Latest news with #American football
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Davante Adams, Puka Nacua both ranked outside top 10 WRs by NFL coaches and executives
As a tandem, there's no question Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are among the top wide receiver duos in the NFL. But individually, coaches, executives and scouts don't see either player as being one of the 10 best at their position. ESPN polled talent evaluators from around the league on the top 10 wide receivers and neither Nacua nor Adams made the cut. They both ended up being honorable mentions in a group that includes four other receivers, but they fell short of the coveted top 10. There's a case to be made for both of them being ranked much higher but for whatever reason, they were snubbed. One NFL defensive coach was shocked Nacua didn't make the top 10, while an AFC executive said he 'probably doesn't have the high-end ability as some of the others on the list.' "I can't believe he's not in the top 10. He's just got the 'it' factor." -- NFL defensive coach If ESPN put the honorable mentions in order by the number of votes players received, that would make Nacua the 12th-best receiver and Adams the 16th-best – both of which are probably too low. Here is the full top 10 from ESPN's poll. Ja'Marr Chase Justin Jefferson Tyreek Hill CeeDee Lamb A.J. Brown Amon-Ra St. Brown Malik Nabers Nico Collins Mike Evans Garrett Wilson One NFL coordinator had this to say about Adams, who was ranked No. 5 just last season in this same poll: 'When you watch him up close, he's still exactly what the classic 'X' receiver should look like." Since the 2020 season, Adams has caught 59 touchdown passes, the most of any player in the NFL in that span. Since Nacua came into the league in 2023, he's averaged 88.4 receiving yards per game, which is the fourth-highest of any player. Adams has the ninth-most catches since 2023 and Nacua has the 10th-most – and that's despite both of them playing fewer games than the only eight players with more receptions in the last two years. After this season, it's possible Adams and Nacua will both vault into the top 10, assuming they're able to stay healthy and reach the high expectations everyone has for them as teammates. Big things could be in store for the Rams' new-look receiving duo. Follow Rams Wire on X, Facebook and Threads for more coverage! This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' Davante Adams, Puka Nacua ranked outside top 10 WRs by coaches
New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
NFLPA's interim executive director not expected to get full-time job: Source
A high-ranking executive in the NFL offices says the league anticipates that whoever gets the NFL Players' Association interim executive director job will not be promoted to the full-time role. According to an NFLPA source, the union's legal team is meeting with the executive committee and board of player reps on Friday. No timetable has been set for naming an interim executive director. Advertisement Lloyd Howell, the union's executive director, announced his resignation on Thursday night. A source in the league office, granted anonymity because they are not cleared to speak publicly on the matter, says the NFL anticipates the PA will not consider the interim executive director for the full-time job, breaking from a group previously led by Howell and NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter. Howell resigned after weeks of reporting uncovered controversial actions under his leadership, as revealed by ESPN, Pro Football Talk and 'Pablo Torre Finds Out.' The findings included the NFLPA reportedly agreeing to a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to hide information about an arbitration decision, as well as concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving Howell's consulting work for a private equity group approved by the league for a minority ownership stake. Meanwhile, federal investigators have been conducting a probe into some sports union officials and OneTeam Partners, a company that licenses athletes' name, image and likeness rights. Five sports unions hold stakes in OneTeam, including the NFLPA with 44 percent. An official inside the NFLPA raised concerns that union officials could enrich themselves via OneTeam, and last winter, the NFLPA hired an outside firm to conduct an investigation. At the time, Howell was a board member of the company as part of his role in NFLPA leadership. The NFLPA hired Howell in 2023 following a search process that was criticized for its lack of transparency. Before his work at the NFLPA, Howell worked for 34 years at Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., including as the chief financial officer. Like his predecessor at the NFLPA, DeMaurice Smith, Howell did not have a background in sports; his BA is in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and he has an MBA from Harvard.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fox Sports reporter who quit over vaccine mandate gets promotion
Allison Williams has landed herself a new role as an NFL sideline reporter at Fox Sports, as she prepares to replace one of their long-standing presenters. Williams will be looking to make further strides at the network which she joined in 2022, after her unceremonious exit from rival broadcasters ESPN a year prior. In 2021, Williams left ESPN after they refused to accommodate her decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine because she was trying to get pregnant. The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, mandated that all cast members need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — however, Williams was trying for a child and announced that she would not be getting it. She eventually left the network — where she worked on the sidelines at college football and basketball games — and swiftly joined Fox Sports. Since then, she has worked as a college football sideline reporter and studio host for Fox. However, she is now set to make another step forward in her career. According to Front Office Sports, Williams will take on the role of NFL sideline reporter on one of the network's announce teams this season and replace the departing Laura Okmin. Okmin will bid farewell to the network after turning down a contract extension. She is the third-longest-tenured sideline reporter in NFL history. She was initially barred from working on the sidelines of college football games this season because she refused to comply with the network's vaccine mandate while she and her husband try for their second child. In an Instagram video shared at the time, a visibly emotional Williams said that her 'request for accommodation' had been denied, about a month after announcing she would be sitting the season out because she hadn't yet received the vaccination. 'Ultimately, I can not put a paycheck over principal and I will not sacrifice something I believe in strongly to maintain a career,' Williams said near-tears in the video. Shortly after that, she confirmed that she would be 'separating' from ESPN. 'Belief is a word I've been thinking about a lot lately, because in addition to the medical apprehensions regarding my desire to have another child in regards to receiving this injection, I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this,' Williams said. 'And I've had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately I need to put them first.' 'And the irony in all this is that a lot of those same values and principals I hold so dear are what made me a really good employee and probably helped with the success that I've been able to have in my career.' Williams, who had been with the network since 2011, said she was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that the national championship game she covered in January, 2021, may now be the last college football game she will work. In a statement, a spokesman for ESPN told 'We aren't going to comment on an individual. We are going through a thorough review of accommodation requests on a case by case basis, and are granting accommodations consistent with our legal obligations. Our focus is on a safe work environment for everyone.'
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fox Sports football reporter who quit ESPN over Disney's Covid vaccine mandate gets huge NFL promotion
Allison Williams has landed herself a new role as an NFL sideline reporter at Fox Sports, as she prepares to replace one of their long-standing presenters. Williams will be looking to make further strides at the network which she joined in 2022, after her unceremonious exit from rival broadcasters ESPN a year prior. In 2021, Williams left ESPN after they refused to accommodate her decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine because she was trying to get pregnant. The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, mandated that all cast members need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 - however Williams was trying for a child and announced that she would not be getting it. She eventually left the network - where she worked on the sidelines at college football and basketball games - and swiftly joined Fox Sports. Since then, she has worked as a college football sideline reporter and studio host for Fox however, she is now set to make another step forward in her career. According to Front Office Sports, Williams will take on the role of NFL sideline reporter on one of the network's announce teams this season and replace the departing Laura Okmin. Okmin will bid farewell to the network after turning down a contract extension. She is the third-longest-tenured sideline reporter in NFL history. Okmin explained that it feels like the right time to walk away from her current role and focus on her company, GALvanize, which mentors young women in the sports world. Williams, meanwhile, looks to have settled at Fox Sports after her exit from ESPN four years ago. She was initially barred from working on the sidelines of college football games this season because she refused to comply with the network's vaccine mandate while she and her husband try for their second child. In an Instagram video shared at the time, a visibly emotional Williams said that her 'request for accommodation' had been denied, about a month after announcing she would be sitting the season out because she hadn't yet received the vaccination. 'Ultimately, I can not put a paycheck over principal and I will not sacrifice something I believe in strongly to maintain a career,' Williams said near-tears in the video. Shortly after that, she confirmed that she would be 'separating' from ESPN. 'Belief is a word I've been thinking about a lot lately, because in addition to the medical apprehensions regarding my desire to have another child in regards to receiving this injection, I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this,' Williams said. 'And I've had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately I need to put them first.' 'And the irony in all this is that a lot of those same values and principals I hold so dear are what made me a really good employee and probably helped with the success that I've been able to have in my career.' Williams, who had been with the network since 2011, said she was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that the national championship game she covered in January, 2021, may now be the last college football game she will work.
