NFL developing facemasks with surgical/N95 material -- report

The NFL Players Association's medical director on Monday said the NFL and equipment company Oakley are working on developing a facemask that contains surgical or N95 material in an effort to better protect players from the coronavirus when they return to the playing field.

During an appearance on "The Adam Schefter Podcast," Thom Mayer said a recommendation probably will be made to the NFL that the league use the revised facemasks. 

Mayer said the new designs could see the entire facemask covered by the new protective material.

"Back in early March, I had suggested that we should consider novel and emerging ways to handle the helmets and the facemasks and the spread of the virus," Mayer said. 

"And these guys, the bioengineers that we use and that the league uses -- Oakley, as you may or may not know, does all the face visors for the league under contract -- these guys got the bit between their teeth."


As for the look and design, Mayer said he is still not sure which direction the design will ultimately go.

"They've got some prototypes; they're doing really good work," he said. 

"Some of them, when you first look at them, you think, 'Gosh, no' -- 'cause you're not used to seeing it; you're just not used to seeing it. But they're looking at every issue you can imagine, including when it fogs up. What do we do with that? But these guys are used to dealing with this stuff."

All team facilities were ordered shut down as of March 25 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The NFL will allow facilities to be reopened on Tuesday by teams that are permitted to do so under state and local regulations, but only for specific personnel.

Commissioner Roger Goodell outlined the rules governing the reopening -- what the NFL is calling "Phase 1" of a return to football activities -- in memo to team executives and general managers May 6.

Among the restrictions: Teams can have only 50 percent of their staff in the facility at a time and no more than 75 people. Players are prohibited from team facilities unless they are undergoing treatment or rehabilitation. And no coaching staffs are allowed at team facilities during Phase 1.

-Field Level Media/Reuters-

Don Shula, winningest NFL coach who led Dolphins to perfect season, dead at 90

Don Shula, a masterly coach with a square jaw who won more National Football League games than anyone else and guided the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl titles and the only perfect season in league history, died on Monday at 90.

Shula, whose NFL coaching prowess with the Dolphins and the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1995 made him one of the most famous sports figures in America, died peacefully at his home, the Dolphins said in a statement.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Shula will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches and contributors in the history of American football.

"He was a remarkable teacher and mentor who for decades inspired excellence and exemplified integrity," said Goodell. "His iconic legacy will endure through his family and continue to inspire generations to come."

The 1972 Miami Dolphins team that Shula guided stands as the only team in NFL history to post a perfect record - 17-0 - as they marched to a Super Bowl victory over the Washington Redskins. The next season, Shula led them to a second straight victory in the Super Bowl, America's biggest sporting event.

His coaching record in 33 NFL seasons, including regular season and playoff games, was 347 wins, 173 losses and six ties. No coach won more NFL games. Only one other coach, Chicago Bears stalwart George Halas, exceeded 300 wins, with 324. Shula took six teams to the Super Bowl, winning twice.

"I want to count my blessings. I've been able to do something for a lifetime that I have enjoyed doing," Shula, with sunglasses, combed-back white hair and his trademark jutting jaw, said in 1997 as he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. "I've had good health and I've met a lot of great people along the way."

In 2013, he wore the cream-colored jacket given to members of the Hall of Fame to the White House when President Barack Obama invited Shula and the rest of the 1972 Dolphins for a special tribute. Obama lauded Shula, who at age 83 sat in a motorized scooter, as a legendary coach.

Shula was such an enduring figure in professional football that one of his former players, fearsome defensive lineman Bubba Smith, once joked: "If a nuclear bomb dropped, the only things I'm certain would survive are AstroTurf and Don Shula."

Fellow Hall of Fame coach John Madden in 1997 told the Miami Herald: "Nobody else has done it in so many ways, in so many different eras, with so many different kinds of players."

Donald Francis Shula was born on Jan. 4, 1930, in Grand River, Ohio, the son of Hungarian parents. He played college football at John Carroll University in Ohio before spending seven seasons as a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins of the NFL. He retired after the 1957 season before working as a college football assistant coach at the University of Virginia.

He came back to the NFL in 1960 when the Detroit Lions made him their defensive coordinator. In 1963, the Baltimore Colts hired Shula as head coach. At age 33, Shula was the youngest head coach ever in the NFL at the time.


A PUNCH IN THE MOUTH'

Shula once called his coaching style "as subtle as a punch in the mouth," and his players knew he was firmly in charge. But he also knew human psychology enough to understand that different players needed to be motivated according to their own individual personalities - with a tongue-lashing for some, a calm explanation for some and humor for others.

Shula did experience some noteworthy failures. On Jan. 12, 1969, his Colts were heavily favored to beat the New York Jets in Super Bowl III in Miami. But Joe Namath, the brash Jets quarterback, guaranteed his team would win.

At the time, the Super Bowl pitted the champion of the venerable NFL against the champion of the upstart American Football League. The two leagues had already revealed plans to merge (they did so in 1970) but NFL teams had thrashed the AFL's champions in the first two Super Bowls.

In one of the biggest upsets in the annals of American sports, the underdog Jets shocked Shula's Colts, 16-7. Shula coached the Colts one more season before going to the Dolphins, a former AFL team struggling to make it in the merged league.

He coached the Dolphins from 1970 until 1995, taking them to the Super Bowl five times. The first time they reached the Super Bowl - following the 1971 season - they were flattened by unflappable coach Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys, 24-3.

The 1972 Dolphins were a team on a mission. Shula guided them to victories in all 14 regular season games and their first two playoff games to earn a spot in Super Bowl VII.

The team was led by quarterback Bob Griese, back from a broken leg, with additional offensive firepower from running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris and wide receiver Paul Warfield. Miami's sturdy "No-Name Defense" featured the likes of linebacker Nick Buoniconti and safety Jake Scott.

Miami beat Washington, 14-7, in the Super Bowl on Jan. 15, 1973, in Los Angeles to finish the season 17-0. Shula's players carried him off the field on their shoulders as he punched his right fist skyward in triumph.

He led the Dolphins to a third consecutive Super Bowl berth the next season - and a second straight victory - as they walloped quarterback Fran Tarkenton's Minnesota Vikings, 24-7.

Shula never again won a Super Bowl. He took the Dolphins to the title game after the 1982 season, losing to the Redskins, and after the 1984 season, falling to the San Francisco 49ers.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Shula coached quarterback Dan Marino, one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, but the two were unable to win a Super Bowl together. Shula said his biggest career regret was failing to win another Super Bowl.

"Coach Shula - you will truly be missed! You embody the definition of 'greatness.' You brought that winning attitude with you every day and made everyone around you better," Marino wrote on Twitter.

"Thank you for always believing in me. You made me a better player and person. My thoughts & prayers are with the entire Shula family. Love you Coach!"

Shula was married twice and had five children. 

(Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington and Peter Szekely in New York; Additional reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Bill Trott, Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)

-reuters-

Players vote to approve NFL owners' proposed labor deal

NFL players have voted to approve a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that will expand the playoff field and allow owners the option to lengthen the regular season, the NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) said on Sunday.

The new 10-year labor deal extends through the 2030 season and offers increased compensation for every minimum-salary player, or about 60% of the NFL.

The players voted to approve ratification by a vote tally of 1,019 to 959, the league's players' association said on Twitter.

The league estimated as much as an additional $100 million will go to players this season. Both active and retired players will benefit.

"We are pleased that the players have voted to ratify the proposed new CBA, which will provide substantial benefits to all current and retired players, increase jobs, ensure continued progress on player safety, and give our fans more and better football," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.


Terms of the new CBA will increase the playoff field to 14 teams from 12 for the 2020 season and give owners the option to expand the regular season to 17 games from 16 as early as 2021.

Adding one regular season game for each of the NFL's 32 teams had been one of the more divisive elements of the deal and a number of prominent players considered it a health risk.

"We understand and know that players have been split on this deal, including members of our EC," the NFLPA Executive Committee said in a statement.

"Going forward, it is our duty to lead, however we may feel as individuals, to bring our men together and to continue to represent the interests of our entire membership."

Player reaction was mixed.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady Tweeted; "Well done, De," offering his support for the agreement and the work of NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith.

"Can't believe we agreed to that lol," Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron said on Twitter. "We can only play this game for so long and y'all didn't want everything we could get out of it?"

League owners approved the deal in February so only the players' approval remained to secure it.

Voting, which began with ballots sent to players on March 5, ended at 11:59 p.m ET Saturday (0359 GMT). The players' association estimated 2,500 players were eligible to vote.

With the approval, teams can start the new league year on Wednesday with Monday the deadline for putting a franchise or transition tag on players.

The NFLPA executive committee had voted in February not to recommend the proposal to membership for a vote but the players' association board of representatives later voted 17-14 to send the proposal to the full membership for a vote.

The deal will add two additional active spots to rosters, bringing them to a total of 55, and the number of padded practices at training camp will decrease from 28 to 16.

Changes to the drug policy also will be made including a reduction in penalties for players who test positive for THC (eliminating suspensions solely based on positive tests), an abbreviated testing window (from four months to two weeks at the start of training camp) and a significant increase in the threshold for a positive test. 

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto and Gene Cherry in Raleigh, editing by Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Goodell signs extension to remain NFL Commissioner

Roger Goodell has signed a contract extension to remain the commissioner of the National Football League, according to a letter from the league's compensation committee that was sent to owners on Wednesday.

Financial terms of the contract for Goodell, who has been commissioner of the most popular U.S. sports league since 2006, were not disclosed but multiple media reports said the two sides agreed to a five-year deal worth $200 million.

The contract ends weeks of hostilities during which Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threatened to sue the NFL and the six owners on the compensation committee.


Jones had said he did not feel the committee understood his demand that all owners - not just the ones who served on the committee that were negotiating the contract - have a voice in approving the terms of Goodell's extension.

"Our Committee unanimously supports the contract and believes that it is fully consistent with "market" compensation and the financial and other parameters outlined to the owners at our May 2017 meeting, as well as in the best interests of ownership," the committee said in the letter.

"We also have expressed in those conversations our strong and unanimous belief that we should proceed to sign the agreement now, consistent with the unanimous May resolution and to avoid further controversy surrounding this issue."

According to the six-person compensation committee, there was a nearly unanimous consensus among the ownership in favor of signing the contract extension now.

Goodell has overseen significant revenue growth for the NFL but has also been the subject of major scrutiny in recent years for his handling of sensitive issues such as domestic violence and concussions.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Kaepernick files grievance against NFL, citing collusion

Free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL, accusing the 32 owners of collusion, his legal team announced on Sunday.

Kaepernick has remained unemployed through the first six weeks of the NFL season, even when injuries to other quarterbacks created job openings. He retained attorney Mark Geragos to represent him.


"We can confirm that this morning we filed a grievance under the CBA on behalf of Colin Kaepernick," Geragos said in a statement, in reference to the collective bargaining agreement. "This was done only after pursuing every possible avenue with all NFL teams and their executives.

"If the NFL (as well as all professional sports leagues) is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protests -- which the owners themselves made great theater imitating weeks ago -- should not be punished and athletes should not be denied employment based on partisan political provocation by the Executive Branch of our government. Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation. Protecting all athletes from such collusive conduct is what compelled Mr. Kaepernick to file his grievance.

"Colin Kaepernick's goal has always been, and remains, to simply be treated fairly by the league he performed at the highest level for and to return to the football playing field."

The 29-year-old Kaepernick said his agent reached out to all 32 teams to make sure they were aware of his interest in playing this season. He opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason.

Kaepernick has been a controversial figure since he first sat and then knelt during the national anthem before games with the 49ers in the 2016 season. The move was the beginning of what turned into league-wide protests earlier this season after U.S. President Donald Trump made critical comments of players who don't stand for the national anthem.

Kaepernick and his legal team are claiming the owners violated terms of the collective bargaining agreement, specifically a clause that prohibits teams from acting together in regards to a player's employments status.

"No Club, its employees or agents shall enter into any agreement, express or implied, with the NFL or any other Club, its employees or agents to restrict or limit individual Club decision-making," the CBA states, adding that the clause applies to "whether to negotiate or not to negotiate with any player" and "whether to offer or not to offer a Player Contract to any player."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has stated on multiple occasions this season that Kaepernick is not being blackballed.

The Players Association said it will back Kaepernick in his fight against the NFL and is in the process of scheduling a conference call with his advisors for early this week.

"Our union has a duty to assist Mr. Kaepernick as we do all players and we will support him," the NFLPA said in a statement. "The NFLPA has been in regular contact with Mr. Kaepernick's representatives for the past year about his options and our union agreed to follow the direction of his advisors throughout that time."

Among the teams who lost a starting quarterback this season were the Miami Dolphins. In that instance, Miami lured Jay Cutler out of retirement to be its signal-caller, citing a relationship Dolphins head coach Adam Gase and Cutler developed when both were with the Chicago Bears.

The Baltimore Ravens considered Kaepernick when Joe Flacco sustained a training camp injury but ultimately passed on signing him.

The Tennessee Titans needed a quarterback earlier this month when Marcus Mariota was injured. They opted for journeyman Brandon Weeden.

The Green Bay Packers could be in the market this week after losing Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone on Sunday.

Kaepernick passed for 2,241 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions while fumbling a career-worst seven times with the 49ers last season. He also ran for 468 yards and two touchdowns.

In six NFL seasons, Kaepernick has passed for 12,271 yards with 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, adding another 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Kaepernick, who guided the 49ers to the Super Bowl following the 2012 season, has indicated he would stand for the national anthem this season.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Elliott shines on the field despite threat of suspension

It was just another 100-yard game for Ezekiel Elliott who ran like a carefree Dallas Cowboys rusher on Sunday and not the polarising player who is facing potential suspension from the NFL.

Elliott suited up for the Cowboys' season-opening 19-3 win over the New York Giants after a court injunction froze a six-game ban from the NFL for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

The second-year player rushed for 104 yards on 24 carries and was a dominant force throughout the night against the Giants.

Elliott was banned by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last month after a 13-month investigation into allegations of assaulting his former girlfriend.

"It just feels good to be out here with these boys," Elliott told reporters after the contest.

"It’s definitely been a tough last 14 months.

"Your name is getting dragged through the mud. Being associated with (the accusations), that’s tough."

Elliott, who also made five catches for 36 yards against the Giants, has maintained his innocence and was neither arrested nor charged over the allegations.

The NFL Players Association filed a restraining order seeking to block any suspension for Elliott, and a Texas judge ruled the player didn't receive a fair hearing during his appeal against the ban.

"I’m relieved that I’ll finally get a fair trial and a chance to prove my innocence,” said Elliott, who won the NFL's rushing crown as rookie in 2016.

"I’m glad I’m able to be with these guys for as long as it’s permitted, and not having to miss time and be away from them."

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty / Ian Ransom)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Brady imposes media blackout on father

HOUSTON -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady joked Monday that he had imposed a media blackout on his father after he ripped into NFL chief Roger Goodell.

Brady, who headed to Houston with the Patriots on Monday as the final countdown to Super Bowl 51 began, quipped that his father's outburst against Goodell would be his last.

"I've banned my dad from talking," Brady told Boston's WEEI radio. "He's no longer available to the media," the four-time Super Bowl winner quipped.

Brady's father, Tom Brady Sr., unleashed scathing criticism of National Football League Commissioner Goodell on Friday over the four-game ban handed to his son over the Deflategate saga.

Brady Sr. accused Goodell of lying to bolster his case, describing the pursuit of his son as a witch hunt.

"What the league did to him and what Roger Goodell constantly lied about is beyond reprehensible as far as I'm concerned," Brady Sr. said.

"(Goodell) went on a witch hunt and went in way over his head and had to lie his way out in numerous ways and the reality is that Tommy never got suspended for deflating footballs.

"He got suspended because the court said that Roger Goodell could do anything that he wanted to do to any player for any reason whatsoever. That's what happened. The NFL admitted they had no evidence on him."

The perceived tension between Goodell and Brady is the most talked about sub-plot of this year's Super Bowl, which sees the Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons at Houston's NRG Stadium on Sunday.

Brady, however, has been at pains to play down any suggestion that he is motivated by revenge against Goodell, who could end up handing him the Vince Lombardi Trophy next Sunday if the Patriots win.

Goodell, meanwhile, said last week it would be "an honor" to hand the NFL championship trophy to Brady.

That, in turn, allowed the quarterback's father the opportunity to make another pithy riposte.

"It should be an honor, because somebody that has Roger Goodell's ethics doesn't belong on any stage that Tom Brady is on," Brady Sr said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL poised for L.A. move after 20 years of hard bargaining with cities

SAN FRANCISCO - With resistance mounting to public financing of sport stadiums, the National Football League this week aims to follow through on two decades of threats to relocate franchises to Los Angeles.

League approval - expected in an owners vote soon - would send a blunt message to mid-sized cities wanting a team: $400 million won't cut it.

That's what St. Louis offered as its share of a new stadium for the Rams, only to be dismissed by the league and team owner Stan Kroenke. The Chargers shunned San Diego's proposed $350 million.



Both teams, along with the Oakland Raiders, have applied for relocation to L.A. An NFL committee recommended a proposal for a stadium in Carson that is supported by the Chargers and Raiders, the league said Tuesday.

But the issue still requires approval of at least 24 of the 32 owners in a final vote. News reports indicate different owners are lobbying for various scenarios, including the Rams and Chargers playing together in either the Carson stadium or an Inglewood venue proposed by the Rams.

Los Angeles, because of its standing as one of the nation's largest media markets, is among only a handful of cities able to draw the interest of teams without big subsidies.

But the expected vote of owners, meeting this week in Houston, could illustrate the league's determination to retain the upper hand with smaller cities in future negotiations for subsidized stadiums that now regularly cost more than $1 billion.

The last of many teams to flirt with a move to Los Angeles - the Vikings - used the leverage to extract $500 million from Minnesota taxpayers in 2012. The league appears determined to hold that line, said Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College sports economist.

"They are certainly not going to go down" and take $400 million from Missouri, said Zimbalist. "They don't want the world to see there's a trend that it's getting cheaper for cities."

Two of the teams once moved the other way. Both the Raiders and Rams left Los Angeles - for Oakland and St. Louis, respectively - in 1995 after failing to convince local officials to pay for new or renovated stadiums in Southern California.

Despite the region's continued resistance to subsidies, today's NFL economics provide unique opportunities for rich profits in the nation's second-biggest market. Boosted revenue from Super Bowls, luxury boxes, and sponsorships, for instance, could eclipse any taxpayer-financed dowry from a much smaller city.

With taxpayers and politicians in many cities refusing to pay - or at least to pay as much as NFL owners want - actually moving to Los Angeles may now be a better business than threatening to move there.

The NFL views the current stadiums in each of three cities "inadequate and unsatisfactory," and their proposals were insufficient to ensure the retention of their teams, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a report to all 32 teams.

The Rams and the Raiders did not respond to requests for comment. The Chargers provided details of a 14-year effort to remain in San Diego. The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Outside of the nation's largest media markets - such as Los Angeles, New York, and Silicon Valley - the NFL and its teams expect cities to pay the lion's share for stadiums, Zimbalist said, with the league and the team kicking in no more than $200 million each.

STARK REVERSAL

Cities are increasingly pushing back. Since 2008, in the midst of recession, public money funding has on average paid for 27 percent of the cost of new stadiums in all professional sports, according to a study by Victor Matheson, an economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

That's a stark reversal from an average of 74 percent over the previous two decades, although the cost of the facilities has risen dramatically.

The recession changed the politics of stadium subsidies, at least in the short term, Matheson said.

"You saw real issues with taxpayers piling money into stadiums for billionaire owners while simultaneously laying off teachers, firefighters, and police officers," he said.

Most sports economists agree that professional sports teams offer little economic benefit to their cities - especially compared with large corporate employers - and that stadium costs are often greater than expected and advertised.

Judith Grant Long, a sports management professor at the University of Michigan, found an additional $10 billion of unreported costs among publicly financed sports stadiums in 2010, bumping the average public cost per venue to $259 million from $170 million.

The typical costs for lavish new football stadiums - the most expensive of any major league sport - have skyrocketed. The two current proposals for new stadiums near Los Angeles top $1.75 billion.

The proposed St. Louis stadium, on the riverfront near the Arch, would cost $1.1 billion. The city's plan called for the league to contribute $300 million, but the NFL warned that any request over $200 million was "fundamentally inconsistent" with its stadium financing policy.

St. Louis may still see interest in its plan for a new stadium even if the Rams leave for Los Angeles. An empty St. Louis could attract interest from other teams, such as the Raiders, which are unlikely to get a new stadium paid for by Oakland.

"In many ways, St. Louis is a better open market than Los Angeles," said Mitchell Nathanson, a sports law professor at Villanova University School of Law. "I think it's going to be much easier to get big offers that are pleasing to the NFL clubs."

St. Louis Alderman Jack Coatar, a supporter of the new stadium proposal, said the plan would revitalize a blighted area of the city's riverfront.

"We could clean up this area, and put 3,000 people to work," he said. "We've lost an NFL team before. We don't want to lose another one."

The stadium plan was written to keep St. Louis an NFL city even if the Rams leave, said Coatar, leaving the door open for another team.

But in a city where rampant poverty bleeds into jailhouses and schoolhouses, others can't rationalize giving taxpayer money to wealthy owners of a private entertainment enterprise.

"Why fund this thing that we know will run in the red, that will never turn a profit?" asked Scott Ogilvie, a St. Louis alderman who opposed the city's stadium proposal. "We had the highest murder rate in the country .... We have a lot of important infrastructure and other things to provide over a football stadium that is used eight or 10 times a year."

(Reporting by Robin Respaut; Editing by Brian Thevenot)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Studio denies 'Concussion' film softened to appease NFL

LOS ANGELES -- Sony Pictures on Wednesday hit back at a New York Times report saying it had "softened" the upcoming Will Smith movie "Concussion" to avoid antagonizing the National Football League.

"Today's New York Times article and headline, written by individuals who have not seen the film, contains many misleading inferences," a studio spokesman said in an e-mailed statement.

"As will become immediately clear to anyone actually seeing the movie, nothing with regard to this important story has been 'softened' to placate anyone."

The movie due for release in December tells the story of Nigerian-born forensic neuropathologist Bennet Omalu, played by Smith, and his diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brains of deceased NFL players who suffered multiple concussions.

Omalu's work was first widely publicized in the 2013 Frontline documentary "League of Denial".

Concussions have become a major injury concern for the league, which agreed to pay $765 million to retired players to settle concussion-related health claims after accusations it long ignored evidence that head injuries posed long-term risks to players.

The New York Times, citing internal Sony emails that were made public in last year's cyberattack on the studio blamed on North Korea, reported that the studio was concerned not to condemn the NFL -- a financial juggernaut that boasts an estimated $10 billion (7.6 billion euros) in annual revenues and a combined value for its 32 teams of $45.76 billion.

The NFL's place as steward of America's most-watched game and it's links to various television networks and corporate sponsors make it an entertainment as well as a sports juggernaut.

However, in addition to Sony's statement on Wednesday, "Concussion" writer and director Peter Landesman told Deadline.com that it seemed to him the New York Times "is working for the NFL".

"It seems like a hatchet job has been done here, and came out of the NFL's offices," he told the entertainment news website.

Although the film is slated for a Christmas release, Sony released a trailer on Monday, and has screened it for some prominent figures in the sports world.

That includes sports broadcaster Bob Costas.

"I have seen the movie," Costas said in a statement issued through Sony.

"As one who has followed, and commented on, this issue, it doesn't appear to me many punches were pulled."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Deflategate' judge to rule soon after Brady, NFL talks fail

NEW YORK - The National Football League and its players union failed to reach a settlement in their dispute over New England quarterback Tom Brady's four-game "Deflategate" suspension despite weeks of talks, leaving a federal judge to resolve the issue in the coming days.

Following a final round of unsuccessful private discussions, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said at a brief court hearing on Monday that he will likely decide whether to uphold or throw out the suspension within one or two days.

In any case, Berman said, he will issue his ruling before Friday, at the request of the league and the union. The Patriots open their season on Sept. 10 at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brady was suspended for four games over his alleged role in a scheme to deflate footballs used in the Patriots' 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in a January playoff game. The win sent New England to the Super Bowl, where it defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24.

With dozens of news cameras set up outside the courthouse, Brady and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell arrived within moments of each other around 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT).

The four-time Super Bowl champion and Goodell met behind closed doors before Monday's hearing with Berman and another federal judge who have been mediating the talks.

Other officials, including New York Giants co-owner John Mara, who heads the NFL's executive committee that oversees labor matters, joined the discussions in a last-ditch effort to bridge the differences.

Berman said the two sides had "tried quite hard" to reach a deal.

"In some cases, that doesn't happen, and this is one of those cases," he said.

The judge's decision can be appealed by either side, a process that would last months.

Brady's suspension came after Ted Wells, a lawyer hired by the NFL to investigate the incident, concluded Brady was "generally aware" that two Patriots employees had conspired to deflate the balls. An underinflated football can be easier to grip, particularly in cold weather.

Goodell rejected Brady's appeal on July 28. The league immediately filed a lawsuit asking Berman to uphold the suspension, while the players union sued to contest it.

The union said Brady had no notice that he might be suspended and that Goodell was not impartial, given his praise of Wells' work before the appeal. The NFL said the league's collective bargaining agreement gave Goodell sole authority to hear appeals.

Should the suspension remain in place, Brady would return Oct. 18 against the Colts.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond and Joseph Ax; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Alan Crosby)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

NFL union releases Brady's 'Deflategate' testimony

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - The National Football League players union on Tuesday made public a full transcript of star New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's June 23 appeal of his four-game "Deflategate" suspension before league Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The transcript, filed in Manhattan federal court as part of the union's challenge to the suspension, revealed Brady's testimony defending his alleged role in a scheme to deflate footballs before the Patriots' 45-7 playoff win in January over the Indianapolis Colts.

It also shed light on Brady's decision to destroy his cell phone rather than turn it over to NFL investigators, who were seeking potentially incriminating text messages.

Brady said he sometimes has an assistant destroy old phones to ensure that personal information, such as family photos, remains confidential.

"I have always told the guy who swaps them out for me, make sure you get rid of the phone," he said, according to the transcript. "And what I mean is destroy the phone so that no one can ever, you know, reset it or do something where I feel like the information is available to anybody."

In upholding the suspension, Goodell cited in part Brady's decision to get rid of the phone on the same day he was interviewed by Ted Wells, a prominent attorney hired by the NFL to probe the scandal.

During the 10-hour hearing, Brady said no one told him that failing to hand over evidence would result in discipline.

The two sides are expected to appear in court on Aug. 12 before U.S. District Judge Richard Berman. Both the NFL and the union have asked Berman to decide whether to uphold the suspension by Sept. 4, six days before the season begins.

The union claims Goodell was not an impartial arbiter because he had praised Wells' work before the appeal, while the league has argued that Goodell was authorized to conduct the hearing under its labor agreement.

In his report, Wells faulted two Patriots employees but concluded that Brady was "generally aware" of the plan to deflate footballs, which can make them easier to grip.

At the hearing, Brady said, "I never in the history of my career, I never thought about the inflation level of a ball," according to the transcript.

Goodell also fined the Patriots $1 million and forfeited two of the team's future draft picks.

The Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in the Super Bowl, giving Brady his fourth championship and cementing his place as one of the greatest players in NFL history.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York and Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Andrew Hay)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

NFL players union wants Goodell to testify in Brady appeal

The NFL players union said its plans to call Commissioner Roger Goodell as a witness during the appeal of the four-game suspension handed to New England Patriots star Tom Brady for his role in the "Deflategate" scandal disqualifies Goodell from hearing the case.

In a letter to the league released on Friday outlining the grounds for the appeal, the union also said it will seek testimony from NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent, who issued the penalty to Brady.

Goodell announced late Thursday he will preside over Brady's appeal, rejecting the NFLPA's request that an independent arbitrator hear the case because "neither Commissioner Goodell nor anyone with close ties to the NFL can serve as arbitrator in Mr. Brady's appeal under governing legal standards."

Brady was slapped with a four-game suspension, and the Patriots were fined a record $1 million and forced to surrender two draft picks after an investigator hired by the NFL determined the club purposely deflated the footballs in the AFC title game.

The Patriots, one of the league's most high-profile teams, and Brady, one of its top stars, have been at odds with the front-office of the most-popular U.S. sports league, which is looking to recover from a domestic abuse controversy that has engulfed the NFL for much of the last year.

Tom DePaso, the NFLPA general counsel who wrote the appeal letter, argued that Brady's punishment is "grossly inconsistent" with the NFL's prior penalties for comparable conduct.

He added that Goodell, not Vincent, is the only one who can punish Brady under the terms of the labor agreement.

"No player in the history of the NFL has ever received anything approaching this level of discipline for similar behavior," the letter said.

Ted Wells, who took four months to investigate the case, determined that two members of the Patriots staff were responsible for letting the air out of the footballs and that Brady was likely generally aware of the scheme.

The Patriots, who have not yet said if they will appeal their penalties, said the investigation was filled with errors and makes faulty assumptions and DePaso agreed in his letter.

He said Wells' 243-page report "grasps at dubious, contradictory and mischaracterized circumstantial evidence merely to conclude that it is 'more probable than not' that Mr. Brady was 'generally aware of' 'inappropriate activities.'"

A football deflated below NFL standards would likely be easier to grip for Brady during the cold and misty conditions of the AFC championship. The Patriots routed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 to advance to the Super Bowl, which they won 28-24 over the Seattle Seahawks.

The NFL came under fire last year for its light sanctions against domestic violence committed by its players and has since revamped its personal conduct policy.

(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Alan Crosby)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com