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Shortly before he died last July, the former N.F.L. quarterback Ken Stabler was rushed away by doctors, desperate to save him, in a Mississippi hospital. His longtime partner followed the scrum to the elevator, holding his hand. She told him that she loved him. Stabler said that he loved her, too. "I turned my head to wipe the tears away," his partner, Kim Bush, said recently. "And when I looked back, he looked me dead in the eye and said, 'I'm tired.' " They were the last words anyone in Stabler’s family heard him speak. "I knew that was it,"...

Troy Haupt is a 47-year-old nurse anesthetist here in North Carolina's Outer Banks. He has a secret to reveal about Super Bowl I: He owns the only known recording of its broadcast. CBS and NBC, which televised the game, did not preserve any tapes. But the copy that Haupt owns -- of a broadcast that launched the Super Bowl as an enormous shared spectacle that attracts more than 100 million viewers -- might never be seen on any network. The N.F.L. does not want to buy the tapes and has warned Haupt not to sell them to outside parties or...

SUNNYVALE (CBS SF) — Two Denver Broncos team buses were involved in an accident on Highway 101 in Sunnyvale Monday afternoon that sent a CHP officer to the hospital as a precaution, according to the California Highway Patrol. The California Highway Patrol Golden Gate division tweeted about an injury accident on southbound U.S. Highway 101 at the State Route 237 interchange shortly after 2 p.m.

What is it about the Detroit Lions and generational players retiring in the middle of their prime? It appears that Calvin Johnson could join Barry Sanders as Lions greats who walked away from football in their very early 30s, according to this report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. The report says that Johnson told his family and close friends that the 2015 season would be his final one in the NFL, reiterating the message to Lions head coach Jim Caldwell the day after the regular season was over.

This is the new Britain, the Britain that David Cameron and Theresa May have made, and all the others who internalized the idea that anyone who has any problem with this kind of behavior is a racist, islamophobic, anti-muslim bigot. Britain has banned me and other freedom fighters from the country while inviting in people like these men, who think non-Muslim girls are there to be used. There will be much, much more of this in Britain. "Three Somali men who gang-raped white 16-year-old girl in bathroom of hotel where they had stayed to celebrate Eid are jailed for 30...

We just completed another regular season of NFL football. Now let’s see if we can make it the last such season ever played. In its current state, professional football is immoral and we as a society should end its existence. I imagine some fans of American football felt their hackles rise upon reading that. “Immoral” is a strong word, impossible to type from anywhere other than the saddle of a very tall horse, which isn’t the most comfortable seat for me. I ate foie gras with Christmas dinner last week and enjoyed it immensely. I know that its production involves...

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/14660038/ranking-all-49-super-bowls

Full title: The Los Angeles Chargers of Santa Ana? Sort of. Team acquires land for training, offices as first step. Do the Chargers want to be pro football's Los Angeles Clippers or the sport's San Diego Padres? The National Football League franchise took another step closer to moving from San Diego to Los Angeles on Thursday by announcing it has acquired land and office space in Santa Ana. The idea is that the land could become home to the Chargers' team operations and training facility.

The neuropathologist who first discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in NFL players said he believes that O.J. Simpson is suffering from the degenerative brain disease. Dr. Bennet Omalu, who was portrayed by Will Smith in the movie Concussion, told People.com this week that he strongly suspects Simpson is suffering from CTE. "I would bet my medical license that he has CTE," Omalu said. "Given his profile, I think it's not an irresponsible conclusion to suspect he has CTE."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Panthers quarterback Cam Newton suggested for the first time Wednesday that race may play a factor in why he's become a lightning rod for public criticism. "I'm an African-American quarterback that scares people because they haven't seen nothing that they can compare me to," said the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton. The No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft out of Auburn, Newton has his share of detractors who either don't like how he plays, his celebrations or his abundance of self-confidence.

The New York Jets have agreed to pay nearly $324,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by cheerleaders over wages. The suit was filed in Bergen County, New Jersey, where the NFL team plays. The 52 women said they were paid $150 per game and issued uniforms. But they said they were not paid for practices and other work and were forced to pay for their makeup, hair care and transportation.

The Carolina Panthers opened as a four-point favorite with most bookies for Super Bowl 50 on the strength of their 49-15 beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals and 15-1 regular-season record.

Super Bowl 50 Live Thread Super Bowl 50 Sunday, February 7, 4:30 PM EST CBS Denver Broncos Vs Carolina Panthers

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights?icampaign=nflcom-sub_nav_bar-video-nflgamehighlights

Not too cold today. It is up to 35F here at 8500 ft elevation west of Denver. There may be some rain/snow toward the end of the game. I wonder if Patriots have been practicing at elevation to acclimate---probably. If the Broncos keep dropping the ball they don't have a chance. If they play well it could go either way. Got beer in the fridge.

Former Oakland Raiders defensive end Anthony Wayne Smith was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for the 1999 torture killings of two brothers and the 2001 slaying of another man.

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 22, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – All the speakers at the 2016 March for Life play a pivotal role – but only one was regularly called an MVP. Matt Birk, the former center for the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens, proclaimed his support for women and unborn children this afternoon from the frosty dais of the March for Life. Birk explained the reasons his family attended the 43rd annual right-to-life event in a brief, straightforward, heartfelt speech. “I'm a football player,” he said. “I'll keep it simple.” “We march, because I've never heard a woman give birth to...

Quarterbacks have all the leverage in the NFL when it comes to contract negotiations. But Sam Bradford's reported demands from the Eagles were a bit out of whack with the current market. Appearing on NFL Insiders Wednesday, ESPN's Jim Trotter reported, via The Big Lead, that Bradford wanted a whopper from Philly in his most recent contract chatter, asking for $25 million a year when discussing a contract with Chip Kelly.

The NFL are 'on track' to deliver a permanent UK-based American football franchise within the next six years, spokesman Mark Waller has insisted. Since 2007, London's Wembley Stadium has been home to the National Football League's International Series by hosting regular-season matches. Jacksonville Jaguars ‒ who are owned by Shahid Khan, the Fulham owner ‒ have played a game a season there since 2013 and now a permanent move for an NFL team appears to be likely.

Rob Riggle gets you on the right bandwagon in this week's edition of "Riggle's Picks."