Players’ union, soccer leagues sign deal at UN labor agency
September 26, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The global soccer players' union and the group representing domestic leagues around the world have teamed up to strengthen their voice in negotiations involving off-field politics such as the international match calendar.
NFL makes strong push for flag football with eye on Olympics
July 6, 2022 GMTFlag football will be played at an international, multi-sport event for the first time next week during the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
Howard Katz honored with Rozelle Radio-TV Award
June 2, 2022 GMTCANTON, Ohio (AP) — Howard Katz, who has been involved with NFL media for nearly two decades and has helped drive the popularity of the league to new heights, was selected Thursday as the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
‘Forgotten Four’ to be honored during Hall of Fame week
May 26, 2022 GMTCANTON, Ohio (AP) — The four men who smashed the race barrier in professional football in 1946 have been selected to share the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Ralph Hay Pioneer Award.
The Canton, Ohio,-based organization announced Thursday that Kenny Washington, Woody Strode and Hall of Famers Bill Willis and Marion Motley — often called the Forgotten Four —will be honored during the Hall's enshrinement week in August.
4 HBCU medical schools join NFL diversity initiative
May 24, 2022 GMTStudents from four Historically Black College and University medical schools will be selected for clinical rotations with NFL team medical staffs this year.
The joint program with the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and Professional Football Athletic Trainer Society (PFATS) aims to diversify the pipeline in sports medicine, including at NFL clubs.
USA Today’s Epstein wins award as emerging NFL writer
May 17, 2022 GMTJori Epstein, who covers the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL for USA Today, has been selected as the 2022 Terez A. Paylor Emerging Writer Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America.
Epstein, the second Paylor Award winner, has covered the league and the Cowboys for USA Today since 2018.
Frazier, Knapp win writers’ award as NFL assistant coaches
May 16, 2022 GMTBuffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and the late Greg Knapp have been selected as the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award winners by the Professional Football Writers of America.
Frazier and Knapp are the 19th and 20th recipients of the Dr.
NFL executive Michael Signora wins writers’ Horrigan Award
May 12, 2022 GMTMichael Signora, the NFL's senior vice president of football and international communications, has been selected as the 2022 Horrigan Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America.
Signora, lauded for his professional dealings with the media who cover the league, is the 50th Horrigan Award winner and the second person to receive the award twice; he was also the 2013 honoree.
USA Today’s Jarrett Bell wins writers’ award for service
May 11, 2022 GMTUSA Today sports writer/columnist Jarrett Bell has won the Bill Nunn Jr. Award for journalistic contributions while covering pro football.
Bell, who has covered the NFL since 1981 and has been with USA Today since 1993, was selected by the Professional Football Writers of America.
Steelers All-Pro DT Cam Heyward wins writers’ Good Guy Award
May 10, 2022 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cameron Heyward has been selected as the 2022 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America.
Heyward, the 18th Good Guy Award winner, is the second member of the Steelers franchise to get the award, joining Jerome Bettis, who won the inaugural honor in 2005.
Washington coach Ron Rivera wins George Halas Award
May 9, 2022 GMTWashington Commanders coach Ron Rivera, who had cancer and made a full recovery, has been selected as the 2022 George Halas Award recipient by the Professional Football Writers of America.
The Halas Award is given to an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes adversity to succeed.
Pro football investor pleads guilty in cryptocurrency scheme
April 25, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A businessman who was one of the early investors in a failed professional football league called the Alliance of American Football pleaded guilty Monday to charges accusing him in a $600 million cryptocurrency scheme.
T.O. plans to play in Fan Controlled Football league
April 6, 2022 GMTTerrell Owens is returning to professional football to catch more passes, mentor young receivers and prove he can still play in the NFL at age 48.
Owens, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, is joining the Fan Controlled Football league for its second season.
Ex-minor leaguer ran major league sports betting operation
April 1, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A former minor league pitcher ran a major league illegal sports betting operation in California that used other former pro athletes to take bets and took wagers from players still in the game, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
NFL helping USFL launch in April with officiating crews
March 15, 2022 GMTThe revitalized USFL, which begins play in April, will be using 32 game officials who are in the NFL Development Pipeline.
Those crews all have college officiating experience and are part of the more-established league's program that provides opportunities for college-level officials who are ready to advance to professional football.
Vikings hire Tyler Williams from Rams to lead training staff
March 9, 2022 GMTEAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings hired Tyler Williams as their executive director of player health and performance on Wednesday, bringing in another former member of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams to follow new head coach Kevin O'Connell.
Smith becomes 1 of 5 minority head coaches with Texans hire
February 9, 2022 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — Lovie Smith reflected on his past in the NFL on Tuesday as he was introduced as the new coach of the Houston Texans, a hire that made him one of five minority head coaches in the NFL.
All 8 USFL teams to play in Birmingham for first season
January 25, 2022 GMTBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The newly re-formed USFL will play every game in the same city during its inaugural season.
The eight-team professional football league owned by Fox Sports will debut on April 16 with the Birmingham Stallions against the New Jersey Generals.
Brentford beats Aston Villa 2-1 in Premier League
January 2, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Mads Roerslev was an unlikely match-winner for Brentford, scoring his first goal in professional football against Aston Villa.
The defender sealed a 2-1 win in the Premier League on Sunday in the 83rd minute.
Len Hauss, 5-time Pro Bowl center for Washington, dies at 79
December 16, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Len Hauss, a five-time Pro Bowl center for Washington who started every game over the last 13 seasons of his 14-year NFL career, has died. He was 79.
His daughter, Lana Hauss Snyder, said in a telephone interview Thursday that Hauss died Wednesday at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Jesup, Georgia, after an extended illness.
Ex-NFL coach Hue Jackson to take over at Grambling
December 11, 2021 GMTGRAMBLING, La. (AP) — Former Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson is taking over as the coach of Grambling's storied football program.
Jackson, who spent this season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee State, fills the vacancy created when Grambling fired eighth-year coach Broderick Fobbs last month.
Pro Football Hall of Fame to present ‘Awards of Excellence’
December 3, 2021 GMTCANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Friday it will present “Awards of Excellence” after the Super Bowl in February to honor longtime assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers and public relations personnel.
AP Sportlight
October 9, 2021 GMTOct. 10
1920 — The Chicago Cardinals play to a 0-0 tie with the Chicago Tigers in their first American Professional Football Association game. The game is held at Cubs Park, later renamed Wrigley Field.
AP Sportlight
September 16, 2021 GMTSept. 17
1897 — England’s Joe Lloyd beats Scotland’s Willie Anderson by one stroke to win the U.S. Open in Wheaton, Ill.
1920 — The forerunner of the NFL, the American Professional Football Association, is founded in an automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio.
AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead
September 16, 2021 GMTSept. 17
1897 — England’s Joe Lloyd beats Scotland’s Willie Anderson by one stroke to win the U.S. Open in Wheaton, Ill.
1920 — The forerunner of the NFL, the American Professional Football Association, is founded in an automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio.
AP Analysis: Manning Bros. talk as big a game as they played
September 14, 2021 GMT“They're all going to be like this,” Peyton Manning exclaimed after the thrilling climax to the NFL's wildest of opening weekends.
“Yeah," replied baby brother Eli, “this was fun, bro.”
And not just for America's first family of football, but for fans across the country who were thoroughly entertained by the Manning brothers in their “Monday Night Football” debut broadcast on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.
Crowded stadiums, pandemic create combustible mix this fall
September 11, 2021 GMTMore than 65,000 fans packed a stadium in Tampa to watch Tom Brady lead the Buccaneers to a win in the NFL's season opener, just hours after President Joe Biden announced a sweeping new plan to slow the latest COVID-19 surge.
George Young: HS teacher to architect of Giants’ Super Bowls
July 23, 2021 GMTEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — In an era when NFL teams chose general managers from the ranks of former players, coaches and personnel executives, George Young was ahead of his time with the New York Giants.
Marinelli, Turner win pro football writers’ Zimmerman award
June 14, 2021 GMTLas Vegas defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and San Francisco running backs coach Bobby Turner have been given the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award by the Professional Football Writers of America for lifetime achievement as assistants.
Bucs PR staff wins pro football writers’ Pete Rozelle Award
June 11, 2021 GMTThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers public relations staff has won the Pete Rozelle Award from the Professional Football Writers of America for its work in a Super Bowl-winning season that included the free agent addition of quarterback Tom Brady.
Bob Glauber wins pro football writers’ achievement award
June 9, 2021 GMTBob Glauber, who has covered the NFL since 1985 and has been with Newsday since 1989, has been selected as the Career Achievement Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America.
Glauber is the 53rd career achievement winner and the first from Newsday.
USFL relaunching next year, four decades after its birth
June 3, 2021 GMTThe USFL is relaunching in 2022, four decades after the spring football league's short-lived run that featured such stars as Reggie White, Herschel Walker, Steve Young, Jim Kelly and future president Donald Trump.
Column: Tim Tebow’s reality show heads back to the NFL
May 21, 2021 GMTMaybe Colin Kaepernick should learn a new position.
Tight end, perhaps.
From the looks of things, that appears to be a pathway back to the NFL for ex-quarterbacks who haven't played the game in a very long time.
Retired Black players say NFL brain-injury payouts show bias
May 14, 2021 GMTPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Thousands of retired Black professional football players, their families and supporters are demanding an end to the controversial use of “race-norming” to determine which players are eligible for payouts in the NFL’s $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims, a system experts say is discriminatory.
‘The Bachelor’ star Colton Underwood comes out as gay
April 14, 2021 GMTColton Underwood, the former football tight end who found fame on "The Bachelor,” has revealed that he is gay...
Tom Brady rookie football card fetches $2.25M at auction
April 4, 2021 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Quarterback Tom Brady is proving he’s the GOAT not just on the football field but also in the collectibles market: A rookie football card just sold for $2...
Former USC star running back C.J. Gable retires from CFL
April 2, 2021 GMTHAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — Former USC star running back C.J. Gable has ended his professional football career where it began...
Lamont, tribes hopeful sports betting ready for NFL kickoff
March 25, 2021 GMTNORWICH, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut officials and the state's two federally recognized tribes expressed optimism Thursday that online gambling and sports wagering will become a reality across the state by the fall, in time for the new professional football season...
For television, NFL deal is likely a matter of survival
March 22, 2021 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The $113 billion deal to telecast NFL games through 2033 is head-swimmingly large — until you consider that the very survival of broadcast networks as we know them may depend upon it...
AP source: New Lions coach Campbell gets 6-year deal
January 21, 2021 GMTThe Detroit Lions landed the coach they coveted from the start of their search by hiring Dan Campbell...
Chiefs’ undrafted rookie making big impact on defensive line
November 5, 2020 GMTKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tershawn Wharton doesn't want to minimize the work the coaching staff at Missouri S&T did with him the past four years, but the massive defensive lineman with the slightly shy chuckle also knew it wouldn't be enough...
Chiefs’ Bell to face former team as Jets visit Arrowhead
October 29, 2020 GMTKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid doesn't subscribe to the notion of payback in the business of professional football...
Big Apple rotten with Jets, Giants off to 0-4 starts
October 8, 2020 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — No wins, eight losses and lots of frustrated fans.
The Big Apple is pretty rotten when it comes to its professional football teams, and it's tough to imagine things getting better any time soon...
Big-time agent has plan for football players to find path
July 31, 2020 GMTIn this time of upheaval on all levels of football, Don Yee has a plan to provide long-term stability...
Maryland governor: Probably time to change Redskins name
July 9, 2020 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday he believes the name of Washington’s professional football team “probably should be changed," though he supported the team's name when he ran for governor in 2014...
Column: Shula should be remembered for more than wins
May 4, 2020 GMTSuccess for athletes and coaches usually is measured by numbers. That’s a too-limited way to encapsulate the impact of Don Shula on professional football...
Jason Garrett will not return as Dallas Cowboys head coach.
January 5, 2020 GMTFRISCO, Texas (AP) — Jason Garrett will not return as Dallas Cowboys head coach.
Innovative Paul Brown voted NFL’s greatest game changer
November 2, 2019 GMTPaul Brown's influence on professional football has been felt for decades. He is as responsible as anyone for making it America's most popular sport...
A look at the first decade of the NFL, the 1920s
September 20, 2019 GMTA look at the NFL's first decade, the 1920s:
FRANCHISES: The first season, 1920, the American Professional Football Association had 14 teams, including two Tigers (Cleveland and Chicago)...
Court reinstates late Aaron Hernandez’s murder conviction
March 13, 2019 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Aaron Hernandez's murder conviction was reinstated Wednesday in a sweeping ruling from Massachusetts' highest court that does away with the legal principle that made the former NFL star innocent in the eyes of the law after he killed himself in prison...
Gamblers bet on new US football league despite no history
February 13, 2019 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Almost no one knows the players and there's virtually no history to look back on.
But that's not stopping gamblers from making — and bookmakers from taking — bets on America's newest professional football league, the Alliance of American Football (AAF).
Texans Jaguars Football
October 21, 2018 GMTForgotten stars: Minnesota’s first NFL team wasn’t the Vikings
January 26, 2018 GMTWhen the pro football teams from Green Bay and Minneapolis first met, Babe Ruth had just broken baseballs career home run record of 137, a brand-new Ford Model T cost $325, and the Star Tribunes very own legendary Sid Hartman was a toddler of 19 months.
Around the world, flags and anthems can divide nations
September 26, 2017 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — President Donald Trump's clash with scores of professional football players who knelt during "The Star-Spangled Banner" last weekend has set off a heated debate over proper etiquette during the national anthem...
Bernie Casey, pro football player turned actor, dies
September 21, 2017 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Bernie Casey, a professional football player turned poet, painter and actor known for parts in films such as "Revenge of the Nerds" and "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," has died...
Are you ready for the 2017 NFL Draft?
April 22, 2017 GMTA lot has changed since the first National Football League Draft was held in Philadelphia on Feb. 8, 1938.
Back then, the 17-year-old league had only nine teams. As for the African-American experience, forget it.
With his football future uncertain, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo focuses on golf at Azalea Invitational
March 31, 2017 GMTTony Romo’s professional football future may be in limbo but the longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback isn’t letting it affect his golf game.
Romo’s 7-over-par 78 in Thursday’s opening round of the Azalea Invitational at the Country Club of Charleston wasn’t that bad considering he had “only played three or four rounds this year,” hadn’t played tournament golf in almost four years and did not play a practice round on a course that has had some bunkers added since he last played here.
Cooper Kupp, five other former Eastern Washington football players plan for Pro Day
March 25, 2017 GMTSix former Eastern Washington football players, including two-time FCS Player of the Year Cooper Kupp, are expected to take part in EWU’s annual Pro Day on Tuesday.
Other players who plan to test are wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Shaq Hill, quarterback Jordan West, linebacker Miquiyah Zamora and defense end Samson Ebukam.
Florida DL coach Bryant Young abruptly resigns
April 10, 2013 GMTGAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida defensive line coach Bryant Young is stepping away from football to spend more time with his family.
Young announced at a team meeting Wednesday that he is resigning after more than two decades of college and professional football.