Source: Video addressed to NFL security chief
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A law enforcement official said he sent the video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee to NFL headquarters to the attention of league security chief Jeffrey Miller in April.
Miller unequivocally denied that he had ever watched or received the video, and the NFL has said no league employee saw it until TMZ Sports released the video earlier this month.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he isn’t authorized to talk about the case. He said he doesn’t know if Miller ever saw the DVD. His only communication with the NFL was a voice mail from an unidentified woman from league offices confirming receipt of the package.
The official said he has no plans to talk to NFL investigators about the case.
Family remembers Bironas at packed funeral
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — So many family, friends and former teammates mourned Rob Bironas on Thursday that more than 30 people sat in an overflow area outside the funeral home with the service streamed on a video board.
Former teammate Casey Cramer said people grieved without answers about how the life of the ex-NFL kicker ended.
Bironas, 36, died Saturday in single-vehicle crash. There are 911 calls describing him as the man trying to chase and run people off the road before his accident.
Bironas’ wife Rachel was comforted at the funeral by her father, Terry Bradshaw. Fox broadcaster and former NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip attended to support his friend Bradshaw. Singer Michael W. Smith was among the more than 400 people attending the service.
ESPN suspends Simmons 3 weeks
ESPN has suspended Bill Simmons for three weeks after he repeatedly called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a liar during a profane tirade on a podcast.
ESPN announced the suspension Wednesday.
“Every employee must be accountable to ESPN and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN’s journalistic standards,” ESPN said in a statement. “Bill Simmons did not meet those obligations in a recent podcast, and as a result we have suspended him for three weeks.”
Simmons’ podcast was released Tuesday. He said he thought Goodell lied about not knowing what was on a security video that showed former Ravens running back Ray Rice hitting his wife in an elevator.
Simmons is the editor of the sports website “Grantland,” which is owned by ESPN. He also appears on ESPN’s NBA studio shows.
Britain’s Sky signs new 5-year deal with NFL
LONDON — British broadcaster Sky Sports has signed a new expanded five-year deal with the NFL to show more than 80 games per season from 2015.
The new deal adds Monday night games to Sky’s NFL package, which already includes regular-season games on Thursdays and Sundays along with the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Sky Sports Managing Director Barney Francis said “we’re delighted to be awarded the rights to Monday Night Football as part of this fantastic new deal for even more live American football.”
The value of the deal was not disclosed.
The Associated Press