NFL

Hey NFL players: If you want a safe way to celebrate touchdowns and big plays, just hug it out. Don't twerk. Don't pretend to shoot a bow and arrow. Don't even think about playing basketball with a football. And, never take your helmet off. ''Hugs are always legal,'' Dean Blandino, the...

Ali Marpet is one of the most unlikely prospects in this year's NFL draft.The Division III offensive lineman from Hobart College wowed scouts at the Senior Bowl against some of college football's best, then measured up to other top prospects at the combine.Marpet, 6-foot-4, 307 pounds, will share his...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Browns general manager Ray Farmer says he alone is responsible for sending text messages to the sideline last season in violation of NFL rules.Farmer told reporters Thursday in Indianapolis that nobody asked him to contact the coaches and that he was ''owning up to the mistake.''...

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) - Free agent cornerback Terence Newman has visited Minnesota, considering the possibility of reuniting with Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.The Vikings confirmed Tuesday that Newman met with team officials. The 36-year-old played the last three seasons with Cincinnati, two with Zimmer as defensive coordinator. Zimmer previously...

AP Sports WriterQB Schaub gives Falcons 'cool' backup to starter RyanBy CHARLES ODUMFLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) Matt Schaub's cool presence in the huddle has the Falcons believing the offense can keep moving should starting quarterback Matt Ryan's long string of consecutive starts end this season.Schaub, 35, is entering...

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) Jared Goff nearly made his NFL debut Sunday after starting quarterback Case Keenum bruised his non-throwing hand during the Los Angeles Rams' fourth consecutive loss. ''I said, `Jared, get warmed up, get ready,''' Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Monday. ''He said, `Coach, I'm ready.' I said,...

Former Rams, Jets RB Zac Stacy announces retirementBy The Associated PressFormer NFL running back Zac Stacy announced that he has retired from playing football after three seasons in the pros, a career cut short by a broken ankle in 2015.In a post on Instagram on Thursday that he titled...

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) - Jurors in the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez will continue deliberating for a fourth day.The twelve jurors have spent nearly 16 hours considering whether to convict Hernandez of the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was dating the...

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Chargers opened OTAs on Tuesday with Philip Rivers at quarterback.''Just like I thought I would be,'' Rivers said.Rivers is entering his 12th season and it comes on the heels of an eventful few months.In the run-up to the NFL draft, speculation was...

Associated PressEx-cheerleader sues NFL over low wagesBy CHRISTOPHER WEBERLOS ANGELES (AP) A former San Francisco 49ers cheerleader filed a federal lawsuit alleging NFL executives and team owners conspired to suppress wages for cheerleaders.The lawsuit filed Tuesday by the woman identified only as ''Jane Doe'' names the league and...

Steve Smith, the Carolina Panthers' all-time leading receiver, suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of Sunday's NFC South showdown against the New Orleans Saints and will not return to the game. Smith went down untouched after quarterback Cam Newton missed him on a third-down slant pass. Smith laid...

RENTON, Wash. (AP) The Seattle Seahawks will need a group effort to replace the production of Bruce Irvin over the next couple weeks.Irvin is expected to miss two weeks or more after suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee in last Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals....