BARRY WILNER
FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2019, file photo, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis. The heavy lifting is hardly done for Beane after the Bills general manager completed making much-needed upgrades to Buffalo's pass rush, and restocking the roster's depth at the NFL draft this weekend (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
AP source: No cutting players because they are unvaccinated

By Barry Wilner May. 07, 2021 01:56 PM EDT
An NFL team can’t release a player simply because he is not vaccinated for

Hall of Fame creating behavioral health program for players

By Barry Wilner May. 06, 2021 11:14 AM EDT
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is forming a behavioral health program seeking

Machine Gun Kelly performs at the NFL Draft Theatre at the NFL football draft Saturday, May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
NFL draft drew 160,000 with protocols for limited attendance

By Barry Wilner May. 04, 2021 04:01 PM EDT
Given that the nation remains in a pandemic, the NFL is more than satisfied

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2021, file photo, Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter (64) snaps the ball during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh. Following the advice of Browns center and NFL Players Association President Tretter, Cleveland's players joined a list of teams who say they will skip voluntary in-person workouts this offseason. (AP Photo/Don Wright, File)
Analysis: After draft, some obstacles ahead for NFL in 2021

By Barry Wilner May. 03, 2021 03:37 PM EDT
With a successful in-person draft in Cleveland behind it, the NFL inexorably

Seattle Seahawks fan Wallace Watts watches the fourth round of the NFL football draft, Saturday, May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
SEC dominates NFL draft the way it manhandles college teams

By Barry Wilner May. 01, 2021 02:11 PM EDT
As the NFL celebrated the conclusion of an in-person draft on the shores of

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans cheer after Tampa Bay picked Kyle Trask, from Florida, in the second round of the NFL football draft Friday, April 30, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
SEC still most coveted conference, 3 more QBs taken

By Barry Wilner Apr. 30, 2021 08:06 PM EDT
Not much changed on the second night of the NFL draft. Do the letters SEC and

Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II greets fans after he was chosen by the Denver Broncos with the ninth pick during the first round of the NFL football draft Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
NFL draft: No suspense as 3 QBs dominate early picks

By Barry Wilner Apr. 29, 2021 09:07 PM EDT
The themes for the 2021 NFL draft were many, starting with the quarterbacks.

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2020, file photo, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan watches during the second half of the team's NFL football game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J. The drama about which position the 49ers would target for their first pick of the NFL draft was erased as soon as they traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up to No. 3. The question then turned to which quarterback prospect Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will hitch themselves to with that pick. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)
NFL seeks return to normalcy with draft on Lake Erie shores

By Barry Wilner Apr. 28, 2021 12:43 PM EDT
Return To Normalcy! That's not exactly the slogan for the

FILE - Northwestern offensive lineman Rashawn Slater participates in the school's Pro Day football workout for NFL scouts in Evanston, Ill., in this Tuesday, March 9, 2021, file photo. Slater is as possible first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
Mock Draft: As usual, it's all about the quarterbacks

By Barry Wilner Apr. 26, 2021 12:28 PM EDT
Because they are make believe, mock drafts tend to go wild. Lots of projected

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2021, file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell talks during a ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla. The NFL is modifying COVID-19 protocols for all personnel who have been fully vaccinated. In a memo sent by Commissioner Roger Goodell to the 32 clubs Friday, April 23, 2021, and obtained by The Associated Press, he cited the “advice of our medical and scientific experts” for the agreement to modify protocols to ”reflect the reduced risk of infection and transmission for fully vaccinated individuals." (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
NFL modifies COVID-19 protocols for vaccinated people

By Barry Wilner Apr. 23, 2021 02:40 PM EDT
The NFL is modifying COVID-19 protocols for all personnel who have been fully

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020 file photo, Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye (4) attempts an onside kick with the Kansas City Chiefs recovered during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo. NFL owners approved eliminating overtime in preseason games and expanded selection of jersey numbers for receivers, running backs and defensive backs. The owners did approve establishing a maximum number of players in the setup zone (between 10 and 25 yards from the kickoff) in hopes of enhancing onside kick opportunities. Defending teams will be limited to nine players in that zone, Wednesday, April 21, 2021.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)
NFL eliminates preseason OTs, defeats onside kick proposal

By Barry Wilner Apr. 21, 2021 03:27 PM EDT
NFL owners on Wednesday approved eliminating overtime in preseason games and

VICIS has top 3 helmets in survey including lineman model

By Barry Wilner Apr. 20, 2021 02:05 PM EDT
VICIS has the top three performing helmets in the NFL/NFLPA's seventh annual

This photo provided by Allister Ann shows Chase Rice waitings backstage before opening for Garth Brooks at Ford Field in Detroit, on Feb. 22, 2020. Like many young football players growing up in North Carolina, Chase Rice had his sights set on the NFL. Then the linebacker who tore up the ACC in 2006 tore up his left ankle in the season opener as a junior. Though he returned in 2007, Rice already knew pro football player was not going to be on his resume.(Allister Ann via AP)
Chasing Dreams: From UNC linebacker to country music star

By Barry Wilner Apr. 19, 2021 02:29 AM EDT
Like many young football players growing up in North Carolina, Chase Rice had

FILE - In this Dec. 26, 2010 file photo, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Phillip Adams (35) is attended to after injuring his left leg during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams, in St. Louis. A source briefed on a mass killing in South Carolina says the gunman who killed multiple people, including a prominent doctor, was the former NFL pro. The source said that Adams shot himself to death early Thursday, April 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam, File)
Adams said to have spurned NFL, union health programs

By Barry Wilner Apr. 09, 2021 02:59 PM EDT
The NFL and its players’ union have an array of health programs designed to

FILE - Commissioner Roger Goodell gestures during the NFL Honors ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla., in this Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, file photo. The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games, as expected, and reducing the preseason to three games. Team owners on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, approved the 17th game, marking the first time in 43 years the regular season has been increased.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
NFL planning to remove restrictions for vaccinated personnel

By Barry Wilner Mar. 31, 2021 01:54 PM EDT
The NFL has plans to eliminate some restrictions from its current COVID-19

FILE - Commissioner Roger Goodell gestures during the NFL Honors ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla., in this Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, file photo. The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games, as expected, and reducing the preseason to three games. Team owners on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, approved the 17th game, marking the first time in 43 years the regular season has been increased.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Analysis: More games, more money, more flexibility for NFL

By Barry Wilner Mar. 31, 2021 03:07 AM EDT
There was never any doubt the NFL would grow its regular-season schedule to 17

USA Football recommends 8 procedures for youth safety

By Barry Wilner Mar. 31, 2021 02:14 AM EDT
USA Football has introduced eight procedures to enhance safety and health for

FILE - Commissioner Roger Goodell gestures during the NFL Honors ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla., in this Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, file photo. The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games, as expected, and reducing the preseason to three games. Team owners on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, approved the 17th game, marking the first time in 43 years the regular season has been increased.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
NFL owners approve 17-game regular season, 3 preseason games

By Barry Wilner Mar. 30, 2021 03:00 PM EDT
The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games and planning to have full

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2021, file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell talks during a ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla. NFL owners will vote next week on a measure allowing Goodell and the finance committee to increase league-level debt to cover pandemic-related losses, sources said. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
What's ahead? NFL owners to meet about upcoming season

By Barry Wilner Mar. 29, 2021 04:21 PM EDT
What's ahead for the NFL in 2021? Not even the teams know.

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2020, file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell answers a question during a news conference for the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game in Miami. The NFL will nearly double its media revenue to more than $10 billion a season with new rights agreements announced Thursday, March 18, 2021 including a deal with Amazon Prime Video that gives the streaming service exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” beginning in 2022(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Analysis: NFL 11-season broadcast deals are groundbreaking

By Barry Wilner Mar. 19, 2021 03:23 PM EDT
The billions of dollars the NFL will be getting from broadcast partners over