Caleb Williams will almost certainly be the No 1 overall pick this month. But there are plenty of interesting players lower down the board In recent drafts, we’ve seen players selected from Australia. We’ve had a tight end with no experience picked out of Germany in the sixth-round, thanks to Mike Mayock demanding it on the draft broadcast – that really happened! What we haven’t seen is an American-born player selected out of Canada. And we haven’t seen an American-born player drafted who played no college football ..read more

The franchise has long been dismissed as backwards looking. But it is set to draft a star who happily pushes back on athlete stereotypes Among the NFL’s heirloom franchises, the Chicago Bears are the still living in the last century – the pride of George “Papa Bear” Halas, a league founding father. From their neoclassical stadium to their 101-year-old owner-matriarch to their stubborn reverence for “Bear Weather” (ie: lake-effect winter conditions that only affect the other team), everything about the franchise is old-fashioned. Even the Bears being in position to select a quarterback with the ..read more

Malcolm LaVergne, executor of Simpson’s estate, says ‘hard no’ to brain being given to study effects of playing in NFL A lawyer who represented OJ Simpson said there were no plans to donate the former NFL player’s brain to science and that his body would be cremated. Simpson, who became the subject of an intense national debate in America after he was accused – and cleared – of the 1994 murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, died last week aged 76. He was later found liable for the two killings in a civil case ..read more

Executor of Simpson estate to fight payout of $33.5m judgment Simpson was found liable in civil trial after criminal acquittal The executor of OJ Simpson’s estate says he will work to prevent a payout of a $33.5m judgment awarded by a California civil jury nearly three decades ago in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the families of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson’s will was filed Friday in a Clark County court in Nevada, naming his longtime lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, as the executor. The document shows Simpson’s property was placed into a trust that ..read more

Have you been following the big stories in football, golf, cricket, horse racing, athletics, basketball, NFL and UFC ..read more

The death of the once-loved NFL star and actor leaves a trail of wreckage from his tabloid notoriety as double murder suspect OJ Simpson, ex-NFL star who was acquitted of murder, dies aged 76 OJ Simpson’s life from NFL stardom to legal jeopardy – in pictures Before he was the world’s most infamous murder suspect, OJ Simpson did not have a reputation for killer performances. David Zucker, the director of the 1988 comedy classic The Naked Gun, only hired the Buffalo Bills great for the ironic potential. Which is to say he was a big celebrity who could be had for cheap. Zucker’s hope was that S ..read more

NFL reports on former player’s death with agency copy Former teams do not mention Simpson on social media If anything got to the heart of OJ Simpson’s troubled legacy in the NFL, it was the lack of reaction to his death from a sport at which he excelled. Simpson, whose death at the age of 76 was announced on Thursday, was one of the greatest running backs of all time. He played in the NFL for 11 seasons, led the league in rushing on four occasions and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. His induction into the hall came 10 years before the murder trial, where he was controve ..read more

Former American football player who was acquitted of murder in 1995 died of cancer, according to a statement by his family OJ Simpson, the former American football star, actor and notorious suspected double murderer, has died of cancer at 76, his family said in a statement on Thursday. His 1995 trial, and controversial acquittal, for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, provided one of the world’s most-watched popular culture events of the last century. Associated Press contributed reporting ..read more

The NFL player was a star until he was charged with murder, and after his acquittal in 1995 he faced further legal troubles in the ensuing decades Full story ..read more

Franchises have the opportunity to transform their fortunes in the coming weeks. But some need to land their selections more than others In theory, the NFL draft is an even playing field. Unlike the Super Bowl, you don’t automatically win the draft because Patrick Mahomes is nestled on your roster. Teams are free to build draft capital or ship it away in lieu of constructing the missing parts of their roster through trades and free agency. But the reality in 2024 is that, while a team like the Houston Texans can preen around for a while after nailing last year’s draft, the pressure for most ot ..read more