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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys offensive lineman Tom Rafferty, who played 14 seasons with Dallas, dies at 70
Tom Rafferty, who played 14 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys as an offensive lineman and won a Super Bowl championship with the team, died on Thursday at the age of 70. Rafferty had been hospitalized in Windsor, Colorado since suffering a stroke in early May, his daughter told the Dallas Morning News. Advertisement The Cowboys' fourth-round pick (No. 119 overall) out of Penn State in 1976, Rafferty played his first five NFL seasons at guard before moving to center for the remainder of his career. He started 182 out of a possible 203 games, including 167 consecutive starts. 'If you look at his dimensions [6-foot-3, 256 pounds], he wouldn't be playing in the offensive line today.' longtime Cowboys radio broadcaster Brad Sham told the Dallas Morning News. 'But that's what [coach Tom Landry] wanted. He wanted pulling linemen and guys who could get downfield in front of [Tony] Dorsett on a screen pass." Rafferty threw a key block for Dorsett's NFL-record 99-yard touchdown run on Jan. 3, 1983 versus the Minnesota Vikings. Amazingly, Dallas only had 10 men on the field for that play. For the past 17 years, Rafferty had battled transverse myelitis, a disorder that affects the central nervous system. He was hospitalized for 48 days and refused to use a wheelchair. Advertisement "He just kept at it until he could walk again,' recalled Rafferty's daughter, Rachel Powers. 'No sensation below his waist, but he made it happen." Rafferty was one of 12 players in franchise history to play at least 14 years for the Cowboys. In his second season, Dallas defeated the Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl XII. The Cowboys lost Super Bowl XIII to the Pittsburgh Steelers the following year. His final season was 1989 for a 1-15 Cowboys team during Hall of Famer Troy Aikman's rookie year. With Aikman and Roger Staubach, Rafferty played with two Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
The Herald Scotland
30-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Ravens' John Harbaugh: Cutting Justin Tucker was 'complex decision'
Harbaugh acknowledged releasing Tucker came at the end of "a complex decision-making process" but continued to insist it was a football decision. "I mean, you're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game," Harbaugh told reporters after Baltimore's second OTA session of the offseason. "And like we said, it's multi-layered, it's complicated. But in the end, it all comes back to what you have to do to get ready for your team to play the first game." "I think if you step back and you take a look at all the issues and all the ramifications, you can understand that we've got to get our football team ready and we've got to have a kicker ready to go," Harbaugh added. "And that was the move that we decided to make. So in that sense, it's a football decision." Tucker spent 13 total seasons as the Ravens' top kicker after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was named an All-Pro first teamer five times during his career and wrapped up his time in Baltimore having made an NFL-record 89.103% of his field goal attempts. The Ravens are having two rookies - Tyler Loop and John Hoyland - compete to replace Tucker. Loop holds the distinction of being the first kicker ever drafted by the Ravens after they spent a sixth-round pick on the Arizona product. Meanwhile, Hoyland signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming. Harbaugh - who spent nine seasons as the special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1998 to 2006 before becoming Baltimore's coach in 2008 - noted the Ravens are planning "to spend all of our focus and our time to get these kickers ready." "We've got a competition going on and [we've got to] get these guys ready to make kicks," Harbaugh said. "So that's all I'm thinking about. From my perspective, it's like, 'We have to have a kicker out there making kicks,' and what's the best way to get that done?"
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ravens' John Harbaugh explains 'complex' decision to release Justin Tucker
Ravens' John Harbaugh explains 'complex' decision to release Justin Tucker Show Caption Hide Caption Ravens release kicker Justin Tucker after massage therapist allgations Ravens release kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 different employees of eight Baltimore area spas and wellness centers. Sports Pulse Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh spoke to reporters Wednesday for the first time since the team released longtime kicker Justin Tucker on May 5. Tucker's release came as the NFL investigated accusations of sexual misconduct against the 35-year-old kicker. He denied the allegations, calling them "simply not true." Harbaugh acknowledged releasing Tucker came at the end of "a complex decision-making process" but continued to insist it was a football decision. "I mean, you're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game," Harbaugh told reporters after Baltimore's second OTA session of the offseason. "And like we said, it's multi-layered, it's complicated. But in the end, it all comes back to what you have to do to get ready for your team to play the first game." "I think if you step back and you take a look at all the issues and all the ramifications, you can understand that we've got to get our football team ready and we've got to have a kicker ready to go," Harbaugh added. "And that was the move that we decided to make. So in that sense, it's a football decision." Tucker spent 13 total seasons as the Ravens' top kicker after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was named an All-Pro first teamer five times during his career and wrapped up his time in Baltimore having made an NFL-record 89.103% of his field goal attempts. The Ravens are having two rookies – Tyler Loop and John Hoyland – compete to replace Tucker. Loop holds the distinction of being the first kicker ever drafted by the Ravens after they spent a sixth-round pick on the Arizona product. Meanwhile, Hoyland signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming. Harbaugh – who spent nine seasons as the special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1998 to 2006 before becoming Baltimore's coach in 2008 – noted the Ravens are planning "to spend all of our focus and our time to get these kickers ready." "We've got a competition going on and [we've got to] get these guys ready to make kicks," Harbaugh said. "So that's all I'm thinking about. From my perspective, it's like, 'We have to have a kicker out there making kicks,' and what's the best way to get that done?"
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New Dolphins special teams coordinator weighs in on punter competition
New Dolphins special teams coordinator weighs in on punter competition When Miami Dolphins special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman joined the team earlier this offseason, it didn't take long for the coach to be reunited with punter Ryan Stonehouse. The duo spent close to two seasons together with the Tennessee Titans before Aukerman was let go late in the 2023 season. Now Stonehouse is also in his first season with the Dolphins and will compete with Jake Bailey to be Miami's punter this fall. "My major thing is I'm all about competition," Aukerman said. "Jake (Bailey) is an All-Pro punter. Ryan Stonehouse is an All-Pro punter. When an opportunity arose that Ryan was free, hey, let's bring him down here. Nothing is guaranteed to anybody" But Aukerman says he didn't have a huge hand in the reunion actually coming to fruition. "I have good dialogue with Coach Mike (McDaniel) and with Chris (Grier), whether they're coming in my office or me going in there. There's always going to be dialogue between us, but they handle the roster so that stuff, I wouldn't say I have a big-time role in it. I give my opinion on certain things and I let them handle the roster,' Aukerman said. In two seasons with the Dolphins, Bailey has averaged 46.4 yards per punt -- an improvement from the 45.9 yards he averaged in four season with the New England Patriots. However, Bailey was much better in placement for the Patriots, pinning 45.9 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line in New England. That number has dropped to 38.5 percent in his two years in Miami. Stonehouse burst on to the NFL scene in 2022 when he earned Second Team All-Pro honors by averaging an NFL-record 53.1 yards per punt -- a number he matched in 2023. But his low hang time frustrated coaches and eventually resulted in a relatively surprising split with the Titans. Winning the job with the Dolphins will take more than just big kicks from either player, though. 'I think everything – holding, punting, directional punting, distance, hang time – all that stuff [plays a role]," Aukerman said. "Obviously Jake (Bailey) has a lot of reps with Jason (Sanders), but it's also going to be our job to get Ryan (Stonehouse) and Jason ready just in case he ends up winning the job. "Jason had an unbelievable year and I credit Jake with that, too, because it's tough to go through a bunch of long snappers in a season and I thought those guys handled it like pros last year. Obviously, Jason had one of his best years of his career which was unbelievable. Yeah, everything will be factored into the competition.' Sanders has had several holders in his seven seasons in South Florida, and last season Bailey helped him to a 90.2 field goals made percentage, the second-best of his career. Sanders also enters 2025 with the NFL's longest active consecutive kicks made streak at 27, including nine from 50-plus yards. "It's all about competition and the thing that I love about competition, it makes the guys step up their game, and I think this is going to be big for both of them," Aukerman said.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Roger Goodell expected to receive contract extension approval from NFL owners: Sources
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to receive approval Wednesday from the 32 team owners on a contract extension, according to league sources. Goodell's current deal, which was last extended in 2023, is set to expire in 2027. If the approval goes through as expected, it will mark the fifth time the NFL's compensation committee has extended Goodell. Before 2023, he previously re-upped with the league in 2009, 2012 and 2017. Advertisement Goodell, 66, has served as the league's commissioner since 2006, succeeding Paul Tagliabue. Since becoming commissioner, Goodell has helped finalize two collective bargaining agreements and a new media rights deal, while seeing franchise valuations skyrocket. The Washington Commanders fetched an NFL-record $6.05 billion when the franchise was sold to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris in 2023. He has also overseen the league's international growth with games in the United Kingdom, Germany and Brazil now staples of the calendar. The 2025 season will see seven regular-season games played outside the United States. This story will be updated.
