Cheering the champs
Fans cheer win in SB 50
A million fans — by the Denver mayor’s estimate — turn out to honor the Broncos during a parade for their victory in Super Bowl 50.
DENVER — From the top of a firetruck, Von Miller thrust the Super Bowl trophy into the air again and again as the Denver Broncos convoy made its way through streets lined with blue-and-orange clad fans.
Behind Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP, stood quarterback Peyton Manning and linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Behind them, the architect of this team, Broncos executive John Elway.
Fittingly, the group traveled in firetruck No. 18 — Manning’s number.
Tuesday was parade day and a million fans — according to an estimate from the city’s mayor — showed up to cheer the Super Bowl champions after Denver beat Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers 24 -10 on Sunday. Fans packed in tightly along the route, while others watched from balconies, rooftops and even trees as the players rode by.
Back up qua r terback Brock Osweiler signed footballs and threw them to the crowd as he rode by.
Once on stage, t he 39-year-old Manning acknowledged his teammates and the crowd, but he said nothing of his plans. “Everybody has really stuck together this year. That’s why we’re here where we are today, and it’s great to be with all these great fans,” Manning said.
Judy Ayce drove nine hours with her 81-yearold mother, Dorothy Ayce, from the Chinle Navajo reservation in Arizona for the parade.
Judy Ayce asked her mother in Navajo whether she was there for all the Broncos, or for Manning. “Peyton,” was the answer.
“She just likes watching sports, and she’s followed him for years,” her granddaughter said.
DEVELOPMENTS
Cam has no regrets: Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said Tuesday that he has no regrets for how he handled the Super Bowl news conference, where he mostly said oneword answers and walked off after about three minutes.
He also hinted at how he could have been injured had he dived for a fumble late in the game.
“OK. I didn’t get the fumble, but we can play tit for tat,” Newton said. “I’ve seen numerous quarterbacks throw interceptions and their efforts afterwards … they don’t go. I don’t dive on one fumble because the way my leg was, it could have been (contorted) in a way.” Asked if he has any regrets from the news conference after the game, he said: “I really don’t. ... I’ve been on record to say I’m a sore loser. Who likes to lose? You show me a good loser and I’m going to show you a loser. It’s not a popularity contest. I’m here to win football games, and for this organization, for Mr. Richardson, for my teammates and for what it’s worth, my fans — they know what’s real.”
Briefly: The Tennessee Titans have released safety Michael Griffin after nine seasons. ... Prosecutors are reviewing a police file as they decide whether to charge Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy in a Philadelphia nightclub brawl that left two off-duty police officers injured early Sunday. ... The Oakland Raiders have terminated the contract of 28-yearold safety Nate Allen. ... Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, 73, is planning surgery for what he says is a treatable form of prostate cancer. Blank said in a statement posted on the team website that he was diagnosed in December. He says he has visited doctors “across the country.” He says “the overall prognosis is good.”