Pro football
TRUMP OFFERED SENATOR MONEY TO STOP PATRIOTS’ ‘SPYGATE’ INVESTIGATION » ESPN reported that former President Donald Trump tried to help Patriots owner Robert Kraft with the Patriots’ Spygate controversy that happened 14 years ago. The long piece alleges that Trump tried to stop the late Arlen Spector from pursuing an investigation into the Patriots signal-stealing controversy.
Since the Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX , Spector, a long-time Pennsylvania senator, called for an independent investigation to see how many games the Patriots illegally videotaped.
This ESPN story reports that Spector told his ghostwriter, Charles Robbin, that someone contacted him, offering money if he “laid off the Patriots,” but refused to name the person.
Spector’s son, Shanin, however, told ESPN that it was Trump and it was on the behalf of the Patriots owner. VINATIERI TO RETIRE AFTER 24 SEASONS » Kicker Adam Vinatieri, the NFL’s alltime scoring leader, is retiring after 24 seasons at the age of 48, he said. The fourtime Super Bowl champion, who started his career with the New England Patriots in 1996 before moving to the Indianapolis Colts in 2006, scored 2,673 points including 29 game-winning kicks — two of which came at Super Bowls.
CALLAWAY BANNED THROUGH AT LEAST 2022 » Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was suspended by Major League Baseball through at least the end of the 2022 season following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations.
In a report published on Feb. 1, The Athletic said Callaway “aggressively pursued” several women who work in sports media and sent three of them inappropriate photos.
MICKELSON, BRADY TO FACE DECHAMBEAU, RODGERS IN THE MATCH » The next edition of The Match will feature PGA stars Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau along with NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
The celebrity fundraising competition will be held at the Reserve golf course at Moonlight Basin in Montana on July 6 and will be televised on TNT, Turner Sports announced.