Skip to main contentSkip to main content

    Whether Bud Grant was a football coach who happened to hunt and fish, or was a hunter and fisherman who happened to coach football, was difficult at times to tell. Retired Minnesota state Sen. Bob Lessard first met Bud when Lessard, of International Falls, visited the Vikings Bloomington offices in 1967, shortly after Bud was named the team's coach. "He didn't know me. I just went to the ...

      Former Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower didn’t play last season, and he won’t be playing any NFL football moving forward. On Tuesday, Hightower officially announced his retirement after playing nine seasons in New England. The 33-year-old shared his news in an article he published on The Players’ Tribune. “They say time flies in this league. Boy, they’re not lying. Today, I am officially ...

        Dont’a Hightower is making a quiet exit to a memorable career with the New England Patriots. The veteran linebacker who did not play last season announced his retirement from the NFL in an essay posted on the Players’ Tribune website. It ends a decade-long run in New England that included three Super Bowl rings and a pair of Pro Bowl selections.

          Willis Reed, who dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports’ most enduring examples of playing through pain, died Tuesday. He was 80.

            NEW YORK — A week ago, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. worked out in Arizona in front of an estimated 14 teams, including the Jets. But Beckham continues to wait for a lucrative contract offer from a club. The free agent is looking for a contract worth $20 million annually, according to a recent report from ProFootballTalk. However, Beckham denied this in a tweet. “I’m just so confused where ...

              The injuries to Cade Cunningham and LeMelo Ball have made this season another dreary one for the Pistons and Hornets, but the presence of those two players mean improvement could certainly come quickly if they’re back to full health.

                There’s an old scouting report typwritten in all capital letters that explains what New England is doing, why tight end Mike Gesicki might not be done and also why Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was still right. The report was written by Bill Belichick before he was the Belichick we know. It involves the larger alchemy involved in free-agent decisions, more than just grabbing the biggest ...

                Magic Johnson is, once again, trying to dish out an assist in 76ers managing partner Josh Harris' attempt to purchase an NFL franchise. Johnson, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and a Hall of Famer, has joined Harris' group in its bid for the Washington Commanders, according to Sportico. A spokesperson for Harris declined comment. This comes after Johnson was part of ...

                TAMPA, Fla. — The new face of the Bucs at quarterback arrived with a confident smirk. Baker Mayfield, 27, joined his fourth team since July when he signed a one-year contract with the Bucs on Monday. It’s not been the NFL career the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft and Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma envisioned. After four seasons with the Browns, he was traded to the Panthers last ...

                The Dallas Cowboys have acquired receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans. The deal adds a speedy veteran to play alongside CeeDee Lamb. Houston gets a fifth-round pick this year and a 2024 sixth-rounder. The trade is reminiscent of a year ago when Dallas sent No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper to Cleveland for two late-round picks. 

                ARLINGTON, Texas — Marquette King never looked the part, which was never really the problem. Marquette King refused to play the part, which ultimately was the problem. The irony isn’t lost on him. He was the rarest of NFL creatures: He was a punter, and there was a demand to buy his jersey. He was a punter with fans. “I remember when (the Raiders) came to me and told me that they had to make ...

                PHILADELPHIA — What the Eagles are trying to do next season is not unheard of in the NFL, but it’s pretty damn close. What they’re trying to do is win a Super Bowl the year after they lost a Super Bowl. Just three teams in the league’s history have managed to pull off that trick, and only one, the 2018 New England Patriots, has done it in the last half-century. If, once he finishes signing ...

                CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the first pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers will select one of four quarterbacks. Bryce Young (Alabama), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) Anthony Richardson (Florida) and Will Levis (Kentucky) all have a case to be the top pick. Over the next four weeks, The Charlotte Observer is breaking down the top four quarterback prospects to analyze which of the four might ...

                For a long time, Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr lived a parallel tortured existence with the bottom line. Was Garoppolo responsible for the 49ers winning so many games during his tenure as a starter, or did his teammates and coaching staff carry him there? Was Carr responsible for the Raiders losing so many games during his tenure as a starter or did his teammates and coaching staff drag him ...

                Affiliate

                Content by the Jewelers Vault. Nebraska prairie inspired Jewelry such as, natural wooly mammoth fossilized tooth earrings and an array of other organic jewelry made from buffalo horns, petrified wood and walrus ivory. 

                Content by Ballard's Resort. Ballard’s Resort makes vacation planning easy with lodging, fishing and meal packages to choose from that are perfect for families with kids, friend reunions and corporate trips.

                CHICAGO — Robert Tonyan’s NFL career blossomed over six seasons while catching passes from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But all the while Tonyan, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end, kept in his basement the jersey and autograph from a childhood hero, former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. Tonyan, 28, grew up in McHenry, Ill., and played quarterback for McHenry East before ...

                SEATTLE — The Seahawks continued the makeover of their defense Friday by signing free agent defensive back Julian Love, formerly of the New York Giants. The team announced the signing Friday afternoon. ESPN reported that Love agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $12 million. Love was among three defensive players visiting the Seahawks this week. Seattle also signed one of the other visitors, ...

                NEW YORK — Aaron Rodgers and Allen Lazard played the previous five seasons together in Green Bay. Now it appears the dynamic quarterback-wide receiver duo will suit up again for the Jets. Lazard officially signed a four-year contract worth $44 million — including $22 million guaranteed — on Friday. Earlier this week, Rodgers announced his “intentions” to play for the Jets and the two sides ...

                Stephen Curry has a simple answer for the drama between his four-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the upstart Memphis Grizzlies over the past two seasons. For Golden State, Curry says it's just a matchup with a talented team because the history to make it anything more isn't there.

                BALTIMORE — The start of NFL free agency on Wednesday saw its share of frenzied activity — quarterback Aaron Rodgers announcing his “intention” to play for the New York Jets led the way — but there was one notable exception. The only news on Lamar Jackson was that there was no news. Unless you count the Ravens quarterback dancing around in some large red boots in a video he posted to Instagram ...

                Here’s what I like most about the 2023 Dolphins to this point: they’re giving themselves multiple ways to win games. Adding a player as good as All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey backs that statement. As I’ve said before, these are exciting times for Dolphins fans. The organization’s master plan reveals itself more and more as time passes, and the plan makes more sense each time you see another ...

                DETROIT — It's a crisis, to be sure. But the sky's not falling. At least, not yet. That's the biggest takeaway from the Bally Sports kerfuffle, with the regional-sports network's parent company, Diamond Sports Group, officially filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this week. The move has been a long time coming, as Diamond — which owns 19 RSNs, covering 42 teams, including the ...

                Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst valued Jordan Love’s potential enough three years ago to trade up in the draft and select him in the first round, catching the Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback already on Green Bay’s roster by surprise. Love finally has a chance to show he was worth the gamble. Plus news from around the NFL on Thursday.

                Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

                Topics

                Breaking News

                Daily Alerts