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Sources: Bucs, Chip Kelly in talks

by on January 23, 2012

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have identified Oregon head coach Chip Kelly as the main target of their search for a new head coach and the two sides are involved in active contract discussions, multiple sources close to Kelly told ESPN.

Kelly interviewed with the Buccaneers last week and the two sides are aiming to work out a deal within the next 48 hours, according to one source.

The Bucs will resolve talks with Kelly either way before proceeding further with their search, the source said.

A source told KGW in Portland earlier Sunday that Kelly is close to a deal with Tampa Bay.

One source close to Kelly told ESPN’s Joe Schad that Kelly, a good friend of former Bucs coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden, has always had NFL in the back of his mind.

Kelly is intrigued by the challenge of coaching at the highest level and not having to deal with parents and the NCAA oversights that are inherent to coaching in college, the source told Schad.

While former USC coach Pete Carroll left the Trojans to coach the Seattle Seahawks in January 2010 shortly before an NCAA report for sanctions under Carroll’s watch, the source told Schad that Kelly and Oregon are not anticipating heavy sanctions from the NCAA’s inquiry into the school’s relationship with alleged street agent Willie Lyles.

A source told Schad that Oregon would have interest in Boise State coach Chris Petersen if Kelly departs and that Petersen may be willing to listen, as he once did with Stanford.

Adam Schefter is an NFL Insider for ESPN. Information from ESPN’s Joe Schad contributed to this report.

Sources: Bucs, Chip Kelly in talks

Broncos Vs. Patriots Final Score: New England Beats Down Tim Tebow And The Broncos, 45-10

by on January 15, 2012

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Report — Not all New York Jets love Mark Sanchez, eye Peyton Manning – ESPN New York

by on January 11, 2012

As the New York Jets gut their offensive coaching staff, some players are reportedly wondering whether they have the right field general in place in Mark Sanchez.

The New York Daily News reported on Wednesday that it had spoken to key Jets players and they anonymously questioned the young quarterback’s work ethic and said that the team might be better off with a QB like Peyton Manning, if the Colts made him available.

Kay: Nick Mangold – 12/11

Nick Mangold joined “The Michael Kay Show” to discuss the New York Daily News report of Jets players anonymously questioning Mark Sanchez’ work ethic.

“We have to bring in another quarterback that will make [Sanchez] work at practice,” said one player, according to the newspaper. “He’s lazy and content because he knows he’s not going to be benched.”

Sanchez had a career-high 26 touchdown passes this season, but he also committed a career-high 26 turnovers, including nine during the Jets’ season-ending three-game losing streak. He ended the season 23rd in quarterback rating and 28th in completion percentage.

According to ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating, which measures the QB’s total contribution on the field and not just passing efficiency, Sanchez went from 27th in the league in his rookie season to 18th his second year. but he regressed to 30th in 2011, obviously not progressing the way the team had hoped.

The Colts have the no. 1 pick in the draft and a shot at Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. the Daily News asked Jets players and members of the organization if the team should try to acquire Manning if Indianapolis does take Luck.

“Come on. That’s a no-brainer,” a Jets source said, according to the newspaper. “If you have a chance to get a healthy 36-year-old Peyton Manning and you don’t do it, then you’re stupid. If I could get a healthy 36-year-old Peyton Manning, then, hell yeah, I would trade Sanchez.”

One “well respected player,” according to the Daily News, pointed out that the Jets have already hired former Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore.

“Plus, he’s a field general and will get everyone lined up,” the player said. “He will get his playmakers the ball. We can win a Super Bowl with Peyton.”

Manning missed the entire season after neck surgery, so the former MVP faces his own question marks.

Nonetheless, another anonymous Jets player didn’t think that Sanchez, who was the QB when the Jets made two AFC title games, could take the team all the way.

“How can we when he’s not improving at all?” the player said, according to the newspaper. “He thinks he is, but he’s not. He has shown us what he’s capable of.”

Showing just how fractured the Jets locker room might be, other Jets were incensed that anonymous teammates were ripping the quarterback.

Center Nick Mangold disputed that Sanchez is lazy.

“That’s just wrong,” he said on an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “I’ve never seen anybody work as hard as Mark has. I support him fully and I think the locker room does as well.”

Even if that means Manning is an option?

“Mark Sanchez is my guy,” Mangold said. “He’s the one I want to go to battle with. I wouldn’t be too keen to see that changed.”

Mangold really took issue with the anonymous attacks.

“If there’s really a problem, if there is something wrong, you should man up and own up to what you’re going to say,” he said. “When no one has their name attached to it, I think it’s kind of an easy way out to air your personal grievances that should be kept in the locker room.”

He vowed to take care of that problem.

“I’m going to fix these things,” Mangold said. “It’s disappointing that there’s somebody out there, but I don’t think this should be an issue for us, moving forward.”

Right tackle Wayne Hunter was even more supportive of Sanchez.

“I back Mark all the way like I always have,” he said to ESPNNewYork.com. “People need to realize that it is not all Mark. the whole offense is at fault. I need to get better at my craft and I will. Players need to be held accountable. Play calling can only go so far without execution. for our own teammates to call out Mark in the media is selfish and to remain unnamed is cowardly.”

Other members of the organization that the newspaper spoke to also didn’t want to pin all the blame for a disappointing 8-8 season on Sanchez. They said that as the season fell apart, Sanchez “lost confidence” and made “one stupid throw and one stupid mistake after another.”

“So many games, he looked defeated before he ever took the field,” a team source said, according to the newspaper. “He didn’t have much confidence in what he was about to go do. You could tell throughout the week in practice. He never felt comfortable with some of the things we were doing. It was too much for him.”

Jets coach Rex Ryan predicted that his team would win a Super Bowl this season, instead, the Jets have imploded in dramatic fashion.

The Jets announced late Tuesday night that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer won’t return in 2012 and quickly hired former Dolphins coach Tony Sparano to replace him.

On Tuesday, the Jets also parted ways with offensive line coach Bill Callahan and receivers coach Henry Ellard, both of whom had expiring contracts.

Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley was supposed to visit the Jets on Wednesday, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, and could be named the assistant head coach.

It remains to be seen how the new staff will deal with Sanchez, who completed just his third year in the league.

But former Jets QB Boomer Esiason also said recently that he doesn’t think the Jets can win a Super Bowl with Sanchez.

“If you watched Mark Sanchez the last month of the season, he was like a chihuahua standing on Madison Avenue and 36th Street entering the Midtown Tunnel, eyes bigger than you-know-what, and just so shaky,” said Esiason, according to quotes that appear on WEEI’s website.

Information from ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini and Jane McManus was used in this report.

Report — Not all New York Jets love Mark Sanchez, eye Peyton Manning – ESPN New York

Reports: McDaniels To Join Patriots In Time For Playoffs

by on January 7, 2012

FOXBORO (CBS/AP) – The new England Patriots are expected to hire St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, as first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

McDaniels will take a job as an offensive assistant coach and will begin immediately working for the team.

McDaniels will take over as offensive coordinator next season, a job he previously held.

The Patriots’ current offensive coordinator bill O’Brien has accepted the head coaching at Penn State.

O’Brien plans to remain on the Patriots staff through the end of the season.

McDaniels would go from near the bottom of the NFL after spending the season as offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, who were 2-14, to a shot at the Super Bowl with the Patriots with an AFC-best 13-3 record.

He was offensive coordinator with the Patriots from 2006 to 2008 before becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009. He was fired with a 3-9 record in 2010 after losing 17 of his last 22 games. The Patriots, who had a bye this weekend, go into the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak.

The 35-year-old McDaniels was the only Rams assistant under contract through next season when Steve Spagnuolo was fired on Jan. 2.

“I’m sure Josh will have opportunities around the NFL to possibly be a coordinator or better throughout this process,” Kevin Demoff, the Rams vice president and chief operating officer, said at the time. “It’s going to be fluid, but we’ll figure out what’s best for both parties.”

The Rams scored the fewest points per game in the league, 12.1, gained the second fewest yards, 283.6, and the third fewest yards passing, 179.4. Sam Bradford struggled at quarterback with just six touchdown passes and six interceptions in McDaniels’ system, which had many more longer developing pass plays than the Rams had in 2010 under Pat Shurmur.

That lack of production contrasts sharply with the Patriots offense under McDaniels, especially in 2007 when they went 16-0 then won two playoff games before losing the Super Bowl to the new York Giants 17-14.

In that season, Tom Brady set a single-season league record with 50 touchdown passes for an offense that averaged a league-best 411.2 yards. It also was first in yards passing, 295.7 and points per game, 36.8.

Now McDaniels is poised to be reunited with Brady and another prolific offense in time for the Patriots practices for their divisional playoff game next Saturday. as the top-seeded team in the AFC, they earned home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

The Patriots were second in the league in overall yards with 428 per game and yards passing with 317.8. Their average of 32.1 points was third.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting inc. used under license. all Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The associated Press contributed to this report.)

Reports: McDaniels To Join Patriots In Time For Playoffs

Bill O’Brien to coach Nittany Lions – ESPN

by on January 6, 2012

Globe and Ma

Globe and Mail Bill O'Brien to coach Nittany Lions ESPN New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien has agreed to become Penn State's first new head football coach in nearly a half-century. the Nittany Lions plan to announce O'Brien's hiring Saturday, sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris

Those coaches haven't done particularly well running their own programs — college or pro — since leaving the Patriots fold, a trend that O'Brien is obviously hoping he can change with the Nittany Lions. Jay Glazer of FOX reports Tice, …

Tom Bradley served as interim coach as the Nittany Lions dropped three of their final four games, including a 30-14 loss to Houston in the TicketCity Bowl on Monday. O'Brien joined the Patriots staff in 2007 and was promoted to his current position …

Should the Chicago Bulls Try to Trade for Joe Johnson?

by on January 6, 2012

It's been well documented that the Chicago Bulls need an upgrade at shooting guard. what general manager Gar Forman needs to decide is if he wants to sign one of the available free agents or perhaps try and swing a deal for a star. A drastic move Forman could look to make is a trade for Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson. ESPN's resident NBA experts Ric Bucher and Chris Broussard debate a possible deal that would bring Johnson to Chicago (ESPN Insider only).

BUCHER: A number of star-quality players could be available on the market once the NBA resolves its labor issues, providing a variety of teams the chance to elevate themselves with one bold move. for me, though, the Bulls are the team that most needs to add a piece to solidify itself as a threat to win the title. the guy they should go after is Joe Johnson.

I have not heard Johnson's name in trade talks, nor have I heard that Atlanta is desperate to move someone, even though Josh Smith has made it known he'd love to have a new home. but after yet another disappointing finish, I have to believe the Hawks know that Johnson will never make the six-year, $129 million deal he signed a year ago work fiscally in Atlanta.

So, with that in mind, I believe that not only could the Bulls tempt the Hawks to part with Johnson for some combination of Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Kyle Korver or Ronnie Brewer, but that they must if they have dreams of building off last year's conference finals appearance.

First off, I don't think the Bulls MUST make a trade for Johnson in order to build off of last year. I think they could get over the hump without making such a bold move.

This being said, Johnson would be a great fit on the Bulls. I don't think he can ever lead a team to a championship (as proven by his up-and-down play against the Bulls in the second round), but he would be a great Robin to Derrick Rose's Batman. I would salivate at watching those two in the backcourt together.

Unfortunately, Johnson is saddled with that absurd contract and it would probably take Boozer and Deng to get him. if all it took was Boozer and either Brewer or Korver, I'd do it in a heartbeat. but Boozer and Deng makes it a pretty big risk. Johnson is good, but I don't know if he's THAT good.

While Broussard also believes Johnson would be a good fit in Chicago, he doesn't think Atlanta would bite on the deal.

BROUSSARD: I agree that putting Johnson in Chicago would make the Bulls a a full-fledged title contender, but I don't see why Atlanta would do such a deal. the size and length of the deals of Boozer (four years, $60 million) and Deng (three years, $40 million) are just as onerous as Johnson's, and neither player — or even both — would make Atlanta a contender. So I don't think that deal could happen.

Here I think Broussard is overrating Johnson and underrating the combo of Boozer and Deng. There's little doubt that Johnson is a better player than Boozer and Deng individually. However, part of me thinks the Hawks would be a better team with Boozer and Deng than with Johnson. they probably wouldn't be title contenders, but they would still be a playoff team.

Bucher has some fight left in him in this debate, so please allow him to retort!

As for the Hawks' sending Johnson to the Bulls, Atlanta would have to deal a second contract (Marvin Williams?) to take both Deng and Boozer in a deal. Why would they do it? Because Joe for Booz and Deng alone would save them $17 million and Johnson's deal ramps up far more severely than the two they'd be getting, so if they don't move him soon, it's going to get infinitely harder. Throw in Williams — whom they've been shopping hard for two years — and they'd save more than $30 million. the Hawks are not a contender as is, yet they'd still be a playoff team with Boozer and Deng, so why not make that trade?

The thought of Marvin Williams coming to the Bulls is gross. the guy is a bum and was completely worthless in the second round against the Bulls. He's also very oddly shaped, and that kind of freaks me out.

But in all seriousness, as I mentioned before, I really don't know how I'd feel about this move. getting rid of Boozer's contract would be great, but losing Deng too would really hurt. with Johnson's contract on board, I don't know how much more Forman would be able to add to the team. I know you sometimes have to take risks to win a championship, but would the Bulls really be a better team after this deal?

That's the tough question Forman has to ask himself, and that's why he makes the big bucks. I'm sure he'll look into every possible option, but in the end, I just hope he doesn't panic into a move. the Bulls are close enough where that's not necessary.

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Carlos Boozer, Chicago, Chicago Bulls, Chris Broussard, ESPN, Joe Johnson, Kyle Korver, Luol Deng, Marvin Williams, NBA, Ric Bucher, Ronnie BrewerRelated Videos

Should the Chicago Bulls Try to Trade for Joe Johnson?

Oklahoma State football: Cowboys ride the high road on the BCS

by on January 3, 2012

It’s been nearly a week since Oklahoma State found itself left out of the national championship game by mere thousandths of a point.

And the bitterness continues.

Just not from the Cowboys.

Even though OSU fans are still riled up about the whole thing — click on a message board or a comment section, and the anti-BCS, anti-Alabama, anti-ESPN venom is obvious — the Cowboys themselves have taken a different path.

From those disappointing moments after the final BCS ranking were announced until now, the Cowboys have been nothing but gracious. They’ve never bashed the BCS. They’ve never cried foul. They’ve even, of all things, praised this whack-a-doo system.

“We … believe in the system,” Cowboy coach Mike Gundy said Sunday evening on ESPN only moments after the final rankings were announced. “For whatever reason, we came up a little bit short.”

The BCS hater in me wishes every coach would bash the system every chance he got.

But in truth, the Cowboys have done themselves good by taking the high road.

It started even before Gundy’s post-selection comments. When Reece Davis revealed that OSU was No. 3, the players gathered to watch ESPN’s selection show didn’t groan. Didn’t object. Didn’t holler.

There was only silence.

Now, I’m not saying there wasn’t a message in their silence. this is a program going to its first ever BCS bowl. this is a team that has reached never-before-seen heights. Finishing third in the BCS and going to the Fiesta Bowl is worth celebrating.

The fact that the Cowboys sat silently was a sign of their disappointment.

The Cowboys have never evoked the tragic events of the day of the Iowa State loss either. the plane crash that killed OSU women’s basketball coaches Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna weighed on the football team. No two ways around that. many football players regularly attend women’s basketball games, so they knew the coaches. many are also close with the women’s basketball players, so at the very least, they were concerned about their friends.

The Cowboys had to feel added pressure to beat the Cyclones, not just to keep their national title hopes alive but to give the Cowboy Nation something to feel good about, even if for a moment on that horrible day.

Still, neither a coach nor a player has ever played that card.

That modus operandi has continued in these days after the BCS announcement. there have been no outrageous tweets from players, no crazy statements from coaches.

Yes, they were disappointed, but they never let that emotion get the best of them.

Unlike Chris Petersen.

The Boise State coach lashed out at the BCS during a press conference Monday.

“The whole thing needs to be changed, there’s no question about it,” he said. “Everybody is just very tired of the BCS. I think that’s the bottom line. Everybody is frustrated. Everybody doesn’t really know what to do anymore. it doesn’t make sense to anybody. I don’t think anybody is happy anywhere.”

If those sound like the frustrated words of an aggravated man, well, that’s because they are and he is.

Four times in the past eight years, Petersen’s team has finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 only to be denied a BCS bowl. the latest snub sent a pair of two-loss teams, Virginia Tech (No. 11) and Michigan (No. 13), to the Sugar Bowl while one-loss Boise (No. 7) went to the Las Vegas Bowl.

Apparently, this was the last straw.

Petersen has not slammed the BCS before when the Broncos had been left out, but this week, he let the system have it.

“It just seems like each year,” he said, “it’s getting further and further away from anybody understanding what’s going on.”

Who knows? Gundy and the Cowboys might’ve reacted just like Pedersen had they been in the Broncos’ shoes, left out time and again.

Heck, the coaches and the players have every right to be angry. I suspect most of them were Sunday night as they listed to those talking heads on ESPN saying how much better and how much more deserving Alabama was than OSU.

Who wouldn’t get fired up by that?

But as representatives of the school and the program, the Cowboys have to differentiate between what they feel and what they say. they might want to blast the BCS to smithereens, but that does no good.

Truth is, that might actually hurt. even if what they’re saying is honest and thoughtful, it comes off as whining and complaining.

Just look at Petersen.

He’s always been thought of as a good guy, a stand-up coach. but now, after just one press conference, he’s being called out. Colin Cowherd, for one, ripped the coach on his ESPN radio show.

(Take it for what it’s worth, of course, since Cowherd’s paychecks say ESPN.)

Petersen and his Broncos now have a blemish.

Not so for Gundy and his Cowboys.

They handled this as well as could be imagined. they swallowed a bitter pill but refused to let it sour their words.

They rose above it on the high road.

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The Chris Herren Story – A Cautionary Tale About Drug Abuse

by on January 1, 2012

Chris Herren never intended to become a druggie. from the time he first encountered cocaine in his dorm room at Boston College, to an injured wrist that sidelined his college career and led him to abuse painkillers, the former NBA star’s life became forever intertwined with getting high, a life that has recently been depicted in an ESPN documentary.

The documentary, which is part of the network’s 30-for-30 series, offers a gruesomely honest portrayal of a young man, once the pride of Fall River, Massachusetts and the central figure of a book titled, Fall River Dreams, who nearly died of a heroin overdose as his car crashed into a McDonalds, the needle still in his arm when paramedics found him. Actually, Herren DID die for 30 seconds, according to doctors who saved him.

The sad part is, Herren almost didn’t make it. you can hear it in his voice as he tells his own story throughout the documentary, his voice quivering during the difficult moments. It’s tough to stomach, especially when his downward spiral isn’t much different than others who have come and gone before him, and those still struggling to tackle their addictions.

An interesting aspect of the film is the role that painkillers had in Herren’s addiction. He’d pop prescription pills like Oxycontin to alleviate injuries sustained on the court. Even in the NBA, when he played the for the Denver Nuggets and then the Boston Celtics, he stood outside the Fleet Center on a Boston street corner waiting for his dealer to give him his fix.

When his career took him to Europe and Oxy wasn’t readily available, Herren resorted to street drugs – heroin, also an opiate, and later, crystal meth. he would come to games high on cocaine and stay awake for days. he passed out in an alley way on a night his wife and children came to get him from the air port. that was one instance of rock bottom for Herren, although his road to recovery saw several relapses and setbacks.

A final stint in rehab ultimately saved Herren, at least for now. He’s maintained sobriety from drugs since June 4, 2008, and has been alcohol free since August 1, 2008. he has made it his life’s mission to educate and inform people about the dangers of drug use. he also mentors young basketball players in the New England area.

A key message of the film is that recovery from drug abuse is a daily process. It doesn’t just happen and it isn’t just a one and done thing. It’s a daily commitment that recovering abusers and recovering alcoholics must make. It’s a difficult process, but ultimately a rewarding one, as seen in the film.

Reports: Oakland A’s trade Gio Gonzalez to Washington Nationals for four prospects

by on December 22, 2011

The remaking of the A’s continued Thursday with the reported trade of All-Star left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals for four highly touted prospects.

The trade, first reported by ESPN, comes less than two weeks after the A’s dealt pitcher Trevor Cahill to Arizona.

In exchange for Gonzalez, who went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA last season, the A’s reportedly will receive pitching prospects A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock and Tom Milone and catcher Derek Norris.

The trade is not official, as neither team made an announcement, but Gonzalez told the Associated Press that “it’s 99 percent done. … It’s pending a physical, and I’m just waiting to hear from my agent.”

Right-handers Cole, 19, and Peacock, 23, are considered top prospects. One scout, requesting anonymity, said the A’s made the best deal possible with Washington.

For many A’s fans, that comes as little solace. they have seen this too many times.

With Gonzalez following another top pitcher out the door — Cahill was an 18-game winner in 2010 — it’s reminiscent of 2004 when the A’s traded Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in a span of three days. or the 2007-08 offseason, when they traded pitcher Dan Haren and outfielder Nick Swisher in a span of three weeks.

It’s fair to note the prospects in those two deals included Haren and Gonzalez, as well as pitcher Brett Anderson and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. but only Anderson remains now, and he’s out until midseason after Tommy John surgery.

And this 1-2 punch to the gut comes at a time when the A’s already have lost ground in the American League West, where they have finished third or lower in four of the past five seasons. The Los Angeles Angels signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson to big-money deals this month, and Texas this week bid $51.7 million just to negotiate with Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish. The Rangers also reportedly are in pursuit of Prince Fielder, as is Seattle.

The disparity isn’t sitting well with some fans.

“It disgusts me that we have all this talent that we’re just giving away,” longtime season ticket holder Jason DeFrancesco of Aptos said. “How does this let us compete in the A.L. West when the Angels are getting Pujols and Wilson and the Rangers are chasing Prince Fielder and others?

“It makes me question whether or not I want to be spending my money to see what’s being put on the field.”

In other corners, the feeling is one of resignation. On AthleticsNation.com, much of the talk centered on the four prospects the A’s got — “quite a haul” in the words of one fan.

“If two of the four reach the level (the A’s) think they are, it’s a fair trade,” one scout told this newspaper. “If three reach the level they think they are, it’s a plus for the A’s. and if all four reach that level, they did great.”

Peacock, Cole and Norris were three of Washington’s top nine prospects, according to Baseball America, with Cole’s ceiling considered the highest. He was a fourth-round draft pick in 2010 and last season went 4-7 with a 4.04 ERA for Single-A Hagerstown, with 108 strikeouts in 89 innings.

Peacock made his major league debut in 2011, going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings for Washington. He was 15-3 with a 2.39 ERA in 146 innings while in Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, walking 47 and striking out 177.

Norris, 23, hit just .210 in Double-A in 2011 but slugged 20 home runs and had an on-base percentage of .367 and a .446 slugging percentage.

Scouts describe Milone, 24, as a “soft-tossing left-hander.” He went 12-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 27 starts for Syracuse in 2011.

And the A’s probably aren’t done. Closer Andrew Bailey, a two-time All Star with 75 saves over the past three seasons, is rumored to be the next to go.

Another major league scout said he understands the A’s position.

“How valuable are Andrew Bailey or Gio Gonzalez with the current core they have?” the scout said. “Why not load up with the most good young players you possibly can for when this (stadium) situation is resolved?”

Bay Area News Group’s Joe Stiglich contributed to this report. Follow Alex Pavlovic on Twitter at twitter.com/AlexPavlovic.

Jerry Jones Was "Sad To Hear" About Hurd

by on December 17, 2011

The Cowboys have been predictably mum on the subject of Sam Hurd’s arrest on Wednesday–we say “predictably,” because Hurd’s current Bears teammates have done their best to keep their reactions to the story short, in an effort to remain focused on this week’s matchup–but Jerry Jones addressed the situation on Friday, in his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan.

“I sure was sad to hear that,” Jones said, via ESPN Dallas. “That’s not good for obviously him and his [family] but certainly for his extended friends and associates. We’ll see how this unfolds as we get more information on it.

“he was always an exemplary player for us, an exemplary person and citizen. you could just count on him at all times.”

Jones was also asked if he had any concerns about the arrest and investigation implicating anyone still currently on the roster–a considerate concern. since a source has come out saying the police have a list “in the double digits” of fellow NFL players who were allegedly supplied with drugs by the former Cowboys receiver.

“I have no detail at all on his activity and when and where and how,” Jones said. “I just couldn’t answer that. But I’m really satisfied with how the basic method of understanding the example that we want our players to set and appropriate behavior.”

Stay on top of the latest Dallas Cowboys news with NBCDFW.com. Follow NBC DFW on Facebook or have breaking Cowboys news sent directly to your phone with Blue Star SMS alerts. Text "bluestar" to 622339 (NBCDFW) to subscribe to this free service. Read more about it here.

Jerry Jones Was "Sad To Hear" About Hurd

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