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The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, accuses the NFL of ignoring players’ concussion risks for years “despite overwhelming medical evidence that on-field concussions led directly to brain injuries and frequently had tragic repercussions for retired players.”

Ron Jaworski is out at "Monday Night Football." ESPN announced Wednesday that the analyst would be removed from the network's signature broadcast beginning in August. Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden will operate as a two-man booth. Jaworski will remain at the network and appear on various programs, including "Countdown" and "Matchup." < -- SNIP -- > This paragraph, from a December article in The New Yorker about Gruden, was a perfect microcosm of Jaws' time in the booth: When it was Jaworski's turn, he issued a stern proclamation. "Call me crazy, but I'm really excited for Tyler Palko tonight," he...

If the sport of football ever dies, it will die from the outside in. -- Jonah Lehrer If an increasing number of economists and trend analysts are to be believed, we may one day look back at something like Colt McCoy's concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011 as one of many galvanic events that blew football apart, and reduced the country's most popular sport to a marginal pastime. It's unlikely that such a colossal financial concern as football could be killed off entirely, but as Malcolm Gladwell first wrote in the New Yorker in 2009, it's not crazy to...

LOS ANGELES -- A top county official held a news conference Thursday night to set the record straight on an issue of paramount importance to Los Angeles: beach football. Pigskin chucking, Frisbee hurling and all manner of ball play are OK on Los Angeles beaches, as long as people play safely, said county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. An exasperated Yaroslavsky said he was forced to call the news conference after a media misfire earlier this week prompted a flood of calls and emails to his office, with one complaint from as far away as London. "Nobody is going to get fined...

Minneapolis, Minn. — Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and labor groups say they have agreements with the Vikings that they hope will increase city support for a new stadium on the current Metrodome site. The agreements call for union labor to be used on any stadium, with unions committing to no work stoppages.

Okay, comments and predictions here.

Sitting here now smoking a pork shoulder...not exactly a NY dish, but I'm in MD now and have Virginians coming, so they get it. Son-in-law bringing Boston Baked Beans for the Pats symbol; also, my beautiful wife making pizza appetizers using sliced-in-half pita bread and fontina cheese. Veggies and dip, chips and dip (crab dip for MD), mac and cheese coming, potato salad and cole slaw for pulled pork. Also, Kosher hot dogs for friend who won't eat the pork...plus sauerkraut and fried onions to go with the dogs.We are all Giants fans...so GO BLUE! We always have LaBatt's Blue...

Last week, two hundred thousand Bostonians were nearly apoplectic over the threat of a TV blackout that could have caused them to miss their beloved Patriots playing in this year’s Super Bowl. A deal reached between DirecTV and Sunbeam Television, which owns the local broadcasting affiliate carrying the game, means it will go on. However, consumers directing their anger at content and cable providers are often unaware that most of the fault lies with government retransmission rules. TV blackouts are unfortunately nothing new, the occasional result of negotiations between broadcasters and content providers, and the cable, satellite, and telcos that...

PORTLAND, Maine -- What would you miss to attend a Super Bowl Game? If you are like many Americans, apparently just about anything. A recently-released survey from CouponCabin.com showed that the Super Bowl has become more important than just about anything to Americans. Twenty-one percent of those polled said they would skip an important work responsibility to attend the game. Twenty percent said they would skip the wedding of a close friend or family member. Nineteen percent said they would pass on attending the funeral of a loved one.Fifteen percent said they would go to the Super Bowl rather than...

Patriots fans can relax. There will be no blackout in Boston of the game on DirecTV. The satellite TV company said Thursday it reached a retransmission deal with Sunbeam Television, allowing it to carry WHDH, the NBC affiliate broadcasting the big game, WLVI, the CW affiliate in Boston, and WSVN, the Fox affiliate in Miami. The Sunbeam stations have been dark on DirecTV since Jan. 14.

A Yale football player who said he withdrew from consideration for a Rhodes scholarship in order to prepare for his team's rivalry game against Harvard had in fact been informed his candidacy had been suspended, The New York Times reported. The Rhodes Trust had suspended quarterback Patrick Witt's candidacy when it learned, outside of official channels, that a female student had accused Witt of sexual assault in September, the newspaper reported. Witt had previously announced he had withdrawn his application because his interview for the prestigious scholarship was on the same day as Yale's game against Harvard, its ancient archrival....

So, West Virginia has won three different BCS bowl games in the last six years - with three different coaches no less. What to make of this? Well, first of all, it puts the Mountaineers in a pretty select group of college football programs that have won three or more of these since the system was created in 1998 – eight programs to be exact. There’s Ohio State, USC, Florida, LSU, Texas, Miami and Oklahoma that have won at least three BCS bowl games in the last 14 years. And now, um, catch your breath here, West Virginia. That’s right,...

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A figurative beat down turned literal beating has led to the felony arrests of a group of local high school football players. Police arrested four Star International Academy seniors Wednesday on aggravated assault charges stemming from an altercation in the team’s last game of the season. The players -- Mohamed Ahmed, Fanar Al-Alsady, Hadee Attia and Ali Bajjey, all age 17 -- are accused of gang-beating Lutheran Westland’s quarterback as time expired in Lutheran’s 47-6 drubbing of Star on Oct. 21. According to numerous witness statements gathered by police, Lutheran’s quarterback was set to take a knee...

Just amazing. This kid has had death threats because of his two fumbles in loss to Giants. LISTEN TO DAN PATRICK SHOW

Joe Paterno, who died Sunday morning at age 85, will go down as a martyr. For what, it’s not clear. Not at this moment, anyway. It likely will take the sands of time and the sifting of those fine granules through the life and complex era of a dignified man to let us know what the final chiseled decision will be. Does the fact that Pater-no won more Division I college football games than anyone (409), had a high graduation rate, loved his family, gave huge sums to the Penn State library and stayed in a modest house in one...

A college football fan inflicted a horrifying sexual assault on a rival supporter after he passed out in a fast food restaurant following the game. A video taken on a camera phone showed a group of students from Alabama University surround the Louisiana State University student who is slumped over a table passed out, at a Krystal restaurant in New Orleans on January 9.

“State [of Minnesota] not rushing to act on Vikings stadium,” fretted the January 13 headline of a column in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. New Jersey billionaire Zygi Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings, is seeking about $700 million in taxpayers’ money to build his team a new stadium in the state. The $700 million would be roughly split between state and local taxpayers. Members of one proposed site for the stadium have been especially disgruntled by Wilf’s request to take their money for his business. A group in Ramsey County, which includes the state capital of St. Paul, has collected...

Saturday night, the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos suffered a crushing 45-10 defeat to the New England Patriots, ending their season. But it hasn’t ended the discussion about Tebow and the his meteoric rise in popularity since being named the Broncos’ starting quarterback. On ABC’s “This Week,” host George Stephanopoulos asked Washington Post columnist George Will why, despite Tebow’s positive attitude and charm, the openly christian quarterback is such a polarizing figure in American culture? “That’s a good question,” Will replied, “because when Hank Greenberg of the Tigers, Sandy Koufax and Sean Greene of the Dodgers — all three Jewish —...

Jim Becker of Racine, Wis., was named the 12th member of the Green Bay Packers FAN Hall of Fame at Packers Fan Fest Friday at the Lambeau Field Atrium. Becker, a long-time season-ticket holder who has attended games every year from 1952 through 2008, saw his first game in 1941 when he was 11-years-old. He was selected by fans from 10 finalists during a voting period that ran from Dec. 27, 2009, through Jan. 31, 2010. More than 40,000 votes were cast from throughout the United States and countries around the world. A long-time and devoted fan, Becker’s allegiance to...

I am a dye in the wool Green Bay Packers fan, but what I saw tonight was one of the most impressive things I have seen all year. I am not switching allegances, but Good Luck to Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers. You are an inspiration.

Joe Paterno sat in a wheelchair at the family kitchen table where he has eaten, prayed and argued for more than a half-century. All around him family members were shouting at each other, yet he was whispering. His voice sounded like wind blowing across a field of winter stalks, rattling the husks. Lung cancer has robbed him of the breath to say all that he wants to about the scandal he still struggles to comprehend, and which ended his career as head football coach at Penn State University. The words come like gusts. "I wanted to build up, not break...

The Munchkins that lead liberal talk radio really can't stop demonstrating their hatred of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. On Thursday's Bill Press Show, the lapsed Catholic host launched into another broadside about Tebow's winning touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas, and how the "Tebowing" made him nauseous. "I couldn’t believe it and then I looked up at the screen and there he was on his knees with his hand up to his head in the pose that he has now made famous. It was Tebow doing the Tebow and I just wanted to throw up," lamented Press. "Ruined the moment,...

Charles Hauboldt, a Texas funeral home owner, wants nothing more than to see his Houston Texans bury the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl drive at this Sunday’s big game at M&T Bank Stadium. He’ll get his chance as the winning bidder for a playoff ticket auctioned by a Texas Catholic priest and rabid Ravens’ fan. Hauboldt’s high bid of $2,115 won him the ticket, a flight to Baltimore, lodging and ground transportation – not to mention the chance to sit next to Trinitarian Father Stan DeBoe, the man who put the ticket up for grabs. The money will be used to...

Even the witches in Salem are getting in on “Tebowmania.” A group of them formed a circle Friday the 13th at high noon to “neutralize” Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow and, in their words, “heighten Tom Brady’s amazing energy and positive ‘mojo’” for Saturday’s Patriots-Broncos playoff game in Foxboro. “Tebow is praying to the Gods, and we, the Witches of Salem will pray for the entire New England Patriots team and raise the energy in their honor to maximize an outstanding performance,” Salem Witch Lorelei said.

"A hundred dollars on Denver." "You sure?" said the guy at the Las Vegas casino who takes the sports bets. "You don't want the points?" No, things did not look good for the underdog Denver Broncos football team. They suffered three straight ugly losses at the end of the regular season. Their quarterback, Tim Tebow, looked seriously unimpressive. Yet somehow, Denver found themselves in a playoff game against the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. But how can you not pull for Tim Tebow, the polite, respectful rookie quarterback who enjoys stratospheric name recognition, popularity and polarization? Tebow, a devout Christian,...

In his first 2011 start as the Denver Broncos quarterback, Tim Tebow was in the glare of the national spotlight. During pregame activities before playing the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 23, though, Tebow focused not only on the football game ahead but also on 16-year-old Garrett Atwood. Garrett, a Winter Springs youth who has been treated for a life-threatening illness in Jacksonville, spent time with his hero, thanks to Tebow’s desire to help children and families, especially those in crisis. “I know there are more important things than winning a game; like Garrett … he’s more important. Putting a smile...

In an incredible span of a few months, Tim Tebow has gone from a guy who should be working at Jiffy Lube to a guy who shouldn't be a starting quarterback in the NFL to a guy who will never win a game in the NFL to a guy who will never win a playoff game in the NFL. Who's got next? **snip**The heart of the matter is that with Tebow, it's always been about much more than X's and O's. Each game behind center for the Denver Broncos has become a morality play, with the haters and the atheists...

<p>“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”</p> <p>Tim Tebow started sporting John 3:16 way back during his college career.</p> <p>Yesterday Tim Tebow Tebow passed for 316 yards against the Steelers, completing 10 of 21 pass attempts —meaning he passed for 31.6 yards per completion.</p>

Alabama Ties Notre Dame With Most National Titles In Poll Era Cork Gaines Jan. 10, 2012, 9:43 AM If you want another reason why the poll system in college football is absurd, just try to figure out how many national championships Alabama has after winning last night's BCS Championship game. Alabama claims it is their 14th national title. But according to the NCAA, Alabama has actually been recognized with 18 titles. The problem, of course, is that the NCAA does not have a system to determine the national champion on the field. Even with the BCS system, the NCAA still...

I must admit, I got a mild kick out of this bit on the statistics of yesterday’s Bronco game: It’s surely all coincidence, but how many yards did Tebow throw for as he led the Denver Broncos to a 29-23 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL’s divisional playoffs on Sunday night?Answer: 316.And what did Tebow have on his eye black as he led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2009 national championship game three years ago to the day of his performance in Denver Sunday night?Here is another one: Tebow completed 10 passes on 21 attempts...

For the first time since the BCS held its first "national championship" game after the 1998 season, there won't be any bowl game that can realistically be portrayed as a "national championship" game. This year's game can only be considered as giving the University of Alabama an opportunity to avenge its loss against Louisiana State University(LSU). The two schools can only play for the championship of the western division of the Southeast Conference(SEC). Alabama cannot even claim the championship of the SEC from a victory because that would require Alabama to defeat eastern division champion , the University of Georgia....

Nothing makes a secular bigot sputter and vituperate like a Jesus-loving jock. Secularists across the nation are gnashing their teeth this evening over the latest Mile High miracle. Tim Tebow, whose apostolic Christianity has been a thumb in the eye of those who prefer that others keep their religion in the closet, had a big night. The Denver Broncos defeated the defending AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers (along with their bad-boy quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger) 29-23 in a first round playoff game, the first overtime game played under new, stricter rules. It ended on the first play from scrimmage in overtime with...

Check out the Drudge Report: Tebow action photo with caption "Amazing Grace" hyperlinked to Denver CBS/AP Behind Tebow’s Magic, Broncos Stun Steelers In Overtime Thriller Below that, middle column top photo shows Broncos fans holding up "Tebow 4 President" sign, captioned "Throws for 3:16 yards" (!) linked to Denver Post article Broncos, Tim Tebow stun Steelers in OT, win 29-23 in NFL playoffs"

'nuff said

OT Denver 30 Pitt 23

His voice breaking, J.R. Martinez recalled his first visit home to Dalton from Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas in 2003 where he was being treated for burns on over 40 percent of his body. He recalled a memorable reunion with some of his football teammates from Dalton High School. “We had a little barbecue at Ryman Farm, just to talk about the old days. I’m sitting at a table with Aaron Ward and two girls,” he said. “I’m looking at the hamburger on my plate and saying, ‘I can’t put that in my mouth.’” Martinez couldn’t open his mouth...

Call University of Florida football players a bunch of classless trash talkers if you want. Call them dirty if you want. But racist? For using the term "cracker"? That seems a stretch.

Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said Tuesday he met with Sen. David Senjem, the new Senate majority leader, and said the Vikings “feel that a deal is going to be in the works shortly” to build a new stadium. Wilf met with Senjem a week after Senjem was chosen to replace Sen. Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, who resigned abruptly last month as Senate majority leader after acknowledging she had an inappropriate relationship with a Senate staff member.

The Baltimore Ravens have a playoff bye this week. Don't think that means Terrell Suggs' mouth will be taking it easy. The linebacker took a mostly unprovoked shot at Tim Tebow during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN's "First Take." "With all due respect we don't need God on our sidelines," Suggs said. "Once again God had to save Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. He couldn't even give them two drives? Seven to three? [Referring to the score Denver lost by on Sunday.]"

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Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers - 1PM FOX Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans - 1PM CBS Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars - 1PM CBS New York Jets at Miami Dolphins - 1PM CBS Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings - 1PM FOX Buffalo Bill at New England Patriots - 1PM CBS Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints - 1PM FOX Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles - 1PM FOX San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams - 1PM FOX Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals - 4:15PM FOX Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons - 4:15PM FOX Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati...

And win the Baylor Bears most assuredly did by a score of 67-56 in the Valero Alamo Bowl from San Antonio.

DETROIT -- Matthew Stafford led a victory-lap parade around the perimeter of Ford Field, high-fiving fans that have been waiting since 1999 for the Detroit Lions to make the playoffs. With the crowd chanting "Play-offs! Play-offs!" as the final few minutes ticked away, Detroit clinched a postseason spot thanks to Stafford's three touchdown passes in a 38-10 win over the San Diego Chargers on Saturday. Stafford appeared to be touched by the face-to-face interaction with fans hanging over the railing to reach his raised right hand. "You could just get a sense of how much it meant to them," Stafford...

DENVER — This is the story of three sports-loving Muslim brothers and how they boosted the career of the NFL’s most famous Christian. The Suleimans - Tariq, Ali and Mohammad - are responsible for “the Sign,” the towering electronic billboard that captured national attention when it began running messages in September urging the Denver Broncos to start Tim Tebow as quarterback. It worked. “It just goes to show you,” said Mohammad, “when Muslims and Christians get together, miracles can happen.” Now the talk of professional football and a pop-culture phenomenon for his unorthodox style, onfield heroics and highly visible Christian...

DENVER — This is the story of three sports-loving Muslim brothers and how they boosted the career of the NFL’s most famous Christian. The Suleimans - Tariq, Ali and Mohammad - are responsible for “the Sign,” the towering electronic billboard that captured national attention when it began running messages in September urging the Denver Broncos to start Tim Tebow as quarterback. It worked. “It just goes to show you,” said Mohammad, “when Muslims and Christians get together, miracles can happen.”

USC quarterback Matt Barkley announced Thursday that he will return for a final college season. Barkley made the announcement in front of a Christmas tree and flanked by six Heisman trophies during a packed news conference at USC’s Heritage Hall. Barkley, a three-year starter and team captain, led USC to a 10-2 record this season and was projected as a top pick in the April draft. He finished sixth in balloting for the Heisman Trophy. Barkley, 21, made his decision after consulting with coaches, former players, NFL personnel and agents and family and close friends. Barkley established a Pac-12 record...

2011 NFL WEEK 16 LIVE THREADTHU, DEC 22 Houston at Indianapolis 8:20 PM NFL Lucas Oil Stadium SAT, DEC 24 Oakland at Kansas City 1:00 PM CBS Arrowhead Stadium Jacksonville at Tennessee 1:00 PM CBS LP Field Miami at New England 1:00 PM CBS Gillette Stadium Arizona at Cincinnati 1:00 PM FOX Paul Brown Stadium Denver at Buffalo 1:00 PM CBS Ralph Wilson Stadium St. Louis at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM FOX Heinz Field NY Giants at NY Jets 1:00 PM FOX MetLife Stadium Minnesota at Washington 1:00 PM FOX FedEx Field Tampa Bay at Carolina 1:00 PM FOX Bank of...

DENVER, COLORADO, December 19, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - It looks like a cross between a genuflection and Rodin’s “The Thinker.� The characteristic kneel Tim Tebow makes to thank God after a big play has become a worldwide phenomenon, creating a new craze and stirring controversy over the role of religion in public life. The Global Language Monitor reports that the term “Tebowing� has become an officially recognized English word. “The rapid rise of the word has seldom been equaled,� it adds.  A website, Tebowing.com, quickly collected photos of people striking the reverent pose all over the world, from Stonehenge to...

WMBF News Sports Director Jason Belk confirmed with a source close to the university's program earlier Tuesday morning that Joe Moglia, former coach of the United Football League's Omaha Nighthawks, will take over for David Bennett. Moglia has experience with college football, working as a defensive coordinator at Dartmouth College from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, Moglia went to work for Merrill Lynch for 17 years and then became the chief executive officers at Ameritrade Holding Corp in 2001. He then stepped down as CEO, moving to a voluntary assistant coach position for the University of Nebraska's football program and...