Manning heads list of nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Quarterback Peyton Manning headlines the list of 14 first-year eligible players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2021, released Wednesday.
The NFL's only five-time most valuable player, Manning is joined on the list of Modern Era nominees by running back Steven Jackson; wide receivers Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker and Roddy White; tight end Heath Miller; offensive linemen D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Logan Mankins; defensive linemen Jared Allen, Justin Tuck and Kevin Williams; linebacker Jerod Mayo; and defensive backs Charles Tillman and Charles Woodson.
In all, there are 130 players on the list, including holdovers from previous years. Among them are 65 offensive players, 49 defensive players and 16 from special teams.
The holdover nominees include 10 players who were finalists for the 2020 class: Receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne; offensive linemen Tony Boselli and Alan Faneca; defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Bryant Young; linebackers Sam Mills and Zach Thomas; and safeties LeRoy Butler and John Lynch.
The Class of 2021 will be selected on Feb. 6 in Tampa, Fla. — the day before the city hosts Super Bowl LV. Those selected are scheduled to be enshrined in Canton Ohio, on Aug. 8.
49ERS CB SHERMAN HEADED TO INJURED RESERVE
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman is reportedly headed to injured reserve.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Wednesday that the All-Pro veteran is nursing a calf strain, with rest and rehabilitation being the best medicine.
His backup, Ahkello Witherspoon, is in concussion protocol, according to The Athletic. Witherspoon played four snaps on defence and 13 on special teams in the 49ers' 24-20 season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals, logging one tackle.
Sherman did not appear to be hampered by an injury on Sunday and played 78 of 82 defensive snaps. The 32-year-old allowed just one catch on two targets for 9 yards in the loss, per Pro Football Focus.
MLB TO BEGIN 2021 SPRING TRAINING EXHIBITION IN FEBRUARY
Major League Baseball's 2021 spring training will begin on Feb. 27 in Florida and Arizona with each of the 30 clubs in action on the first day of exhibition play, officials said on Wednesday.
Select exhibition games will be played at MLB ballparks and Spring Training facilities from March 28-30, the league said in a statement.
The Cactus League games in Arizona and Grapefruit League games in Florida will lead into the start of the regular season on April 1 when all teams will play their opening game.
PANTHERS PART WAYS WITH ASSISTANT AMID REPORT PLAYER KICKED
The Florida Panthers parted ways with assistant coach Mike Kitchen amid a report he allegedly kicked a player on the bench during a game this season.
The Panthers announced his departure in a release, stating only that “Mike Kitchen will not return as an assistant coach.”
Per TSN, the Panthers cited company policy on personnel matters when asked for further comment.
An NHL official confirmed to TSN that the league has been notified of an internal investigation by the Panthers.
Per TSN, the alleged incident occurred during the third period of Florida's 5-4 road victory over the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 20. An unidentified Panthers player reportedly vented his frustration by tossing a water bottle that ultimately caused its contents to douse Kitchen, who allegedly responded by kicking the player.
A TSN source said that Kitchen's kick was “full on,” and that he “reared back and booted (him) in the lower back in anger.”
Although now-former Panthers GM Dale Tallon and head coach
Joel Quenneville reportedly were informed of the alleged incident, Kitchen was back behind the bench the following night for the team's game against Chicago.
The Panthers did not renew Tallon's contract and hired Bill Zito as their GM in August.
Kitchen, 64, cited personal reasons for his decision against joining the team in Florida's qualifying-round series against the New York Islanders in Toronto. The Panthers were eliminated from the best-of-five series in four games.
Kitchen replaced Quenneville as head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 2004. He posted a 38-70-19 record with four ties in 131 games with the Blues. The pair linked up again when Quenneville hired him as his assistant coach with the Blackhawks, where they won a pair of Stanley Cup titles, before reuniting again in Florida last summer. Reuters