Deion Sanders
Michigan defensive back DJ Turner II runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Acing combine tests doesn't necessarily foretell NFL stardom

By Arnie Stapleton Mar. 06, 2023 06:17 PM EST

FILE - Carolina Panthers quarterback Steve Beuerlein (7) eludes Philadelphia Eagles' Mike Mamula (59) in the third quarter of an NFL football game at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 7, 1999. Mamula was among the first players to train specifically for the staple of tests he'd face at the NFL combine: the 40-yard dash that calibrates speed, the three-cone drill that calculates agility and the 225-pound bench press that gauges strength and stamina. (AP Photo/Rick Havner, File)
Brady, Brown prove combine flops can become NFL stars

By Arnie Stapleton Mar. 06, 2023 02:29 PM EST

Washington Commanders generall manager Martin Mayhew speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
HBCU players seeking ways to increase numbers at NFL combine

By Michael Marot Mar. 05, 2023 02:13 PM EST

FILE - Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (22) makes his way through San Francisco 49ers' defensive backs Merton Hanks (36) and Bill Romanowski (53), for a 4-yard gain in the second quarter of the Cowboy's 38-21 NFC championship win, Sunday, Jan. 23, 1994, in Irving, Texas. The 49ers-Cowboys playoff history is a rich one from back-to-back conference title games in the early 1970s, the iconic “Catch” in the 1981 season and then the heated rivalry in the 1990s when the Cowboys won the first two meetings on the way to Super Bowl titles and then the Niners took the third game. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Cowboys-49ers rivalry set for record-tying 9th playoff game

By Josh Dubow Jan. 19, 2023 06:00 AM EST

Deion Sanders speaks after being introduced as the new head football coach at the University of Colorado during a news conference Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. Sanders left Jackson State University after three seasons at the helm of the school's football team. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Deion Sanders' arrival swipes buzz from bungling Broncos

By Arnie Stapleton Dec. 06, 2022 05:57 AM EST

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, left, scores a touchdown as he is face masked by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton as linebacker Leo Chenal, right, tries to stop him during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Kelce scores 3 touchdowns, Chiefs rally past Chargers 30-27

By Joe Reedy Nov. 20, 2022 11:37 PM EST

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) walks off the field in the final seconds of the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. The Tennessee Titans won 17-10. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Raiders-Broncos rematch is mirror image of struggling teams

By Arnie Stapleton Nov. 17, 2022 08:03 PM EST

FILE - Los Angeles Rams cornerback Decobie Durant (14), who played at South Carolina State, warms up before an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. Four HBCU players were drafted this year, three more than the previous two years combined. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
NFL keeping watch on return of HBCUs to national prominence

By Dave Skretta Oct. 11, 2022 12:37 PM EDT

FILE - Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre speaks to the media in Jackson, Miss., Oct. 17, 2018. The governor of Mississippi in 2017 was “on board” with a plan for a nonprofit group to pay Brett Favre more than $1 million in welfare grant money so the retired NFL quarterback could help fund a university volleyball facility, according to a text messages between Favre and the director of the nonprofit in court documents filed Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Texts: Favre also sought welfare money for football facility

By Emily Wagster Pettus Sep. 25, 2022 04:55 PM EDT

FILE - San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryant Young (97) is carried off the field by teammates after his team's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL football game in San Francisco, on Dec. 23, 2007. Young's ability to inspire — both through his play and through his response to unimaginable setbacks on and off the field — finally earned him admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, nearly 15 years after his last game. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
A gentle giant: 49ers' Bryant Young heads to Hall of Fame

By Greg Beacham Aug. 03, 2022 12:44 PM EDT

Atlanta Falcons wide receivers Olamide Zaccheaus (17) and Drake London (5) take part in drills at the NFL football team's practice facility on Thursday, July 28, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Mariota, Ridder dominating QB snaps at Falcons training camp

Jul. 28, 2022 03:06 PM EDT

Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders speaks to the fans prior to the Jackson State's Blue and White Spring football game, an NCAA college football contest, Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Deion Sanders highlights HBCU prospects ahead of NFL draft

By Rob Maaddi Apr. 25, 2022 09:01 AM EDT

FILE - Former NBA basketball player Shaquille O' Neal DJ's at Shaq's Fun House in Miami on Feb. 1, 2020. O’Neal will return to the city where he helped the Los Angeles Lakers win three straight championships. This time, O’Neal – who frequently deejays – will host “Shaq’s Fun House,” featuring performances by Lil Wayne, Zedd and Diplo. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
Shaq, Usher and Mayer shows all highlight Super Bowl week

By Jonathan Landrum Jr. Feb. 08, 2022 04:37 PM EST

AP Sportlight

By The Associated Press Jan. 25, 2022 10:00 AM EST
Jan. 26 1913 — Jim Thorpe gives up his track medals from the 1912 Olympic games as a result of his having been a professional. He had been paid $25 for...

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lori Locust looks on before an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Nov. 17, 2019, in Tampa, Fla. Last year, Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar became the first female coaches on a team to win the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
Analysis: NFL moving closer to 1st female head coach

By Rob Maaddi Jan. 20, 2022 06:09 PM EST

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

By The Associated Press Jan. 20, 2022 11:39 AM EST
Jan. 25 1894 — Jim Corbett knocks out Charley Mitchell in the third round to retain the world heavyweight title. 1924 — The first Winter...

FILE - Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (22) makes his way through San Francisco 49ers' defensive backs Merton Hanks (36) and Bill Romanowski (53), for a 4-yard gain in the second quarter of the Cowboy's 38-21 NFC championship win, Sunday, Jan. 23, 1994, in Irving, Texas. Few rivalries have had as many big games or star players like Roger Staubach, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders, Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
49ers-Cowboys playoff rivalry resumes after long wait

By Josh Dubow Jan. 11, 2022 01:57 PM EST

FILE - Atlanta Falcons defensive end Claude Humphrey poses in August 1970. Humphrey, a Pro Football Hall of Famer Claude and one of the NFL's most fearsome pass rushers during the 1970s with the Falcons, died unexpectedly in Atlanta on Friday night, Dec. 3, 2021, according to the Hall of Fame, which was informed of his death by his daughter. He was 77. (AP Photo/File)
Football Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey dies as age 77

By Paul Newberry Dec. 04, 2021 12:32 PM EST

FILE - In this July 11, 2021, file photo, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred kicks off the first round of the 2021 MLB baseball draft in Denver. As the World Series shifts to Atlanta, some TV viewers may be offended to see Braves fans still chopping and chanting. After teams in the NFL and Major League Baseball have dropped names viewed as offensive to Native Americans the last two years, the Braves chop on. The tomahawk chop has the support of baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
With Manfred's support, Braves bring chop to World Series

By Charles Odum Oct. 28, 2021 01:56 AM EDT

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker smiles while speaking to the media after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Tucker kicked a 66-yard field goal to beat Detroit 19-17. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Ravens' record-setting Tucker embraces the spotlight

By Noah Trister Oct. 01, 2021 03:11 AM EDT