Social issues
Terry Fontenot, left, and New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis watch Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Ala., in this Jan. 20, 2015, photo. The Atlanta Falcons have named Terry Fontenot the team’s general manager. The 40-year-old Fontenot becomes Atlanta’s first Black general manager after spending 16 seasons with division rival New Orleans. (Evan Woodbery/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Falcons name Saints' Terry Fontenot as general manager

By Charles Odum Jan. 19, 2021 08:40 AM EST

FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh watches during the NFL football team's practice in Santa Clara, Calif. Saleh, the New York Jets' new head coach, has families in neighborhoods all across the country celebrating the first known Muslim American to hold that position in NFL history. That's a source of great pride for a community that has been generally underrepresented in the league's on-field leadership roles. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool, File)
Saleh's hiring by Jets source of pride for Muslim community

By Dennis Waszak Jr. Jan. 16, 2021 02:33 AM EST

NFL suspends Bears DL Edwards Jr. 2 games

Jan. 15, 2021 07:08 PM EST
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The NFL suspended Chicago Bears defensive linemen Mario Edwards Jr. for the first two games next season Friday for violating the...

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019, file photo, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) reacts after swinging a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Cleveland. The Browns (10-5) will make the postseason for the first time since 2002 with a win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh, which clinched the AFC North last week, is resting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and will start Mason Rudolph, who has a history with Cleveland's Myles Garrett after an ugly helmet-swinging incident a year ago. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
Garrett, Rudolph in no mood to rehash career-altering brawl

By Will Graves Jan. 01, 2021 05:23 PM EST

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller (83) makes a reception against the Miami Dolphins during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
TE Darren Waller closes in on Tim Brown's Raiders record

By Josh Dubow Jan. 01, 2021 04:12 PM EST

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins (27) is pushed out of bounds by New York Giants free safety Logan Ryan (23) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
NFL chooses 11 players for international pathway program

By The Associated Press Jan. 01, 2021 11:28 AM EST

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020 file photo, Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) readies for the play in the second quarter during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Minneapolis. Eric Kendricks and the Minnesota Vikings have had a rough year between the lines, but the 2019 All-Pro linebacker, whose 2020 season has been shortened by a calf injury, has made quite an impact off the field. He’s the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, for his community work focused on criminal justice reform. (AP Photo/David Berding, File)
Vikings LB Kendricks has done vital work on and off field

By Dave Campbell Dec. 31, 2020 02:46 PM EST

FILE - Driver Bubba Wallace wears a Black Lives Matter shirt as he prepares for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Martinsville, Va., in this Wednesday, June 10, 2020, file photo. In a most unusual year already thrown into chaos by the coronavirus pandemic, many athletes took unprecedented steps when a nationwide reckoning on race spilled into the streets of American cities after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, while in Minneapolis police custody. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
Athletes act: Stars rise up against racial injustice in 2020

By Cliff Brunt Dec. 29, 2020 01:41 PM EST

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf catches a pass as he warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks 12/27/2020

Dec. 27, 2020 03:22 PM EST

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant works out prior to an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens 12/27/2020

Dec. 27, 2020 12:10 PM EST

NFL stars joined students in virtual chats about racism

By Rob Maaddi Dec. 25, 2020 01:52 AM EST
For several NFL stars, speaking out against social injustice meant speaking to youngsters about racism. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce,...

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, file photo, Curtis Flowers flanked by sister Priscilla Ward, right, exits the Winston Choctaw Regional Correctional Facility in Louisville, Miss. The NFL says it is honoring Flowers, a Black man from Mississippi who was imprisoned more than 22 years. He was freed in late 2019, months after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the last of his several convictions in a quadruple murder case. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
NFL honors Mississippi man freed after 22 years in prison

By Emily Wagster Pettus Dec. 24, 2020 03:06 PM EST

Players take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Sheffield United, at St. Mary's stadium in Southampton, England, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2020. (Adam Davy/Pool via AP, File)
Sheffield United FC vs Southampton FC 12/13/2020

Dec. 24, 2020 11:06 AM EST

FILE - In this this June 10, 2020, file photo, driver Bubba Wallace wears a Black Lives Matter shirt as he prepares for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Martinsville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville

Dec. 24, 2020 11:06 AM EST

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2019, file photo, then-Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens walks on the field during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cleveland. Freddie Kitchens was fired after one stormy season as Browns coach. On Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, he'll get at shot at some personal payback. Kitchens will call plays for New York on Sunday night against Cleveland after Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
Giants' Kitchens downplays play-calling against Browns

By Tom Canavan Dec. 18, 2020 02:16 PM EST

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (11) runs after a catch as Denver Broncos free safety Justin Simmons (31) defends in the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
NFL stages Careers in Football Forum for HBCU students

By The Associated Press Dec. 11, 2020 03:15 PM EST

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stands on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Study: NFL league office ahead of teams in diversity hiring

By Aaron Beard Dec. 09, 2020 02:31 PM EST

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wears a T-shirt that reads "We Want Justice" in support of Black Lives Matter as he warms up for an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks 12/6/2020

Dec. 06, 2020 02:50 PM EST

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) lands in the end zone for a touchdown against the Denver Broncosduring the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Rams players award $750,000 to social justice programs

By The Associated Press Dec. 04, 2020 11:37 AM EST

FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2019, file photo, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon (10) sets up against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C. The Seahawks are bringing back wide receiver Josh Gordon on a one-year deal even as the talented pass catcher awaits reinstatement from the NFL after his latest suspension. Gordon’s signing was confirmed on Twitter by his agent David Canter on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, just two days before the Seahawks must cut their roster to 53 players. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco, File)
NFL reinstates Gordon, can play in final 2 games for Seattle

By Tim Booth Dec. 03, 2020 04:55 PM EST