Halls of fame
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) holds the Vince Lombardi trophy following the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. Tampa Bay won 31-9. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Analysis: NFL hopes for normality in 2021, starting at draft

By Barry Wilner Feb. 09, 2021 12:58 PM EST

FILE - Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton manning talks prior to an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans in Denver, in this Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, file photo. More than two decades ago Charles Woodson beat out Peyton Manning for a prestigious college award. Something called the Heisman Trophy. On Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, they likely will share an even more impressive football honor: entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
Game changers: Manning, Woodson, Megatron headed to Hall

By Eddie Pells Feb. 06, 2021 10:52 PM EST

This undated photo provided by the United States Coast Guard shows a U.S. Coast Guard cutter named for Emlen Tunnell, docked in Bollinger Shipyard, in Lockport, La. Tunnell, the first Black player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, served in the Coast Guard during and after World War II, where he was credited with saving the lives of two shipmates in separate incidents. Now, a Coast Guard cutter and an athletic building on the Coast Guard Academy campus are being named in honor of the former New York Giants defensive back. (United States Coast Guard via AP)
Coast Guard honors Black veteran, NFL great Emlen Tunnell

By Pat Eaton-Robb Feb. 06, 2021 08:26 AM EST

FILE - Minnesota Vikings' Jared Allen reacts after sacking Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers during the second half of an NFL football game in Minneapolis, in this Monday, Oct. 5, 2009, file photo. The Vikings won 30-23. Allen is a 2021 finalist for entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid, File)
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson top Hall of Fame candidates

By Barry Wilner Feb. 05, 2021 11:46 AM EST

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 1997, file photo, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass to Andre Rison during the NFL football Super Bowl in New Orleans. Favre looks at the quarterbacks on display this weekend with an admiration as strong as the throws he made as a Pro Football Hall of Fame player. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
QB Club: Favre looks at Brady, Manning, Mahomes and Rodgers

By Barry Wilner Feb. 05, 2021 02:53 AM EST

FILE - In this October 1984 file photo, a groundskeeper at Jack Murphy Stadium paints the logo for the 1984 World Series between San Diego Padres and Detroit Tigers in San Diego. The biggest piece of San Diego's sports history is slowly being knocked down and ground to bits. Now the stadium is coming to an unceremonious end, leaving generations of fans feeling melancholy because, due to the coronavirus pandemic, they didn't get to say a proper goodbye to the place where they tailgated with gusto in the massive parking lot before cheering on the Chargers, Padres and Aztecs, or watched myriad other events and concerts. (AP Photo,File)
San Diegans left feeling sad as 'The Murph' comes down

By Bernie Wilson Dec. 22, 2020 05:24 PM EST

In this image provided by WaV Sports & Entertainment + The NFL Alumni Academy, Mike Tice, second from left, coaches at the NFL Alumni Academy at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio on Nov. 4, 2020. In normal times, NFL teams sometimes must scramble to find players during the season when a wave of injuries or other issues hit. In 2020, multiply those needs exponentially because of the coronavirus pandemic. Helping out the 32 teams on a limited scale, for now, is the NFL Alumni Academy. (Devon Dalton/WaV Sports & Entertainment + The NFL Alumni Academy via AP)
NFL prospects getting second chance through Alumni Academy

By Barry Wilner Nov. 20, 2020 03:16 PM EST

Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford celebrates his touchdown during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against East Carolina, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
The Latest: Pac-12 cancels Washington State-Stanford game

By The Associated Press Nov. 20, 2020 11:18 AM EST

Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) carries the ball against Chicago Bears strong safety Tashaun Gipson (38) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Titans' A.J. Brown working to be physical wide receiver

By Teresa M. Walker Nov. 10, 2020 07:13 PM EST

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2017, file photo, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks walks behind the end zone during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Tampa, Fla. This has been a year for Tampa Bay sports like no other, though the area's three successful professional teams haven't had a chance to truly capitalize on the boom and connect with re-energized fan bases. Derrick Brooks says he feels for the fans not being able to go to the games and celebrate their teams victories and success.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Missed opportunity: Tampa teams soar, fans watch from afar

By Fred Goodall Nov. 03, 2020 02:54 PM EST

FILE - In this April 17, 2019, file photo, Seattle Seahawks NFL football quarterback Russell Wilson poses for photos with his wife, Ciara; their daughter, Sienna; and Ciara's son, Future, in Renton, Wash. The couple are putting their money and celebrity behind rebranding a charter school, which advocates hope will boost the troubled Washington state charter school sector that has suffered from enrollment problems after years of legal challenges. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Russell Wilson stays busy on and off the NFL field

By The Associated Press Oct. 30, 2020 12:10 AM EDT

Hall of Fame Health launched to help former NFL players

By Barry Wilner Oct. 20, 2020 03:08 PM EDT
Hall of Fame Health, a nationwide effort to offer services to any former NFL player or team employee and their families, announced its partnership Tuesday with...

Security reminds fans to mask up before entering Sanford Stadium before the start of the Georgia-Tennessee NCAA college football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP)
The Latest: Eagles allowing some fans to game against Ravens

By The Associated Press Oct. 13, 2020 09:52 PM EDT

The former logo for the Washington football team is seen on the sides of the seats before an NFL football practice at FedEx Field, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Washington Football renames roads for Gibbs, Taylor

Sep. 01, 2020 12:37 PM EDT

Amid pandemic, Hall of Fame Village plans move forward

By Barry Wilner Aug. 07, 2020 12:59 PM EDT
Instead of thousands of football fans converging on the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week, there might be dozens. The coronavirus pandemic ensured that when...

FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2019, file photo, Denver Broncos wide receiver Trinity Benson (2) can't catch a pass under pressure from Atlanta Falcons defensive back Jayson Stanley (23) during the second half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game in Canton, Ohio. The NFL has canceled the Hall of Fame game that traditionally opens the preseason and is delaying the 2020 induction ceremonies because of the coronavirus pandemic, two people with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday, June 25, 2020. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been publicly announced, though an announcement is expected later Thursday. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
NFL cancels Hall of Fame game, delays inductions until 2021

By Barry Wilner Jun. 25, 2020 10:16 AM EDT

Before entering the field gates for football strength and conditioning camp at Arlington Martin High School, athletic Trainer Joey Pena, right, uses a thermometer on the forehead of sophomore running back Gervawn Neville for a temperature check Thursday, June 18, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. While states have been easing the economic and social lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, some are now letting high school athletes return for summer workouts before teachers have even figured out how they are going to hold classroom instruction. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The Latest: 2nd Tennessee men’s basketball player has virus

By The Associated Press Jun. 23, 2020 12:08 PM EDT

Cowboys' Frederick wins Halas Award for overcoming adversity

By The Associated Press Jun. 22, 2020 01:33 PM EDT
Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick has won the George Halas Award presented by the Pro Football Writers of America. Frederick, who...

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2017, file photo, football fans toss footballs on the lawn outside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will reopen Wednesday, June 10, 2020, after nearly a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Pro Football Hall of Fame to reopen on Wednesday

Jun. 09, 2020 01:21 PM EDT

'Peyton's Places' to return to ESPN+ for 2nd season

May. 20, 2020 11:40 AM EDT
BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — “Peyton's Places,” an Emmy-nominated ESPN series in which Peyton Manning takes a lighthearted look at the history of the NFL, will return...