Reid predicts yet another Super parade
Hundreds of thousands of Chiefs fans braved sub-freezing wind chills on Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri, to celebrate the team’s first Super Bowl victory in 50 years, and if Coach Andy Reid is to be believed, they’ll be back for an encore next year.
Fans lined the 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) parade route to thank their football heroes for bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City and ending a Super Bowl drought that began after the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV in 1970.
Reid thanked the fans for their continued support and for attending the parade.
“Next year, we’re coming right back here,” Reid said in a brief speech. “One more time baby, one more time.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl MVP who has captured the fans’ devotion in only his third NFL season, struggled with a strained voice but said the championship fulfilled two goals he set.
First, he said, he wanted to bring the Lamar Hunt trophy for winning the AFC championship back to Kansas City.
The late Lamar Hunt and the Hunt family founded the team as the Dallas Texans in 1960 before moving the team to Kansas City in 1963 and changing the name.
“The second most important thing I wanted to do was get the Lombardi Trophy for the greatest coach of all time, Andy Reid,” he said.
The event was nearly marred about three hours before the parade began, when an impaired driver broke through a barrier and sped along the parade route. Stop Sticks were thrown and patrol vehicles put the car into a forced spin, stopping it near a crowd of fans. The driver and another person were arrested at gunpoint, according to officials and video footage of the incident.
Browns meet with Hunt, Beckham Jr.: Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said the team has again told running back Kareem Hunt that he’d better behave.
Hunt, who was suspended last season by the NFL for two physical altercations, was cited last week for speeding and police found marijuana in his car. Although he wasn’t arrested, Hunt’s actions prompted the team to meet with the 24-year-old to discuss his conduct.
New coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry spoke to Hunt about their expectations for him and staying out of trouble.
Stefanski, hired last month after spending 13 seasons in a variety of coaching positions with the Minnesota Vikings, said he made it clear to Hunt that he needs to follow team policies.
Hunt was stopped by police last week in Rocky River, Ohio, and was issued a speeding ticket. During a search of his vehicle, an officer found a small amount of marijuana and an open container of vodka in a backpack on the back seat.
Stefanski also met with star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who had a disappointing first season with Cleveland and then found himself in trouble last month in New Orleans. Beckham handed money to LSU players on the field after they won the national championship over Clemson and then slapped a Superdome security guard on the buttocks while celebrating.
Steelers GM gets extension: Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert isn’t quite ready to head off into retirement.
The team and Colbert agreed to a one-year contract extension that runs through the 2021 draft. Colbert was in the final months of a deal that was set to expire after the 2020 draft.
Colbert joined the team in 2000 as director of football operations and recently finished his 10th season as general manager. The Steelers have won two Super Bowls and appeared in three during his tenure.