NFL News:

• Suspension updates:
  • George Iloka’s has been reduced to a fine.
    • The appeal was based on Brown landing crooked & turning his head prior to the hit, making helmet-to-helmet contact almost unavoidable.
  • The Chiefs have suspended Marcus Peters for Sunday’s game.
    • because he left the field of play while the game was on.
    • Andy Reid must be hoping Darrelle Revis finally has his wind back.
  • Big Ben doesn’t think JuJu Smith-Schuster should’ve been suspended.
    • He compared it to Gronk’s suspension, which – if nothing else – creates dreaded “bulletin board material” ahead of their Week-15 matchup.
      • What Mr. Informed Consent seems to be forgetting is that if he’d made the hit & walked away then probably. But posing & celebrating turned it into a targetting penalty.
    • Of course, he also publicly said he respects the Ravens more than the Bengals.

• No updates & more testing for Ryan Shazier.

Thank you for the prayers. Your support is uplifting to me and my family. #SHALIEVE

— Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) December 5, 2017

Finally, because the Seahawks asked, Neil deGrasse Tyson gave a scientific explanation of how the Russell Wilson lateral was a legal play, according to the laws of physics and the rules of the NFL.

FYI: The lateral that @DangeRussWilson threw to @MikeDavisRB in Sunday’s @Seahawks @Eagles game was a legit “Galilean Transformation”. In their reference frame, the ball went backwards. It’s not their fault they ran forward faster than the ball. pic.twitter.com/DHUKNtlcyj

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) December 5, 2017

As least it wasn’t worse, like Pete Carroll asking about the melting temperature of steel beams. I don’t feel like explaining it, but a “Galilean Transformation” is the same type of fancy explanation one could’ve used to describe the “Music City Miracle”. If you require a better explanation than that (but why would you?), si.com has you covered.

Of course, there’s always some asshole that has to go and create further controversy:

Great. Now, what's a catch, and could you forward this explanation to @Ed_Hochuli

— Official cicerone to King Charles III (@beerguyrob) December 6, 2017

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Flames at Leafs – 7:30PM | Sportsnet
  • Blackhawks at Capitals – 8:00PM | NBCSN
  • Flyers at Oilers – 9:30PM | Sportsnet1
• NBA:
  • Warriors at Hornets – 8:00PM | ESPN / TSN2
  • Timberwolves at Clippers – 10:30PM | ESPN / TSN2
• NCAA:
  • Men’s basketball: games of note
    • Kent State at Xavier – 7:00PM | FS1
    • Siena at Louisville – 7:00PM | ESPN2
    • Wisconsin at Temple – 7:00PM | ESPNU
    • Washington vs. Kansas – 9:00PM | ESPN2

The AFFL, or American Flag Football League, announced this week that it will host a US Open of Football with more than $2 million in game prizes. The league is preparing “for a 1,024-team tournament that will ultimately pit “America’s Champion,” or the best of registered amateur squads, against one of four professional clubs.” Leading three of these professional clubs?

• Michael Vick
• Chad Johnson
• Marshall Faulk

With $99 per-player registration now open on the league’s website, the AFFL “will oversee seven-on-seven, single-elimination play all the way through next summer, when four different regions made up of 256 different teams will be whittled down to an unofficial Elite Eight — four amateur finalists and four professional teams, the best of whom will square off for a $1 million grand prize on July 19.” You know what this means?

TEAM DFO, BAY-BAY!