Mahomes says ankle will be ready for game
Patrick Mahomes says he's “definitely in a better spot” when it comes to his ailing right ankle than he was for the AFC championship game, and the All-Pro quarterback doesn't expect to be limited by it when he leads the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
Mahomes said before Wednesday's practice at Arizona State's facility that he continues to get treatment on the ankle, which he hurt in the divisional round against Jacksonville, and that will probably continue up until Sunday's kickoff.
“You won't know exactly how it is until you get to game day,” he said. “I mean, I definitely move around better than I was moving last week or two weeks ago. So it's just trying to continue to get the treatment and the rehab and get it as close to 100% and then rely on some adrenaline to let me do a little bit extra when I'm on the field.”
Mahomes hurt the ankle when a Jaguars pass rusher landed on it late in the first quarter. X-rays taken during the game came back negative, and he returned in the second half to lead Kansas City to the 27-20 victory.
Goodell tackles diversity, concussions in address
From diversity to concussions, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the league is still looking for improvement.
As for officiating, he says: “it's never been better.”
Goodell addressed those topics and more, including the Washington Commanders' investigation, flex scheduling and international play in his annual Super Bowl news conference Wednesday.
DeMeco Ryans became the NFL's third Black head coach when Houston hired the former Pro Bowl linebacker and 49ers defensive coordinator. Ryans joined Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Tampa Bay's Todd Bowles. There are three other minority coaches, including Miami's Mike McDaniel, who has a Black father and identifies as biracial.
The Titans hired Ran Carthon, the league's eighth Black general manager and ninth person of color overall.
“I still feel like there's better work and more work ahead of us,” Goodell said. “I think there's progress and we're pleased to see progress but there's never enough. We look to see how we can make things better.”
Player safety is always a hot topic in the NFL. Concussions were magnified and the league revised its protocols during the season after criticism for the way Tua Tagovailoa's head injuries were handled.
The NFL announced last week concussions had increased by 18 percent during the regular season. Goodell attributed the rise to the updated diagnostic measures.
“I think that's a reason why concussions went up this year, because we had a broader definition,” Goodell said. “If you have more evaluations you're going to have more concussions. Any time we can change the protocols to make it safer for our players, we're going to do that. We're not afraid of having them diagnosed. That's important to us and why we encourage players to come forward when they have symptoms so we can make sure they are handled properly.”
Overall, Goodell said injuries are down 6% this year. He said injuries for Thursday games and for the additional Week 18 games are no different than any other time during the season.
“You want to take the head out of the game,” Goodell said. “You're always going to have contacts that are not intended, so that's why we have protections, but ultimately you want to have rules that are avoiding the techniques that lead to these kinds of injuries.”
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith pointed out the league and the players' union have, since 2009, instituted return to-play protocols, brought in sideline concussion experts, revamped health and safety standards and made it a requirement for team doctors to comply with all federal and state guidelines.
“This has been a relentless effort to constantly improve safety,” Smith said.
Rivera wins Salute to Service Award
Ron Rivera's dad served in the United States Army for 32 years.
So for the coach of the Washington Commanders, winning the NFL's Salute to Service Award was extra special.
The award honors league personnel who take tangible steps to honor and support military communities. USAA — which sponsors the honor — will provide a $25,000 donation to each military branch's official aid society in Rivera's name, and the NFL will send a matching donation to a military charity of Rivera's choice.
“We traveled the United States, we traveled the world being a military family,” said Rivera during an AP Pro Football Podcast appearance on Wednesday in Phoenix. “Just knowing and seeing the commitment that these men and women make, we most certainly need to give back, and I feel that it is a duty of ours to do that, because I've learned so much from being an Army brat.”
During November's Salute to Service events, Rivera wore the insignia of his father's military rank and a patch with his mother's initials.
Rivera led the Commanders to an 8-8-1 record over the past season. It was Rivera's third year as Washington's coach after having the same role for nine years with the Carolina Panthers.
Hamlin receives award at Super Bowl event
Damar Hamlin made a brief appearance in Phoenix during Super Bowl week to receive the NFLPA's Alan Page Community Award.
The Buffalo Bills safety received the award at the Phoenix Convention Center on Wednesday, a little over a month after he went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati.
“One of my favorite quotes: it's a blessing to be a blessing,” Hamlin said, reading from a brief statement with his parents on stage with him. “With that being said, I plan to never take this position for granted and always have an urgent approach to making a difference in the community where I come from and also communities across the world.”
Hamlin was one of five finalists for the Alan Page Award, which annually recognizes one player who goes above and beyond to perform community service in his team city and/or hometown. His foundation received $100,000 with the award.