Chiefs coach Andy Reid needs Super Bowl win to silence criticsVideo
MIAMI — Andy Reid has won more games than any coach without a Super Bowl title, so people question whether he can win the big one. The knock against Reid throughout his 21-year coaching career has been his inability to win a championship. He was 1-4 in conference title games...
Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill relishes Super Bowl run after ruinous offseasonVideo
MIAMI — Just over six months ago, Tyreek Hill was uncertain whether he ever would play another game in the NFL. He had become the object of scorn among many Kansas City Chiefs fans when audio surfaced early last year in which his then-fiancee accused him of hurting their 3-year-old...
Tight end Greg Olsen leaving Panthers after 9 seasonsVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Greg Olsen’s playing days with the Carolina Panthers are over. The 34-year-old tight end announced on Twitter on Thursday that he will be leaving the team, calling it a mutual decision that followed a meeting with general manager Marty Hurney. Olsen has one year remaining on his...
49ers running back Raheem Mostert rides wave to stardomVideo
MIAMI — Raheem Mostert froze as the menacing fin sliced through the ocean surface just 2 feet from his surfboard. It was a shark. OK, now what? The San Francisco 49ers running back was 16 at the time and in trouble in the waters off New Smyrna Beach, Fla. —the...
Chiefs, 49ers bring history, excitement, buzz to Super BowlVideo
MIAMI — Few Super Bowls in recent memory have appeared as competitive as the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs. No wonder there’s a little more buzz about this one. History and excitement are a nice combination for any championship game. The history stems from the Chiefs seeking...
New Orleans Saints helped shape accused clergy list, victim lawyers say
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints maintain their behind-the-scenes public relations work on the area’s Roman Catholic sexual abuse crisis was “minimal,” but attorneys suing the church allege hundreds of confidential Saints emails show the team actively helping to shape a list of credibly accused clergy that appears...
Browns hire ex-Pitt, NFL QB Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinatorVideo
CLEVELAND — New Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is hiring former Pitt and NFL quarterback Alex Van Pelt as his offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the Browns’ latest front office shakeup told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Van Pelt, who played at Pitt from 1989-92, spent the past two...
Roger Goodell: Diversity in coach/executive hirings must improveVideo
MIAMI — Stopping short of saying the Rooney Rule is not working, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the league needs change to its minority hiring policy. Though the league requires teams to interview minority candidates, only two African-Americans have been hired for 19 open head coaching spots over the...
Roger Goodell concerned with Antonio Brown’s health, not return to NFLVideo
MIAMI — The NFL’s main goal regarding the case involving receiver Antonio Brown is to help him be successful in life, commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday during a news conference. “The first thing always is to think about the well-being of Antonio, to understand what Antonio is going through,” Goodell...
Chris Doleman, former Pitt player and Pro Football Hall of Famer, dies of brain cancer
Chris Doleman, one of the NFL’s most feared pass rushers of all-time and one of nine former Pitt players to earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died Tuesday night after a prolonged battle with brain cancer. Doleman was 58. Doleman, a defensive end and outside linebacker, was...
Column: Super Bowl streak ends at age 89 for Jerry IzenbergVideo
MIAMI — Jerry Izenberg can still write, as anyone who reads his columns in the Star-Ledger in New Jersey knows. Just the other day he wrote a good one about an aging sports writer who has been to every Super Bowl since the first one in 1967. That sports writer...
Niners’ Jimmy Garoppolo takes Tom Brady’s lessons into 1st Super Bowl startVideo
MIAMI — Jimmy Garoppolo had a front-row seat in the best classroom on the best way to prepare for being a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. After watching Tom Brady prepare for two Super Bowl wins as his backup on New England, Garoppolo gets the chance to translate those...
Judge frees Antonio Brown from house arrestVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida judge freed NFL free agent Antonio Brown from house arrest Tuesday, allowing him to travel freely as he awaits trial on charges that he attacked the driver of a moving truck. Circuit Judge Michael Usan agreed to let Brown travel freely within the United...
First Call: Diamondbacks bask in Starling Marte trade; Montana’s advice for Brady; big games for Pitt and Duquesne
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Arizona is celebrating the Starling Marte trade in a way we might not like. Joe Montana has advice for Tom Brady. LeSean McCoy talks about his reduced role. Jeff Capel’s return to Duke. And stunning numbers for Duquesne’s big game Wednesday. Hey! You can’t do that!...
49ers veteran lineman Staley sees patience rewarded with Super Bowl berthVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When the San Francisco 49ers were mired in a two-win season in 2016 and headed to a third straight offseason with a coaching change, Joe Staley wondered if it was still worth the sacrifices needed to play offensive line in such a grueling sport. He had...
Browns’ Kareem Hunt tells police he’d fail drug test during stopVideo
CLEVELAND — Browns running back Kareem Hunt told a police officer he would have failed a drug test if he had been checked during a stop when he was ticketed for speeding and marijuana was found in his car. Hunt was cited for speeding — but no other charges —...
Source: Browns to hire Eagles VP Andrew Berry as new GM
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have reached agreement to hire Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry as their new general manager and executive vice president, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Monday. Berry, who worked in Cleveland’s front office from 2016-18, will get...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden: Kobe Bryant’s death, PiratesFest futility, Penguins second half, Super Bowl preview
This week’s “Madden Monday” starts on a somber note as we address the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Mark Madden and I discuss his legacy, his place in NBA history, what made him unique, and the sad memories Pittsburghers may have of Roberto Clemente’s passing as a result. After...
Pro Bowl takes backstage to Kobe Bryant’s deathVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Green Bay linebacker Za’Darius Smith hastily organized an homage to Kobe Bryant minutes before the Pro Bowl. Smith and his NFC teammates learned about Bryant’s death while they were in the locker room getting ready for the NFL’s all-star game Sunday. Smith suggested the best way to...
With foundation in Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs built team for Super BowlVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The team that eventually would take the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years was under construction long before general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid finally laid the cornerstone. Patrick Mahomes simply allowed them to erect the...
Jim Litke: Under-30 NFL stars trading in riches for long-term healthVideo
Last week, nearly two decades after his death, straight-talking Giants front-office boss George Young finally got elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It seemed fitting for a guy who took the long view on everything. Back when most teams asked potential draft picks just a handful of questions,...
Trailblazing 49ers assistant has roots in Chiefs KingdomVideo
HESSTON, Kan. — The old downtown strip, like so many in small towns across America, is quiet on a brisk January morning, just a few cars parked at one end in front of The Citizens State Bank and a few more in front of the pharmacy at the other. Around...
Afterthought as it is, Pro Bowl has rich historyVideo
With James Lofton’s rookie season off to a strong start in 1978, another member of the Green Bay Packers casually tossed some praise his way in the locker room one day in early December. Keep up the production, his pal said, and he might find himself in the Pro Bowl....
Giants’ Eli Manning retires after 16 seasons, 2 Super BowlsVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning retired from the NFL after 16 seasons just the way he wanted, as a hard-working, career-long New York Giant who did it his way in leading the franchise to two Super Bowls. Saying he had no regrets, the 39-year-old Manning officially ended his career...
Cleveland Browns’ Kareem Hunt cited for speeding, marijuana in car
CLEVELAND — Browns running back Kareem Hunt was cited for a traffic violation, and police say they found marijuana in his car. He was pulled over Tuesday afternoon in Rocky River, Ohio — on Cleveland’s west side — while driving on Interstate 90. An incident report said officers smelled marijuana...
