Football – Page 51 – North Platte Post Archive

Broncos Backup to Play Following Dad’s Death

Posted on September 19, 2014

Marvin Austin (Photo courtesy of Twitter)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos defensive tackle Marvin Austin said he’ll play Sunday at Seattle in honor of his father, who died Friday.

Marvin Austin Sr. had been hospitalized in Raleigh, North Carolina, since being ejected in a rollover auto accident Sunday evening in Selma.

Austin got the news while having dinner at a steakhouse in Denver following the Broncos’ victory over Kansas City and flew to North Carolina. He spent several days there until returning to practice Thursday.

Austin told The Associated Press on Friday that he won’t fly back until Monday. He said he wouldn’t even consider skipping this weekend’s game against the Seahawks.

Nebraska Kicker Breaks Collarbone in Crash

Posted on September 19, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska kicker Mauro Bondi broke his collarbone when he crashed his motorcycle on the north side of Lincoln.

The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. Thursday when Bondi failed to negotiate a curve on his 2004 Suzuki and struck a curb. Bondi told police he thought he was traveling about 45 mph. Alcohol or drugs were not a factor.

Police spokeswoman Katie Flood said a roommate drove Bondi to a hospital, where he was treated and released.

The junior from Boca Raton, Florida, handles kickoffs for the Cornhuskers, who host Miami on Saturday night. Freshman Drew Brown kicks field goals and extra points.

NFL to Partner with Violence Hotline

Posted on September 19, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL is partnering with a domestic violence hotline and a sexual violence resource center.

Responding to increasing criticism that the league has not acted quickly or emphatically enough concerning domestic abuse cases involving players, Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to the clubs late Thursday announcing the partnerships.

The league will provide financial, operational and promotional support to the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Goodell said this will “enable both the hotline and NSVRC to help more people affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.”

Goodell and some NFL teams have been heavily criticized for lenient or delayed punishment of Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and other players involved in recent domestic violence cases. Less than three weeks into the season, five such cases have made headlines.

Huskers Head into Showdown with Miami

Posted on September 18, 2014

Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team continued its preparations for their Saturday night showdown with the Miami Hurricanes on Thursdayafternoon, as the Huskers conducted a 50-minute walk-thru inside of the Hawks Championship Center.

Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini met with the media afterward, mentioning that the Huskers have had a good week of preparation leading up the game Saturday night.

“We have had a good couple days, I think our guys are recovered from the weekend—from the travel and all that,” Pelini said. “I think we have had good tempo, and I think we have had a good week of preparation. We need to finish it up tomorrow and get ready to go.”

After the close victory over FCS opponent McNeese State two weeks ago, Pelini believes the team has bounced back nicely do to solid leadership.

“We did not have to say that much, I didn’t have to say much, I think our guys are focused and have handled themselves in the right way,” he said. “They do the right things off the field—knock on wood, the key is to get better.”

Pelini announced that junior wide receiver Sam Burtch will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. Burtch, a Elmwood-Murdock product, recorded 12 receptions for 147 yards last season, including three touchdowns.

With Burtch out, look for sophomore walk-on Lane Hovey of Adel, Iowa to step in and fill some of the void. Hovey performed nicely at NU’s last game at Fresno State, recording three receptions for 48 yards, with a long of 29.

The Nebraska football team will have one more practice Friday afternoon before its Saturday night showdown with Miami. The game between the Huskers and Hurricanes will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with a kickoff at 7:00 p.m. (Central).

Chiefs’ Charles Limited with High Ankle Sprain

Posted on September 18, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles showed up for practice Thursday, albeit in a limited capacity, despite a high ankle sprain sustained last Sunday against Denver.

Charles did not participate Wednesday and there were fears that one of the game’s dynamic playmakers could miss several weeks. Chiefs coach Andy Reid has not said whether there’s a chance Charles will be available for Sunday’s game in Miami.

Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry, who is also sidelined by a sprained ankle, remained out of practice. Rookie wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas also did not practice after returning Wednesday from a hamstring injury that has caused him to miss the first two games.

Linebacker Tamba Hali was limited in practice. He’s expected to play against the Dolphins.

Danny Trevathan Returns to Practice for Broncos

Posted on September 18, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan is practicing for the first time since breaking his left leg Aug. 12.

The team’s leading tackler a year ago, Trevathan is expected to miss one more game and then return Oct. 5 against Arizona following the team’s bye week.

Trevathan, a sixth-round draft choice out of Kentucky in 2012, is coming off a breakout season in which he led the Broncos with 124 tackles and intercepted three passes. He also led the team with two dozen tackles in the playoffs.

Brandon Marshall has started in his absence and leads the Broncos (2-0) with 17 tackles.

Defensive tackle Marvin Austin also practiced Thursday after returning from North Carolina, where his father was seriously injured in a rollover accident.

Elway Son Pleads Guilty in Domestic Violence Case

Posted on September 18, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Jack Elway, the son of Denver Broncos general manager John Elway, has pleaded guilty in a domestic violence case involving his girlfriend.

Court records show the 25-year-old John Albert Elway on Tuesday pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace and was sentenced to one year of probation that includes domestic violence counseling. Prosecutors withdrew an assault charge.

Elway was arrested in May after his girlfriend told Denver police that he pulled her from a car by her hair and shoved her to the ground when she tried to get back inside, causing scrapes. Police say Elway then fled the scene.

Court records show Elway is forbidden from possessing firearms and from having contact with the woman in the case.

His attorney, Harvey Steinberg, did not immediately return a call for comment.

PepsiCo Wants NFL to ‘Seize the Moment’

Posted on September 18, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The leader of Gatorade maker PepsiCo is urging the National Football League to “seize the moment” and put domestic violence and child abuse policies in place immediately once it conducts its review.

PepsiCo Inc. Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said in a statement that the NFL has a chance to “effect positive change with the situation presented to them.”

PepsiCo is one of several NFL sponsors watching closely as the league investigates how its executives handled evidence in the domestic violence case of former Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice. The Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson is also facing a felony child abuse charge that has placed more attention on the NFL.

Nooyi also expressed confidence that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would “do the right thing for the league.”

Miami, No. 24 Nebraska will Harken Glorious Pasts

Posted on September 17, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Miami will play at No. 24 Nebraska on Saturday in a meeting of programs that dominated college football in the 1980s and ’90s.

Four of the last five Miami-Nebraska games were in bowls, and the winner emerged as that year’s national champion.

The stakes will be considerably lower when they meet in Lincoln. Nebraska (3-0) hasn’t won a conference title since 1999 or played in a BCS game since it was a controversial pick to go to the 2002 Rose Bowl. The Hurricanes won the last of their five national titles at that matchup.

Unranked Miami (2-1) hasn’t won a conference championship or played in a BCS game since the 2003 season.

Tom Osborne won his first of three titles with Nebraska’s Orange Bowl victory over the Hurricanes in 1995.

Father: NFL Mishandled My Daughter’s Abuse Case

Posted on September 17, 2014

Brandon Marshall (Photo courtesy of ESPN.com)

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — The father of a woman who once dated NFL receiver Brandon Marshall is calling for the league’s commissioner to resign because he’s disappointed in the way it handled his daughter’s abuse case.

Clarence Watley spoke Wednesday at a news conference about his daughter, Rasheedah Watley, who he said was abused by Marshall.

Marshall was with the Denver Broncos and now plays for the Chicago Bears. He was suspended for three games in 2008, but the suspension was reduced to one game. He has denied the allegations.

Watley says he and others wrote to Commissioner Roger Goodell about the case and never heard back from league officials. Watley called the NFL’s investigation one-sided.

Attorney Gloria Allred called the press conference amid increasing attention on how the league handles domestic violence allegations.