Latest news with #404Day
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Seven-time Pro Bowler Julio Jones retires after 13 NFL seasons
Julio Jones' career is now complete. The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver announced his retirement on Friday, ending his prolific NFL career after 13 seasons. Before walking away, he was the active leader in receiving yards with 13,703, which rank 16th overall in NFL history. Advertisement 'Today I'm announcing my retirement,' Jones said in a video where he thanked numerous players and coaches for helping him throughout his career in college and the NFL. 'It started when I was 8 years old, just a kid in Foley, Alabama. It was an amazing ride.' An Alabama native, Jones, 36, played three college years for the home-state Crimson Tide. He proved to be an immediately standout with two All-SEC second team nods before a first team selection his junior year. His gaudy numbers (179 catches for 2,653 yards) vaulted him into the top 10 of the 2011 draft when he was selected sixth overall by the Falcons. Julio Jones is calling it a career. Getty Images Jones spent the first 10 years of his career in Atlanta and was consistently one of the best wide receivers in the sport. Advertisement Over 135 games, Jones caught 848 passes for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns and earned two All-Pro selections in 2015 and '16. The quarterback Jones teamed up with for the bulk of his career was Matt Ryan, who got a specific shoutout from Jones during his Friday announcement. Julio Jones makes a catch against the Giants in 2015. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post In particular, Jones appreciated what Ryan did during the receiver's first few months with the team, when the NFL was in a lockout. 'It was a lockout in 2011, you went as far as taking me to your home, showing me the playbook, going to fields, going over plays,' Jones said. 'Thank you, I appreciate you, man.' Jones said he specifically made the decision to coincide with 404 Day, which is an unofficial holiday on April 4 — which matches up with one of the city's zip codes — to celebrate Atlanta's culture. Julio Jones was a two-time All-Pro selection. Reuters He made pitstops in Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia but did not sign with a team for the 2024 season. With the numbers Jones put up, there is little doubt he will get his bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Yahoo
Horse collapses, dies on downtown Atlanta sidewalk
The Brief A horse collapsed and died on a sidewalk in downtown Atlanta due to a medical emergency, according to what the owner told police. The incident occurred in front of a bank at 92 Peachtree Street NW, near several government buildings. Atlanta police are investigating the death, with cooperation from the horse's owner, and are working with the fire department and Fulton County Animal Services for removal. The public is advised to avoid the area, and local businesses are reviewing surveillance footage for the Department of Agriculture. The cause of death is still unknown, and it is unclear if the owner will face any charges. ATLANTA - Police are investigating the death of a horse that was found on a sidewalk in downtown Atlanta. What we know The horse, named Flash, reportedly suffered some sort of medical emergency and collapsed on the sidewalk in front of a bank located at 92 Peachtree Street NW, according to police. The Fulton County Tax Commissioner's Office and other government buildings are right across the street. Atlanta police said they have spoken to the owner, who is cooperating with the investigation. WARNING: The images included in this article may be disturbing to some audiences. They have been blurred due to their sensitive nature. According to the original statement released by police, they were called about the horse at 12:27 a.m. on Sunday. The horse was still on the ground as of 11:15 a.m. when FOX 5 Atlanta cameras were in the area. Police said they were working alongside the fire department and Fulton County Animal Services to remove the horse in a "safe and respectful" way. A group of businesses in the area said their surveillance footage would be under review to comply with the Department of Agriculture. The public is urged to avoid the area for the time being. What we don't know The actual cause of death of the horse is unknown. It's not clear whether the owner, who has not been publicly identified, will face any charges. It's also not clear what the horse was doing downtown. Videos circulated over the weekend showing multiple people riding horses through the streets of Atlanta during 404 Day celebrations. However, the police have not confirmed that was the case here. The Source The information reported in this story was obtained through statements released by the Atlanta Police Department via their website and social media, as well as FOX 5 Atlanta interviews with a witness in the area, as well as the owner of the horse. That individual did not wish to speak on camera.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
No one shot at 404 Day Festival at Underground Atlanta, police confirm
ATLANTA - Despite some commotion and a social media post that suggested shots had been fired, Atlanta police confirmed they received no reports of a person shot at the 404 Day Festival planned at Underground Atlanta. What we know The celebration of all things Atlanta continues without a hitch after Atlanta police refuted a rumor that there had been a shooting at 404 Day Weekend Festival 2025 at Underground Atlanta on Saturday. The day started off with an inaugural parade through downtown Atlanta. FOX 5 Atlanta cameras captured the floats, bands and cheerleaders marching their way down Peachtree Street. It ended at Underground Atlanta for a family-friendly event honoring Atlanta's unique culture. There was food, live performances and vendors. There were so many eager attendees that the event, which was slated to run from noon to 8 p.m., shut down earlier than expected. What's next 404 Day Beats on the Beltline will continue to run tonight until 10 p.m. at Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark. Remember, 404 Day festivities don't end until Sunday. At noon, there's a free Celebrity & Influencer Softball Game planned at Center Parc Stadium. There will be food trucks, giveaways and DJs. Looking for other plans, freebies or discounts this weekend? Check out FOX 5 Atlanta's list of events here. The Source The Atlanta Police Department confirmed no one had been shot during the 404 Day Weekend Festival 2025 at Underground Atlanta, despite rumors and commotion. An event organizer who spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Joi Dukes confirmed the event's early ending.
USA Today
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Falcons legend Julio Jones really was one of the all-time NFL greats
Falcons legend Julio Jones really was one of the all-time NFL greats Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones truly defied explanation. You could certainly try to come up with the right words and phrases to describe his style of play. Electrifying. Sensational. Unbelievable. Jaw-dropping. Spine-chilling. Otherworldly. Awe-inspiring. Mind-blowing. Wow. Every franchise usually gets at least one player a lifetime that makes everything worth it; all the heartache, all the unreal lows, all the disappointments, all the blown leads, baffling coaching decisions and bad draft picks. For the Falcons, that was and always will be Jones. For a long-suffering team that blew a 28-3 Super Bowl lead in front of the entire world in less than two quarters, you might wonder who in the world could make even that generational disaster somewhat palatable. Jones did. He really did. Jones' retirement after 13 seasons came without a lot of fanfare on Friday, as the always humble NFL veteran shared a quick video on social media to thank various people along his football journey and announce his decision. He chose to wait until 404 Day to share the news as a special nod to the city of Atlanta where Jones made his legend. For someone as off-the-charts talented as Jones, who had every right to hog the spotlight as one of the NFL's truly elite talents, he always let the highlights speak for him. Playing for the Falcons historically was and still is a great way to avoid the NFL's limelight, if only because Flowery Branch is not one of the centers of the league universe. Sports debate shows don't spend all that much time talking about the Falcons... unless they do something embarrassing. It's not the bedrock of conversation other franchises are, as the main thing non-fans remember it for in the past decade are that absolutely crushing Super Bowl 51 defeat. The Falcons have missed the playoffs for the last seven seasons, which has kept them on the outskirts of national focus. It's easy to forget about Atlanta as a franchise, but the spirit of just how brilliant Jones was in a Falcons uniform still burns brightly. Jones' retirement deserves to light up the entire NFL world. He was truly one of the greatest players to ever lace up their cleats and put on shoulder pads in professional football. He is the all-time greatest Falcon, the best NFL wide receiver of the 2010s and the player responsible for some of the most thrilling moments in all of football history. If you're a Falcons fan, it's hard to put into words how much Jones meant to you... just how remarkable it really was to watch him throw out logic, reason and gravity each and every Sunday to remind even as tortured a fan base as Atlanta's why they still showed up every week with a spark of belief in their bellies. When all else failed (and all else would fail from time to time), the Jet made you believe. Even when the game seemed lost, No. 11 gave you a chance. To give a Falcons fan hope is one of the hardest boulders to push up a hill in the NFL, but Jones did it every week. Do you know how Herculean a task that is? Just look at this play from the 2016 NFC championship game, one where Jones sent two Green Bay Packers defenders into the phantom zone and basically cemented the franchise's second-ever Super Bowl berth. The play itself is an all-timer for the franchise, Jones using his sheer force of will and astounding athleticism to sprint proudly into the end zone as thousands of euphoric Falcons fans cheered him on. This was the final Falcons game in Atlanta's now-demolished Georgia Dome, and Jones made it count. His Super Bowl 51 catch has been somewhat lost to time, stuck underneath the morass of 28-3 memes and New England Patriots highlights. However, Jones' simply incredible catch should have won the game for Atlanta. If the Falcons hadn't ... y'know ... Jones' catch would play in the hallowed halls of collective NFL memory on repeat. Jones was particularly disrespectful to the Carolina Panthers over the years. In 2015, he Moss'ed linebacker Luke Kuechly for one of his greatest touchdown catches to help end Carolina's quest for a perfect 2015 season. A season later, he recorded his career-best day to the tune of 12 catches for a whopping 300 yards and a touchdown. Even in his penultimate season as a Falcon in 2019, Jones was still putting up stellar plays, like this game-winning touchdown on Sunday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Jones really was also an A-plus human being. He was a wonderful role model for all of his young fans. He never made the game about himself. He quietly went about his business and gave the young folks sporting his jersey someone to idolize for his work ethic and commitment to excellence. Just watch this touching interaction with Jones and a young fan named D'Eric back in 2019. The greats knew how special Jones was. Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald once told Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyle Murray that Jones was the best he'd ever seen. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, who styled his game after Jones and later played with him, called him the best wide receiver of all time. For Jones, retirement should mean future enshrinement. He should be one day honored in the Falcons Ring of Honor. His No. 11 Atlanta jersey should be retired, too. A statue outside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be fitting. A spot in Canton in the the Pro Football Hall of Fame should be a lock if there is any justice in the football world. It's just hard to really sum up how much Jones means to the Falcons franchise and fan base. Just like quarterback Matt Ryan, he holds a sacred place on the Mount Rushmore of great Atlanta players and will forever stand as the best player in the best stretch of Falcons football in the team's history. Simply put, there will never be another Julio Jones. He is an unquestioned icon... the Falcons "GOAT" ... truly one of the best NFL wide receivers of all time. He deserves eternal flowers for what he brought to the game.
New York Times
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
NFL legend Julio Jones announces retirement after 13 seasons
By Jelani Scott, Josh Kendall, Brooks Kubena and Joe Rexrode Julio Jones, a future Hall of Fame wide receiver and Atlanta Falcons icon, announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday following a decorated 13-year career. Jones, who turned 36 on Feb. 8, shared the news in a video posted on his social media. The multi-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl receiver leaves the NFL after sitting out the 2024 season, with his last reps coming in 2023 during an 11-game run with the Philadelphia Eagles. Advertisement 'Started when I was eight years old, just a kid from Foley, Alabama. It was an amazing ride,' Jones said after his announcement before thanking his family and all of his former coaches and teammates — including special shout-outs for 'father figure' and former Alabama coach Nick Saban, and his former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. The fact that Jones highlighted his decision to retire on '404 Day,' an unofficial holiday in Atlanta, speaks to the love he still has for the city and the organization where he became one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. Drafted sixth in 2011, Jones quickly emerged as a matchup nightmare following three standout years under Saban at Alabama. The highly-touted wideout earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2012 before going on a tear over the next eight years, earning back-to-back first-team (2015-16) and three-straight second-team All-Pro selections (2017-19), and six additional Pro Bowl nods. In 2016, Jones, a year after tallying a career-high 1,871 yards, played an integral role in leading 11-5 Atlanta to Super Bowl LI. Jones logged his fourth 1,000-yard season (1,409; seven for his career) and 334 yards and three scores in the postseason. He contributed four catches for 87 yards in his lone Super Bowl appearance, a now-infamous 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in a game where Atlanta led 28-3 midway through the third quarter. Jones' Falcons tenure ended via a trade to the Tennessee Titans in 2021, where he played one season before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Eagles on a pair of one-year deals to close his career. With numerous accolades as well as Falcons and NFL records to his name, Jones leaves a lasting legacy as a player and an inspiration for many of today's top receivers. He retires as the Falcons leader in receiving yards (12,896) and receptions (848), giving him career totals of 13,703 receiving yards, 914 receptions and 66 touchdowns in 166 regular-season games (153 starts). He also recorded 77 receptions, 992 yards and seven TDs in 11 postseason games (10 starts). Advertisement Jones will be remembered for many things in Atlanta, most notably for being the Falcons all-time leading receiver. What he should be remembered for is the spectacular 27-yard catch he made late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI that should have helped Atlanta preserve what was once a 28-3 lead. That catch was mostly washed from memories because of the Patriots' come-from-behind win, and that's a shame. The grab not only was one of the best catches in Super Bowl history, but it also perfectly encapsulated the physical dominance Jones played with for a decade in Atlanta. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder cost the Falcons a total of five draft picks in the deal that allowed them to move from No. 27 to No. 6 in the first round of the 2011 draft, and everyone knew he was worth it from the moment he stepped on the field. In addition to Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods, Jones was also named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2010s in his decade with the Falcons. In his Falcons' career, he had 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns in the regular season and another 834 yards and six touchdowns in the postseason. His career in Atlanta ended more quietly than it probably should have. He failed to top 450 yards in either of his final two seasons as injuries slowed him in practice and during games, and he was traded to Tennessee in 2021 for a second-round draft pick. Jones has not been a visible presence around the team or the city since he left, but that's likely to change now that his retirement is official. The Falcons sent an email to their fan base less than hour after Jones' announcement thanking him for his time with the team, and Atlanta owner Arthur Blank generally is eager to welcome back local legends. — Josh Kendall, Falcons beat writer Jones will be remembered in Nashville as one of the contributing factors to the end of former GM Jon Robinson's tenure. Advertisement Another receiver – AJ Brown, foolishly traded away on 2022 draft night by Robinson – is the main name that comes to mind, but Robinson trading a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the Falcons in 2021 (getting a sixth back) to pair Jones with Brown ended up being a costly move. Jones had a few moments in his lone season with the Titans, and his frequent lack of availability didn't stop the team from grabbing the AFC's No. 1 seed, but that's the season his health went off a cliff. The 2020 season hinted at the possibility, but Robinson didn't take the hint. — Joe Rexrode, Nashville columnist Jones' time in Philadelphia was a humble footnote at the finality of what will likely be a Hall of Fame career. The Eagles, short on depth at the position, signed Jones to a wide receiver room to support two of the next era's stars, Brown and DeVonta Smith. Jones never totaled more than three catches in any of his 12 games with the Eagles, and he rarely logged more than 20 snaps. But he was a respected presence in the locker room and a veteran voice for a franchise that values mentorship for its talented young core. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles staff writer This story will be updated. Photo: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images
