football
USFL to make comeback in 2013
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The USFL is back in business. Well, almost. A reincarnation of the league, with an entirely different business model, plans to kick off in March. On Thursday, it included Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff among its advisers. Biletnikoff …
Wes Welker says he signed $9.5M franchise tender
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker said Tuesday he has signed the $9.5 million tender offer that came along with being designated the team’s franchise player. Welker made the announcement on Twitter. He said he loves the game and his teammates and …
NFL, NCAA support youth helmet program
NEW YORK — The NFL, its players’ union and the NCAA are donating money to provide new helmets to youth football players in low-income communities. They’ve joined with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) to commit a total of about $1 …
Vikings Stadium gets pass completion from Senate
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings moved to within a governor’s signature of getting a new $975 million stadium on Thursday after the state Senate approved a plan that relies heavily on public financing. Gov. Mark Dayton has said he’ll sign the measure, meaning …
Ryan Leaf pleads guilty to stealing painkillers
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that he broke into a house and possessed prescription painkillers as part of a plea agreement that recommends he spend nine months in inpatient drug treatment. Leaf pleaded guilty to one …
NFL: Study says former players live longer
NEW YORK — The NFL is telling retirees about a medical study that says former players live longer than men in the general population. While player safety issues related to brain trauma and other football-related injuries dominate the headlines, the study by the National Institute …
Senate debates Vikings stadium plan
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate began looking to Vikings fans to help pay for a new $975 million stadium in downtown Minneapolis as a financing proposal faced a second key vote on Tuesday. Sen. Julie Rosen, the stadium bill sponsor, proposed imposing user …
Saints’ Anthony Hargrove says coaches told him to ‘play dumb’ about bounties
NEW ORLEANS — Former Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargove describes in a sworn statement how he was told by ex-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and current New Orleans assistant head coach Joe Vitt to deny the existence of a bounty program to NFL investigators. In a …
Vikings stadium plan gets pass completion, nearing endzone
ST. PAUL, Minn. — After years of setbacks, the Minnesota Vikings can finally point to a major victory in the franchise quest for a new stadium. Tuesday could make it two in a row. The Minnesota House voted 73-58 on Monday for a stadium financing …
Terrell Owens will talk child support on Dr. Phil
Looks as if T.O.’s got some explaining to do. And he’s going to do it today on “Dr. Phil.” The reality TV star/former all-time-great wide receiver will be confronted by three women who claim Owens is delinquent on his child-support payments. Dr. Phil told ‘‘CBS …
Notre Dame’s Darius Fleming had to wait till 165th pick, but he’s happy it was 49ers
Despite the best of intentions to avoid watching the NFL draft last Saturday, Darius Fleming couldn’t avoid it. ‘‘I planned to go golfing, but the weather was really bad, so I didn’t do that,’’ Fleming said. ‘‘I ended up going to my grandmother’s house. I …
Junior Seau brain to be donated to research
SAN DIEGO — Junior Seau’s brain will be donated by his family for research into football-related head injuries. San Diego Chargers chaplain Shawn Mitchell said he didn’t know where the brain will be sent. “The Seau family really has, almost like Junior, a philanthropic approach, …
Art Schlichter gets 10-year prison term
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The painful saga of ex-Ohio State and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter came to a close Friday when a federal judge sentenced him to nearly 11 years in prison for scamming participants in what authorities called a million-dollar sports ticket scheme. Schlichter, …
Ravens’ Terrell Suggs tears Achilles tendon
OWINGS MILLS, Md.— A person familiar with the injury says Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Terrell Suggs has torn his Achilles tendon while working out in Arizona and may miss the 2012 season. The Associated Press’ NFL Defensive Player of the Year is expected to have …
Fighting Irish: Police say Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees knees cop
After a night of drinking, running away from police breaking up a house party, allegedly kneeing a cop in the gut and getting pepper-sprayed and cuffed, Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees was charged with four misdemeanors Thursday, authorities said. The 19-year-old from Lake Bluff escaped a felony charge.
It’s good to be ... Troy Aikman
Oh, to have friends like this. Troy Aikman was spotted outside a Sunset Boulevard steakhouse with Abigail Klein, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. With paparazzi cameras rolling, the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback bought the aspiring young actress two roses from a street vendor. But her …
