Will Smith is ready to tackle the NFL’s concussion problem having attached himself to star in the untitled drama based on the GQ article “Game Brain” for Scott Free and Sony. Peter Landesman (“Parkland”) is on board to write and direct.
The article was written by Jeanne Marie Laskas and follows Dr. Bennet Omalu, played by Smith, the forensic neuropathologist who single-handedly made the first discovery of CTE in a professional football player and brought awareness to the public. The story is described as a whistle-blower tale in the vein of “The Insider” humanizing the price paid by professional athletes in impact sports — and the political, cultural and corporate interests that fuel the business of professional sports.
The untitled feature is one of a handful of Hollywood projects revolving around the concussion problem in the NFL taking shape in the industry. Parkes/MacDonald Productions are developing a project based on the book “League Of Denial: The NFL, Concussions And The Battle For Truth” and Isaiah Washington is set to star in the indie drama “Game Time Decision,” both of which focus on the concussion issue.
Smith can be seen next in the Warner Bros. movie “Focus” opposite Margot Robbie.
article by Justin Kroll via variety.com
Posts tagged as “nfl”
Already making a splash without starting his first NFL game, St. Louis Rams draft pick, Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the National Football League is making some more news.
According to the NY Daily News, Sam’s rookie jersey is outselling every other draft pick but Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. Although he was the 249th player selected in the draft, he is doing better than anyone picked in that position or ones picked earlier.
RELATED: Jason Collins Brooklyn Nets Jersey Top Seller on NBA.com
“This is unprecedented for a day-three pick, let alone a seventh round pick, to crack the top five rookies sold following draft weekend,” NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter told Outsports.com.
Here is the order, as of Monday, May 12:
1. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
2. Michael Sam, St. Louis Rams
3. Jadeveon Clowney, Houston Texans
4. Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
5. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
article by Cedric “Big Ced” Thornton via blackenterprise.com
The timing wasn’t right in 2010 when Doug Williams started talking to the Washington Redskins about a front-office position. But it was right in 2014. And, after talking for a few weeks, the Redskins and Williams finally agreed on a deal.
The Redskins hired Williams to become a personnel executive under general manager Bruce Allen, bringing back a piece of the franchise’s storied past. Williams quarterbacked the Redskins to a Super Bowl win after the 1987 season. He became the first African-American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and earned MVP honors after passing for 340 yards and four touchdowns in the Redskins’ 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos.
“It’s great to be home again,” Williams said in a news release. “I have only one mission: to help this team obtain the talent it needs so the fans can experience the Super Bowl they deserve.” In 2010, Williams opted to become a general manager in the United Football League instead of joining the Redskins’ front office.
Williams spent five years as a personnel executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2004-08 — the same length of time that Allen spent as the Bucs’ general manager. Also, current Redskins coach Jay Gruden was an assistant coach with the Buccaneers during that period.
Williams stuck around after those two left, serving as the Bucs’ director of pro personnel in 2009. He was Grambling’s head coach from 1998-2003 and again from 2011-13 before being fired in September. Williams has 17 seasons of NFL experience — nine as a player and eight in personnel roles. He played with Washington from 1986-89, was named a member of the 80 Greatest Redskins and is a Redskins Ring of Famer.
article by John Keim via espn.go.com
It has been an underwhelming season for the Houston Texans, but eleven straight losses have not gotten in the way of wide receiver Andre Johnson’s yearly effort to bring some smiles to the faces of kids who could use them. Johnson has made an annual tradition out of giving twelve kids chosen by Child Protective Services in Houston on a shopping spree at Toys R Us. The kids have 80 seconds, in honor Johnson’s No. 80, to fill up carts with everything they can grab off the shelves. Every kid teamed up with a Texans cheerleader to race through the store and was guaranteed an entertainment system of their choice and two games in addition to anything else they grabbed.
“I remember times where I wasn’t able to get things that I wanted,” Johnson said, via the Texans website. “It just gives them a chance to go through the store and get whatever they want. They don’t have to ask anybody for it. Whatever they have on their Christmas list they can pick up.”
The Texans website has some great video from the event (seen below), which Johnson has hosted for seven years. The final tab for this year’s event was $17,352, which is a pretty impressive total given the short period of time the kids had to work even if it is a bit less than last year’s total.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A68znmdOaeI&w=560&h=315]
article by Josh Alper via profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
Former Pro Bowler and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams has landed a college coaching job at the University of the Incarnate Word. He will work with the running backs at UIW, which is located in San Antonio. UIW Football is a Division I program that will compete in the Southland Conference this year. Williams retired from the Baltimore Ravens last year, after an 11-year career that was marked by extreme highs and lows.
In 2002, Williams was the league’s leading rusher and was named Pro Bowl MVP, and many considered him the best running back in the game. This success was quickly derailed, however, after a suspension and an early retirement in 2004, a retirement that Williams later admitted in a 60 Minutes interview came about as a result of several violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Williams will continue to live in Austin but will commute to UIW to work with the running backs in the fall.
article by Nate Scott via usatoday.com
David “Deacon” Jones (pictured), the defensive end who was credited for using the word sack to describe how he knocked down quarterbacks on the field, passed away at his Southern California home on Monday night of natural causes. He was 74 years old, according to USA Today.
Jones was a legendary player that other players idolized and was often referred to as “one of the greatest players in NFL history.” Jones played for the L.A. Rams from 1961 to 1971, San Diego Chargers from 1972 to 1973, and signed on with the Washington Redskins in 1974, marking the end of his stellar career.
Former Rams head coach George Allen once referred to Jones as the “Greatest Defensive End of Modern Football,” while the New York Times pegged the gridiron great as the “Most Valuable Ram of All Time.” Jones was voted to the NFL’s 75 Year All Time Team and was inducted in to the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Jones, who has been deluged with honors throughout his playing career and has never been taken off any sports analyst’s or enthusiast’s list of “Top 100 players of all time,” actually came from humble beginnings.
Jones was born in Eatonville, Fla., and shared the home with nine other family members. He attended Hungerford High School, where he excelled in all areas of athletics, baseball, basketball, and football. Even though Jones managed to earn a scholarship to South Carolina State University, when he finally landed there in 1957, it was revoked after academicians discovered he took part in a civil rights sit-in.
An assistant coach at South Carolina State, who was leaving and had taken a position at Mississippi Vocational, convinced Jones and a handful of other Black players that he could get them scholarships to his new school.
When Jones and the players went to the college, though, they were not allowed to join their White team members at motels and were relegated to sleeping on shoddy cots at the opposing school’s gymnasiums.
The Rams selected Jones in 1961, and he quickly became one of the team’s “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line of players along with Rosey Grier (pictured second from right), Lamar Lundy (pictured far left), and Merlin Olsen (pictured second from left).
These four men are now considered to be one of the best defensive lines in all of NFL history.
Jones was a legendary player that other players idolized and was often referred to as “one of the greatest players in NFL history.” Jones played for the L.A. Rams from 1961 to 1971, San Diego Chargers from 1972 to 1973, and signed on with the Washington Redskins in 1974, marking the end of his stellar career.
Former Rams head coach George Allen once referred to Jones as the “Greatest Defensive End of Modern Football,” while the New York Times pegged the gridiron great as the “Most Valuable Ram of All Time.” Jones was voted to the NFL’s 75 Year All Time Team and was inducted in to the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Jones, who has been deluged with honors throughout his playing career and has never been taken off any sports analyst’s or enthusiast’s list of “Top 100 players of all time,” actually came from humble beginnings.
Jones was born in Eatonville, Fla., and shared the home with nine other family members. He attended Hungerford High School, where he excelled in all areas of athletics, baseball, basketball, and football. Even though Jones managed to earn a scholarship to South Carolina State University, when he finally landed there in 1957, it was revoked after academicians discovered he took part in a civil rights sit-in.
An assistant coach at South Carolina State, who was leaving and had taken a position at Mississippi Vocational, convinced Jones and a handful of other Black players that he could get them scholarships to his new school.
When Jones and the players went to the college, though, they were not allowed to join their White team members at motels and were relegated to sleeping on shoddy cots at the opposing school’s gymnasiums.
The Rams selected Jones in 1961, and he quickly became one of the team’s “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line of players along with Rosey Grier (pictured second from right), Lamar Lundy (pictured far left), and Merlin Olsen (pictured second from left).
These four men are now considered to be one of the best defensive lines in all of NFL history.
NFL star Plaxico Burress is testing new waters during the off-season and has launched a luxury sock line as part of The Plaxico Burress Collection.
A fan of vibrant and comfortable socks, Burress, 35, has spent the last two years designing a collection that reflects his taste in fashion and provides great-fitting socks to those who consider them hard to find. “I’ve always been crazy about my socks, my socks have always been loud,” Burress told theGrio at his launch event on Friday.
“It’s all about comfort and style, I want to wear a sock that’s comfortable for me because I have a size 12 shoe, I put on a lot of these socks on and the heel box doesn’t even go over my heel,” he admits. As a result, Burress took it upon himself to craft a line that provides these necessities for men – but he isn’t the only celeb to launch this venture.
Reality TV star Rob Kardashian has also recently entered the market for footwear and released his own line of designer socks, known as Arthur George. However, Burress says his collection “isn’t like anyone else’s, it’s a little different over here” and reassures that “it’s all about comfort and style.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. tops Sports Illustrated’s list of highest-earning American athletes for the second consecutive year, according to Sports Illustrated. The welterweight boxer is projected to make a minimum of $90 million this year, but could potentially earn as much as $128 million. The list, entitled “The Fortunate 50,” combines salary, endorsements, and winnings to determine an athlete’s yearly earnings. This year four out of the top five athletes on the list are African-American.
Number two on the list, LeBron James, is set to make roughly $56.5 million in 2013, and NFL quarterback Drew Brees is ranked at number three, with anticipated earnings of $47.8 million. Rounding out the top five are Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, taking home an estimated $46.8 million, and professional golfer Tiger Woods, earning about $40.8 million.
Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose broke into the top 10 this year for the first time. Despite sitting out the 2012-2013 NBA season, Rose lands at No. 7 on the list. With several major endorsement deals, including Adidas and Powerade, Rose is expected to make $33 million this year. Click here to view the whole Sport’s Illustrated “Fortunate 50″ list.
article by Carrie Healey via thegrio.com
Chuck Muncie, a tall, talented NFL running back, died of a heart attack on Monday. He was 60. Muncie played nine years in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. At 6-3, 227 pounds, he was a versatile back who could chew up yards with his long stride and was an effective receiver out of the backfield.
With his talent, height and trademark glasses—he was one of the first players to use glasses or goggles—Chuck Muncie always stood out on the field.
He went over the 1,000-yard mark twice—with the Saints in 1979 and the Chargers in 1981, as part of the explosive Air Coryell attack. He also led the NFL with 19 rushing touchdowns in ’81 and rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers’ epic 41-38 overtime victory over the Dolphins in the divisional playoffs that season.
The third overall pick in the 1976 draft by the Saints, he rushed for 6,702 yards and 71 touchdowns in 110 career games.
Muncie played in only one game in 1984, when he was suspended after testing positive for cocaine. He later was reinstated and traded to the Vikings in 1985, but he never played in another regular-season game.
Muncie was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to 18 months in prison for selling cocaine. He eventually turned his life around and worked with children and people who battled drug addiction. He also mentored athletes at Cal, his alma mater.
article via aol.sportingnews.com
An Atlanta mother got a late Mother’s Day gift that was surely worth the wait.
Former Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn gave Kimberly Kindel (pictured) and her three children their first home as part of his charity’s “Home for the Holidays” program on Tuesday, Fox 5 News Atlanta via All News 106.7 reports. In addition to the home being fully furnished, Dunn gave Kindel $5,000 to help with the down payment.
The ex-NFL player gave Kindel the home through his charity, Warrick Dunn Charities. He has been helping single parents get into their first home since 1997. Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and Aaron’s, Inc. partnered with Dunn to get Kindel and her children into the house. While it brings Dunn joy to give Kindel this wonderful Mother’s Day, the holiday evokes bad memories for the former NFL star. His mother, Betty Smothers, was a Baton Rouge, La., police officer when she was killed in the line of duty. Dunn was just 18-years-old at the time.
Giving mothers a new home is therapy for him, he says. “Losing my mom at that early age, I knew what her dream was, and to be able to share this moment with another single parent who’s providing, and putting her family in a position to be successful long-term for me is — I can’t truly describe the emotions,” Dunn said.
To see video on this story, click here.
article via newsone.com