Perhaps too slowly for some in the media and elsewhere, but the NFL players are slowly, but surely, knuckling under the immense coercive pressure to get the vaccine.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The NFL’s vaccination rate continues to increase, with training camp fast approaching.

There are now 13 teams with at least 85 percent of their players vaccinated, the NFL revealed today. The league is expected to loosen the restrictions on player gatherings for teams that have reached the 85 percent vaccination mark, although the precise rules have not been announced.

Overall, 73.8 percent of NFL players have had at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s good, but it should be a lot higher: The vaccine is safe and effective, and getting it is the right thing to do both for one’s personal health and for society at large. For NFL players, it’s also going to make life a lot easier, as the league is putting far greater restrictions on unvaccinated players than on vaccinated players.

Training camps open in 11 days for 29 of the NFL’s 32 teams.

– – –

The lockdowns and other mandates of government crippled many industries in 2020.  The NFL seemed to get off better than most sports thanks to its huge TV contract and all players, even those who opted out, received substantial payment.  The cap contracted a bit, but the underlying level of compensation persevered.

But now we find out just how devastating the government mandates were to teams as the NFL’s only public enterprise releases its books.  Charean Williams ofProFootballTalk.com:

Packers president Mark Murphy predicted before last season began that the financial impact from the pandemic would be “significant.” The NFL, indeed, was not immune from COVID-19 and the effects on its bottom line.

The Packers lost $38.8 million in the last fiscal year that ended March 31, the team reported Friday.

“It was the first time we haven’t had a profit in over 20 years,” Murphy said, via Bill Huber of SI.com.

The last operating loss for the team was before the 2003 stadium renovation.

The Packers were one of 13 teams to play in front of no fans at home. The Cowboys led the league, averaging 28,187 fans at AT&T Stadium for their eight home games.

The NFL’s smallest market team, and the only one that publicly discloses its financial records, did not need to tap into its corporate reserve fund. Its local revenue dropped from $210.9 million in fiscal year 2020 to $61.8 million in fiscal year 2021.

The Packers reported $371.1 million in total revenue, down from a record $506.9 million in the 2020 fiscal year.

“COVID obviously impacted the Packers from a financial perspective,” Murphy said. “Our local revenue was significantly impacted. Still, we really feel that we remain in a strong financial position going forward and that we will continue to be able to provide the resources for the organization to be successful both on and off the field. As we all faced health and economic challenges with the pandemic, we really feel we emerged in a very good financial position.”

However, the Packers’ national revenue share was $309.2 million, meaning the NFL’s 32 teams split $9.894 billion, an increase of $42 million with expanded playoffs helping offset some of the losses.

The league, with a 17-game regular season, is expected to surpass $10 billion for the first time in fiscal year 2021, which began April 1.

“It’s a real credit to the league that we were able to play a full slate of regular-season games and postseason games,” Murphy said. “It was really crucial. We knew if we were able to get all the games broadcast that that would cover all of our player expenses.”

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

Former Packers LB A.J. HAWK spent a week with QB AARON RODGERS.  John Breech of CBSSports.com:

Rodgers spent a week vacationing in Montana, which is notable, because of who he was with: The reigning NFL MVP spent seven days with former Packers teammate  A.J. Hawk.

After spending that much time with the QB, Hawk has a prediction about how this is all going to play out: His hunch is that Rodgers is actually going to play for the Packers this year. 

“What have I said from the start? I said, ‘I don’t see him playing anywhere else.’ That’s what I said, right?” Hawk said recently on The Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t see Green Bay trading him, I don’t see that happening, I don’t know how it has to work, but yeah, I still feel like he’s going to be in Green Bay.”

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should go out and celebrate if you’re a Packers fans and that’s mostly because Hawk isn’t 100% sure that this situation is going to end the way he thinks it’s going to end.

“I was there for a week [with Rodgers] and I still don’t know,” Hawk said. “I don’t know if anyone has any answers. I don’t know how either side feels. I don’t know if they’re making progress, but either way, they have to make progress one way or the other before camp starts.”

If Rodgers isn’t offering any clues to his best friends about his situation, then you can bet that no one else has any idea what’s going on. Although Rodgers said he’d make a decision in a “couple of weeks,” he apparently didn’t share that information with Hawk.

“I have no idea about time frames, but it’s like anything else, there has to be a deadline,” Hawk said.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com is up to #15 on his NFL previews (we’ve done two or three of them previously, but not all):

If you were to make a list of NFL players who were synonymous with a franchise, it wouldn’t be long before you got to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints were close to moving to San Antonio when Brees signed. They had no history of success. Brees helped build the Saints into winners. They won a Super Bowl. They stayed in New Orleans. Brees set many NFL records. Considering what he did for the franchise, he’s the greatest free-agent signing in NFL history. The Saints’ Mount Rushmore of players could just be Brees’ face four times.

That era is over. Brees retired as the leading passer in NFL history (he’ll be passed by Tom Brady very soon), and for the first time since Brees replaced Aaron Brooks in 2006, the Saints will have a new regular starting quarterback.

Whenever a coach and quarterback have amazing success together, fans want to determine who deserves the credit. Bill Walsh or Joe Montana, Bill Belichick or Tom Brady, etc. That’s the wrong way to look at it, because both can share the credit, but we will enter a new chapter in Sean Payton’s career.

Payton and Brees arrived in New Orleans together. It was a great marriage that resulted in 143 wins for Payton and nine playoff appearances. Now Payton goes ahead with Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston instead of the NFL’s all-time leading passer.

Brees missed some time the past two seasons, and the Saints did just fine. They went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater starting in 2019 and 3-1 with Hill last season. That indicates the Saints could be fine without their franchise icon.

No decision has been made on who will start this season, at least publicly. The multi-talented Hill has been a favorite of Payton for years. Winston is a more conventional quarterback, a former No. 1 overall pick who despite a problem with turnovers has led the NFL in passing yards. The quarterbacks are far different and the decision on who will start will shape how the Saints look. It’s the biggest call Payton has made in a long time.

“We feel like we’ve got a real good football team,” Payton said. “Both of those guys have done a great job this offseason in what was kind of a little unique offseason, I would say. But yeah, I think there’s that challenge of winning each year. And especially with our current roster, it’s important you get good, solid play at that position.”

The Saints have a fantastic offensive line and elite playmakers Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas. They had a top-five defense last season. Brees’ physical issues at the end of his final season might have kept the Saints from a longer playoff run. It’s a very good team around the quarterback position.

Of course, the quarterback position isn’t trivial. Hill has four career touchdown passes. Winston has been a turnover machine. The Saints will need to figure that out. If Payton has the right answer, he could add to his legacy.

OFFSEASON REPORT

The retirement of Drew Brees wasn’t unexpected by the end of the season, but it still is a franchise changer. Then the Saints, who have spent impulsively in free agency for years, were very quiet. Tight end Nick Vannett was added on a three-year, $8 million deal but he was the only significant addition. The Saints lost defensive end Trey Hendrickson, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, receiver Emmanuel Sanders and tight end Jared Cook. Defensive tackle Malcom Brown was traded to the Jaguars. The Saints went heavy on defense in the draft, with edge rusher Payton Turner, linebacker Pete Werner and cornerback Paulson Adebo with their three top-100 picks. The Saints have a good foundation but it wasn’t a great offseason.

Grade: D

QUARTERBACK REPORT

The unique part about the Saints’ quarterback competition is how different the two players are. Taysom Hill is a dual threat, more a runner or gadget player than a pure passer, though he did pass well in four starts last season. He had a 98.8 passer rating. Winston is a pocket passer who likes to take chances deep. The offense will presumably look entirely different based on who starts.

“It could vary based on who the quarterback is,” Payton said, according to NOLA.com. “We’ve always tried to look closely at the strengths of our players, and we’ll build a little bit around that player accordingly. … There’s certain things we would do differently with each one, but we’ll work that out.”

Given how Payton has shoehorned Hill into the lineup, Hill has more Saints experience and a larger contract than Winston, it would seem Hill has the edge. The Saints might want to make a decision quickly so they can design an offense around their quarterback.

ODDS BREAKDOWN

BetMGM’s win total for the Saints is 9. Knowing what to expect out of the Saints is difficult. It’s still a team that was among the best in the NFL last season. That was with Brees missing four games and being at less than full strength in most others. However, it’s hard to trust Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston as a full-time quarterback. The Saints also lost a lot in the offseason. I’d lean to the over and trust the Saints’ core and Sean Payton, but it’s not a bet I’d feel comfortable with.

FANTASY TAKE

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “Although injury was a big part of the story, Michael Thomas had a monstrous fall in production last year. His average yards per game dropped to 62.6 yards — an ordinary 1000-yard pace over a full season — and he didn’t score a single touchdown. And I’m not confident there will be a major comeback this year, as the Saints transition from the Drew Brees era.

“Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill both have their pros and cons, and I suspect Sean Payton could use both QBs in many games. If so, it might be difficult for the New Orleans pass catchers to establish consistency. And it’s open to wonder just how committed Thomas and the Saints are to one another. Thomas’s mercurial personality ruffled some feathers last year — he drew a one-game team suspension after fighting with a teammate — and it’s reasonable to envision Thomas in a different uniform next year. When a superstar player stops producing superstar numbers, teams less likely to put up with locker room discord.

“Even at his peak, Thomas has never been a deep threat (career YPC: 11.7) or a big touchdown scorer (career-best: nine). Although he’s dropped outside the Top 30 in early Yahoo ADP, Thomas is not a proactive target for me. For the first time in forever, the Saints passing game doesn’t look like a fantasy destination.”

STAT TO REMEMBER

Michael Thomas went from an NFL-record 149 catches in 2019 to 40 in 2020. Thomas started last season by suffering a bad ankle injury and ended up missing nine games. He had 438 yards. In each of his first four seasons Thomas had put up at least 92 receptions and 1,137 yards. Given the other options at receiver for the Saints, Thomas and Green Bay’s Davante Adams are probably the two more irreplaceable No. 1 receivers in the NFL. The Saints were not bad in the passing game but only 19th in total passing yards with Thomas struggling most of the season due to injury. Thomas has never had a durability issue so it would be safe to assume he suffered a fluky injury and he’ll bounce right back. That would be great news for a Saints passing game that will be undergoing a big change.

BURNING QUESTION

Can New Orleans’ defense repeat its fantastic 2020?

For years the Saints got a reputation of being an offensive-heavy team that was held back by its defense. The Saints haven’t had a bad defense in a while, and New Orleans had its best defense in many years in 2020. New Orleans was great across the board: Fifth in yards per pass allowed, fourth in yards per rush allowed, fourth in passer rating allowed, first in interceptions, fourth in total yards allowed and fifth in points allowed. The Saints ranked No. 2 in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA. There was no real weakness.

But the offseason wasn’t kind. The Saints lost a lot of depth, especially along the defensive line, at linebacker and cornerback. Maybe a draft class heavy on defensive players can provide some instant impact, but it’s always hard to depend on rookies. The Saints’ big spike on defense in 2020 seemed like a bit of an outlier, defensive success is less predictable from year to year and New Orleans had some big personnel losses. There’s probably some regression coming.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

There’s more to the NFL than just the quarterback position. The Saints have a top defense, two of the best skill-position players in the NFL and a stellar offensive line. They also have a coach who could be in the Hall of Fame some day. It’s hard to win in the NFL with bad quarterback play, but the Saints have two interesting options. They’d have to play a certain style with Taysom Hill, but it can be effective. Or they’d trust Payton can turn Jameis Winston into a more effective quarterback, which is possible. This is a team that went 8-1 without Brees the past two seasons and it’s not like Brees was at his peak last season (he said he felt good in only one game all season) when the Saints were one of the NFL’s best teams. It’s really not too crazy to think the Saints, with a new quarterback, could win a Super Bowl. All the other pieces are in place.

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

It is very disappointing the Saints didn’t get back to a Super Bowl during Drew Brees’ final seasons (yes, an all-time bad officiating error played a big role in that). The Saints have been one of the best teams in the NFL for years, and the core won’t be at its peak forever. New Orleans lost some very good players this offseason, and we have no idea if Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston will play well. If the Saints fall off, everyone would point to Brees’ retirement. Maybe it would be more than that.

THE CRYSTAL BALL SAYS…

The Saints were really good last season. A divisional round loss to Tampa Bay overshadowed everything else they did. It’s easy to assume a team going from Drew Brees to Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston will take a big step back, but that ignores a lot of strengths the Saints have. Ultimately I do think there will be a step back, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Saints figure out how to win in a post-Brees world. It’s hard to have a strong opinion on New Orleans either way. It’s a team that will be very interesting to watch early this season.

Here is where Schwab stands as he is so far as he counts up to #1:

32. Houston Texans

31. Detroit Lions

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

29. New York Jets

28. Cincinnati Bengals

27. Philadelphia Eagles

26. Carolina Panthers

25. Atlanta Falcons

24. Las Vegas Raiders

23. New York Giants

22. Chicago Bears

21. Denver Broncos

20. Dallas Cowboys

19. Washington Football Team

18. Arizona Cardinals

17. Minnesota Vikings

16. Pittsburgh Steelers

We note that none of the NFC East teams are better than #19.  We note that all of the NFC West teams will be better than #19.

TAMPA BAY

Apparently you don’t need a functioning MCL to play quarterback at a high level in the NFL.  Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times broke the story:

Tom Brady led the Bucs to a Super Bowl 55 victory at age 43 during a pandemic, becoming the first quarterback to win a title in his team’s home stadium.

But the legend only grows from there.

Brady did it while playing with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee that he suffered in his final season with the Patriots.

The injury gradually worsened during his first year with the Bucs, and he finally had surgery to repair it in late February after winning his seventh Super Bowl.

Brady has declined to give specifics about his knee surgery, saying only that it was “pretty serious.”

The Super Bowl MVP — who was a free agent after the 2019 season, his last of 20 with the Patriots — had acknowledged that the injury occurred before taking his first snap with the Bucs in training camp last year. Now we know he a lot more than an arthroscopic procedure in February.

Brady tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee during Week 1 of the 2008 season.

The MCL is a band of tissue that runs along the inner edge of the knee. It helps to connect the shin and thigh bones to keep the knee stable and working properly during movement.

The risk of playing with a torn MCL is that the knee can become hyperextended easily and bend in the wrong direction. Brady uses his left knee to step into his passes.

“It was an injury I dealt with really since last, you know, April, May,” Brady said following the Bucs’ mandatory minicamp in June. “I knew I would have to do something at the end of the year, and happy I did it, and it was probably something that certainly needed to be done, and there was a great outcome, so I’m very happy about that.

“I feel like there’s some things I’ll be able to do this year that I wasn’t able to do last year.”

Brady missed about one practice each week the final few months of the 2020 season, presumably to give his ailing knee rest.

He was good enough to pass for 4,633 yards, with 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Bucs to an 11-5 record during the regular season.

He added 1,061 yards passing, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in four postseason games, including the Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.

Brady has spent the offseason rehabilitating the knee and this week is working out in altitude near his summer home in Yellowstone, Mont.

We would anticipate that Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com will be upset that Brady was not on the injury report, despite the fact that he did not miss a play due to injury all season.

And as expected:

It already had become clear that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had failed to disclose Tom Brady‘s knee injury throughout the 2020 season. Previously, the NFL had declined comment on this obvious violation of the rules.

Now that the NFL, through its in-house media conglomerate, has reported that Brady had a fully-torn MCL in his left knee, the violation becomes even more glaring. The league persists in its refusal to address the matter, however.

“We will decline comment,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told PFT via email on Thursday.

And so the team’s lack of transparency becomes compounded by the league’s lack of transparency. While that strategy may work in the short term, these issues could eventually create major problems for the league, as more states legalize wagering on sports and as more legislators and/or prosecutors realize that cheating now has consequences that extend far beyond the NFL’s 32 teams, affecting the integrity of the bets made on games.

The situation also underscores the existence and value of inside information. Eventually and inevitably, a scandal will emerge regarding someone on or connected to an NFL team funneling facts hidden from the public to gambling interests. At some point, the league will have a huge mess on its hands.

And so the league has two choices. It can be proactive about this issues and avoid the creation of the mess in the first place, or it can wait for the mess to unfold, feign ignorance as to the possibility of said mess, and wait for the government to clean it up through new laws or regulations or grand-jury investigations.

But if someone had “inside information” that Brady was managing a balky knee, they would have lost their shirt betting against him.

Florio tries to get to the bottom of how injured Brady was with his bum MCL:

The news that Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady played much if not most if not all of 2020 with a fully-torn MCL has raised an important question: How in the hell did he do it, and what risks did he assume by doing so? (I guess that’s two questions.)

NBC Sports/Sunday Night Football Sports Medicine Analyst Mike Ryan explained the situation to PFT in a string of text messages this morning.

Brady had, per Ryan, a “moderate” risk of further injury to the knee. The impaired ligament increased the overall laxity of the left knee.

“Ligaments stabilize joints,” Ryan said. “With a compromised ligament, the joint has more laxity. The greater the instability of the ligament, the greater the looseness of the joint.”

It’s still unclear how loose the knee was. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported that Brady had a partial tear of the MCL. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that it was a full tear. Per Ryan, that may be a distinction without much of a difference.

“With the thin slicing of an MRI, if a small tear in the MCL exists, it will be graded as Grade 3, or complete tear,” Ryan said.

Brady managed to play with the injury because of his custom knee brace. Ryan explained that, with an MCL injury, tape will be added under the brace to further support the knee.

The “moderate” risk of further injury helps explain (but hardly excuse) the team’s failure to disclose the existence of any knee problem for Brady. One good hit to the knee could have re-torn his ACL, which first was torn (and replaced) after a low hit in Week One of the 2008 season. Also, because Brady doesn’t do much cutting or lateral movement, the risk of the knee completely giving out was reduced.

Writing at Outkick.com come Dr. David Chao defends Tampa Bay’s lack on inclusion as it pertains to Brady and the injury report:

I am not saying Brady didn’t deal with residual problems with his MCL. In fact, this actually is his third MCL surgery. In 2008, when he tore his ACL, his surgeon decided to fix his associated MCL tear, which required an extra open incision. That area got infected and required a cleanup second surgery. Infected tissue does not heal as well, and this could explain why Brady had lingering issues after a 2019 MCL re-injury and had to deal with looseness all of last season leading to his third surgery.

Some are now critical of the Buccaneers for never listing Brady on the injury report. He did not miss practice and was not at risk to miss a game, and thus his team did not break any rules. I assure you that NFL teams don’t hire a half dozen athletic trainers and physical therapists along with three traveling team physicians just for a few players listed on the injury report. The fact is there are always more injuries than the public is aware of.

Brady’s greatness does not need to be embellished with false medical narratives. Expect the timeline of this MCL surgery recovery to allow him to be ready for the start of the season and to make another run at a title.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

DE FRANK CLARK, even though the arrest was in Los Angeles, is facing a felony.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Prosecutors officially have charged Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark with felony possession of an assault weapon. Now, he officially faces up to three years in prison.

Via TMZ.com, authorities made the formal charge on Friday. Police arrested clark on June 20 after spotting an uzi inside an open duffle bag during a routine traffic stop in Los Angeles. Clark claims the gun belonged to a member of his security team.

Another hearing in the case happens next week. Clark undoubtedly faces discipline under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, if he ultimately pleads guilty to any charges, or if he’s convicted. With a felony charge official filed against him, the more immediate question becomes whether the Commissioner will place him on paid leave. The policy gives the Commissioner broad discretion to place on the Commissioner-Exempt list any player who has been charged with a felony.

The stakes are high, both for Clark and the Chiefs. If Clark lands on paid leave and if the case isn’t resolved before the end of the 2021 season, the Chiefs will pay him $18.5 million to not play football this season.

His base salary for the coming season became guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap in March 2020. The Chiefs, if faced with $18.5 million in 2021 cash and cap charges, could release Clark for a stated reason other than skill, injury, or cap, in an attempt to avoid the 2021 salary obligation.

“Security team”?  Is that another word for posse?

LAS VEGAS

RB KENYAN DRAKE goes all Area 51 about the Las Vegas offense.  Kevin Patra ofNFL.com:

Las Vegas Raiders running back Kenyan Drake is a noted space exploration enthusiast who would like to be part of an expedition one day.

During an interview on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Drake quipped that he’s already headed to space in one alternate fashion.

“I know who for sure is going to space, and that’s this offense this year, this team,” the RB cracked. “I feel like we’re definitely taking off to another trajectory, you know what I mean? You like how I kind of threw that in there?”

Very nice, Kenyan.

Drake has been making the media rounds during the sleepy portion of the offseason, harping to anyone who will listen that he expects the Raiders offense to fly this season.

On paper, you can understand Drake’s optimism. The dual-threat back pairs well with workhorse Josh Jacobs out of the backfield. The receiver corps, with the additions of John Brown and Willie Snead, is intriguing, particularly if Henry Ruggs III makes a Year 2 leap. The offensive line has potential depending if rookie Alex Leatherwood. Derek Carr showed last year he can be a solid signal-caller in Jon Gruden’s system.

The big question is whether those “ifs” pan out, or it’s another disappointing season under Gruden.

Drake said the offensive plans in Vegas are to lean heavily on the backfield, with both he and Jacobs able to be a threat from any formation.

“I feel like with his skill set and my skill set, they complement each other pretty well,” Drake said. “He just has a knack for making plays in space or just being a hammer and not the nail, like our running back coach in Alabama used to say. … Just excited about what Gruden has planned for us and this offense in general.”

Drake reiterated that he believes he’ll see the field plenty despite sharing the backfield. After entering the league as a pass-catching third-down back, the 27-year-old spent last season as the early-down runner in Arizona. Joining the Raiders, Drake believes he’s back to a role similar to his Alabama days.

“Up to this point in my career from Alabama, really started from high school because I played a little receiver, I kind of came out as an athlete, then going to Alabama, obviously with being there, I was able to play a little receiver as well,” he said. “But then playing in Miami, I came in as a third-down back. Going to Arizona, I was mostly used as a first- or second-down back. Now I just feel like it’s a full-circle situation where I can kind of come in, obviously spell Josh in that situation, be a first- or second-down back, prove I can do that, come in and be a third-down back in certain situations and also play a little receiver. So like I said, I just feel like it’s come real full-circle for me in my career and I just kind of look forward to putting it all together.”

The Raiders took a lot of heat for paying a backup running back $11 million in free agency. However, if Gruden uses him as much as Drake suggests — both from the backfield and as a receiver — those criticisms should wash away, particularly if the Raiders offense is as prolific as the RB insists it will be in 2021.

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

A wedding re-celebration went awry and there is domestic violence in the household of QB DWAYNE HASKINS.  Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:

The wife of Dwayne Haskins faces a domestic violence charge stemming from an alleged assault involving the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback that occurred in a Las Vegas hotel room earlier this month.

Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins faces a felony charge of battery and domestic violence resulting in bodily harm stemming from the alleged altercation on July 3 at The Cosmopolitan.

Gondrezick-Haskins is accused of punching Haskins in the mouth, according to the police report obtained by ESPN.

Haskins, 24, reportedly had a split upper lip and a missing tooth and suffered other injuries to his mouth that would require dental work to repair his teeth.

Haskins posted on Instagram on Thursday, however, that he is not missing any teeth.

“I appreciate the concern… however I have all of my teeth,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. “Don’t believe everything you read. Peace.”

Police were called to the hotel around 2:30 a.m. PT, and Haskins was taken to the hospital for the facial injury.

Gondrezick-Haskins told police that the pair married in March and were in Las Vegas to celebrate with friends and renew their vows. At some point in the evening, there was a verbal argument between the couple about Haskins and his friends not waiting for his wife and her friends to go to a nightclub. It escalated when she allegedly hit Haskins in the mouth.

Haskins said he remembered getting into a fight with his wife but didn’t remember getting punched in the mouth. In searching the room, officers found a piece of tooth and blood.

“We are aware of the situation but will have no comment,” the Steelers said Thursday when asked for comment.

THIS AND THAT

STILL WOKE

Some companies (Coca-Cola) seem to have pulled back a bit from the overt support of BLM and other Woke enterprises that came to the fore last year in the wake of the death of George Floyd.  The NFL, however, seems undeterred.  Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post on what plans are afoot:

Capacity crowds are about to see, hear and feel for the first time the NFL’s increased support for social justice and anti-racism campaigns.

As teams prepare to welcome back fans without COVID-19 limitations, the NFL plans to continue many of the initiatives put in place in empty or partially empty stadiums last season, while also adding new elements, as first reported by FrontOfficeSports.com and confirmed by The Post.

Social justice promotion will include on-field signage, player helmet decals and in-stadium public service announcements. For Week 1 of the preseason, end zones will be painted to include the messages “End Racism” and “Inspire Change.”

“Lift Every Voice” – unofficially known as “the Black national anthem” – will be played in addition to “The Star-Spangled Banner” before kickoff of the first regular-season game (Cowboys at Buccaneers, Sept. 9) as well as at marquee events like the Pro Bowl, Super Bowl and the NFL Draft.

Victims of racial injustice will be given a platform as part of a “Say Their Stories” project, and “Inspire Change” will be the a league-wide theme expressed on signage during Weeks 17 and 18, under the season-long “It Takes All of Us” campaign, according to the report. Other popular NFL theme weeks include “My Cause My Cleats” to promote player charities and “Crucial Catch” in partnership with American Cancer Society.

This will be the first time many fans are in stadiums since the NFL committed $250 million over 10 years beginning in June 2020 to combat systemic racism. NFL revenue reportedly decreased by about $4 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so the need for fans to return is pressing.

Kneeling during the national anthem – a movement that began with Colin Kaepernick on Aug. 14, 2016 – has been a divisive issue with fans for nearly five years. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell offered his “support” before last season for those who kneel, which felt like a watershed moment even though no player ever had been disciplined for kneeling.

The NFL also is planning to honor 9/11 victims and first-responders during Week 1 of the regular season, when most games will be played on Sept. 12, one day after the 20th anniversary of the tragedy. The Broncos will visit the Giants at MetLife Stadium that afternoon.

RICHARD SHERMAN

While we were on our hiatus, CB Richard Sherman, still a free agent, got five misdemeanor charges laid on him in Redmond, Washington.  Evan Orris of the New YorkPost:

Free-agent cornerback Richard Sherman is vowing to get help for his mental health issues following an attempted break-in of his in-laws’ home.

“I am deeply remorseful for my action on Tuesday night. I behaved in a manner I am not proud of. I have been dealing with some personal challenges over the last several months, but that is not an excuse for how I acted,” Sherman said in a statement that he posted on social media.

“The importance of mental and emotional health is extremely real and I vow to get the help I need. I appreciate all of the people who have reached out in support of me and my family, including our community here in Seattle. I am grateful to have such an amazing wife, family and support system to lean on during this time.”

The statement comes after the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed five criminal charges against Sherman, according to KOMO News.

The charges include driving under the influence, reckless endangerment of roadway workers, second-degree criminal trespass, resisting arrest and third-degree malicious mischief.

The 33-year-old is also being investigated for a possible hit-and-run and DUI. According to TMZ Sports, he crashed into a barrier in a construction zone on a highway. He then drove away from the scene of the crime and abandoned his car in a parking lot.

The Super Bowl XLVIII champ was released from jail on Thursday following the incident. King County District Court Judge Fa’amomoi Masaniai called Sherman a “pillar of the community,” and released him due to it being his first arrest.

“His contributions to the community are innumerable,” Cooper Offenbecher, Sherman’s lawyer, said of the cornerback. “Richard Sherman is among the best in our community. We are proud to have him here, and he is a good person and a good soul.”

Sherman spent the previous three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. Before that, he was with the Seattle Seahawks for seven. He has been on three First Team All-Pro teams in his ten-year career.

A commentator offers this if you watch the video of Sherman, perhaps drunk, perhaps otherwise inhibited, trying to get into the house.

For anyone interested in the story, that was his father in law’s house and Ray is his father in law. Sherman was drunk and belligerent. Something must have happened to spark an obvious argument between the two. When the police came to arrest Sherman, he initially did not comply. They had to use a K9 which bit him on the ankle. Once in custody it seems once he realized what’s going on, (and maybe the alcohol wore off) he was compliant. Ashley Sherman (his wife) told police he had been on antidepressants and was receiving mental health counseling