March 2015 - Football Wiretap

Colts Plan On Firing Chuck Pagano

Jan 2, 2016 11:50 AM

The Indianapolis Colts plan on firing Chuck Pagano as head coach.

The consensus has been that Pagano would not return next season after he turned down a contract extension.

The Colts struggled this season and his relationship with Ryan Grigson turned "toxic."

Grigson helping to find Pagano's replacement does not guarantee that he'll be retained as general manager.

Mike Wells/ESPN

Tags: Indianapolis Colts, Misc Rumor

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NFL Players Believe HGH Use Widespread

Dec 31, 2015 11:36 AM

Regardless of whether Peyton Manning used HGH, NFL players believe there is an HGH problem with the league

Players Bleacher Report spoke to estimated that somewhere in the range of 10 to 40 percent of current players use HGH. 

A player using HGH will only get caught "if the NFL gets really, really lucky, like win-the-Lotto-every-month lucky," said one player.

"The bodies of players are basically acting as chemistry sets," one veteran said. "What's going to happen to these guys five or 10 years from now?"

The NFL and union agreed to HGH testing in 2011. Testing did not begin until October 2014. 

Mike Freeman/Bleacher Report

Tags: Suspension

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Paxton Lynch Declares For NFL Draft

Dec 31, 2015 11:17 AM

Paxton Lynch will leave Memphis to declare for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Lynch was 17-of-38 for 104 yards and an interception in the Birmingham Bowl.

ESPN's Todd McShay rates Lynch the top quarterback in the draft.

Darin Gantt/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Draft, Draft Declaration, Draft Misc

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Jared Goff To Leave Cal For NFL Draft

Jan 2, 2016 11:50 AM

Jared Goff plans to leave Cal to declare for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Goff, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior out of Novato, California, passed for 4,719 yards with 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and a completion percentage of 64.5 in 2015. 

ESPN's Todd McShay projects Goff as the second-best quarterback in the 2016 draft class, behind Memphis' Paxton Lynch. Goff is No. 10 on the Big Board of ESPN's Mel Kiper, who cites Goff's "special arm," "good movement" and "anticipation."

Joe Schad/ESPN

Tags: Draft, Draft Declaration, Draft Misc, Misc Rumor

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Rex Ryan To Return In 2016 As Bills' Head Coach

Dec 30, 2015 3:15 PM

Rex Ryan will return to the Buffalo Bills as head coach in 2016.

The Bills had a disappointing season in Ryan's first year.

Buffalo hired Ryan last offseason after he was fired by the New York Jets.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Misc Rumor

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Johnny Manziel Being Evaluated For Possible Concussion

Dec 30, 2015 2:36 PM

Johnny Manziel is being evaluated for a possible concussion.

Mike Pettine told reporters that Manziel will start if he's cleared despite a Christmas eve video that appeared to show Manziel getting festive with a can of Four Loko, footage Pettine called "certainly a concern."

Austin Davis would make his second start of the season for the Cleveland Browns if Manziel is unable to play with Terrelle Pryor also a possibility. 

Marc Sessler/NFL.com

Tags: Cleveland Browns

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Racial Prejudice Linked To Opposition To Paying NCAA Athletes

Dec 30, 2015 2:26 PM

The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) will receive $7.3 billion from ESPN for the right to broadcast the seven games of the College Football Playoffs (CFP) between 2014 and 2026, and $11 billion from CBS and Turner Sports to broadcast “March Madness” over the next 14 years.

Most college athletes are “paid” with scholarships that cover only tuition, room, board, books and fees — although in 2015, the NCAA allowed Division I universities the option of increasing this to pay the full cost of attendance.

The NCAA has responded that fans don’t want college sports to go pro. As NCAA President Mark Emmert recently put it, “one of the biggest reasons fans like college sports is that they believe the athletes are really students who play for a love of the sport.”

In every survey to date, blacks are far more likely to support paying college athletes when compared to whites. 

According to NCAA data from 2014, blacks constitute the majority of players in college football and basketball, the two sports that most people think of when they think of college athletics.

Negative racial views about blacks were the single most important predictor of white opposition to paying college athletes, according to statistical analysis from the Washington Post.

The more negatively a white respondent felt about blacks, the more they opposed paying college athletes.

Kevin Wallsten, Tatishe M. Nteta and Lauren McCarthy/Washington Post

Tags: NCAA

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Tom Coughlin More Likely To Be Fired By Giants Than Not

Dec 30, 2015 12:34 PM

The vibe surrounding the New York Giants of late has been that they are more likely to fire Tom Coughlin than not.

The belief has been that Coughlin had to lead the Giants into the playoffs to save his job.

Because Coughlin remains well-respected and liked by his players and the owners and he won two Super Bowls, there may still be enough goodwill to give him one more chance in 2016.

Dan Graziano/ESPN

Tags: New York Giants, Misc Rumor

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Steve Smith Announces He'll Play In 2016

Dec 30, 2015 12:31 PM

Steve Smith has announced he will return for the 2016 NFL season.

Smith tore his Achilles on Nov. 1st, which is a difficult injury to come back from at any age.

Smith is 15th on the all-time receptions list (961) and 11th on the receiving yardage list (13,932).

Before his injury, Smith had announced he would retire at the end of the 2015 season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Darin Gantt/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Dez Bryant Will Undergo Foot, Ankle Surgeries

Dec 30, 2015 12:28 PM

Dez Bryant has been placed on injured reserve and will undergo surgery on his foot and ankle.

Bryant was limited to just nine games this season after breaking his right foot in the season opener.

At the time of the surgery Bryant had a bone graft to help the healing process, which is standard in how the team deals with foot surgeries.

Bryant signed a five-year, $70 million contract with $45 million guaranteed on July 15 but suffered a hamstring strain early in training camp. 

Todd Archer/ESPN

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Injury

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Chip Kelly Wants To Remain In NFL
The Titans have already been linked to Chip Kelly, which would represent an opportunity for him to reunite with Marcus Mariota.

Jay Glazer/Fox Sports

Eagles Asked Chip Kelly To Give Up Control Of Personnel Decisions
The Eagles wanted Chip Kelly to give up personnel control and focus on coaching.

Sal Paolantonio/ESPN (via Pro Football Talk)

DeMarco Murray Told Jeffrey Lurie He Had No Confidence In Chip Kelly
DeMarco Murray was a key free agent signing by the Eagles in the offseason but fell out of favor with Kelly.

Ian Rapoport/NFL.com

Chip Kelly Fired By Eagles
Chip Kelly has been fired as head coach of the Eagles.

RealGM Staff Report

Jaguars Retain Gus Bradley For 2016 Season
Gus Bradley has a 12-35 record over three seasons.

Mark Long/AP

Cowboys Don't Plan On Making Major Changes In Offseason
Jason Garrett will return as head coach of the Cowboys.

Todd Archer/ESPN

Al Jazeera Reporter Defends Peyton Manning HGH Report
Deborah Davies reiterates that the documentary never directly accuses Peyton Manning of taking HGH, but instead points out that HGH was repeatedly sent to Manning’s wife

Tom Ley/Deadspin

Brandon Weeden Happy Jerry Jones Will Be Watching Playoffs From Couch
Brandon Weeden was Tony Romo's backup to start the season and was called "limited" by Jerry Jones.

Shalise Manza Young/Yahoo! Sports

Chip Kelly Doesn't Believe Eagles Are 'Bad Football Team'
Since starting 9-3 last season, Chip Kelly's club is just 7-12.

Marc Sessler/NFL.com

Drew Brees Fully Expects To Remain With Saints In 2016
Drew Brees says he and Sean Payton will return to the Saints in 2016.

Conor Orr/NFL.com

Tom Coughlin Not Worried About Job Security
Tom Coughlin has one more season remaining on his contract with the Giants.

NFL.com

Eric Weddle Fined For Watching Daughter's Dance At Halftime
Eric Weddle almost certainly won't re-sign with the Chargers in the offseason.

Kevin Acee/San Diego Union-Tribune

Vikings-Packers Flexed To Sunday Night Football
The winner of the game will earn a home playoff game as the No. 3 seed in the NFC.

NFL.com

Kirk Cousins Likely To Remain With Washington
Kirk Cousins planned his free agency perfectly, leading Washington to the playoffs.

Gregg Rosenthal/NFL.com

Washington Clinches NFC East With Win Over Eagles
Jay Gruden has been vindicated for his decision to start Kirk Cousins this season over Robert Griffin III.

Liz Clarke/Washington Post

Dez Bryant Out For Week 16, Likely Done For Season
Dez Bryant did not practice during the week because of foot and ankle injuries.

Todd Archer/ESPN

Report: Peyton Manning Received HGH Supply In 2011
Peyton Manning has been listed in a new Al Jazeera report as one of several prominent professional athletes who were supplied illegal performance-enhancing drugs from a pharmacist.

ESPN

Peyton Manning's Future Could Depend On Saturday Workout
The Broncos will evaluate Peyton Manning's progress in his rehab from a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot.

Kevin Patra/NFL.com

Tony Romo Finally Placed On IR By Cowboys
The Cowboys have won just one game without Romo and will miss the playoffs for the fifth time in the past six years.

Todd Archer/ESPN

Cam Newton Finds MVP Race 'Irrelevant Right Now'
Cam Newton leads the NFL with 40 touchdowns (33 passing, seven rushing).

Kevin Patra/NFL.com