mock drafts, including standard and auction formats, PPR, IDP and more.
» Adam Rank explains his choice of 1979's "North Dallas Forty" as the Greatest Football Movie Ever.
» Around The League continues its series profiling the top 40 NFL figures we see Making a Leap in 2013.
» Happy birthday to Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith, who turns 27 on Friday, and to Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes, who turns 30.
Charles Barkley, Steph Curry on NFL Network from Lake Tahoe - NFL-com
» Former NFL quarterback, West Virginia athletic director and noted NFL father Oliver Luck talks about his son's success, what to expect from rookies Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, and his work with USA Football on "NFL Total Access" at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Plus Denver Broncos coach John Fox, Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith, and all the day's news from around the league.
» NFL Evolution sits down with the NFL's vice president of football operations Merton Hanks to clear up some misconceptions about the NFL's leg and thigh pad rule.
» Get a jump on the weekend's football talk with "NFL AM" beginning at 6 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
» In the wake of Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent's retirement from the NFL on Thursday, Albert Breer writes about other athletes who've had it all and thrown it all away.
» Adam Schein reveals his choices for the most important players on every NFC team. Your fantasy draft is just weeks away. But don't worry, NFL-com Fantasy has you covered. Practice your strategy with NFL-com mock drafts, including standard and auction formats, PPR, IDP and more.
» Adam Rank explains his choice of 1979's "North Dallas Forty" as the Greatest Football Movie Ever.
» Around The League continues its series profiling the top 40 NFL figures we see Making a Leap in 2013.
» Happy birthday to Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith, who turns 27 on Friday, and to Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes, who turns 30.
Charles Barkley, Steph Curry on NFL Network from Lake Tahoe - NFL-com
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When it comes to playing with the big boys, the Green Bay Packers can compete with the best of them.
They've proven that on the field by winning more NFL championships than any other team. And they've done themselves proud off the field with the development of the money-making machine known as Lambeau Field.
Although Green Bay is the smallest city in professional sports by far, its stadium now has the third-largest seating capacity in the NFL.
With the completion of yet another Lambeau expansion, the Packers will play home games in front of capacity crowds of 80,750. That's a staggering number for a city with a population of just more than 104,000, and a far cry from the 32,500 capacity when Lambeau opened in 1957.
FedEx Field in Landover, Md. (85,000), home of the Washington Redskins, has the largest seating capacity in the NFL. MetLife Stadium (82,566) in East Rutherford, N.J., home of the New York Giants and Jets, ranks No. 2. The Packers reported record revenue and profits this week, and their decision to add 7,000 seats to Lambeau beginning this season was shrewd and economically sound.
The team is coming off a remarkable two-decade run of success, and the Packers' season ticket waiting list hovers just above 100,000. So why not maximize revenue streams while inviting several thousand additional ticket buyers to share in the fun at Lambeau? Everybody comes up a winner. The extra cash the Packers will rake in is the equivalent of adding another home game to the schedule. The stadium should be louder with the additional fans and the reconfiguration of the south end zone, which will make life more difficult for visiting teams. And the new seats, with amenities like chair backs and a separate stadium entrance, will add value to the game-day experience.
Lambeau Field holds the distinction of being the longest active homefield site of any NFL team. In pro sports, only Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1914) have longer tenures.
Lambeau's seating capacity is 2½ greater than when it opened 56 years ago. Rather than build a new stadium, as most teams do, the Packers wisely chose to upgrade and modernize Lambeau while maintaining some of the original charm.
Nothing is perfect, and Lambeau is no exception. The aluminum bench seats in the bowl are a literal pain in the back side to many patrons. But the new end zone section, club seats and suites provide other options, if fans are willing to shell out more money in the secondary market.
There have been whispers that the new seats are too high and don't possess the intimacy associated with the stadium bowl. When the winter winds start whipping around, things could get pretty frosty in those sections.
But those are relatively minor complaints.
The downside to increasing the stadium capacity might not be evident until the Packers endure hard times on the field.
It's easy to attract 80,000 fans when times are good. But if an extended stretch of bad football hits town, as it did in the 1970s and 1980s, packing a stadium that large might prove challenging.
There should never be a problem selling out with the Packers' long season ticket waiting list. But demand for tickets might plummet, and the ugly specter of tens of thousands of empty seats could arise.
It's hard to imagine the Packers suffering through a prolonged slump, but who would have guessed in the 1960s that the Glory Years would be followed by a 25-year drought?
Few would have predicted the Buffalo Bills, who earned four consecutive Super Bowl berths in the early 1990s and regularly filled their 80,000-seat stadium, would fall on hard times. The Bills reduced their stadium capacity to 73,000, and they now play one home game a year in Toronto.
This is not to suggest a similar fate awaits the Packers. But it's a pointed reminder that prosperity isn't guaranteed.
The Packers should be competitive, if not a Super Bowl contender, as long as quarterback Aaron Rodgers plays at a high level. A Packers game at Lambeau will continue to be the marquee sporting event in Wisconsin, as well as a destination for football fans around the country.
The Packers were wise to take advantage of their immense popularity and success by expanding Lambeau, and should savor their prosperity for as long as it lasts.
Lambeau Field expansion puts Packers up with NFL's big boys
They've proven that on the field by winning more NFL championships than any other team. And they've done themselves proud off the field with the development of the money-making machine known as Lambeau Field.
Although Green Bay is the smallest city in professional sports by far, its stadium now has the third-largest seating capacity in the NFL.
With the completion of yet another Lambeau expansion, the Packers will play home games in front of capacity crowds of 80,750. That's a staggering number for a city with a population of just more than 104,000, and a far cry from the 32,500 capacity when Lambeau opened in 1957.
FedEx Field in Landover, Md. (85,000), home of the Washington Redskins, has the largest seating capacity in the NFL. MetLife Stadium (82,566) in East Rutherford, N.J., home of the New York Giants and Jets, ranks No. 2. The Packers reported record revenue and profits this week, and their decision to add 7,000 seats to Lambeau beginning this season was shrewd and economically sound.
The team is coming off a remarkable two-decade run of success, and the Packers' season ticket waiting list hovers just above 100,000. So why not maximize revenue streams while inviting several thousand additional ticket buyers to share in the fun at Lambeau? Everybody comes up a winner. The extra cash the Packers will rake in is the equivalent of adding another home game to the schedule. The stadium should be louder with the additional fans and the reconfiguration of the south end zone, which will make life more difficult for visiting teams. And the new seats, with amenities like chair backs and a separate stadium entrance, will add value to the game-day experience.
Lambeau Field holds the distinction of being the longest active homefield site of any NFL team. In pro sports, only Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1914) have longer tenures.
Lambeau's seating capacity is 2½ greater than when it opened 56 years ago. Rather than build a new stadium, as most teams do, the Packers wisely chose to upgrade and modernize Lambeau while maintaining some of the original charm.
Nothing is perfect, and Lambeau is no exception. The aluminum bench seats in the bowl are a literal pain in the back side to many patrons. But the new end zone section, club seats and suites provide other options, if fans are willing to shell out more money in the secondary market.
There have been whispers that the new seats are too high and don't possess the intimacy associated with the stadium bowl. When the winter winds start whipping around, things could get pretty frosty in those sections.
But those are relatively minor complaints.
The downside to increasing the stadium capacity might not be evident until the Packers endure hard times on the field.
It's easy to attract 80,000 fans when times are good. But if an extended stretch of bad football hits town, as it did in the 1970s and 1980s, packing a stadium that large might prove challenging.
There should never be a problem selling out with the Packers' long season ticket waiting list. But demand for tickets might plummet, and the ugly specter of tens of thousands of empty seats could arise.
It's hard to imagine the Packers suffering through a prolonged slump, but who would have guessed in the 1960s that the Glory Years would be followed by a 25-year drought?
Few would have predicted the Buffalo Bills, who earned four consecutive Super Bowl berths in the early 1990s and regularly filled their 80,000-seat stadium, would fall on hard times. The Bills reduced their stadium capacity to 73,000, and they now play one home game a year in Toronto.
This is not to suggest a similar fate awaits the Packers. But it's a pointed reminder that prosperity isn't guaranteed.
The Packers should be competitive, if not a Super Bowl contender, as long as quarterback Aaron Rodgers plays at a high level. A Packers game at Lambeau will continue to be the marquee sporting event in Wisconsin, as well as a destination for football fans around the country.
The Packers were wise to take advantage of their immense popularity and success by expanding Lambeau, and should savor their prosperity for as long as it lasts.
Lambeau Field expansion puts Packers up with NFL's big boys
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2006/12/07
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"We decided it was the appropriate step to take," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote in an e-mail to USA TODAY Sports.
As of 3:15 p.m. ET Wednesday – hours after the Patriots had released Hernandez after he was arrested at his home – three versions of the No. 81 jersey were still available for $99.99 on NFLshop-com. By 3:40 p.m., the links for Hernandez merchandise were defunct.
"The merchandise will no longer be available due to the current circumstances," said Meier Raivich, a spokesperson for Fanatics Inc., an online retailer that works with the NFL.
When you go to the Fanatics' NFL web site and search for the Hernandez jersey, you will see this box: "Discontinued: We are sorry but this item has been discontinued."
At the Nike NFL site, you'll see this explanation for no jersey: "Out of stock at Nike-com." FansEdge-com goes a step further: "Sorry, we could not locate the requested product in our catalog."
It was still available at other web sites, including amazon-com.
Jeff Dupont, a manager at the Dick's Sporting Goods store in North Attleboroough, Mass., near where Hernandez lived, said he was not allowed to comment on what the store planned to do with their Hernandez jerseys. A message left with Dick's corporate communications office was not immediately returned. At the Patriots Pro Shop, a woman who answered the phone said there were "no Hernandez jerseys" and wasn't allowed to say when that decision was made.
In April, international sports apparel company Puma signed a two-year endorsement deal with Hernandez to work with the brand's men's training initiatives. Puma spokesperson Katie Sheptyck declined to comment on Hernandez on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Cytosport, a sports nutrition company, did cut ties with Hernandez on Friday, three days after he was first mentioned in connection with the slaying of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd in North Attleborough, Mass.
Hernandez's jersey dropped for sale on NFL web site