Showing posts with label Hall of Famer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hall of Famer. Show all posts

Sunday, 27 April 2025

NFL TO TAKE ACTION OVER BRUTAL DRAFT MOMENT THAT SAW SHEUDER SANDERS' DREAMS CRUSHED


The NFL has announced that it will be talking action over the cruel draft day prank call to Shedeur Sanders. 

The 23-year-old had been tipped by some - including his father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders - to be a top-five pick but he embarrassingly became the biggest shock of the draft as he slid not only out of the first round, but also the second, third and fourth.

And on Friday - the second day of the draft - his misery had been agonizingly compounded when his hopes were momentarily lifted only to be immediately crushed by a prank call. 

Shedeur later revealed that he had gotten a new phone with the specific intention of the draft, suggesting only NFL team executives had the number. 

The revelation suggested that someone with one of the leagues 32 organizations had leaked the number, sparking speculation and fury 

Now, the league has announced that it will be launching an investigation into how the brutal incident came to be, according to Pro Football Talk. 

Sanders' wait for a new team stretched into Saturday afternoon, before the Cleveland Browns eventually took him in the fifth round with the 144th pick. 

But he had thought his long slide had finally ended Friday when he received a call, purportedly from general manager of the New Orleans Saints, Mickey Loomis.

Sanders was informed that he would be selected with New Orleans ' next pick, only to soon discover that the call was a hoax. 'You're going to have to wait a little longer,' he was told.

On Saturday, a clip of the prank callers was posted on social media. It showed a young man - wearing an Ole Miss sweater - calling Sanders.

His friend, who was sitting nearby on the couch, was left open-mouthed and had to walk away after hearing Sanders answer.

'This is Mickey Loomis here, the GM of the New Orleans Saints, how are you doing?' the caller asked Sanders, who replied: 'Good, I've been waiting on you'

The prankster continued: 'It's been a long wait, man, (but) we are going to take you as our next pick right here.'

After Sanders replied, 'that would be legendary', he is told 'you're going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that!'

The caller then hung up, prompting hysterical laughter among his friends. 'Oh my God, he bought it!' one could be heard shouting.

Sanders was left looking puzzled before realizing that he was a victim of a prank call. The moment was caught on the quarterback's livestream of his draft party, which was swiftly cut off following the humiliation.

How the pranksters managed to call Sanders is a mystery. The quarterback later revealed that he was using a 'specific phone number' that was 'not in my name, not in anything.'

He explained: 'Nobody had that number. The number was only in the email threat that the NFL sent out to only teams.'

Entering Friday night, many expected Sanders to be taken with the first pick of the second round by the Cleveland Browns. Instead, the Browns passed on him at picks 33 and 36. 

Sanders was helpless as he watched three other quarterbacks selected ahead of him on Friday, including former Oregon signal caller Dillon Gabriel by the Browns. 


Tuesday, 11 June 2024

STEELERS SIGN COACH MIKE TOMLIN TO 3-YEAR DEAL THAT WILL CARRY THROUGH AT LEAST THE 2027 SEASON

AP Photo 


 PITTSBURGH (AP) — The NFL's longest-tenured head coach isn't leaving Pittsburgh anytime soon.

The Steelers signed Mike Tomlin to a three-year extension on Monday that will carry through at least the 2027 season. Tomlin was about to enter the final year of the deal he agreed to in April 2021.

The 52-year-old Tomlin is 173-100-2 since taking over for Hall of Famer Bill Cowher in 2007. Tomlin has yet to endure a losing season and despite speculation late last season that he was considering taking some time off, he remains intent on trying to help the Steelers stay in the mix in a highly competitive AFC.

“I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said in a statement. “We are continuing to work diligently to get back to where we belong — sustained playoff success with the ultimate goal of winning the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy.”

Pittsburgh is coming off an eventful 10-7 season that ended with a first-round playoff loss to Buffalo. Tomlin was asked in the immediate aftermath about his future status and rather than answer he abruptly stormed off the podium.

A few days later the relentlessly energetic Tomlin hardly sounded like someone on the verge of burnout, stressing he was “on go” as he looked to 2024 and beyond.

“I coach football, that’s what I do,” Tomlin said in January. “I’m respectful of the position that I hold. I have no sense of entitlement in terms of what I do. I just got a high level of respect for what we all do in this space, and I try to earn it daily.”

While Pittsburgh has been consistently competitive under Tomlin, the franchise also hasn't won a postseason game since the divisional round of the 2016 playoffs, an eight-year drought that marks the club's longest since the “Immaculate Reception” in 1972.

Tomlin's decision to stick around extends an unmatched level of continuity atop an organization that's had just three head coaches since 1969. Yet the Steelers have also made a series of moves of late that suggest the team is no longer content on merely being in the mix in mid-January.

In the past year alone Tomlin fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada in midseason, the team's first in-season dismissal of a high-level coach since World War II.

Pittsburgh spent the offseason completely overhauling its quarterback room, signing Russell Wilson in free agency, trading away Kenny Pickett and acquiring Justin Fields from Chicago.

Tomlin has used the word “excited” in recent months to talk about Pittsburgh's immediate future. The new contract indicates owner Art Rooney II's commitment to letting Tomlin try and find a difference-maker at quarterback, something that's been an issue since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement following the 2021 season.

“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” Rooney said in a statement. “Extending his contract for three more years reflects our confidence in his ability to guide the team back to winning playoff games and championships, while continuing our tradition of success.”

The Steelers have mandatory minicamp this week then take a break before reporting for training camp at Saint Vincent College on July 24.

- WILL GRAVES