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The Cleveland Browns have signed quarterback Robert Griffin III, the team announced Thursday. Griffin’s contract is for two years and $15 million, and can be worth up to $22 million including incentives, reports USA Today’s Tom Pelissero.

The Los Angeles Rams announced Wednesday that they will appear in the HBO series "Hard Knocks." According to a new report, the team could have been on the show sooner if they didn't draft Michael Sam in 2014. Sources told St. Louis radio station 590 The Fan the NFL agreed to not ask the Rams to appear on the HBO show if they drafted Sam, who was the sport’s first openly gay player. The Rams, then in St. Louis, were seen as a perfect fit for Sam because he attended Missouri, was the 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year...

The NFL has passed a few notable rule changes, including expanding the definition of a chop block and setting the extra-point distance permanently, at the owners meetings in Boca Raton, Fla.

Roger Goodell, chairman of the National Football League is on the cusp of becoming America’s newest gay icon. Goodell, who has an openly gay brother, and the NFL, have emerged as staunch allies in gay rights advocates’ efforts to defeat HB 757, the controversial religious freedom bill that passed the Georgia legislature late last week.

The NFL has issued a warning to Georgia over that state legislature’s advance of a so-called “religious-freedom” bill that protects same-sex marriage opponents from discrimination lawsuits, saying the measure, if approved into law, could impact where future championship games are played. “NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, CBS News reported. “Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential...

It's no secret the Deflategate controversy caused a rift between commissioner Roger Goodell and the New England Patriots. Head coach Bill Belichick doesn't seem to be bothering to hide his personal feelings for the commissioner at the NFL annual spring meetings this week. Goodell is giving a speech to head coaches, owners, etc. in a banquet room. Belichick is walking down the hall in the opposite direction. — Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 20, 2016 It's not clear whether Belichick was intending to make a statement against Goodell with his lack of attendance, but it would certainly fit his personality.

The NFL came out against a proposed religious exemptions bill in Georgia Friday, saying the deal could have an effect on the Super Bowl selection process for 2019 and 2020. Atlanta is one of the finalists for the next two league title games to be awarded, along with New Orleans, Miami and Tampa. The city is considered a clear favorite because of its new retractable-roof stadium that is set to open next year. However, the religious exemptions bill could change all of that. [Snip] This bill would protect pastors from performing same-sex marriages and give "faith-based" organizations permission to deny...

If Georgia chooses to turn the “religious liberty” bill into law, be prepared: Atlanta may not get a Super Bowl. That was the suggestion from the NFL on Friday when the league released a statement in response to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s question about whether the league had any position on Georgia House Bill 757. The statement from league spokesman Brian McCarthy reads, “NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies...

Manziel is leaving a nightclub? Check. The nightclub is in Hollywood? Check. Manziel is with celebrities? Check. Manziel makes a bold proclamation about his NFL future? Check! "Of course, my man. Have a great night. My TMZ family. I appreciate you,bro, I appreciate you,"

Johnny Manziel has been cut by the Cleveland Browns. The disgraced quarterback, who has had problems both on and off the field since being drafted by the Browns with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 draft, was waived by the team early Friday. The move comes as no surprise and Manziel seems to be unfazed, having been spotted partying with friends in Los Angeles earlier this week. Manziel was only two years into his four-year contract with the Browns which was worth a reported $8.245million.

The Washington Redskins have ended quarterback Robert Griffin III’s tenure with the team, releasing him two days before the start of the 2016 NFL year, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The long-anticipated move clears $16.155 million off of the Redskins’ salary cap, freeing up much-needed money for the team to upgrade the roster in free agency, and gives Griffin a chance to revive his once-promising career. Griffin now has the freedom to sign with whichever team he wants.

Super Bowl winning NFL tight end and coach Mike Ditka reacted to Romney, establishment attack to take down Trump on WABC-AM's The Bernie and Sid Show at the end of the week. Ditka said the country needs someone like Donald Trump to follow Barack Obama and that is why he is voting for Donald Trump. "This country needs leadership," Ditka told hosts Sid Rosenberg and Bernard McGuirk. "It needs direction. It needs somebody that steps up front. We need somebody like Ronald Reagan." "If I were to vote tomorrow, I'd probably vote for Trump," Ditka said.

Former Bears coach Mike Ditka, who has repeatedly voiced his support for Donald Trump to the Chicago Sun-Times, blasted President Obama during a radio appearance Thursday."Obama is the worst president we've ever had," Ditka told hosts Sid Rosenberg and Bernard McGuirk during an appearance on their morning show on WABC-AM in New York.Ditka, who guided the 1985 Bears to a Super Bowl victory, questioned Obama’s skills as a leader. "Barack Obama's a fine man. I mean, he's pleasant," Ditka said. "He would be great to play golf with. He's not a leader. This country needs leadership. It needs direction. It...

On Saturday, Officer Ashley Guindon was shot and killed on her first day on the job, the day after she was sworn in as the newest rookie in the Prince William County, Virginia, Police Department. This morning at the NFL Scouting Combine, Virginia cornerback Maurice Canady paid tribute to Guindon. On the cleats he wore to run the 40-yard dash, Canady wrote, “Officer Guindon 2/27/16 Never Forget.” Canady told NFL Network he plans to auction the shoes off and give the proceeds to a memorial fund established for Guindon’s family. Canady has an aunt who was murdered, and he has...

Quarterback great Peyton Manning is expected to announce his retirement within a week, the Denver Post reported on Saturday. The newspaper reported that after meeting recently with Denver Broncos general manager John Elway, "Manning is certain" the time has come to call it a day. Manning helped the Denver Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl earlier this month. The victory was his second National Football League championship in a storied career in which he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player five times in 17 seasons

"We were shocked to learn the derivation of the term 'R*dskin,' pertaining as it does to the historic abuse of native Americans," read the letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN. "The exportation of this racial slur to the UK this autumn, when the Washington team is due to play, directly contravenes the values that many in Britain have worked so hard to instill." ** No nation has stricter anti-racism laws in sports, due in part to disturbing incidents encountered by black soccer players over the years, including having banana peels and monkey chants hurled at them during...

Shameless Johnny Manziel flew to Mexico for a booze and sex-filled vacation just a week after allegedly beating up his ex-girlfriend, Daily Mail Online can reveal. Manziel, 23, the subject of a criminal investigation by the Dallas Police Department into his alleged assault on Colleen Crowley on January 30, flew to party hot spot Cabo San Lucas on a private jet and stayed at a plush $2,500 a night villa. The under-fire NFL star was joined by four friends for the six day sunshine break, sources told Daily Mail Online.

Moms push strollers, guys jog along sidewalks and tucked behind a couple of classic cars is a small house where the future of the NFL scouting combine might be hatching. "We're in a freaking townhome," says Derek Belch, 30, the former Stanford graduate assistant coach who now has the attention of several NFL teams. He is surrounded by a gaggle of co-workers, some sitting on stairs, some at desks. There's a whiteboard with "Combine" scrawled on it, though that gets erased after a reporter enters. He is intense in the way a lot of coaches are: eye contact, rapid patter,...

Shortly after Super Bowl 50 ended with a humiliating defeat for the heavily-favored Carolina Panthers, led by quarterback Cam Newton, Newton and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning shook hands on the field and exchanged greetings and comments, with Manning (who has suffered his own humiliating losses in previous Super Bowls) offering encouragement, then each went his own way. Unfortunately for Newton, he later would have an infamous press conference in which he showed up wearing a "hoodie," mumbled some answers to questions, and then would walk out after three minutes, leaving the press astonished. Not surprisingly, the sports media jumped...

A national women's group is urging companies that sponsor Peyton Manning to cut ties with the Broncos quarterback. UltraViolet, a group made up of over 700,000 people, specifically called out Papa John's and Nationwide Insurance as two companies that should suspend ties with Manning immediately. The group would also like the NFL to investigate the 1996 incident at the University of Tennessee that took place between Manning and former Volunteers trainer Jamie Naughright.