Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Source: Donatell to join Vikings as coordinator
Ed Donatell has agreed to become the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings under head-coach-to-be Kevin O'Connell, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity last week because the Vikings have not yet announced the hire. They were waiting first to finalize a contract with O'Connell, the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams.
After the Super Bowl, the 36-year-old O'Connell can be introduced as the 10th coach in Vikings history. O'Connell is expected to then make the 65-year-old Donatell his most important assistant for his first experience running a team.
Donatell has 10 seasons on his resume as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, including the last three years with the Denver Broncos under coach Vic Fangio, who was fired last month. The Broncos were third in the league in 2021 in fewest point allowed and eighth in fewest yards allowed.
From 2000-03, Donatell directed the defense for the Green Bay Packers. He was defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-06. He has worked 31 years in the league, primarily coaching defensive backs.
Prior to joining the Broncos, Donatell spent four seasons (2015-18) supervising the secondary with the Chicago Bears while Fangio was the defensive coordinator. Donatell and Fangio had those same positions for four years before that with the San Francisco 49ers, under coach Jim Harbaugh.
Wilson receives 2022 Bart Starr Award: Russell Wilson received the 2022 Bart Starr Award on Saturday at the Super Bowl Breakfast.
The award honors the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community. It's named for Starr, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback who was MVP of the first two Super Bowls.
Wilson and his wife, Ciara, started the Why Not You Foundation and the Why Not You Academy, a nonprofit high
school dedicated to fighting poverty through education.
“It's been a joy to build something special that's meaningful for other people,” Wilson said.
Wilson also launched Immuno Heroes, a campaign that raises funds for Seattle Children's Therapeutics. He also helped raise over $10 million for Strong Against Cancer.
Jefferson wins Super Bowl, welcomes a son: Van Jefferson won the Super Bowl on Sunday, and it wasn't even the best part of his weekend.
The Rams receiver welcomed a newborn son hours after Los Angeles beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20.
Jefferson's wife, Samaria, attended the Super Bowl, but left on a stretcher during the game after going into labor. Samaria had already told the Rams not to tell her husband if their second child decided to arrive during the game.
After the Rams finished off Cincinnati, Jefferson rushed to the hospital to join her, later posting a photo of himself holding his son.
Jefferson had four catches for 23 yards in the Rams' victory over the Bengals
to complete his second NFL season.
Police: Kamara, 3 others attacked man at Vegas club: New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is accused of punching and badly injuring a man in an attack also involving at least three men who were with Kamara last weekend at a Las Vegas Strip nightclub, according to a police arrest report.
The alleged victim told Las Vegas police he fell unconscious on the floor, where police said video showed him being punched, kicked and stomped on by three people who accompanied Kamara at the rooftop nightclub Drai's at the Cromwell hotel-casino.
“At no point during this attack did (the man) hit, punch or push Kamara or any of his associates,” said the police report made public last week.
The identities of the three other alleged attackers were blacked out in the police report. No other arrests have been made. Officer Larry Hadfield, a Las Vegas police spokesman, called the investigation ongoing.
Police said the attack happened about 6:30 a.m. Saturday outside an elevator at Drai's, and the alleged victim first spoke with police at a hospital about 5:30 p.m. Police attributed the delay to the man receiving medical treatment.
Kamara played in the NFL Pro Bowl at noon local time Sunday before police interviewed him at Allegiant Stadium after the game. He was arrested about 3:30 p.m. on suspicion of felony battery re
sulting in substantial bodily harm.
Kamara posted bond for his release from the Clark County jail. He has a March 8 court date. A conviction on the felony charge could result in a sentence of one to five years in state prison.
Kamara punched the man approximately eight times, according to the police report, while the three men with Kamara stomped on the man's face, chest and legs a total of more than 20 times.
Police said the incident began when Kamara put his hand on the man's chest to stop him from entering the elevator, the man pushed the football player's hand away, a person with Kamara punched the man, and Kamara “immediately attacked."
When police asked Kamara why he punched the man, “Kamara indicated he thought (the man) was running away and had done something to his group so he chased and punched (him) several times,” a police detective said in the report.
Kamara also told police he remembered the man calling one of his friends ugly and later threatening to “whoop” someone.
Washington safety booked on manslaughter charge: Washington Commanders safety Deshazor Everett turned himself in to a Virginia jail on an involuntary manslaughter charge after an investigation found he was speeding before his sports car slammed into trees and rolled over, killing his passenger.
Everett, 29, was treated for serious injuries after the Dec. 23 crash. His passenger, Olivia S. Peters, 29, of Las Vegas, died at a hospital.
The investigation determined Everett was driving at more than twice the 45 mph (72 kph) speed limit on Dec. 23 when his Nissan GT-R left the roadway in Chantilly, a sheriff's statement said after the football player turned himself last week at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
Everett, a special teams captain in 2018 who was in his seventh season with the team, was placed on injured reserve after the crash.
Peters, an occupational therapist from Montgomery County, Md., was his longtime girlfriend, The Washington Post reported.
Her family announced the Olivia S. Peters Pediatric Therapy Foundation after her death, saying in a statement that “her passion and sole focus in life was treating special needs and underprivileged children.”
Oakland says goodbye to Madden: When John Madden died in December, his widow Virginia knew exactly where she wanted to honor her late husband's life. The place where Madden first came to fame, prowling the sideline at the Oakland Coliseum as the
Super Bowl-winning coach of the Raiders.
“John believed in the town of Oakland, he believed in the Coliseum, most of all he believed in the Raiders,” Virginia Madden said Monday. “I believe in the Raiders. The Oakland Raiders.”
That drew a loud ovation from the few thousand fans who showed up for the event and have stuck with the Raiders during their 13 seasons in Los Angeles and after their move in 2020 to Las Vegas. The event featured video tributes to Madden's Hall of Fame career as a coach and broadcaster, and video messages from Hall of Famers like Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.
“I feel like my career was supposed to be narrated by John Madden,” Favre said. “I loved John. I sensed the great relationship we had.”
Madden died unexpectedly at his home in the Bay Area on Dec. 28 at age 85, leading to an outpouring of love following a remarkable career that included a 10year stint as Raiders coach, three decades as the top television analyst in football and his role in creating the popular video game that carries his name.
The event was held at the Oakland Coliseum where Madden first came to fame roaming the sidelines for the Raiders. He made it to seven AFC title games in his 10 seasons as coach, with a 103-32-7 regular-season record. His .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.