TRUMP ANNOUNCES WASHINGTON D.C. TO HOST 2027 NFL DRAFT

Reuters 

WASHINGTON - The National Football League will host its 2027 draft in Washington, D.C., U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday at the White House, bringing the league's biggest off-season event to the nation's capital for the first time since 1940.

The three-day event that regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors is expected to take place on the National Mall, a stone's throw from the White House

"The draft is a celebration of one of our country's most cherished cultural institutions," said Trump, speaking from inside the Oval Office.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters he expects more than one million visitors at the 2027 draft, far more than the estimated record 775,000 who attended the 2024 edition in Detroit.

The announcement comes days after the Washington Commanders struck a deal with the District of Columbia to return to the site of the club's former RFK Stadium, where Washington played from 1961-1996 and enjoyed the most successful era in franchise history.

The new stadium is expected to open in the nation's capital in 2030.

Commanders owner Josh Harris, who agreed to buy the team in 2023 after a turbulent period under previous owners Dan and Tanya Snyder, was in attendance to present the U.S. president with a team jersey with "Trump" emblazoned on the back.

"You are the ultimate commander, so it is a Commanders jersey," said Harris.

The draft has rotated through multiple cities since the NFL ended New York's five-decade-long reign as host in 2015. The three-day 2025 draft was held last month at Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the Green Bay Packers, with next year's selection of college players joining the NFL to be held in Pittsburgh.

Reuters 

Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl in February, where the crowd at the Superdome in New Orleans greeted him with a mix of cheers and boos, but he has a long and complicated history with the league.

Trump bought into the doomed upstart United States Football League in the 1980s and sought to have it compete directly with the NFL.

In 2017, during his first term in the White House, he spent weeks attacking the NFL over players who knelt during the pre-game playing of the national anthem in protest over police brutality and racial inequality.

Goodell, who stood next to Trump as the president addressed the media, in February had defied Trump's calls for private companies to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs, saying the league would continue its DEI efforts.

Trump's current term will overlap with several major international sporting events in the United States, with the Club World Cup set to take place in 11 U.S. cities from June 14-July 13.

The United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada, while the 2028 Summer Olympics are set for Los Angeles.

Reporting by Gram Slattery in Washington, D.C., writing by Amy Tennery in New York, Editing by Bill Berkrot

- Reuters 

NFL OWNERS HAVE APPROVED A RADICAL OVERHAUL TO KICKOFF

AP Photo 

 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kickoff returns are returning to the NFL.

Team owners on Tuesday approved a new rule that will take what essentially had become “a dead play” and make it an integral part of the game again.

“We feel this is a great day for the NFL,” said Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who was heavily involved in creating the framework for the new hybrid kickoff.

The major overhaul to special teams — which has been in the works for years — takes elements of the kickoff rules used in the XFL and tweaks them for use in the NFL beginning in 2024. The rule will be in play for one season on a trial basis and then be subject to renewal in 2025.

NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said the new rule passed by a 29-3 to vote.

“There was a little fear of the unknown,” McKay said. “I think the optics are definitely the most drastic (rule change) we’ve seen. The thing that gives us all the comfort is we have the tape, we've seen it. We can show you the plays and you can see how this can play out.”

McKay said there was urgency to vote on this rule before the draft because it could impact the way teams structure rosters. There were 1,970 touchbacks on kickoffs last season that now could be returns. There were 92 fair catches last season that are no longer allowed. Any ball caught in the field of play must be returned.

“The kickoff returners' value is gonna skyrocket,” Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he anticipates the league may have to tinker with the rule in the future but considers this “a big improvement.”

“I think it will bring the play back into a relevant play, an important play, an exciting play and I think we can do it where the injury rate will drop,” Goodell said.

For a standard kickoff, the ball would be kicked from the 35-yard line with the 10 kick coverage players lined up at the opposing 40, with five on each side of the field.

The return team would have at least nine blockers lined up in the “set up zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line, with at least seven of those players touching the 35. There would be up to two returners allowed inside the 20.

Only the kicker and two returners would be allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or was touched by a returner inside the 20.

Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned, or the receiving team can opt for a touchback and possession at the 30. Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air and goes out of bounds or out of the end zone also would result in a touchback at the 30.

If a ball hits a returner or the ground before the end zone and goes into the end zone, a touchback would be at the 20 or the play could be returned.

“It’s a drastic kind of move that’s going to be way different,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator. “Is that the right move at this time? I don’t know. I think that’s to be determined."

Under current rules, any touchback — or if a returner calls for a fair catch in the field of play — results in the receiving team getting the ball at its 25.

The proposal needed 24 of 32 votes to pass.

“I’m all for it,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “You have 2,000 dead plays. Nobody wants to see that. It’ll add excitement and newness.”

In other rule changes, the owners voted to make two tweaks to instant replay. Replay can now be used to review whether the game clock expired before the snap and also can correct an obvious error when a passer was ruled down by contact or out of bounds before throwing the ball.

Previously, those plays had been ruled dead at the spot but now can be changed with clear evidence. If the pass is caught or intercepted, it would be down at that spot with no advancement. If the pass was incomplete, that would stand.

There were several other changes, including allowing teams in the playoffs to have unlimited returns from injured reserve if they have missed four games. Teams also can place up to two players on IR, the physically unable to perform list or non-football injury list before cutting the roster to 53 players and have them still be eligible to return.

Owners also voted to move the trade deadline back one week to the Tuesday following the end of Week 9 and will allow a team to elevate a “bona fide” quarterback from the practice squad an unlimited amount of times to be the emergency third quarterback.

SILVER AND BRADY

Tom Brady’s bid to purchase a share of the Las Vegas Raiders remains on hold.

Owners didn’t take a vote on whether to approve Brady’s potential ownership stake during this week’s league meetings. There’s been concern that Raiders owner Mark Davis is discounting the price for Brady.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a delay,” Goodell said. “We go through a thorough process. ... I think it’s making progress.”

- ROB MAADDI

VEGAS SPECTACLE LAUNCHES SUPER BOWL WEEK, WITH TAYLOR SWIFT ON EVERYONE'S LIPS

USA TODAY Sports 

 Super Bowl week opened on Monday night with a sensory-overload spectacle at the Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium, and a sprinkling of Taylor Swift.

Bellowing announcers, thumping music, dancers, drummers and painted men flooded the in-field while more than 23,000 paying fans filled the stands of the arena, waving flags and placards while howling at the master of ceremonies and jeering the Kansas City Chiefs.

Never known for understatement, Vegas certainly put on a show to kick-start the city’s first Super Bowl. The defending Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday for the cherished Vince Lombardi Trophy.

“Now you’re firing me up, making me want to play right now, baby,” laughed tight end Travis Kelce as boos rained down from the stands. “Whooooooo... I love the boos more than I love the cheers, keep ‘em coming Niners gang, keep ‘em coming.”

Kelce and pop superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift bring even more glitz to this Vegas Super Bowl as their relationship is on everybody’s lips.

“I’ve never seen a Super Bowl opening like this,” Kelce smiled. “It feels like Christmas,” he laughed, as a female journalist threw a Mexican wrestling mask at him.

Soon afterwards a man tossed him a red-and-white striped soccer shirt. Questions ranged from queries about the weight he bench presses to how his faith and family have fuelled his success.

To 'football star' add 'diplomat' as the 34-year-old fielded increasingly bizarre questions — many relating to Swift — from a tiny podium with journalists a dozen deep jostling and shouting.

Swift set another record on Sunday, winning the Grammy award for album of the year for an unprecedented fourth time.

“She’s unbelievable,” Kelce said. “She’s rewriting the history books. I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home (with) some hardware, too.”

EAGLES TO PLAY IN NFL'S GAME IN BRAZIL TO KICK OFF '24

 LAS VEGAS -- The Philadelphia Eagles will play host to the NFL's first regular-season game in Brazil, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Monday in his state of the NFL media conference at Allegiant Stadium.

The Eagles, who last played an international game in 2018, will face a to-be-announced opponent in São Paolo on Friday, Sept. 6, the day after the NFL season kicks off on Thursday night. This will be the NFL's first Friday game on opening weekend in more than 50 years.

"We are just incredibly enthusiastic about our growth on a global basis," Goodell said. "We are convinced we can be a global sport in the near future. Our ownership has committed to allow more games to be played on an annual basis, on a global basis. We are excited about the fans' reaction and our media partners. I think this is a great opportunity for the league and we are committed to making it a global sport."

The Eagles' home opponents for the 2024 season are the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Brazil is new for us this year," Goodell added. "We think this is giving us the ability to access more fans. Not just here in the States, but on a global basis. And I think it's going to be a huge hit. We're excited."

Per NFL.com, the league counts 38 million fans in Brazil with an "increased" interest in recent years when it comes to the playoffs and the Super Bowl. The league's website also noted 49,000-seat Corinthians Arena, which played host to World Cup matches in 2014 as well as Olympic soccer matches in 2016, as the likely site of the game.

The NFL already plays international games in England and Germany and could be targeting Spain in 2025 as owners passed a resolution in the fall compelling each team to play an international game once every four years.

PLAYERS FACE TOUGHER PUNISHMENT FOR BETTING ON LEAGUE GAMES

USA TODAY Sports 

National Football League players who bet on NFL games will face harsher penalties under the league's revised gambling policy, according to a memo obtained by Reuters on Friday.

Players who bet on games involving their own teams will face a minimum two-year suspension, while betting on any NFL game will result in a minimum one-year suspension.

"The revised gambling policy for NFL players that we are issuing today provides that clarity and focus, and gives clear guidance to players about the consequences of violating the policy," commissioner Roger Goodell said in the memo released to clubs.

SHAWN COREY CARTER ALSO KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY AS "JAY-Z" SIGNS A MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH NFL

Businessman and Hip-Hop great Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter through his Sports & Entertainment company has signed a multi-year deal to consult NFL on music and activism...