NFL News:

• The NFL site says it better than I could:
  • “Baltimore Ravens rookie cornerback Marlon Humphrey was arrested earlier this month by University of Alabama police on misdemeanor harassment and theft charges.”
  • It appears to be a ‘disagreement’ over a $15 phone charger, and whether or not Humphrey stole it & some cables from an Uber driver.

• The [Redacteds] are at least committed to a linebacker.
  • They’ve re-signed Mason Foster to a two-year deal.

• Vikings & NFL Hall of Famer Chris Doleman had surgery for a brain tumour.
  • His 150.5 career sacks leaves him 5th all-time.

• Actual good thing: Malcolm Jenkins is giving his two Super Bowl tickets to a guy who spent 30 years in prison for a crack-house murder.
  • The guy, Kempis Songster, only got out because his lengthy sentence was cut short following the Supreme Court ruling two years ago that found automatic life sentences for juveniles to be unconstitutional.
    • Jenkins met him while doing charity work around criminal justice reform, an issue that has helped him become a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.
    • Jenkins says he’s going to be ‘paid back’ because Songster will be helping Jenkins work on legislative issues & provide insight into the justice & prison systems.

Finally, the Falcons have proven that caring about the fan experience makes for a profitable venture.

• Basic concession prices were 50% lower than in the Georgia Dome. They called it “Fan First Menu Pricing”, and included tax in the price so it’d be a no-coin transaction.
  • $2 menu: Unlimited Coca-Cola (from self-serve machines), a bottle of water, small popcorn, a regular hot dog or a plain pretzel.
  • $3 menu: waffle fries, a slice of pizza, or nachos with cheese.
• Accessibility improvements include a 65% increase in point-of-sale windows, and 1264 more beer taps than at the Georgia Dome.

• The end result was fan spending increased by 16% from the previous year, and merch sales were up 88%.
  • On average, 6000 more fans entered the stadium early, reducing stadium entry times to 5 minutes within 30 minutes of kickoff.

XFL News:

IT’S BACK, BABY!

• Vince McMahon is taking the anthem protests as a sign the US is ready for another football league.
  • McMahon said players in his league will not be given the forum to take a personal stance while on the playing field.
    • “People don’t want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained,” McMahon said. “We want someone who wants to take a knee to do their version of that on their personal time.”
• According to ESPN, McMahon said he is the sole funding source for the league, which is slated to begin in January 2020.
  • Its first season will have eight teams around the country playing a 10-week schedule.
  • The initial outlay of money is expected to be around $100 million.
• “The new XFL is an exciting opportunity to reimagine America’s favorite sport,” said McMahon in a statement.
  • Current plans account for a 10-game regular season beginning in late January or early February followed by a postseason consisting of two semifinal games and a championship game.
  • Active rosters will consist of approximately 40 players with winning incentivized.

Please – drink in the ‘press conference’.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Lightning at Flyers – 7:00PM | Sportsnet1
  • Blackhawks at Red Wings – 7:30PM | NBCSN
  • Islanders at Vegas – 10:00PM | Sportsnet1
• NBA:
  • Wizards at Thunder – 8:00PM | TNT / TSN
  • Timberwolves at Warriors – 10:30PM | TNT / TSN
• NCAA:
  • Men’s:
    • Michigan at Purdue – 7:00PM | ESPN
    • Colorado at Arizona – 8:30PM | FS1
    • Central Florida at Wichita State – 9:00PM | ESPN2
    • California at UCLA – 10:30PM | FS1
  • Women’s:
    • Texas at Baylor – 7:00PM | ESPN2

Seamus has you tomorrow for teh sexy. SEE YOU SATURDAY!