football Page 19 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Diversity in hiring is working for the 49ers, and other NFL teams don't like it
The rules in the NFL apply to all 32 teams. The compensatory draft pick rules are not exclusive to the San Francisco 49ers. They have received extra selections because they assembled a staff and front office that is not exclusively white men. ...

If Chicago can’t exploit Washington’s obvious desire for Caleb Williams, somebody needs to be fired
There are enough patsies in need of a quarterback that Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles would be foolish to not take the many godfather offers that will come his way before the NFL Draft on April 25. Chief among them are the Washington Commanders, who have a new owner, new GM and new coach desperately tr...

Brett Favre continues to refuse to pay back money he allegedly swindled from the poor
When we last checked in with Brett Favre, he was attempting to fend off allegations that he knowingly played a role in diverting funds from Mississippi’s welfare fund to his pet project, a volleyball court at his alma mater where (surprise!) his daughter played on the team. In addition to (maybe) pa...

Why would the UFL release its schedule during Super Bowl week?
There’s strength in numbers, but bad planning can weaken anything. When the XFL and USFL officially announced their merger as the UFL in December, it was to expand pro football in a country that’s obsessed over the game....

ESPN, Fox, Warner Brothers creating sports streaming service
ESPN, Fox, and Warner Brothers have announced that they will launch a joint streaming service sometime this year, dedicated to broadcasting live games across 15 networks and all big four leagues....
![So much for Saquon Barkley being a 'Giant for life' [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/f3c6d802297990b5c4a9b9cb3e1da6ba.jpg)
So much for Saquon Barkley being a 'Giant for life' [Update]
It’s official. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the New York Giants will not give running back Saquon Barkley the franchise tag. He will hit the open market for the first time since entering the league in 2018. ...

Here's what it will take to win Super Bowl LVIII
Football fans across the globe, be sure to enjoy the build-up to Super Bowl LVII, San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs. Another NFL game of significance will not be played until Sept. 5. That Thursday evening will be in the midst of an American presidential election campaign, and we should all...

A lack of relationships curbed the NFL’s enthusiasm for Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick’s offseason job search ended in pitiful fashion last week. For unknown reasons, a bevy of general managers vying to keep their jobs in a highly competitive industry opted to hitch their wagons to young, unproven coaches they’ve had prior relationships with rather than an eight-time Su...

The NFL's multi-billion dollar empire has a lawn-care problem
If there is one aspect of sports in which the NFL should have an unquestioned expertise, it should be in the maintenance of its playing surfaces. If the NBA and NHL can share stadiums and puzzle piece courts together over ice, then the NFL should be able to have the grass in pristine condition at th...

First woman, openly gay NFL coach torn over which of her former teams to root for in Super Bowl
Katie Sowers was a member of Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff the last time the San Francisco 49ers were in the Super Bowl. That was back in 2020, when the Niners took on the Kansas City Chiefs, whom Sowers would join as an offensive assistant the following season....

This week’s Las Vegas Super Bowl is one giant ad for sports betting
Of all the pop culture to come out of Las Vegas, very little of it has been flattering. From Nicky Santoro killing a guy with a ballpoint pen to Clark gambling away the Griswald family savings, and the Sin City graphic novels in between, it’s very difficult to overlook the city’s unsavory history — ...

Dude, it's only second-grade basketball . . .
There has been a lot said and written about horrible youth sports parents. Just recently, former NBA player Matt Barnes allegedly told a high school student announcing a game between Harvard-Westlake and Crespi Carmelite High School — where the small forward’s son plays — that he’d slap the sh*t out...

Roger Goodell gets exposed again at the Super Bowl
They got rid of Jim Trotter. They moved the Commissioner’s annual Super Bowl press conference to Monday — and made it invite-only. They thought they did everything they could to protect Roger Goodell. They thought wrong. ...

Chris Russo was out of line when he called Dan Orlovsky 'a scrub'
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is largely a loveable relic from the sports radio past. He’s strident, over the top, and plays into this character that he created 40 years ago. While doing his “What are you Mad about,” segment on ESPN’s First Take, Russo has admitted that it’s stupid and his antics are ridicu...

The 49ers have a lot of history riding on this Super Bowl
The San Francisco 49ers will play in the franchise’s eighth Super Bowl on Sunday in hopes of joining the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots as the only franchises with six Lombardi trophies. It’s such a historical game for many reasons on both sides, but for the Niners, there’s so much on ...

Eric Bieniemy should be preparing for the Super Bowl. Instead, he’s out of a job (Updated)
Updated 3:15 p.m EST: ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has said Bieniemy will not return to Washington’s staff....

Your guide to hate-watching Super Bowl 58’s Chiefs-49ers rerun
The best 2024 could give us for Super Bowl LVIII is a rerun. The Kansas City Chiefs marching into a showdown against a defensive juggernaut helmed by a lowly-regarded quarterback is another reminder that time is a flat circle. We even got a Shanahan-McCaffrey revival 25 years after Ed McCaffrey and ...

It’s time to face reality — Bill Belichick is likely done coaching in the NFL
We’ve heard the phrase, “end of an era” quite a bit in the football world lately. Nick Saban retired in Alabama, Bill Belichick was “ushered” out of New England, and Pete Carroll was moved into an advisor’s role in Seattle. All championship coaches who many feel the game has passed by. Initially, it...

Carl Weathers and the professional athletes who became actors
Acting and sports have a lot in common. It takes a ton of body control to do either, both are consumed by millions, and the biggest stars usually have a ton of charisma. These are the athletes who broke out of their sports and became big stars in Hollywood. ...

Former Raider, <i>Rocky</i> star Carl Weathers dead at 76
Carl Weathers, the actor who starred in the Rocky franchise, Predator, and The Mandalorian, died on Feb. 1, according to Variety. He was 76. ...