The NFL has insisted multiple times this week that Sunday's game in France will be safe to play and safe for fans to attend amid civil unrest in Paris, but the Pittsburgh Steelers showed a different side to that confidence on Thursday by canceling one of their fan events.

The club confirmed to OutKick that it has canceled a Steelers House fan event scheduled for this week.

"Following recent events in the Bastille neighborhood and after careful consideration, we felt it appropriate not to move forward with the planned Steelers House fan event in Paris," the club announced.

This isn't the lone crack in the "all is well" armor the NFL has put on about this event. Earlier this week, Dani Watt, the wife of Steelers defensive end TJ Watt, questioned publicly why the game has not been moved.

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This is an obvious break from the the league's narrative that the civil unrest in Paris and other parts of France will not hinder it from playing its game and, indeed, holding a fan event of its own.

The NFL on Thursday told OutKick that its own NFL Fan House event scheduled for Friday and Saturday remains as scheduled.

"It's happening," a league spokesman said.

So what we have is the NFL taking another bold step in virtually guaranteeing the safety of its players and fans during the game, but also doing the same for a fan event over a two-day span at 46 Rue Cambon in Paris.

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And this is where you should know it's not only the NFL that seems confident about the safety of Americans tied to the game in France.

On Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he's going to the game and he spoke with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the event in recent days about moving forward with the game.

Rubio told OutKick that the American embassy in France believes the game "will be fine."

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So the NFL is moving ahead, including with its own fan event at which multiple thousand French and American football fans are expected in the days prior to the game.

"There's nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams' security, the fans' security — everybody involved with this game," NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said at the League Fall Meeting this week.

 "Again, we've made all the preparations," Goodell said. "We've been in touch with all the appropriate authorities."

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Former Cleveland Browns star Josh Cribbs receives condolences from Bernie Kosar, Joe Haden and fans after sharing the heartbreaking news of his father's passing.

Tony Romo's loss has been J.J. Watt's gain at CBS – and now it's permanent.

Watt on Thursday was named lead analyst for the NFL on CBS in a new multi-year contract agreement. The announcement was made by David Berson, Chairman of Skydance's Global Sports Group.

Watt will continue to call the network’s top NFL games alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as CBS Sports’ lead NFL announce team, including during the 2027 season when they call Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta.

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"I’ve had a front-row seat to J.J.’s growth as a top-tier broadcaster, watching him tackle this role just like he did his Hall-of-Fame playing career," Berson said in a release by the network. "He’s insightful, entertaining, passionate, meticulous in his preparation, and the ultimate teammate. He has a unique ability to see things and communicate to fans of all levels. We are thrilled to have him leading our NFL coverage."

Watt didn't start the 2026 NFL season in his current role. That belonged to Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

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But Romo ran afoul of his assignment when he was arrested on July 23, after a traffic stop on southbound Interstate 43 near downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He later pleaded no contest to a first-offense OWI, with the sentence including a six-month revocation of his driving privileges and an alcohol-assessment requirement.

CBS said on July 31 that Romo was on leave "until further notice," but then the network announced on Oct. 2 that it had "mutually agreed to part ways" with its long-time lead analyst.

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Watt, meanwhile, was the next man up. He has served as the network's lead analyst since the start of the season and that now becomes a permanent role after what was obviously a successful trial period.

The network chose the man in the seat over other possible permanent replacements for Romo, Greg Olsen and others among them.

"I am incredibly honored and grateful to have the opportunity to represent CBS Sports and all of the fantastic people who make this place so special," Watt said in a statement. "From the brotherhood of The NFL Today to my crews calling games, I couldn’t ask for better teammates alongside me on this television journey.

"I am thankful to David Berson for his leadership, vision and trust. I love this job and can’t wait to see ya Sunday with Jim and Tracy and many more Sundays to come!"

Watt joined CBS Sports in 2023 as a studio analyst on The NFL Today. Last season, Watt moved to the booth to call games with Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn.

Watt was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was honored as the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

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Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs apologized to his teammates, while also speaking with reporters for the first time since returning to the team after being removed from the commissioner’s exempt list last week.

Jacobs missed the first six weeks of the 2026 season following an offseason domestic abuse arrest in May, which landed him on the commissioner’s exempt list on Aug. 30.

The league continues to investigate Jacobs’ situation despite pleading no contest to both misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Jacobs being removed from the list doesn’t hinder the investigation, the NFL has noted, but he is allowed back with the Packers.

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Ahead of his potential season debut — the Packers haven’t said whether Jacobs will be playing against the Detroit Lions on Sunday — Jacobs spoke with reporters, expressing remorse for his actions.

"Excited to be back with the team, with the guys," he said during his media availability. "I want to say thank you to the organization really for supporting me throughout this whole process and how everything played out.

"With that being said, I can’t really get into a lot of things, like specifics of things, but obviously I’m remorseful, and sorry for putting this time in this situation.

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"Sometimes, when you go through life, situations occur, and a four-second, three-second decision can alter your life honestly. With that being said, still a human being, man, still trying to learn, still trying to grow from the whole process. Actually learned a lot throughout this whole process, legally and just personally."

As part of Jacobs’ plea deal, he was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, attend counseling, pay restitution for property he destroyed and have no further contact with the victim. As long as he meets those conditions for one year, the property damage charge will be dismissed.

Jacobs was arrested in Wisconsin following an incident that occurred three days prior, where he allegedly grabbed his ex-girlfriend trying to leave his garage and threw her to the ground.

Jacobs also filed a civil suit last week calling for an injunction and protective order surrounding evidence, specifically surveillance footage of the incident, which would restrict access to records of the case. Basically, Jacobs doesn’t want the footage released to the public, as it was reported the video footage of the alleged battery would corroborate the victim’s claims.

Jacobs is trying to put the situation behind him, saying that he is "just trying to be better" moving forward.

"I know for some people this might be a stain on me and my character," he added. "I feel like I don’t have to really speak on my character. A lotta people that know me in this locker room, or that’s been around me, I’ll let them do that.

"For me, man, I’m just trying to come back in here, play ball, learn from this mistake and move forward."

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Head coach Matt LaFleur also addressed Jacobs returning to his squad during his news conference on Wednesday.

"I think a lot of times you get in a situation where you might not make the right decision," he said of Jacobs’ situation. "I think people learn from their mistakes. I think he’s extremely remorseful, and I do believe he is a good person. I’ve been around him quite a bit. I believe in second chances."

With Jacobs sidelined, LaFleur has seen an abysmal run game from his depth chart, which includes MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong Jr. and Kaleb Johnson, who Green Bay traded for with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers are averaging just 59.8 yards on the ground per game, though they are top five in passing yards (269.3) with quarterback Jordan Love finding his rhythm amid a recent three-game win streak for his 4-2 squad.

LaFleur said he felt Jacobs was in a "pretty good spot" earlier this week in terms of playing against the Lions.

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"He’s been training, but he’s missed the exposure to football. [His availability] is going to be determined throughout the course of the week, see where he’s at, see how he’s feeling, and then we’ll make a decision."

Last season, Jacobs rushed for 929 yards in 15 games, finishing fourth in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 13.

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During his playing days, Ryan Fitzpatrick was known as a gunslinger, unafraid to push the ball downfield and take shots. As an analyst, he appears to have that same mentality.

Sometimes Fitzpatrick made throws he wished he could take back, throwing 169 interceptions during his NFL career. As an analyst, there are some takes he wishes he could take back, too.

Fitzpatrick eviscerated Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix after the team's 17-14 win last Thursday over the Seattle Seahawks on Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" but said he regretted one remark from his rant.

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"The line about being disrespectful to the quarterback position, it boiled over, and that’s the one phrase I wish I could have taken back, because I think my criticism was fair," Fitzpatrick said during a recent episode of "Fitz and Whit."

"I don’t think the effort and the competitiveness that he’s shown in the past, I don’t think he was showing that at the end of the game. That is somewhere I usually don’t go, but that’s what I felt."

The 17-year NFL veteran stood by his scathing criticism, saying Nix was not playing competitive football and that something appears to be wrong with the Broncos quarterback.

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"Something’s going on with him. I don’t know what it is," Fitzpatrick said. "You watched C.J. Stroud and Trevor Lawrence in that game at Wembley, going toe to toe, one after another. Even Aaron Rodgers and Jalon Daniels in the fourth quarter. You had Josh Allen and Kirk Cousins, and you had Jacoby Brissett, and you had Matthew Stafford just going at it. That’s the type of competitiveness that the quarterback position deserves."

Despite the Broncos defeating the Seahawks and Sam Darnold throwing two interceptions, Fitzpatrick chose to focus on Nix in his postgame analysis.

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"I don’t want to talk about Sam Darnold’s two interceptions because, look, playing quarterback is hard, and there are a lot of things that you can’t control," Fitzpatrick said. "But there are things you can control, and when you decide to turn it down, maybe that’s what really bothered me."

Former Broncos star Aqib Talib defended Nix and questioned Fitzpatrick's playing credentials to discredit his criticism. Fitzpatrick playfully responded to Talib in a video Sunday but did not fully address his criticism of Nix until appearing on his podcast.

The San Francisco 49ers are red-hot to start the 2026 season, owning a perfect 6-0 record after a "Monday Night Football" victory over the Washington Commanders.

But tensions can run high even when things are going well. Just ask head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy after the latter screamed toward his leader on the sideline in a now-viral exchange in Week 6.

Purdy was heard shouting, "Hey, Kyle!" with clear frustration, and the clip quickly found its way around social media. It appeared that Purdy wasn’t happy that Shanahan didn’t have the play-call in his ear in time.

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Ahead of the 49ers’ matchup with the Atlanta Falcons this week, Shanahan told a different story on the exchange.

"Yeah, it’s actually not to call a play faster," Shanahan replied when asked about it by a reporter. "It’s, ‘I need it again,’ and it gets cutoff at 15 [seconds]."

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Communications within a quarterback’s helmet can sometimes cause issues with getting play calls in on the sideline in time. That seemed to be the case here.

"Sometimes no one can hear it," Shanahan added. "… I always call a play and I just walk, and think. I don’t always watch the huddle. A lot of times. Mac [Jones] or someone will say, ‘We didn’t get it, it was chopped’ or somebody yells, ‘Brock’s yelling at you,’ which I can’t always hear. But I did hear him a couple times in this game, and I look up and try to do it again as long as it’s not past 15 seconds."

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Shanahan is known as one of the best offensive play-callers in the sport, but it’s not always smooth sailing on game day. The clock is always playing a major factor, but the chemistry between play-caller and quarterback is what matters most.

So, there’s no disconnect on that front, as Shanahan has seen Purdy be one of the top signal callers in the game thus far through this undefeated start.

For quarterbacks who have played through all six weeks, Purdy owns the league’s best quarterback rating (118.1) while throwing for 1,460 yards with a 69.6% completion rate, 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

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Shanahan, Purdy and the rest of the 49ers will aim to remain unbeaten in Week 7 down in Atlanta.

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Vice President JD Vance is a longtime Cincinnati Bengals fan to the extreme that he watched his team lose an AFC wild card game to the Pittsburgh Steelers – while he was serving in Iraq in January of 2006.

Well, on Wednesday, the Veep got a closer look of his favorite team when he visited at their training facility and watched parts of practice.

Vance toured the team's locker room, shook hands with several players, coach Zac Taylor and others, and came away with a football. It is unclear if Vance brought the ball to be autographed or the club gave it to him as a memento.

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The Trump administration is making a lot of campaign stops before the November 3 midterm elections and it seems athletes from all sports have been engaged and more than happy to tag along with the President and others.

• Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced the President at a New York event in May.
• Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas participated in Wisconsin event in June.
• Roger Clemens introduced Trump at a San Antonio rally earlier this month.
• Todd Gurley flew on Air Force One and appeared on stage at a Georgia rally this month.
• Danica Patrick took her turn on Air Force One this week as did Richard Petty.
• Baltimore Ravens players joined the President at one rally in Pennsylvania and even rode in his motorcade with him.

And Super Bowl winning coach Jon Gruden attended a Trump rally in Ohio.

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Wednesday, meanwhile, wasn't the Bengals following Vance around. It was a Bengals fan following the team he's loved since he was a boy.

The strange thing about this visit, though, was that Vance didn't interact with quarterback Joe Burrow, who is undoubtedly the biggest star on the team.

The two didn't talk at all.

"We did not," Burrow told reporters. "We did not. He came with everybody and left with swiftness and efficiency before the end of practice, so I didn't get to."

Burrow turned a question about what happened while Vance was at practice into a statement about himself.

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"Yeah, a lot of people, a lot of people around, you know, that's what I love about what I do is, it brings a lot of people together, and people want to take time out of their day to come and watch what we do, watch what I do, and watch all the work that I've put in to come and watch greatness, and that's everybody in the locker room," Burrow said.

"That's why we do what we do, and whether it's on the TV, whether it's in person, whether it's on the practice field, and that's what we do."

Yes, we now understand who Burrow believes the stars are when the vice president of the country visits.

Vance arrived in a motorcade befitting a world leader – six black SUVs, some police vehicles, and some motorcycle cops.

His SUV (mini-tank?) rolled past a back gate at the Kettering Health practice fields adjacent to Paycor Stadium.

Vance is a Middletown, Ohio native. He has a home in Cincinnati’s East Walnut Hills neighborhood so he was obviously feeling quite at home when he arrived in town to deliver a speech at the FBI's Cincinnati Field Office and then hold a campaign rally at the Sharonville Convention Center.

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The New Orleans Saint are scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris on Sunday

© Reuters