National Football League roundup

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[December 21, 2016]  Dec 20 (The Sports Xchange) - The lone survivor of a 2012 double-homicide in Boston identified former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez as the triggerman during a pretrial hearing on Tuesday.

Raychides Sanches answered "Hernandez" and nodded in the direction of the convicted murderer after prosecutors asked him who did the shooting.

Hernandez is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu on July 16, 2012. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty.

Sanches testified that the car the three were riding in was stopped at a light when an SUV pulled up. The gunfire immediately began.

Hernandez is already serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiance.

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The NFL is opening its scouting combine to fans for the first time in 2017.

The league announced the creation of its NFL Combine Experience, allowing fans to experience the annual showcase of premier amateur talent in Indianapolis.

Fans will be able to watch the bench press, view press conferences in person and run the 40-yard dash. A select group of fans will also be allowed to watch the combine live from inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

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The San Francisco 49ers placed wide receiver Quinton Patton on the injured reserve list with a foot injury, the team announced.

Patton was injured during Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons. His season is over, and he becomes a free agent after this season.

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Patton, 26, started all 14 games this season, and had career highs in receptions (37) and receiving yards (408).

The 49ers also promoted wide receiver DeAndre Smelter to the active roster from the team's practice squad.

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The Minnesota Vikings placed defensive tackle Tom Johnson on injured reserve and signed defensive lineman Toby Johnson on Tuesday.

Tom Johnson, 32, sustained a torn hamstring in the third quarter of Sunday's 34-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He totaled 11 tackles with two sacks, an interception and one pass defensed.

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New Orleans Saints linebacker Stephone Anthony was placed on injured reserve, the team announced.

Anthony missed last Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals due to a knee injury. The second-year linebacker experienced a poor season with just 16 tackles in 10 games.

(Editing by Larry Fine) ))

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