Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
The Texans: DOWN
Matt LaFleur:
He’s coached one game in a row without having to answer questions about shoddy special teams play.
Getting Lovie Smith would be a major coup. He’s the only guy on the planet to get to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman at quarterback.
Mike McCarthy:
Has Sean Payton taken his parking spot yet?
LaFleur:
How did his NFC team score only 35 points in a game where nobody tackles?
manders on Friday, Snyder’s attorney, Jordan Siev, appeared to question Johnston’s motives for speaking out, noting that she left the team “through a thankful and cheery resignation note more than 13 years ago” and that she did not cooperate with the Wilkinson investigation.
Harbaugh to stay at Michigan: Jim Harbaugh will stay at Michigan after all, ending his dalliance with a return to the NFL after interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings for their head coach vacancy last week Wednesday.
The Vikings have targeted Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell for the job instead, though they can’t formally make that move until after Rams play in the Super Bowl.
In the meantime, Harbaugh will be back at his alma mater for an eighth season.
“With an enthusiasm unknown to mankind!” Harbaugh said in a text message to The Associated Press.
Panthers name Coleman new team president: The Carolina Panthers have named Kristi Coleman as their new team president, while Nick Kelly has been appointed chief executive officer of Tepper Sports and Entertainment as part of a leadership shakeup.
Coleman replaces Tom Glick, who the team said is stepping aside to pursue other opportunities. He joined the Panthers in 2018 in part to help with the startup process for Charlotte’s Major League Soccer expansion franchise, which begins play this year.
Coleman becomes the Panthers’ highest-ranking female executive since Tina Becker was named chief operating officer by outgoing owner Jerry Richardson in 2018. Becker spent less than a year in the role before resigning after David Tepper purchased the team from Richardson.
Coleman has spent the last eight years with the Panthers working as the team’s director of finance before becoming chief financial officer in 2019.
Kelly previously served as team president of Charlotte’s expansion Major League Soccer team, the Charlotte FC, and has 15 years of experience in sports and entertainment marketing. He joined the company from Anheuser-Busch InBev, where he worked as vice president of partnerships, culture and community and previously as head of U.S. sports marketing.
Broncos announce they are officially on the market: The Denver Broncos are looking for a new owner in what’s expected to be the most expensive team sale in U.S. sports history.
The Pat D. Bowlen Trust announced Tuesday it’s in the “beginning of a sale process” for a franchise that’s
valued at $4 billion and is expected to draw heavy bidding that could push the sale price well beyond that figure.
The highest price paid for a U.S. sports franchise is the $2.35 billion that Alibaba Group cofounder and Canadian billionaire Joe Tsai paid for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. The last NFL team that went on the market was the Carolina Panthers, whom David Tepper bought for $2.275 billion.
The trustees who run the Broncos hope to have a new owner in place by the start of next season, said team president and CEO Joe Ellis.
The team has an up-and-coming roster under general manager George Paton, who was hired a year ago when John Elway was reassigned to president of football operations. Last week, Paton hired Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s new head coach, replacing Vic Fangio.
Rare Brady card fetches $118,000 at auction: A rare football card featuring Tom Brady in the year he won his first Super Bowl sold for $118,000 at auction in Maine.
The 2002 Topps Finest X-Fractor card was one of only 20 featuring the NFL quarterback who’d won his first Super Bowl on Feb. 3, 2002.
The winning bidder was identified only as a Brady fan from New England, said Troy Thibodeau from Saco River Auction.
No one is hotter in the collectible card industry right now than Brady. A pair of signed rookie football cards sold for $2.25 million and $3.1 million last year.