PHILADELPHIA — So I have these two friends — great friends, practically-my-brother friends, bail-ya-out-of-jail friends. (Why would I be in jail, you ask? Let’s just say that, in my house, you won’t find a mattress with its tag still attached.) Both men are sports fans — not just fans, but knowledgeable followers of sports. And both of...Read more

MIAMI — Former NFL star Antonio Brown made his first appearance in a Miami court on Wednesday morning — with a judge granting him a bond in his attempted murder case.

At the hearing, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer allowed Brown to post a $25,000 bond to get out of jail. Glazer also placed Brown on a low-level house arrest, ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jameis Winston was so excited about being named the New York Giants’ starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers that he started signing lyrics from the Broadway musical "Hamilton."

“This is something I’ve been doing since I was four years old, now I get to do it in the greatest city in the ...Read more

NFL WEEK 11 THURSDAY PICK

JETS (2-7) at PATRIOTS (8-2)

Line: NE by 12 1/2.

Cote’s pick: NE, 27-13.

TV: 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Prime Video.

Patriots are legit-scorchin’ on a seven-game win streak as blossoming star QB Drake Maye climbs in league MVP odds and Mike Vrabel vaults to lead in Coach of the Year derby. And New England is off a ...Read more

SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks have become a cliché in the best possible way.

Minutes after Seattle’s fourth consecutive win, coach Mike Macdonald said Sunday: “We had some guys go down this week, as you guys are well aware. We had guys step up, and nobody flinched. It took all 70 [players on the roster] again. That’s how we roll.”

...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have this annoying little problem on offense.

They don’t run enough plays, they don’t compile enough yards, they don’t make a lot of splash plays and their most productive wide receiver has been the one who plays the least.

Otherwise, they have no issues.

It was on full display in Sunday night’s ...Read more

NEW YORK — Former NFL star Antonio Brown has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder as he prepares to face trial on charges stemming from a shooting in Miami earlier this year.

Brown, who was arrested in Dubai last week and extradited to New Jersey, was released from the Essex County Jail late Tuesday morning and transferred to south Florida...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Paul Tagliabue died this past weekend. The former NFL commissioner was influential and successful in helping America’s favorite league navigate enormous change with profitable leaps and bounds.

It’s necessary to say that here, at the top, because this column isn’t an ode or obituary to Tagliabue. This is about an...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jaire Alexander is stepping away from football, a league source told The Philadelphia Inquirer, confirming a Fox Sports report on Tuesday night.

The Eagles acquired the 28-year-old outside cornerback ahead of the trade deadline last week from the Baltimore Ravens in a late-round pick swap. Alexander, the Green Bay Packers’ No...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie running back Josh Williams has been suspended six games without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, the league announced Tuesday.

Williams, an undrafted free agent from LSU, had been serving as Tampa Bay’s No. 3 ball carrier behind Rachaad White and Sean Tucker ...Read more

BALTIMORE — For the first time in his career, Justin Tucker is a free agent in search of work. His 10-week suspension is over and Tucker can now rejoin a locker room and try to reclaim the rhythm and routine that shaped his storied career.

Second chances exist in life and sports.

Teams desperate for stability at kicker will at least consider...Read more

Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers signed veteran cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to their practice squad on Tuesday after he worked out for Steelers scouts earlier in the day, sources told the Post-Gazette.

Samuel, a free agent, underwent spinal fusion surgery in the spring and was not on an NFL roster this season. Drafted by the Chargers in the second ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — You think you know a guy. You know his past performance. You know his level of skill. You’ve watched him for a dozen years, and you know his value and worth to a football team.

And then Mike Evans gets hurt and you realize you didn’t know him at all.

Oh sure, you’ve recognized the past few years that you were watching a ...Read more

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Philadelphia Eagles have done this so many times that you have to constantly remind yourself to temper your criticism. That can be a difficult thing to do, especially on nights like Monday, when you spend the vast majority of your time watching an offense that more than deserves a critical eye.

There are lots of games in...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The regular season is now halfway complete, and the Baltimore Ravens remain the NFL’s biggest mystery.

They won their third straight game Sunday, beating the Minnesota Vikings, 27-19, at U.S. Bank Stadium, but it’s hard to figure this team out. A team picture might be placed right near the word “enigma” in the dictionary...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Much of what happened Sunday night in SoFi Stadium was not the fault of the Steelers defense, not when the offense continues to post anemic numbers that apparently are causing a headache for Mike Tomlin.

But this much is known about this Steelers team:

The defense is solely reliant on getting takeaways and is not good enough to ...Read more

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — The new Bird on the block called game.

Jaelan Phillips, the 26-year-old edge rusher whom the Eagles acquired from the Miami Dolphins before the trade deadline, was the hero in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 10-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night at Lambeau Field.

He forced a critical Josh Jacobs fumble on ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — If there is any silver lining from the Steelers' Sunday night disaster in Los Angeles, it is that they are still in first place in the AFC North.

They won't be for much longer, though, if they don't fix the offense, and there doesn't seem like it will be easy to do so. The offense is a compilation of misfit parts that all ...Read more