NFL Editorials & Articles
Willie Clark Found Guilty of Murdering Broncos' Darrent Williams
Written by feed    Thursday, 11 March 2010 14:55    PDF Print E-mail

Filed under: NFL Police Blotter

Darrent WilliamsOver three years after the death of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, Willie Clark was found guilty of murder Thursday. Clark, 26, was facing 21 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder.

After 11 days of testimony from over 40 witnesses, the jury deliberated for around 12 hours over the course of three days before arriving at the guilty verdict. Clark now faces life in prison.

According to the prosecution, Clark was involved in an altercation with people in Williams' group of friends at a New Year's (2007) party, and later was one of two gunmen who peppered Williams' Hummer limo while passing by in a white Chevy Tahoe. Clark will be detained in a Denver area jail, where he's also still facing another, unrelated murder charge.

Among the witnesses who testified against Clark were former teammates Elvis Dumervil and Brandon Marshall. Marshall testified that it was Clark in the altercation outside the club, and admitted to still being tormented by the ordeal. The star witness, though, was a man named Daniel Harris, who goes by the nickname "Ponytail." Harris was the only one who identified Clark as the shooter. Harris was already serving a life sentence for another case, but had it trimmed to five years in exchange for his testimony.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Read Full Article
 
Merlin Olsen: NFL's Greatest DT Ever?
Written by feed    Thursday, 11 March 2010 14:55    PDF Print E-mail

Filed under: Rams, NFL Hall of Fame

Merlin OlsenSome players are considered "throwbacks.'' Merlin Olsen was a glimpse of the future.

Olsen, who died Thursday at age 69, came out of Utah State in 1962 as the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive tackle who was an athlete first in an era when most players his size were simply big bodies picked to stuff the middle and stop the run.

"He was way ahead of his time,'' said Gil Brandt, who in those days was in the first decade of a 30-year career as personnel director of the Dallas Cowboys.

"He was strong, he was fast, he was like the athlete of today back in 1962. He was as good as I've ever seen at that position. If there's someone better, I don't know who it is.''

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Read Full Article
 
Big Ben's In More Trouble Than You Think
Written by feed    Thursday, 11 March 2010 13:25    PDF Print E-mail

Filed under: Steelers, FanHouse Exclusive, NFL Quarterbacks

Ben RoethlisbergerJudging by the relatively tame media coverage associated with Ben Roethlisberger's alleged sexual assault down in Georgia, you'd think that the case isn't that serious.

You'd be wrong.

Big Ben is in a huge mess, one that could potentially keep him off the field this upcoming season and more. As a lawyer, it's amazing to me that this story hasn't gotten more attention than it has. Given that Big Ben is one of the 20 most famous players in the NFL, a two-time Super Bowl winner, and the quarterback of one of the five most popular teams in the most popular sport in American history, the relative lack of solid analysis is astounding.

Particularly in our heightened media environment when merely cheating on your wife can lead the news cycle for months. The comparative media silence is deafening.

I think that's partly because people don't realize the seriousness of this allegations or the penalties that could ensue.

I spent the past two days on the phone with Georgia lawyers -- public defenders and district attorneys -- the men and women who would typically defend or prosecute criminal cases in Georgia courts to discuss the particulars of this incident. Here's what I learned.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Read Full Article
 
Thursday & Long: Under New Management
Written by feed    Thursday, 11 March 2010 12:25    PDF Print E-mail

Filed under: Browns, Redskins, Seahawks, NFL Free Agency, NFL Analysis

Just because the old regime in Cleveland liked Brady Quinn doesn't mean the new guys running the Browns will keep him around.The Redskins are making Albert Haynesworth a 3-4 defensive end? The last quarterback standing in Cleveland will be...none of them? And did the Seahawks really think about trading the No. 6 pick in the draft for a talented but potentially team-wrecking wide receiver? Strange things are afoot at the Circle K, but it shouldn't be too big a surprise. The one thing all three of these teams have in common is new leadership -- new faces in coaching and/or management positions. And when that happens in the NFL, all bets are off.

Washington has a new GM and coach, and so far it appears all that talk about owner Dan Snyder being hands-off seems to have been legit. The Browns have a new team president and GM, and they seem determined to try and field a contender as soon as next year. Pete Carroll has taken over as coach in Seattle, and he's poking around at different ways to remake the offense for the present and the future. This week's Thursday-and-Long takes a look at the ways the men now running these three organizations are handling the rosters they inherited, and we start in the nation's capital, where they don't appear to be scared of moving the biggest, baddest dude they have.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Read Full Article
 
Merlin Olsen Dies at 69
Written by feed    Thursday, 11 March 2010 12:25    PDF Print E-mail
Merlin Olsen, a member of both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame, died Thursday morning at the age of 69.

Olsen had been diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009 and had since been undergoing chemotherapy treatments, according to the Cache Valley Daily.

Olsen was inducted in the NFL's Hall of Fame after a dominating 15-year career as a defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, where he was part of the "Fearsome Foursome." He earned 14 consecutive Pro Bowl honors in his first 14 seasons and was a six-time first-team All-Pro selection.

In 1994, Olsen was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, alongside legendary defensive tackles "Mean" Joe Greene and Bob Lilly.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Read Full Article
 
Tomlinson Visiting Vikings Now, Jets Next
Written by feed    Thursday, 11 March 2010 11:55    PDF Print E-mail

Filed under: Jets, Vikings

It's clear that LaDainian Tomlinson, who was released by the San Diego Chargers last month, is past his prime. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have suitors now that he's an unrestricted free agent.

Tomlinson is in Minnesota on Thursday visiting the Vikings, and he has another visit scheduled for Friday with another team that lost a conference championship game.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Read Full Article
 
More Articles...
  • «
  •  Start 
  •  Prev 
  •  1 
  •  2 
  •  3 
  •  4 
  •  5 
  •  6 
  •  7 
  •  8 
  •  9 
  •  10 
  •  Next 
  •  End 
  • »
Page 1 of 108