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NFL Relinquishing Tax-Exempt Status

nfl_logo2011-medWASHINGTON (AP) — The National Football League is giving up its tax-exempt status.

In a letter to team owners, Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league office and its management council will file tax returns as taxable entities for the 2015 fiscal year. Goodell says the NFL has been tax-exempt since 1942, though all 32 teams pay taxes on their income.

Goodell says the change will not alter the function or operation of the league, since all the teams already pay taxes.

Some members of Congress have criticized the NFL, which generates billions in revenue, for being tax-exempt. Goodell says the status has become a “distraction.”

Goodell forwarded the letter to the owners to Congressman Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee.

6 Hall of Famers to Announce Picks at NFL Draft

NFL DraftCHICAGO (AP) — Six Pro Football Hall of Famers will be among the 32 former players who will announce second-round selections at next week’s NFL draft.

Announcing the selections for their teams will be linebacker Dick Butkus (Bears), quarterback Jim Kelly (Bills), cornerbacks Willie Brown (Raiders) and Mel Blount (Steelers), center Dwight Stephenson (Dolphins), and 2015 electee DE-LB Charles Haley (49ers).

The second and third rounds will be held Friday night, May 1, as the draft shifts from New York to Chicago. Round 1 is the previous night, and the fourth-seventh rounds will be on May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

Combined, players who will announce second-round picks own 22 Super Bowl championships.

NFL Changes 3 Compensatory Draft Picks

nfl_logo2011-medPHOENIX (AP) — The NFL changed three compensatory picks for this year’s draft on Wednesday.

Downgraded was Denver’s sixth-rounder (208th overall) to a seventh-round selection (250th overall).

Carolina, meanwhile, had a sixth-rounder (213th) moved up to the fifth round (174th).

Pittsburgh’s seventh-round selection (252) is now a sixth-rounder (212).

The draft is April 30-May 2 in Chicago.

Change to Extra Points Likely in NFL

nfl_logo2011-medPHOENIX (AP) — Spicing up the NFL’s dullest play, the extra point, appears to be coming for the 2015 season.

While team owners didn’t vote on any extra-point proposals Wednesday, there was so much discussion and interest in potential changes that the issue will be a main focal point for the next set of league meetings in May. In the meantime, co-chairman Rich McKay said his competition committee would “develop alternatives and be ready for a potential vote” in two months in San Francisco.

Among the possibilities are moving the line of scrimmage back for PAT kicks; placing the ball on the 1½-yard line for a 2-point conversion; eliminating the PAT kicks entirely, requiring teams to run a play from scrimmage; and allowing the defense to score, as in college football, if the ball is turned over on a 2-point try.

Owners Still with Plenty of Work to do at Meetings

nfl_logo2011-medPHOENIX (AP) — NFL owners head into their final day of a busy set of meetings with plenty more work to do.

After a flurry of votes and news, several more items on this week’s agenda remain.

A change in overtime that would require both sides to have a possession even if the team receiving the kickoff scores a touchdown is on the table.

So is moving the extra point kick back to the 15-yard line, and a scenario that gives teams that successfully convert a 2-point conversion the chance to immediately add another point from midfield with a “bonus field goal.”

Indianapolis came up with the latter which, if approved, would make a nine-point deficit a one-possession game.

The Colts also have proposed allowing host teams to open a retractable roof at halftime, weather permitting, to enhance fan experience.

NFL Unveils Plans to Mark League’s 50th Super Bowl

Super Bowl 50PHOENIX (AP) — The Super Bowl turns 50 this year and the NFL is planning a golden yearlong celebration.

The league unveiled plans that include sending a gold-colored football to the high school of every player or head coach who played in the big game. The football will have the player’s name and the name of the high school.

The league also will have the number 50 on the 50-yard line in gold and teams will host Super Bowl reunions.

In addition to the Super Bowl trophy, which is still silver, there are big, Tiffany-crafted numbers 5-0 that will go to the Super Bowl winner. The numbers are cast in bronze, plated in 18-karat gold and weigh nearly 33 pounds.

There will be 19 games between past Super Bowl opponents during the preseason and regular season.

NFL Gives 32 Compensatory Picks to 14 Teams

nfl_logo2011-medPHOENIX (AP) — NFC champion Seattle, Denver and Kansas City each were awarded four compensatory picks in this year’s draft.

The NFL handed out 32 such picks to 14 teams on Monday. They begin at the conclusion of the third round when Super Bowl winner New England gets the 97th overall choice.

New England lost LeGarrette Blount, Dane Fletcher, Brandon Spikes and Aqib Talib in 2014 free agency, while adding Brandon Browner and Brandon LaFell. Blount returned to the Patriots after being cut by Pittsburgh.

A team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory picks. The draft will be held April 30-May 2 in Chicago.

NFL Suspending TV Blackouts for 2015 Season

TV-BlackoutPHOENIX (AP) — The NFL will not block any games from local television during the 2015 season.

The league said Monday that team owners voted for a one-year suspension of the long-standing blackout policy for the preseason and regular season. There were no blackouts last season, because the minimum number of tickets were sold for every game, and only two blackouts in 2013.

Still, the experiment is a huge step for the NFL, whose blackout policy dates back decades. With low ticket sales in cities such as Jacksonville, Oakland and San Diego, the league is taking a bit of a gamble for 2015.

Significant Replay Rules Changes Proposed

nfl_logo2011-medNEW YORK (AP) — Significant changes to the use of video replay, including reviewing all fouls called by game officials, will be proposed by the NFL’s competition committee at next week’s owners meetings.

The committee is presenting a proposal by the Detroit Lions that would permit the instant replay system to correct an officiating error. That would include such controversial calls as pass interference.

Also to be discussed in Phoenix will be a proposal by the New England Patriots to place fixed cameras on all boundary lines. That would guarantee coverage of those lines regardless of where network cameras are positioned.

5 Questions to Answer as NFL Free Agency Begins

nfl_logo2011-medWhen NFL free agency begins Tuesday, lots of players will get lots of money. Some will even earn it throughout those massive contracts.

An early rush to haul in those big bucks will be followed by weeks of secondary signings that often are more critical to a team’s success than the headline-grabbing deal.

Five questions to be answered over the next few days and weeks:

WHERE DO THE ALL-PROS LAND?

Two dominant players who made the 2014 All-Pro squad are on the market and a third still could wind up there.

Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, the AP Offensive Player of the Year and league’s leading rusher, will be available. So might be Patriots star cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Suh appears ticketed for Miami. He is that rare star just entering his prime and became available to any team willing to commit nine figures over a lengthy period for his services. Yes, he has had some anger-management problems, but that didn’t seem make him any less attractive for the Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross, who wants to make a big splash.

Suh is an every-down player and a force in all situations, and Miami has the financial room and the need.

Murray’s one drawback is the same for all running backs — longevity. At 27, though, he’s not particularly worn, and he’s versatile. His best option would be returning to Dallas to run behind that superb line, but the Cowboys are cap-strapped. The next-best choice would be a team with a solid passing game to balance Murray’s running.

San Diego and Indianapolis could make sense.

Revis is a strange case. His contract history is to take the money and then shut down the opponent’s best receiver. But now that he’s won a Super Bowl, perhaps he’ll find that championship rings are just as valuable as huge bank accounts.

He easily could wind up back in New England, but pretty much any team except Tampa Bay, Dallas and Arizona figure to contact him.

WHO ARE THE BIG SPENDERS?

Some really bad teams: the Jaguars, Raiders, Titans and Jets, all with tons of salary cap room.

And some mediocre clubs: the Browns, Dolphins and Panthers.

And even some pretty good ones: the Eagles, Bengals and Colts.

HOW MUCH INTEREST IN RUNNING BACKS?

Usually, not much. But this is a highly intriguing crop, led by Murray, and with Frank Gore headed to Philadelphia. Mark Ingram added to the group before agreeing to return to New Orleans, which let Pierre Thomas go.

Few teams find value in long-term deals with guys who play the most physically punishing skill position. Murray figures to be an exception, and for strong passing clubs needing a boost on the ground, he’ll be a prime target.

What about Justin Forsett, C.J. Spiller, Reggie Bush and Shane Vereen? The money might not be what they project, but they should find jobs relatively quickly.

WHERE ARE THE BARGAINS?

How much teams dish out for the following players will determine if they fall into the bargain category. Someone might get nice value for grabbing linebacker Pernell McPhee, receiver Brian Hartline, defensive tackle Jared Odrick and center Rodney Hudson.

ANYONE INTERESTED?

Is there a market for players whose off-field issues short-circuited their careers? There’s talent available with the likes of defensive end Greg Hardy, defensive tackle Ray McDonald and running back Ray Rice. But will anyone bite considering the public relations problem that would accompany such signings?

“Perhaps most importantly, there are clubs that ownership will simply say I am not interested in a player who has these issues,” says 2015 Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Polian, who built Super Bowl teams in Buffalo, Carolina and Indianapolis. “The owner will say our sponsors and season ticket holders and our market won’t like it. And so there will be owners who are not interested no matter what the football people think.”

But, as Polian also notes, it only takes one buyer.

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