Podcast: Mike Ditka recalls days at Pitt, getting drafted into NFL
Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s first professional football contract was for … $12,000. “I was the (fifth) player picked in the draft — $12,000 with a $6,000 signing bonus,” Ditka told Gus Frerotte during the second part of this week’s “Huddle Up with Gus” podcast. Ditka recalls...
Calvin Johnson to Lions: ‘Put that money back in my pocket’Video
Calvin Johnson has kept his distance from the Detroit Lions since his abrupt retirement after the 2015 season, which is a less-than-ideal situation for a sad-sack franchise that has had so few recent megastars apart from Barry Sanders. And with Johnson’s first crack at the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
Odell Beckham Jr. reports to Browns, after skipping workouts
BEREA, Ohio — Odell Beckham Jr. reported for the Cleveland Browns’ mandatory minicamp and will practice Tuesday after missing most of the team’s voluntary workouts. The star wide receiver has been training in California and missed nine of 10 practices. But he will take part in the Browns’ three-day minicamp,...
Source: Gerald McCoy snubs Ravens, Browns, agrees to join PanthersVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Panthers agreed to terms with six-time Pro Bowl free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy on a one-year contract worth up to $10.25 million with incentives, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on Monday. McCoy, who was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
Roger Goodell reiterates desire to shorten 4-game NFL preseason
BATAVIA, N.Y. — Four preseason games remain too much for Roger Goodell. The NFL commissioner Monday reiterated his stance of wanting to reduce the preseason schedule at a time the league and players’ association have begun preliminary talks on a new collective bargaining agreement. “I feel what we should be...
Terrelle Pryor signs with Jacksonville Jaguars
Jeannette’s Terrelle Pryor will head to camp with another new team, his ninth in eight years in the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed the veteran quarterback-turned-wide receiver to a one-year contract. The 6-foot-4, 228-pound Pryor spent last season with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills during what has been...
Rob Gronkowski puts football return rumors to rest
Rob Gronkowski says he’s in a good place and isn’t planning to return to football. The former New England Patriots tight end, who played just his senior year of high school football at Woodland Hills, took part in a children with cancer event at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on...
Podcast: Mike Ditka recalls growing up in Aliquippa, his drive to succeed
Mike Ditka, the former Pitt All-American and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, grew up wanting to be a dentist. “That didn’t work out, you can tell,” he told Gus Frerotte in the first part of this week’s “Huddle Up with Gus” podcast. Ditka tells the story of...
NFL stadiums come long way from Lambeau Field
Next summer, the Raiders are slated to relocate to Las Vegas and begin playing in a sleek $1.8 billion dome with a transparent roof, a black glass exterior to match their boldest uniform color and retractable doors to frame an 80-foot-tall by 215-foot wide view of the casinos on the...
Chris Harris Jr. returns to Broncos, ready to prove worth at $12M/yearVideo
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Chris Harris Jr. finally feels appreciated — financially. “Oh yeah, definitely more satisfied for what I do on the field. I definitely get more respect around the league for what I’ve done and I mean, that’s what it’s about,” Harris said Wednesday following his first workout with...
Browns star WR Odell Beckham Jr. gets custom orange Rolls RoyceVideo
CLEVELAND — Odell Beckham Jr. has a new team and a new ride. The star wide receiver purchased a tricked-out, orange Rolls Royce complete with a pop-up hood ornament that features a miniaturized model of him in a Browns uniform making one of the one-handed catches he became known for...
Jon Gruden challenges Antonio Brown during Raiders offseasonVideo
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Antonio Brown’s credentials were well established long before he arrived as the Oakland Raiders’ new No. 1 receiver. Brown posted six straight 100-catch seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and was the NFL’s most prolific receiver before he forced his way out of town...
Haloti Ngata retires as a Raven; Brian Billick also honored by teamVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — On a day designed to honor Haloti Ngata’s retirement as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, his former coach in stole a portion of the limelight. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti welcomed Ngata and Brian Billick into the team’s prestigious Ring of Honor, announcing Wednesday that Billick...
NFL owners expected to pursue 18-game season or expanded playoffs
As representatives of the NFL and the players’ union prepare to intensify negotiations on a new labor deal, some team owners favor revisiting the possibility of an 18-game regular season or an expanded playoff field. In exchange for securing an agreement from the players on the issue, many owners seem...
First Call: An Antonio Brown, Vontaze Burfict family feud; Austin Meadows stays hot
Wednesday’s “First Call” gives us the first “feud” between Antonio Brown and Vontaze Burfict. And the Raiders really did sign Richie Incognito. The worst first pitch ever. Another Austin Meadows homer. It’s time to play the feud Antonio Brown and Vontaze Burfict had their first family feud in Oakland. No,...
Raiders’ Antonio Brown says he wants his work ethic to do talking
ALAMEDA, Calif. — There were no controversial sound bites or on-field theatrics, just the sight of a pro going about his business during a football practice in late May. Which is why the Raiders traded for Antonio Brown in the first place after nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the...
Raiders agree to 1-year deal with troubled guard Richie Incognito
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders agreed Tuesday to a one-year deal with troubled guard Richie Incognito. Incognito’s agent, Ken Sarnoff, tweeted confirmation of the deal , congratulating his client for his return to the NFL after sitting out last season in retirement. The 35-year-old Incognito has played 11 years...
Bart Starr, 1960s Green Bay quarterback, dies at 85Video
Bart Starr was an ordinary quarterback until teaming with Vince Lombardi and serving as the catalyst for the powerhouse Green Bay Packers teams that ruled the 1960s and ushered in the NFL as America’s most popular sport. The quarterback’s graceful throws helped turn a run-heavy league into a passing spectacle,...
Family tradition: Chargers’ Joey Bosa switches to familiar No. 97Video
COSTA MESA, Calif. — Joey Bosa is hoping to return to form with the Los Angeles Chargers wearing a new, yet familiar, number. The defensive end has switched from No. 99 to 97. Bosa wore that number at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Ohio State....
Former Bengals star Chad Johnson says he plans to attend KKK rally
Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson doesn’t appear to be happy that he wasn’t invited to a Klu Klux Klan rally scheduled for Saturday in Dayton, Ohio. Damn no invite❓ Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 24, 2019 Ocho Cinco made it known via Twitter that he may show up anyhow....
Donovan McNabb: If Troy Aikman’s in HOF, I should be, too
Three cycles of Pro Football Hall of Fame voting have come and gone since Donovan McNabb became eligible, and the former Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings quarterback has yet to make it past the initial nominee stage (the 100 or so nominees each year are trimmed down to...
Jaguars’ Leonard Fournette focuses on ‘clean start’ after dismal seasonVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Leonard Fournette slipped off his sweaty cleats, signed each one and then handed them to a young fan after practice. The youngster carefully walked away with Fournette’s gold-colored shoes, making sure not to touch the drying ink. After all, the memorabilia could appreciate in value if the...
Super Bowl loss, other factors drive Aaron Donald
To stay a cut above the competition, Aaron Donald again trained this offseason by dodging knives. Fake blades, of course. But the results from the reaction exercises have certainly been real. The two-time reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year for the Los Angeles Rams by way of Pitt and...
First Call: Possible Phil Kessel landing spot; Pirates scout outfielder; loving Le’Veon Bell
It’s a trade-heavy “First Call” for Friday. The Penguins may be engaged in a potential trade for Phil Kessel. Jets coach Adam Gase is denying ideas he wants to trade Le’Veon Bell. And the Pirates may be interested in acquiring a New York Yankee. Pharewell Phil? Tribune-Review Penguins writer Jonathan...
Aaron Rodgers attempt at chugging beer is laughable
If you want a good laugh, you should take a look at what happened in Milwaukee on Thursday night. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers somehow got into a beer chug match against teammate David Bakhtiari during the first quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between...
