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Detroit Lions’ Taylor Decker: ‘I’m not really worried about’ the coronavirus

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Detroit Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker has spent most of his time working at the gym near his home in Arizona, which has been open throughout the entire coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people in the United States alone, but Decker isn’t worried about playing games this upcoming football season.

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“I don’t know if this is the politically correct thing to say, but I’m not really worried about it personally,” the Detroit Lions offensive lineman said Thursday during a video conference. “I mean, it’s pretty simple to me, I’m not worried about it personally. Cause I’m out here in Arizona by myself right now, so I don’t have elderly or kids around me.”

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Decker said that he’s worked out with other offensive linemen across the league, and he’s willing to take precautions to prevent the virus from spreading “because that’s just the right thing to do.” But if it comes down to contracting it himself while in a locker room with others or on the field against an opponent, Decker said he isn’t worried about it.

“No, I’m not concerned about it,” Decker said.

Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins: ‘I know I’m the best’ wide receiver in the NFL

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Arizona Cardinals‘ newly acquired wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, has made a bold statement.

Hopkins, who was traded from the Houston Texans to the Cardinals earlier in the offseason, said that he is the best wide receiver in the league, and if he had a legitimate starting quarterback for most of his career — like other top wide receivers have had — he believes his numbers would have blown them out of water.

“I definitely think I’m the best,” Hopkins said Thursday on ESPN. “I know I’m the best.”

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Hopkins has earned three straight first-team All-Pro nods, but he’s never led the NFL in receptions or yards, and he said that’s because of the offenses that he’s played in. Hopkins believes his numbers would be better than New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas or Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones if he had their quarterbacks.

“Mike’s my boy. We were just texting yesterday. But he knows if I had Drew Brees my whole career what these numbers would be,” Hopkins said. “Julio Jones knows if I had Matt Ryan my whole career, he knows what my numbers would be. Those guys are definitely blessed to be in a position where their whole career they had a Pro Bowl quarterback.”

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The Cardinals hope second-year quarterback Kyler Murray will become an elite passer, and trading for Hopkins solidifies that. With head coach Kliff Kingbury running the show in Arizona, Hopkins may have the best year of his career in 2020.

NFL, EA agree to extension of Madden video game franchise

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The Madden franchise will continue to be a part of the gaming universe for at least the next six years.

NFL owners on Thursday approved an extension of their deal with Electronic Arts, continuing a relationship that has existed for 30 years. It was also recently approved by the NFL Players Association.

The current contract was set to expire after the 2021 season. The extension means that EA Sports will continue to be the league’s exclusive publisher of football simulation games through 2026.

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EA Sports Executive Vice President Cam Weber said both sides had been talking for months. Many wondered what the future of the relationship might be after 2K Sports signed an agreement with the NFL in March to produce non-simulation games.

The current edition of Madden has seen a 30% increase in unique players. According to Electronic Arts, more than 330 million hours of the game have been played since it was released last August. The company has also seen large increases in game play during the past couple of months as people have been confined to their homes because of the coronavirus pandemic, with many tournaments taking place among friends and on television.

Rachel Hoagland, the league’s vice president and head of gaming and esports, said keeping the Madden franchise at the core of their video gaming strategy was important, especially with the emergence of new platforms and gaming systems. Sony and Microsoft have announced new generations of gaming consoles that are expected to debut by the end of the year.

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“EA has done a nice job of ensuring the game matches the experience during a game week. The new technology will allow richer content and add more realism,” she said.

Madden NFL 21 will come out in early August with the first looks at the game coming next week.

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was last year’s cover athlete. Baltimore quarterback and reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson said in April that he would be on the cover this year, but EA Sports has not made an announcement.

At least 9 MLB teams pledge more stipends to minor leaguers

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At least nine major league franchises have informed minor leaguers they will continue to provide allowances after the May 31 expiration of Major League Baseball’s policy guarantying those players $400 per week.

The San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners are promising payments through August, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles have pledged to do so through at least June. The White Sox are even providing those stipends to 25 minor league players recently released.

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The Philadelphia Phillies also plan to continue allowances through June, but likely at a reduction from the $400 per week rate. The amount is to be determined, the team said.

Oakland said Tuesday it will suspend pay for all minor leaguers at the end of the month. The Athletics are the only team to announce an end to the allowances.

MLB suspended spring training and postponed the start of the minor league season in March due to the novel coronavirus, leaving low-paid minor league players in lurch. The league launched a policy March 19 that provided most non-40-man roster players signed to minor league deals with stipends through April 8, and it later extended the policy through May 31.

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The allowances were a pay raise for many players, with minimum salaries ranging from $290 per week at Class A to $502 per week at Triple-A over the five-month season.

MLB and the players’ association are negotiating terms to start the major league season later in the summer, but it seems likely there will not be a minor league season. Some teams have reportedly begun to release players who aren’t top prospects and won’t figure into their 2020 MLB rosters. The White Sox are the only club to say it will extend allowances to players recently released.

NFL coaches could return to team facilities next week

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is hopeful that coaches will be able to return to their team facilities by next week.

Goodell said Thursday following an owners conference call that the virtual offseason is being extended for two more weeks. In a memo sent to the 32 teams and obtained by The Associated Press, he outlined the next phase of reopening of club facilities, which can begin Monday.

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“We expect that next week clubs will be permitted to include members of their coaching staffs among the employees permitted to resume work in the club facility,” Goodell wrote. “We are actively working with governors and other state and local authorities in those states that have not yet announced definitive plans and will confirm the precise date on which coaches can return to the facility as soon as possible.”

Ticket offices, retail shops and other “customer-facing facilities” that comply with state and local regulation can open, with employees counting in the current maximum number of employees (no more than 50 percent of staff not to exceed 75 persons) allowed.

As for allowing players to return other than those undergoing rehab who currently are allowed at team complexes, Goodell added: “We are also continuing to work with the NFLPA on developing protocols that will allow at least some players to return to your facilities on a limited basis prior to the conclusion of the offseason program.”

NFL owners tabled a proposal that would have offered a fourth-and-15 play as an alternative to the onside kick. They approved testing expanded use of video replay in the preseason to aid in officiating.

Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay said there were more clubs receptive to the onside kick alternative than in the past and it will be further explored.

“There were lots of really good questions about the impact and nuances” such a change would involve, McKay said. “This was the longest discussion, I imagine 20 to 30 minutes on that. We ended up tabling it after taking a pulse where teams stood on it. We’ll bring it back at some point.”

The 32 owners also increased the number of players who may be designated for return from the injured list during a season from two to three.

Also passed was making permanent the expansion of automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul, and any successful or unsuccessful extra points.

The competition committee’s recommendation to expand defenseless player protection to a kickoff or punt returner who is in possession of the ball but has not had time to avoid or ward off contact of an opponent also was approved. McKay said such incidents on punt returns were rare but “there were enough that gave us concern.”

Another approved recommendation stops teams from manipulating the game clock by committing multiple dead-ball fouls while the clock is running — an issue that came up several times in 2019, including during the postseason.

Using video replay for pass interference calls was dropped after a one-year experiment that led to more uncertainty than clarity. Many people in the league cited the presence of too much subjectivity in the reviews.

Tabled was a proposal to have a booth judge serve as an eighth official on each crew and call for reviews on certain plays. The league will experiment with additional review options during the preseason as requested by the referee to the replay assistant.

“What we thought we could do in the preseason, this test allows for the ref to have communication with the replay assistant,” McKay explained. “We have always allowed that communication, and now there are more areas given them to seek consultation. We always liked that idea.”

The preseason is scheduled to begin on Aug. 6 with the Pro Football Hall of Fame game between Pittsburgh and Dallas. It’s an uncertainty — as is the NFL’s regular season — because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the league has stated it plans to play everything as scheduled while making contingency plans that could include no fans at games, moving or delaying games.

Esteban Loaiza, onetime Yankees pitcher, blew through his $44M fortune before cocaine bust: report

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Esteban Loaiza spent 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, which included a stint with the New York Yankees in 2004, and he made nearly $44 million in his career. The now 48-year-old is in the Seattle-Tacoma Federal Detention Center, his money long gone, serving three years in prison for felony cocaine possession with intent to distribute.

Loaiza’s downfall apparently stemmed from a lavish lifestyle, which included generous gifts to family members long after his moneymaking days in baseball were over, according to a Bleacher Report article published Thursday.

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Loaiza last pitched in 2008. He was arrested in February 2018 after an investigation discovered that he had 44 pounds of cocaine worth $500,000 in a townhouse in California, per the report.

OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 14: Esteban Loaiza of the Oakland Athletics smokes a cigar in the clubhouse before the game against the New York Yankees at the McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on April 14, 2007. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

“I think when we’re young, we all have a tendency to think it’s going to last forever,” Former Yankees manager Joe Torre, who managed Loaiza in his half-season with the club, told the site. “And when you have to move on to something else, I guess you’re vulnerable. It’s sad.”

Loaiza was traded to the Yankees for Jose Contreras, but he went 1-2 with an 8.50 ERA in six starts. He went on to struggle for the rest of his career, later being arrested on the charges of drunk driving and speeding after purportedly going 120 mph on an Oakland freeway in a Ferrari. He was reportedly convicted of reckless driving and given a three-year probationary sentence.

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“This was the Lamborghini-driving, Maserati-driving, DUI Loaiza that we got,” Oakland radio broadcaster Vince Cotroneo said. “The paint was starting to dry. You were starting to capture the full portrait of the guy. When he got to Oakland, it got stranger.”

File picture taken on June 14, 2011, of Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, walking with her then boyfriend, baseball player Esteba Loaiza. Rivera died in a plane crash on December 9, 2012. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Once his career was over, he married Mexican-American pop star Jenni Rivera. When the couple was in the process of getting a divorce, Rivera was killed in a 2012 plane crash.

One person close with the Loaizas told Bleacher Report that “his family kept drawing and drawing and drawing [money] from him.”

Then, in 2018, when he was being watched in Southern California near the Mexican border, Loaiza was reportedly pulled over. And after dogs smelled for drugs in his Mercedes SUV, cops acquired a search warrant for the house where Loaiza was headed — where they found 20 packages of cocaine in the compartment of a Nissan parked in the garage, according to the report.

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Loaiza admitted that he transferred the drugs from one vehicle to the other, and the house had been rented in his name. Loaiza declined an interview request for the story, according to the Bleacher Report.

Loaiza’s attorney said in paperwork filed with the court that his client “made a huge error in [judgment] when he agreed to commit this crime,” the report said.

Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes negotiating deal ‘unlike any other’, report says

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The Kansas City Chiefs and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes have officially begun contract negotiations involving a long-term deal, which would lock up the best quarterback in the NFL for the foreseeable future.

According to the Kansas City Star, discussions between the two sides are finally moving forward “in some form,” but it’s “hard to know exactly where things stand” because neither side is talking about it.

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The newspaper reported that the deal will be “unlike any other,” and Mahomes is expected to become the “highest-paid player in NFL history.” Other agents across the NFL will pay close attention to how Mahomes’ agent, Chris Cabott, handles the negotiations because “this is one of those contracts that could help all of us,” one agent told the newspaper.

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Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said before the Super Bowl that getting a deal done with Mahomes is “a priority,” but he said it may be “in the next 12 to 15 months.” And ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in January that Mahomes could receive the NFL’s first $200 million contract.

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Mahomes is set to earn $5.3 million between his base salary, roster bonus and signing bonus in 2020, according to Spotrac. Mahomes was the NFL MVP in 2018 and Super Bowl LIV MVP after leading the Chiefs to a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Michael Jordan’s untold story of how he switched back from No. 45 to No. 23 with Bulls

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The story about Michael Jordan switching his number from No. 45 to No. 23 when he returned to the Chicago Bulls after trying baseball has been told several times. Most believe Orlando Magic guard Nick Anderson was the reason for the change when he had a game-saving steal from Jordan in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals.

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“No. 45 doesn’t explode like No. 23 used to,” Anderson said to reporters after the game. “No. 45 is not No. 23. I couldn’t have done that to No. 23.”

In Game 2, Jordan took a $25,000 fine for changing his jersey back to 23, but many people don’t know the story behind the switch back to the famous number. Longtime Bulls equipment manager John Ligmanowski is the man behind the story.

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“We had a conversation in the locker room at the Berto Center,” Ligmanowski said on NBC Sports’ “Sports Uncovered” podcast, referencing the Bulls’ old practice facility. “And I asked him. I said, ‘You wore No. 45 in baseball. What number do you want to wear?’ He sat there and thought for a while. And then he decided he was going to go with the 45.

“And I said, ‘I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll make the 23 up too so we’ll have both. We’ll have the 45, the 23. If you want to change your mind, I got it.’ … I always carried the 23 around with me in case he decided. Which it happened.”

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Yes, Anderson might have been the reason Jordan wanted to switch back to No. 23, but Ligmanowski knew all along there was a chance he might return to the legendary number, and he was prepared ahead of time. Jordan finished with 38 points in that Game 2 victory over the Magic, but the Bulls lost the series in six games.

Premier League, Seria A announce matches will resume in June

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Both the Premier League and Seria A announced on Thursday that soccer matches will resume in June.

The Premier League said it would restart on June 17, “provided that all safety requirements are in place,” which would put an end to a three-month stoppage due to the coronavirus pandemic. As expected, fans won’t be allowed in attendance when games start up again.

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Seria A, on the other hand, will restart the weekend of June 20, according to Italian politician Vincenzo Spadafora.

“It was a very useful meeting and, as we had said from the start, football was always going to resume when we had the conditions to ensure safety and the CTS gave the all-clear to the protocols,” Spadafora said. “Italy is getting back on its feet and it is only right that football should do the same. The CTS agreed with the medical protocol but confirmed the absolute necessity for a quarantine period if a player were to test positive.

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“We also received guarantees the process of swabs for players must not affect or detract from the general population’s access to testing in any way,” Spadafora added. “… In the light of all those events, we can today say that the season can resume from June 20.”

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters also provided a statement about the decision, saying: “Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday 17 June. But this date cannot be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters is [sic] our priority.”

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“Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches,” he continued. “The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home.”

“We will continue to work step-by-step and in consultation with all our stakeholders as we move towards resuming the 2019-20 season,” Masters added.

Patriots’ Jason McCourty says fears of team workouts similar to those of ‘other people in our country’

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New England Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty believes that players’ concerns of returning to full-team workouts are no different than the “fears” that the rest of the country is experiencing during the coronavirus pandemic.

McCourty, unlike other NFL players, has made regular visits to Gillette Stadium to rehab an injury but he told reporters Wednesday that he’s anxious about full-team workouts now that the league has given teams the go-ahead to reopen training facilities.

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“I think moving forward, I think we all have fears. I think, for me, fear of going back to work is no different than the fear of walking into a restaurant and sitting down to have dinner,” McCourty said, according to WEEI. “So I think as players we’re going to go through the same fears that a lot of other people in our country are going to go through.”

He continued: “You have to figure it out the best way and when they tell us to come back to work, we have to as individuals make sure, hey, to my standard I feel like this is safe enough and I’m ready to commit to it and I’m ready to do it. And if not, you have to go about whatever you feel is best for you and your family.”

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NFL coaches could return to team facilities as early as next week with mincamps including players starting as early as mid to late June, league sources told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday.