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 Hours after New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he had
no knowledge of anything being done to the footballs, Brady said the
same thing late Thursday afternoon as deflate-gate continued to
percolate with the Super Bowl set for a week from Sunday.
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The NFL will continue its practice of using equipment managers and
ball attendants independent of the participating teams for the Super
Bowl. Chicago Bears equipment manager Tony Medlin will be in charge
of the process for this year's game in Glendale, Ariz.
In the wake of the controversy over under-inflated balls allegedly
used by the New England Patriots during their 45-7 win over the
Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game last Sunday, the
competition committee is likely to review its policies.
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The San Francisco 49ers reportedly promoted Eric Mangini to
defensive coordinator on Thursday.
Mangini, a longtime defensive coach who coached the team's tight
ends in 2014, will switch back to defense under new coach Jim
Tomsula, according to reports by ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL
Media's Ian Rapoport.
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Marshawn Lynch was fined $20,000 for grabbing his crotch after
scoring a 24-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's NFC
Championship game.
The Seahawks running back was previously fined for a similar gesture
against the Arizona Cardinals, and the hits could keep coming.
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The NFL's sportsmanship award will be named after late Pittsburgh
Steelers founding owner and Hall of Famer Art Rooney.
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Tom Benson, owner of the NFL and NBA franchises in New Orleans,
announced a change in his succession plan to transfer future
ownership to his wife, Gayle Benson.
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The move, which eliminates the longstanding plan to put the Saints
and Pelicans under the control of Tom Benson's granddaughter, Rita
Benson LeBlanc, was countered with a lawsuit filed by LeBlanc and
her children on Thursday.
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All three NFL International Series games at London's Wembley Stadium
next season will feature a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff time.
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New Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo is excited
about the chance to work with Johnny Manziel, but that doesn't mean
Johnny Football has the inside track to the starting quarterback job
next season.
"We're not sure if our starting quarterback's in the building right
now or not," DeFilippo said Thursday during an introductory news
conference after he was hired by the Browns.
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Despite Clay Matthews' insistence that he wasn't targeting Seattle
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with a blind-side block during
Sunday's game, the NFL fined the Green Bay Packers linebacker
$22,050 on Thursday for an illegal hit.
Matthews delivered the blow during a second-quarter interception by
Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. (Editing by Frank Pingue)
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