The NFL welcomes an investigation into the Philadelphia Eagles' handling of Jalen Hurts' blood clots after the players' union asked for one, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday.
Retired NFL linebacker Brandon Spikes has had an interesting football journey.
The former five-star prospect from Shelby, North Carolina committed to Florida out of high school and was a part of the loaded 2006 recruiting class that featured himself as well as college football legends Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin.
After a decorated college career which included two All-American selections and two national championships, Spikes was drafted late in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, where he spent five of his seven seasons in the league.
The dream for every young man growing up playing football is to ultimately hear their name called by the commissioner of the NFL on draft day, but Spikes claims he had to make some personal (and financial) sacrifices before going pro.
As a guest on the popular "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, the former Patriots linebacker revealed he wasn't exactly hurting for money while in college.
While his response elicited a laugh from both Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, who were high-level college players in their own right, Spikes was mostly being tongue-in-cheek with his answer.
He did, however, reveal the numbers were a lot closer when factoring in Uncle Sam, referring to Massachusetts as "Taxachusetts" due to the high income taxes he incurred while playing for New England.
"You played in Foxborough," Spikes asked. "That check looks a little bit different when you walk up out of there."
When asked by Compton whether he cleared seven-figures while wearing orange and blue, Spikes denied it, playing it coy before adding that the university found a way to move his mom down to Florida while he was playing for the Gators.
"Those same home-cooked meals I got my whole life, I got those right there in Gainesville," he joked.
If you are one of the few fans still believing kids weren't getting paid before the advent of NIL, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but players like Spikes were living large long before it was "legal" to do so.
Let's all give Spikes a hand for being so charitable to take a cut in pay to play for the Patriots.
Four-time Pro Bowl running back Cordarrelle Patterson was arrested over the weekend on charges stemming from an alleged domestic dispute with his wife that left her bruised.
Patterson's wife told police that the former return specialist grabbed her hair and left arm, leaving her fearing for her children's and her own safety, TMZ reported, citing an arrest warrant.
Officers came to the house and found bruising on her arm, TMZ said.
The 35-year-old was the 29th overall pick out of Tennessee in 2013 to the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent four seasons. He then spent time with the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Patterson is the all-time leader in kick returns for touchdowns with nine. He's led the NFL three times in yards per return and has been a First-team All-Pro returner four times, most recently in 2020 with the Bears.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he’s not worried about the safety of NFL players, coaches and fans in France, where the league will play a game on Sunday amid widespread rioting across the country. “Our embassy feels the game will be fine,” Rubio told OutKick and Fox News Digital. “We have no indication the…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he’s not worried about the safety of NFL players, coaches and fans in France, where the league will play a game on Sunday amid widespread rioting across the country. “Our embassy feels the game will be fine,” Rubio told OutKick and Fox News Digital. “We have no indication the…
The Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing to take a trip down I-95 and I-4 (godspeed) to play in Orlando next season while EverBank Stadium undergoes a massive, $1.4 billion renovation.
One that will include a canopy, wider concourses, and, if there's enough interest, something not usually found in NFL stadiums: a place to store your ashes after you die.
Honestly, you kids will be glad to have the space on their mantle... Do people even have mantles anymore?
According to Front Office Sports, some fans have already ponied up as much as $6,000 to be part of a new project dubbed the "904Ever Club."
This is being done in conjunction with the team's "official fan memories partner," Eternal Fan. The plan is to install a 14-by-14-foot memorial that will contain fans' personal artifacts, including their most personal artifacts: their ashes.
The top tier costs a cool $5,904, which is a lot, and it obviously begs the question: would you do this if you could have your cremains interred at your team's stadium?
I think it depends on your team. If you're a long-suffering fan of, like the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates, or, in my case, Philadelphia Flyers, do you want to spend the rest of eternity (or at least until your team moves to a new stadium or arena) being reminded of the agonizing defeats?
No... but it would still be pretty cool to tell people where you're headed before you take the ol' dirt nap.
"Yeah, when I croak you can visit my cremains at Xfinity Mobile Arena... I was hoping to have them stored at the Chickie's & Pete's across the street — big crab fries guy — but they wouldn't do it."
Considering the Jaguars already have a hefty bill to pay for these stadium renovations, one of the best parts for them is that while Eternal Fan gets the revenue from the packages sold, it's also on them to build and maintain the memorial, which includes annual fees to the team.
Jay-Z reportedly chose himself over Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus to headline the 2027 Super Bowl LXI halftime show at SoFi Stadium, though the NFL has yet to confirm the performer.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday that he's "leaving shortly" for France to attend the first-ever NFL game there and he's confident it will be safe to attend and play the game due in no small part to assurances he received from United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which were confirmed to OutKick by Rubio himself.
"We're involved at the highest levels both in France on a global basis with our officials here, including, I had a conversation here with the Secretary of State a couple of days ago," Goodell said at the close of the Fall League Meeting in New York.
"So we're continuing to make sure we have all the available information, make sure appropriate steps are being made. We're guests in the country. We're going to be good guests. We're going to do our thing and I'm confident they're going to do theirs."
Rubio on Wednesday confirmed to OutKick and Fox News Digital that he spoke with Goodell.
"Our embassy feels the game will be fine," Rubio told OutKick and Fox News Digital. "We have no indication the game will be impacted in any way."
Rubio will not be attending the game but it has nothing to do with recent events.
"I was never planning to go anyways," Rubio said.
Goodell repeated the message the NFL has been delivering for several days about playing in France amid civil unrest and turmoil that has resulted in overturned and burned out cars, looted and burned out shops and restaurants and protests by various factions.
"Very high is my comfort level," Goodell said. "Again, we've made all the preparations. We've been in touch with all the appropriate authorities.
"Protests are not unusual in France, as you know. And that's something that we will be aware of and make sure that the appropriate arrangements are made."
Multiple media outlets in France have reported that a major protest is scheduled for Saturday – one day before the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints play at Stade de France on Sunday.
The stadium is approximately 20 miles from central Paris where some of the many protests happened over the last week.
The Saints have been in France since Monday without any reported incidents. The Steelers are scheduled to leave Western Pennsylvania on Thursday and arrive on Friday.
The New York Giants are benching Jameis Winston and starting J.J. McCarthy on Sunday against the Houston Texans, according to ESPN.
Less than a month after acquiring McCarthy in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, the Giants are turning to the 23-year-old quarterback to try to lead them to the playoffs in a weakened NFC East.
After being used in packages in the Giants’ 27-27 tie with the Washington Commanders in Week 5, McCarthy saw significant action during the fourth quarter of the Giants’ 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints and thrived.
McCarthy took over for Winston when the Giants were down 34-10 in the fourth quarter. He threw an interception on his first possession but then led a furious comeback attempt. McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown.
McCarthy led three scoring drives, the first ending with a Tyrone Tracy Jr. rushing touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to make it 34-18. He then threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely, but the two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 34-24. He then led a field goal drive to cut the deficit to 34-27.
The No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft led the Giants down the field and gave them a chance to tie or win the game if coach John Harbaugh decided to go for two, but his fourth-down pass attempt from the Saints' 14-yard line sailed high.
While the comeback fell short, McCarthy impressed and made history in the process. His 243 yards are the most passing yards in the fourth quarter by any player this season and the second most by a quarterback who did not start the game over the past 25 seasons, according to NFL Network.
The Giants went 2-1-1 with Winston at quarterback, but the 32-year-old struggled against the Saints. He threw two costly interceptions as the Giants attempted to rally against his former team.
The Giants hope the more mobile McCarthy can spark a struggling running game that has faltered with Winston at quarterback. McCarthy was the team’s leading rusher with 26 yards in Sunday's loss.
Some believed an easier debut as the starter for McCarthy would come after the Giants’ bye week, which follows the Texans game, but the Giants decided otherwise.
The Giants are 3-2-1 and sit atop the NFC East, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders all struggling and battling injuries, leaving New York with an opportunity to win the division.
Jalen Hurts is out for the 2026 season with blood clots. With only $22 million guaranteed in 2027, the Eagles can extend him, trade him, cut him or start him again. Here is how the decision could play...
Travis Kelce explained on New Heights why Arrowhead Stadium feels different after the Chiefs beat the Chargers 22-6. He pointed to the crowd noise that forced a Justin Herbert delay of game penalty...
A NFL e a Prefeitura de Guarulhos dão início, nesta sexta-feira (23), ao Programa NFL Flag nas escolas da cidade. A parceria leva o flag football a 50 escolas da rede municipal já na primeira temporada do projeto.
A primeira iniciativa acontece com a capacitação de 100 professores de educação física, responsáveis por implementar as aulas da modalidade nas unidades.
Cada escola participante do programa receberá equipamentos profissionais para a prática da modalidade. Assim, os professores poderão incluir o flag football nas aulas de educação física, nas quadras das próprias unidades.
Os alunos também passam a competir no calendário de torneios de NFL Flag no país. A partir da próxima temporada, os campeonatos regionais da modalidade vão reunir somente escolas e projetos sociais esportivos sem fins lucrativos que façam parte do Programa NFL Flag nas escolas.
“Trazer uma modalidade como o flag football para a Educação de Guarulhos, por meio de uma parceria com a NFL, uma das maiores referências esportivas do mundo, representa um avanço importante para nossa rede. Além de apresentar um novo esporte, estamos ampliando oportunidades de aprendizagem, incentivando o trabalho em equipe, a disciplina, o respeito e o desenvolvimento integral dos nossos estudantes.”, destaca o Secretário de Educação, Rafael Carvalho.
Lançado no país em 2023, o programa oficial de flag football da NFL já impacta mais de 10 mil jovens em projetos gratuitos com escolas públicas e, em neste ano, ampliou sua atuação para além de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro, com parcerias em Petrópolis (RJ) e com o Governo do Paraná e a Prefeitura de Curitiba. Agora, Guarulhos passa a integrar a iniciativa.
“É fantástico acompanhar a evolução do NFL Flag em todo o Brasil. Estamos conquistando cada vez mais espaços, em ótimas parcerias com secretarias municipais e estaduais, para impactar a base esportiva brasileira, que são crianças e jovens.”, celebra o general manager da NFL no Brasil, Luis Martinez.
Em setembro, a liga anunciou ainda um investimento de quase 160 mil dólares (próximo de R$ 802 mil) em quatro organizações sociais do país, que vão alcançar mais de 3 mil participantes: Fundação Gol de Letra (Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo), Eprocad e UmRio.
Sem contato físico, o flag football é praticado por cerca de 20 milhões de pessoas em mais de 100 países, e fará sua estreia olímpica nos Jogos de Los Angeles 2028.
The league's top officials are contemplating how it can maintain its grip on consumer attention in a landscape with "more change to it than ever before."
The first few weeks of the NFL season brought more lows than highs for the Tennessee Titans.
But Week 6 provided one of the team’s rare bright spots, as the Titans rallied for a 26-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, their first win of the season.
The celebratory mood at the Titans’ Nashville headquarters was likely short-lived, however, after the team made a surprising move involving one of its defensive linemen.
On Tuesday, the Titans announced they had released defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, citing an unspecified "incident" at the team’s facility.
Elliott played under then-San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh the past two seasons before following Saleh to Tennessee, where he is now the Titans’ head coach. Elliott appeared in five games this season with the Titans, recording 11 total tackles.
In a statement, the Titans said the incident happened last Thursday.
"On Thursday, Oct. 15, there was an incident at our team facility involving Jordan Elliott. Following our review of the incident, we have made the decision to release Elliott from our roster. We will have no further comment on the matter."
Details surrounding the incident were not immediately available.
Elsewhere on the Titans’ roster, defensive back Alontae Taylor did not suit up due to what was described as a coach’s decision. Saleh also did not provide details about Taylor’s status.
Taylor played nearly every defensive snap during the Titans’ first five games of the season. He signed a three-year, $58 million contract with Tennessee in March and had recorded 19 tackles and one sack through those five matchups.
The NFL made multiple officials available to reporters Tuesday during its fall league meeting to say that it was satisfied with how the Philadelphia Eagles handled quarterback Jalen Hurts' care related to his blood clots and to criticize reports that drew incorrect conclusions about what happened.
And, ready for this?
Then the NFL Players Association released a statement on the matter on Tuesday evening saying something quite different.
That NFLPA statement criticized the league for drawing conclusions about how the situation was handled and added that the union was told by the league it would not review the care Hurts received.
That last part calls into question how the NFL can defend how the Eagles handled the matter, because how could that assessment be made lacking a thorough review?
So, rather than allaying concerns and moving on from the Jalen Hurts blood clot matter, we actually have a new mystery and more questions.
"I'll just sum it up by saying that I have complete confidence in the Eagles medical staff and their handling of this situation and what characterize their work as very conservative, very patient-focused and appropriately guarded at every step," said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer.
Sills said that in a typical season, the league has been "in the low single digits" of players that suffered deep vein thrombosis like Hurts did over the course of the past decade and this:
"Every case gets reviewed and looked at," he said.
Sills later added that in the Hurts case, "everyone was incredibly conservative and incredibly vigilant and was very quick to make diagnoses of these conditions that might not have been diagnosed in a non-athlete.
"Quite frankly, you or I might have walked around with this condition without a diagnosis."
Sills said that all the timing and decision-making on when tests were performed and conclusions reached came with "state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London and as far as the timing and the decision-making ...
"I have great confidence in that and believe everyone acted with an abundance of caution and with a tremendous high degree of suspicion to try to identify and take care of these things as quickly as possible."
Sills then repeated that the NFL has a committee that looks at all these cases and does so with the Players Association to see what can be learned.
There's more: Jeff Miller, the NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, was asked if there was an investigation into what the Eagles did or whether the league simply trusted what the Eagles said happened.
"Both talking to the Eagles staff and making sure from people on the ground, tracking the case, talking to the independent hospital and doctors involved that we have, I think, a complete understanding of the course of events," Miller said.
Taken in total, this represents a full-throated defense of the Philadelphia Eagles, their medical staff, and the doctors in London that treated Hurts.
And that sounded convincing until the NFLPA released its statement.
"The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts," the statement provided to OutKick and Fox News Digital reads. "In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received."
Wait, what?
That contradicts what an NFL vice president and the league's top doctor said. Because, how could the NFL be so confident about the care Hurts received and the decisions that were made without a review or investigation into the facts?
But the NFLPA was not finished blowing up the league. The NFL has apparently come to a conclusion that Hurts received great, professional care and called reporting suggesting something else "considerable and uninformed speculation."
But the second part of the NFLPA's statement suggests the NFL is engaging in speculation.
"Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred," the union's statement read. "Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward."
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