Additional bad news for McCaffrey: Stint on the IR
Mr. Irrelevant creator Salata dies
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have placed star running back Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve list, meaning he won’t play for at least the next three weeks.
McCaffrey suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the Panthers Week 3 game against the Houston Texans on Sept. 23. He has missed the past two games.
The Panthers medical team met Saturday morning to discuss the plan for McCaffrey and thought it was best he sit for some time until he was fully healthy.
The news came as a surprise; the Panthers’ staff thought he was close to returning. McCaffrey had practiced in a limited capacity all of last week and on Wednesday.
But things took a turn for the worse after Wednesday’s practice. McCaffrey missed practice on Thursday and Friday with the sore hamstring.
While McCaffrey is out, the Panthers will start running back Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 101 yards in the Panthers’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
FINES: New York Giants rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney is fortunate he swung and missed with that punch last Sunday at Dallas.
Toney’s right hand is no worse for wear, and he escaped with a manageable $12,875 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct from the NFL, according to a source. Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee, the player Toney swung at, also got a $6,264 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct for tossing and tackling Toney to the turf.
Dallas safety Jayron Kearse was not fined for his postgame punch of tight end Evan Engram after the Cowboys’ win, however. The NFL said it doesn’t have clear video of the incident.
OBIT: Paul Salata, who created the Mr. Irrelevant Award that honors the last selection of the NFL draft after playing football at Southern Cal, in the NFL and Canadian Football League, died Saturday in Newport Beach, Calif. He was a day before his 95th birthday, .
Although the NFL draft dates to 1936, Salata created the Mr. Irrelevant Award in 1976. “Irrelevant Week” generated so much publicity that in 1979 the Los Angeles Rams, who owned the next-to-last pick, intentionally passed to let the Steelers, with the last pick, choose first.
Pittsburgh also wanted the publicity and passed as well. Both teams refused to choose a player until Commissioner Pete Rozelle forced them to pick, with the Steelers winning. That led to the so-called Salata Rule, which bars teams from passing to get the final selection.