EDDIE PELLS
FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2019, file photo, rain drops are seen on the NFL logo on padding of a goal post at an NFL stadium. An NFL and players union-run fund that helps ailing retired players shut down its application process for nearly six months because of the coronavirus. That has irritated retirees who complained the league devoted resources toward safely starting the 2020 season on time but not to their medical needs. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
AP Exclusive: Disabled NFL retirees slam benefits plan delay

By Eddie Pells Sep. 11, 2020 04:47 PM EDT
An NFL and players union-run fund that helps ailing retired players shut down

Men from Milwaukee wear "We're WI Men" T-shirts as they attend the March on Washington, Friday Aug. 28, 2020, in Washington, on the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Athlete power: ‘Shut up and play' is tossed from the game

By Eddie Pells Aug. 29, 2020 12:51 PM EDT
With every get-out-the-vote campaign, every shutdown of a major sport, every

En esta imagen de archivo, tomada el 2 de abril de 2020, un hombre con una mascarilla pasa por delante del logo de los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio 2020, en Tokio. (AP Foto/Eugene Hoshiko, archivo)
Study: Olympians should push for collective bargaining

By Eddie Pells Apr. 23, 2020 08:17 AM EDT
A study of the worldwide Olympic bureaucracy's finances concludes there's far

FILE - In this March 26, 2020, file photo, Daniel Clemens looks into the empty ballpark at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Clemens, a season ticket holder, had tickets for the opening day baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers. With no games being played, recent sports headlines have centered around hopes and dreams — namely, the uncharted path leagues and teams must navigate to return to competition in the wake of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Sports leagues seek return to play but with no guarantees

By Eddie Pells Apr. 19, 2020 01:02 PM EDT
With no games being played, recent sports headlines have centered around hopes

FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2017, file photo, then-U.S. Olympic Committee chief marketing officer Lisa Baird speaks about the Team USA WinterFest for the upcoming 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, at Yongsan Garrison, a U.S. military base in Seoul, South Korea. Lisa Baird is the new commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League. The former chief of marketing for the U.S. Olympic Committee hopes she can bring the same ideas to soccer as those that ramped up Olympic endorsements. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
US Olympic marketing chief Lisa Baird is NWSL commissioner

By Eddie Pells Feb. 27, 2020 01:34 PM EST
The marketing executive who branded the U.S. Olympic squad “Team USA” will now

Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Damien Wilson (54), tight end Travis Kelce (87) and offensive tackle Cameron Erving (75) douse head coach Andy Reid with Gatorade in celebration of a victory during the NFL Super Bowl football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-20.(Margaret Bowles via AP)
Time passages: Mahomes leads comeback for the ages for KC

By Eddie Pells Feb. 03, 2020 07:38 AM EST
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — They were celebrating the passage of time as much as

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The same guys who banished Kaepernick from the league for kneeling during the anthem to raise awareness about those very same issues have ruthlessly commandeered his cause. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Kaepernick's Super Bowl close call has lasting impact on NFL

By Eddie Pells Feb. 02, 2020 11:13 AM EST
MIAMI (AP) — One play. Five yards. A flag that wasn’t thrown.

Hall of Fame Class of 2020, stand on stage at the NFL Honors football award show Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Safeties first: Polamalu, Atwater heading to Hall of Fame

By Eddie Pells Feb. 01, 2020 06:02 PM EST
MIAMI (AP) — He grew his hair so long, it flowed out of his helmet and obscured

FILE - In this Jan. 11, 1970 file photo, Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram walks on the field prior to the Super Bowl game with the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans. As the Chiefs prepare to play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, many members of the 1970 team never lived to see the the Chiefs return to the championship game, and many others are in failing health. (AP Photo)
Chief on the mic: 50 years later, Stram still shines on film

By Eddie Pells Jan. 30, 2020 02:34 AM EST
MIAMI (AP) — “Matriculate: To enroll as a member of a body and especially of a

FILE - In this June 4, 2019, file photo, construction cranes surround a football stadium under construction in Las Vegas. The most compelling dramas in the NFL this season unfolded on the field, not off of it. And any thought that the league was in jeopardy of losing its spot as America's favorite sport has been set on the back burner. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Ratings up, future bright: NFL rebounds off troubled seasons

By Eddie Pells Jan. 27, 2020 02:43 AM EST
The most compelling drama in the NFL this season unfolded on the field, not off

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) celebrates after converting a first down against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of the NFL NFC Championship football game Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
After cashing in on QB gambles, Niners, Chiefs in Super Bowl

By Eddie Pells Jan. 19, 2020 10:09 PM EST
A little more than two years ago, a pair of teams gambled on quarterbacks who

Baltimore Ravens defensive back Chuck Clark, left, brings down Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
ICYMI: Winston joins group of one _ the 30 TD-30 INT club

By Eddie Pells Dec. 30, 2019 02:29 AM EST
With one last bad throw to close out the season, Jameis Winston became part of

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. throws his gloves to a fan after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, in Cleveland. Cleveland won 41-24. (AP Photo/David Richard)
NFL ICYMI: Bengals take care of business, clinch top pick

By Eddie Pells Dec. 23, 2019 02:06 AM EST
They tried to give it away. But when the Cincinnati Bengals really needed to

El quarterback de los Buccaneers de Tampa Bay Jameis Winston señala durante la primera mitad del juego de la NFL contra los Lions de Detroit, el domingo 15 de diciembre de 2019, en Detroit. (AP Foto/Paul Sancya)
NFL ICYMI: All ends well for Cowboys after flip over toss

By Eddie Pells Dec. 16, 2019 03:34 AM EST
It was the debate about da boot. Like almost everything

Houston Texans inside linebacker Zach Cunningham (41) tackles Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) during the second half of an NFL football game at Wembley Stadium, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, in London. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Minshew a flop in London, no sure starter back in Jax

By Eddie Pells Nov. 03, 2019 03:39 PM EST
LONDON (AP) — Minshew Mania was a passing fad in London. It

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) runs out of the pocket under pressure by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) during the first half of an NFL football game at Wembley Stadium, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
No looking back: Watson on point as Texans top Jags 26-3

By Eddie Pells Nov. 03, 2019 12:44 PM EST
LONDON (AP) — Deshaun Watson's most impressive completion won't even count as

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) scrambles as Oakland Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell (96) and outside linebacker Tahir Whitehead (59) close in during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
ICYMI in NFL Week 8: Pats D finds end zone again

By Eddie Pells Oct. 28, 2019 03:25 AM EDT
Big news: The Patriots defense allowed a touchdown. Not big

New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown (17) gets away from Miami Dolphins cornerbacks Jomal Wiltz (33) and Miami Dolphins cornerback Eric Rowe (21) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Week 2 ICYMI: Back for now, Brown leads the way for Patriots

By Eddie Pells Sep. 16, 2019 03:10 AM EDT
On the field, Antonio Brown was hard to catch. Off it — hard to find.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Week 1 ICYMI: Browns bad as ever; Kyler makes a comeback

By Eddie Pells Sep. 09, 2019 03:09 AM EDT
Undisciplined. Mistake-prone. Just downright awful. These Cleveland

FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2016, file photo, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Devin Fuller runs the ball in the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. Fuller got his first taste of the NFL's business side during his rookie minicamp. One of the receiver's would-be teammates had a bad practice. Not much later, that player got pulled out of a meeting. Not much after that, the player was no longer Fuller's teammate. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
NFL's Trust gives players Plan B when careers end (suddenly)

By Eddie Pells Aug. 19, 2019 02:56 AM EDT
Devin Fuller got his first taste of the NFL's business side during his rookie