NFL

NFL's Ochocinco, US House Speaker Trade Tweets

Written by Dan Sewell, Associated Press Thursday, 26 January 2012 15:54

Chad Ochocinco, meet the speaker of the U.S. House. On Twitter, of course.

The New England Patriots wide receiver known for prolific social media interactions tuned in to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night, and he soon was wondering about the unsmiling man sitting behind the Democratic president. Informed by a friend it was Republican Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, the former Cincinnati Bengal decided to reach out to him on Twitter, asking Tuesday night if he was "OK."

Apparently still concerned Wednesday, Ochocinco asked Boehner in another message if he was in better spirits, and told him: "If all else seems bad in life, just remember I love you kind sir."

Boehner thanked Ochocinco in a tweet and wished him good luck in the Super Bowl. The Patriots play the New York Giants for the National Football League championship on Feb. 5.

"We'll see you in the playoffs next year," Boehner added, using "Bengals" and their fans' cheer "WhoDey" to tag his response on Twitter.

Boehner's Twitter feed later included a photo of him at his desk with a Bengals helmet in the foreground.

Owens Heads Indoors for Return to Pro Football

Written by The Associated Press Thursday, 19 January 2012 13:41

Terrell Owens is going indoors for his return to pro football.

The six-time Pro Bowl receiver has accepted an offer to be a player and will have an ownership stake in the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League.

The Wranglers, who open their season Feb. 25 at home, extended the offer to Owens last month. They posted on their website Thursday that they were excited to announce it was official.

"Uh-oh, it's official," Owens exclaimed in a video message posted on his Twitter page. "I'm headed back to Texas. That's right, IFL, here I come. Allen, Texas, here I come. I'm going to be me. ... Allen, Texas, I'll see you in the end zone."

The 38-year-old Owens didn't get any NFL offers to play last season after surgery on his left knee. Allen is a suburb north of Dallas.

Over 15 NFL seasons with five teams, Owens had 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards with 153 touchdowns. He is sixth in career receptions, and second in yards receiving and touchdowns behind Jerry Rice.

Owens began his career with San Francisco (1996-2003), where he was teammates with Rice for five seasons, and then played in Philadelphia (2004-05), Dallas (2006-08), Buffalo (2009) and Cincinnati (2010).

In late October, Owens held a workout in California to show teams he was healthy. No NFL teams showed up or offered deals after the workout shown by ESPN and NFL Network.

Biopic Set for NFL’s First Black Starting QB

Written by EURweb.com Thursday, 19 January 2012 12:00

Barry Josephson and his Josephson Entertainment banner are partnering with West Omaha Films to produce “The Magician,” a biopic of Marlin “The Magician” Briscoe, pro football’s first black starting quarterback.

Gregory Allen Howard, who penned the football movie “Remember the Titans” and worked on “Ali,” wrote the script detailing Briscoe’s rise to the top, his meteoric fall and his journey to self-fulfillment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Briscoe broke the color barrier in pro football when he landed with the Denver Broncos as a 14th round draft pick in 1968 and became their starting QB. He finished his first season with 14 touchdown passes, a team rookie record that still remains. His career took him to the Buffalo Bills as a receiver before he became an integral member of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team in NFL history to go undefeated.

When he left the league, Briscoe became addicted to drugs, which caused him to lose his home and forced him to auction off his Super Bowl rings. He also served time in jail. Briscoe rebounded by becoming a mentor for the Boys & Girls Club in Long Beach, Calif., and starting his own football camp for kids.

“It’s an unbelievable, inspirational story of perseverance, determination and hope. It’s important that a story inspires, and Greg Howard has done just that… viewers will relate to The Magician in one way or another,” Josephson says.

Pacman Jones Pleads Guilty to Disorderly Conduct

Written by Lisa Cornwell, Associated Press Wednesday, 18 January 2012 14:33

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

Jones entered the plea in Hamilton County Municipal Court just as his non-jury trial was scheduled to begin. A second misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest was dismissed in a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Judge Brad Greenberg ordered Jones to serve a year of probation, complete 50 hours of community service and pay a $250 fine plus court costs. Jones could have received a maximum jail sentence of 30 days.

Jones, 28, was accused in court documents of being disorderly, shouting profanities and trying to pull away as officers arrested him at a downtown bar in July.

At the time, Jones was on probation in Las Vegas in connection with a 2007 no contest plea to a strip club melee that left three people wounded. He was ordered in November to perform an additional 75 hours of community service for violating that probation with the Cincinnati arrest.

Jones apologized in court to police for his conduct and said he realized that he "could have handled it a whole lot better." The judge told Jones that he did not know how "someone with your ability risks your career with this type of behavior."

Assistant City Solicitor Karla Burtch said Jones repeatedly approached officers "aggressively."

Jones said he was just trying to protect his fiancée.

"This is unprofessional behavior," Greenberg said. He told Jones that if he wanted to be regarded as a professional, "you need to act like one at all times."

Neither Jones nor his attorney would comment after leaving the courtroom.

The Bengals and the NFL did not immediately return calls Wednesday.

Jones will be a free agent after completing his second season with Cincinnati, which gave him a chance to continue his career.

Tennessee made Jones the sixth overall pick in 2005. He started 28 games in his first two seasons with the Titans, but repeated arrests scuttled his career. He missed the entire 2007 season with the first of two suspensions from the league.

The Titans traded Jones to Dallas before the 2008 draft. An alcohol-related altercation with a bodyguard that the Cowboys provided cost him another six-game suspension.

He was out of the NFL for a year before the Bengals gave him the two-year deal in 2010 and a final chance to show he can stay out of trouble and hold a job in the NFL. He excelled as Cincinnati's No. 3 cornerback before a neck injury ended his 2010 season after only five games. Jones had surgery for a herniated disc in his neck.

He had another procedure on the neck last summer and opened the season on an injury list, forcing him to miss the first six games. He pulled a hamstring in his first game back, forcing him to sit out two more.

Jones played the rest of the way and started eight games at cornerback in place of the injured Leon Hall. He didn't have an interception. Jones had two punt returns for 67 yards.

His arrest over the summer made him one of eight NFL players subject to discipline for incidents that occurred during the lockout. Bengals running back Cedric Benson also had an offseason arrest in Texas and got a one-game suspension during the season.

The league will review Jones' case and then could impose another suspension should he sign with a team.

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AP Sports Writer Joe Kay contributed to this report.