NFL wild-card games deliver big numbers
NEW YORK — The NFL’s wild-card weekend drew huge television audiences.
The four games averaged 34.7 million viewers for the most-watched wild-card weekend on record.
The San Francisco 49ers’ 23-20 win over the Green Bay Packers had 47.1 million viewers Sunday on Fox to make it the most-watched wild-card game on record. The previous high was 42.4 million for the 2011 Steelers-Broncos game.
The two Saturday games averaged 30.8 million viewers on NBC, a record for the Saturday wild-card games. The New Orleans Saints’ 26-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles was the most-watched Saturday wild-card game ever with 34.4 million viewers. The one game that wasn’t as close, the San Diego Chargers’ 27-10 win over the Bengals, still drew a big audience, with 30.9 million viewers on CBS. That’s the most in 19 years for an early Sunday AFC wild-card game.
Lawyers detail plan for NFL concussions
PHILADELPHIA — Lawyers representing former NFL players in the proposed $765 million settlement of concussion-related claims have detailed how the money would be distributed.
The awards could reach $5 million for athletes with Lou Gehrig’s disease, $4 million for suicides and $3 million for dementia cases.
Senior U.S. District Judge Anita Brody of Philadelphia must still approve the plan.
Under the formula, men under 45 would get the most money because of their lifetime needs. The money decreases with age and the severity of the cognitive problem.
A 60-year-old with Alzheimer’s disease would get $950,000; an 80-year-old with early dementia $25,000.
Former Yankee, Marine pilot Coleman dies
SAN DIEGO — Hall of Fame broadcaster Jerry Coleman, a former second baseman for the New York Yankees who interrupted his pro career to fly as a Marine Corps pilot in World War II and Korea, died Sunday, the San Diego Padres said. He was 89.
Coleman spent more than four decades with the Padres as a broadcaster. He managed the team in 1980.
A family friend told The Associated Press on Sunday night that Coleman had surgery before Christmas for bleeding in the brain. Doctors discovered more bleeding last week and Coleman had more surgery, said the friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
While recounting his military career in an interview in September 2012, Coleman said: “Your country is bigger than baseball.”
Coleman spent some seven decades in pro baseball, a career that included four World Series titles with the Yankees and was interrupted by his service in World War II and the Korean War.
Portuguese mourn soccer great Eusebio
LISBON, Portugal — Tens of thousands turned out in tribute Monday to Eusebio after the coffin of the Portuguese soccer great was put on public display and taken in a funeral cortege through the streets of Lisbon.
The government declared three days of national mourning after Eusebio’s death Sunday from heart failure at 71.
Eusebio was an international star whose heyday was in the 1960s with the Benfica club and the Portuguese national team. He became one of the world’s top scorers and was widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of the game. He was affectionately known as the Black Panther for his physique and agility.
By wire sources