Rooney in D.C. for Senate hearing on ambassadorship
Page 1 of 1
NEWS / BREAKING NEWS
Rooney in D.C. for Senate hearing on ambassadorship
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney is in Washington, D.C., on the eve of his hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee on his nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Ireland.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who is on the committee, will introduce Mr. Rooney tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. in the Dirksen
Senate Office Building.
Mr. Rooney campaigned for then U.S. Sen. Barack Obama during the presidential race last year and was nominated by the
president for the ambassadorship this year.
First published on June 23, 2009 at 2:27 pm
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6/24/2009
Steelers: Starks signs contract
Page 1 of 1
SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL
Steelers: Starks signs contract
Four-year deal is worth $26 million plus bonus
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
By Laura Keeley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Offensive lineman Max Starks,
who helped the Steelers win
their fifth and sixth Super Bowl
titles, signed a four-year, $26.3
million contract yesterday.
The Steelers checked one contract off their to-do list and signed offensive tackle Max Starks to a four-year, $26.3 million
contract yesterday with a signing bonus of about $10 million.
Starks, a six-year veteran, now is signed through 2012. It has long been a goal of the Steelers to sign Starks to a long-term
contract.
He was the Steelers' second-highest paid player last season, even though he began the year as a reserve. But, for the past two
years, the Steelers have prevented him from becoming an unrestricted free agent. He earned $6.9 million last season as the
team's transition player and was labeled the franchise player in February, setting him up to earn $8,451,000 this season, the
average salary of the NFL's top five offensive linemen. With the announcement of his new contract, Starks no longer carries
the team's franchise tag and the team created about $2 million in salary-cap room for this year.
Starks is the longest-tenured offensive lineman with the Steelers and is slated to return to the starting lineup and play left
tackle. He started the last 14 games last season, including the Super Bowl, at left tackle in place of the injured Marvel Smith.
He began his career at right tackle after the Steelers drafted him out of Florida in the third round (75th overall) and was the
starter from 2005-06. He lost his job to Willie Colon before the start of the 2007 season.
The Steelers also announced the retirement of cornerback Fernando Bryant.
Bryant, a 10-year NFL veteran who signed with the Steelers Nov. 11, 2008, after being released by the New England Patriots
at the end of training camp, saw action in two regular-season games.
Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette contributed to this report.
First published on June 24, 2009 at 12:06 am
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6/24/2009
Roethlisberger ready for some rest, relaxation
Page 1 of 2
SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL
Roethlisberger ready for some rest, relaxation
Steelers quarterback has some free time
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
By Laura Keeley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Robin Rombach/Post-Gazette
Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger congratulates
Tyrese Jennings, 8, after Tyrese
made a long throw through a tire
to win an autographed football
during Roethlisberger's football
camp at Mars High School.
Now that the Steelers are officially on break until training camp, what is there for Ben Roethlisberger to do?
Lots, actually, including some youth football, golf, Penguins watching and traveling to Georgia for some rest and relaxation.
"It's been good, a little crazy," Roethlisberger said of the offseason. "It's been a lot of down time, but I get to play a lot of
golf, so that has been fun."
Roethlisberger was able to pull himself from the links long enough to play host to his second annual Old Spice Ben
Roethlisberger Football Camp at Mars Area High School. The camp, whose media sponsors include the Post-Gazette, runs
three days for three hours in the morning for 450 boys and girls ages 7-14, concluding today. The cost for each child was
$249.
The action yesterday started with an explanation of a fade route. Roethlisberger lined up under center and lobbed three
perfect passes that each landed in the arms of the three kids chosen for the demonstration. Parents watching from the stands
clapped in approval and simulated crowd noise.
"I just hope they have fun and learn one new thing," Roethlisberger said. "We're having a good time."
has learned a thing or two himself from the 2006 offseason, the previous time the Steelers were set to begin the year as
defending Super Bowl champions. The 2006 team, however, finished a disappointing 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
Roethlisberger is planning on using those lessons and the familiarity he has with Mike Tomlin's system to stay on top of the
league.
"Everyone is gunning for you," Roethlisberger said. "Everyone is out to get that bull's-eye and get that title from you. It's
going to take a lot to stay on the grind."
These next few weeks, though, are an opportunity to break from the daily work of football.
Golf is Roethlisberger's main relaxation and hobby, and he mainly plays at Treesdale and visits Nevillewood and Oakmont
when he gets a chance.
Recently, Roethlisberger participated in the U.S. Open Challenge at Bethpage Black along with Michael Jordan and Justin
Timberlake. Roethlisberger shot an 81 to win the challenge and called the course the toughest he has played.
Roethlisberger's 81 would not have been the worst round posted in the U.S. Open. Fred Funk, a staple on the PGA Tour for
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09175/979384-66.stm
6/24/2009
Roethlisberger ready for some rest, relaxation
Page 2 of 2
20 years, shot an 82 in the final round. Even Tiger Woods, who called Roethlisberger before the challenge and told him there
was no way the quarterback would break 100, was in Roethlisberger's neighborhood with an opening-round 74.
Roethlisberger debated calling Woods after the tournament was finished.
"You know, I thought about it and then thought better of it," Roethlisberger said. "It would kind of be like me throwing a
couple of interceptions in a game and him calling me, so I'll let it go for a little while."
The event at Bethpage Black caused Roethlisberger to miss going to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final in Detroit. He
was at every home game, cheering for the Penguins, and said he was happy for the city, Mario Lemieux and the fans. He will
have a chance to congratulate Lemieux in person when he plays in his celebrity golf tournament this week at Nemacolin.
After that, it will be time for Roethlisberger to head to his house in Georgia. In addition to golfing, he will fish, boat and just
enjoy being on the water.
"I just go there to get away and relax," he said. "I just kind of get away from football for awhile."
Even though preseason camp is a Georgia trip and little more than a month away, many analysts already have made
predictions for the upcoming season. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher got his in early -- Jan.4, the first weekend of the
playoffs last season -- and said the Cincinnati Bengals would make the playoffs this year.
Roethlisberger has not forgotten.
"You know what, I have heard Bill Cowher made a Bengals prediction," he said. "So, I guess that's the team to beat in the
division."
Laura Keeley can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-2193.
First published on June 24, 2009 at 12:02 am
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6/24/2009
Big Ben hosts football clinic at Mars High School - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 2
Big Ben hosts football clinic at Mars High School
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The quarterback who won two Super Bowls before he turned 27 gave his right
arm one of its final, ahem, workouts before the Steelers start training camp.
Ben Roethlisberger leisurely threw passes Tuesday to pint-sized receivers at
Mars High School. And the only things that remotely resembled blitzes during
the spectacular summer day were the calls for Roethlisberger's attention by the
children at his football camp.
The relaxed atmosphere didn't just suit the Steelers quarterback but also the
parents who have to live through every hit Roethlisberger absorbs - and thus
appreciate the offseason every bit as much as he does.
"I think what a lot of people don't realize is our kid goes to work, and a lot of
people are trying to hurt him," said Ken Roethlisberger, Ben's father. "That's
hard as parents to have that realization that these are big boys trying to hurt
him. Fortunately, he has some size, but it's hard — it really is."
What doesn't make it any easier on them is Roethlisberger's style of play.
He gets hit like a piñata because of his propensity for holding onto the ball until
the last possible moment in an attempt to make a play. The 6-5, 241-pounder
has been sacked 139 times in the past three regular seasons.
Think that is easy on a parent?
"It's the toughest thing you could do," Brenda Roethlisberger, Ben's mother,
said of watching the beatings he routinely takes. "When he was a little kid, it
was fun. Nobody hit hard. Now, they're huge, and they hit really hard."
Fortunately for Roethlisberger that didn't prove to be a concern Tuesday at the
camp, where he offered pointers, posed for pictures and only risked getting a
sore wrist from signing autographs.
What little throwing he did during the three-day camp, which concludes today,
will be the last he does until the start of training camp at the end of July.
"I choose not to," Roethlisberger said about why he will not throw over the next
five weeks. "We do so much in camp."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_630764.html
6/24/2009
Big Ben hosts football clinic at Mars High School - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 2
Roethlisberger will spend his idle time playing golf — he is scheduled to tee it
up in the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational, which starts today — and
vacationing.
The start of camp and the pursuit of another Super Bowl title will come soon
enough, Roethlisberger said.
His parents agreed.
They get so skittish when Roethlisberger plays that they usually watch Steelers
games by themselves. That may change since they recently relocated to
Pittsburgh from Findlay, Ohio. Being closer to their son, however, won't do
much to soothe their nerves during games.
"I have some hearing loss in one ear from her screams," Ken Roethlisberger
said of his wife. "When he drops back to pass or he's in the pocket, she sees
anyone break through the line, and there's a scream coming."
Part of that is the price the Roethlisbergers have had to pay for the enormous
success he has had this early in his career.
He is one of only 10 quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls, and a big
reason for the wins is Roethlisberger's refusal to give up on a play, much less a
game.
"The great ones lead their team to victory," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said
recently. "Ben is a very talented guy. He's capable of doing all the individual
things, but ultimately he'll be defined, and I'll be defined, by how much we win."
Roethlisberger has said he wants to win five Super Bowls - one more than
Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
When asked about the declaration, his father chuckled and said, "I'm not sure
we can last that long."
Scott Brown can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.
Images and text copyright © 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
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6/24/2009
Starks signs $26 million four-year deal with Steelers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 2
Starks signs $26 million four-year deal with Steelers
By Scott Brown and Mike Prisuta
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Steelers have been saying since March that signing offensive tackle Max
Starks to a long-term contract was one of their top priorities.
They finally made it happen Tuesday.
The Steelers and Starks agreed to a four-year deal that can be worth as much
as $26.3 million and includes a $10 million signing bonus.
Starks, 27, had signed a one-year, $8.451 million deal at the end of February.
His new contract, which replaces the old one, allows him to stay with the team
that drafted him beyond the 2009 season.
In addition, it provides the Steelers with some stability at left tackle where they
don't have an experienced player behind Starks.
"It also gives us (salary) cap flexibility to possibly get some more things done,"
Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said.
Indeed the Steelers still have a number of key players who will be unrestricted
free agents after the 2009 season. The list includes nose tackle Casey
Hampton, running back Willie Parker, defensive end Brett Keisel, free safety
Ryan Clark and kicker Jeff Reed.
Tight end Heath Miller and right tackle Willie Colon are also going into the final
year of their contract. The two, however, will only become unrestricted free
agents next February if the owners and NFL Players Association agree on a
collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The two sides have been without a CBA since the owners opted out of the
previous deal in May 2008. If they don't agree on a new CBA, Miller and Colon
will be restricted free agents following the 2009 season.
When asked what the Steelers may do next in regard to locking up their own
players to long-term deals, Colbert said the Starks signing "gives us the
flexibility to at least explore possible signings. I wouldn't say we've determined
anything other than that."
Starks, a third-round pick out of Florida in 2004, has started at both right and
left tackle for the Steelers.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_630768.html
6/24/2009
Starks signs $26 million four-year deal with Steelers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 2
He lost his starting job at right tackle to Colon in 2007 and opened last season
as a backup to Colon and starting left tackle Marvel Smith.
When back problems sidelined Smith in 2008, the 6-foot-8, 345-pound Starks
started the final 14 games at left tackle.
"Even though he lost his position, he was always a positive guy," Colbert said of
Starks. "He kept working, and he ended up back in the starting lineup and he
helped us win. He's done a real good job when called upon, no question."
By signing Starks to a four-year deal, the Steelers continued to keep the core of
the team that won the Super Bowl last February together. Earlier, they signed
outside linebacker James Harrison and wide receiver Hines Ward to long-term
contracts.
They have also signed seven of the nine players they selected in April's NFL
Draft. The only picks who remain unsigned are defensive tackle Ziggy Hood
(first round) and guard Kraig Urbik (third).
Notes: Steelers cornerback Fernando Bryant retired Tuesday following a 10year NFL career. Bryant appeared in two regular-season games with the
Steelers last season after they signed him in November to provide depth. ...
Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will have a field house at his high
school in London, Ohio, named after him Saturday. It will be part of a ceremony
honoring LeBeau for his 50 years in the NFL as a player and a coach. ... Also,
LeBeau is among the 16 athletes and coaches to be inducted into the Ohio
State Athletics Hall of Fame. The class will be inducted Sept. 25 and introduced
to the public at halftime of the home football game against Illinois the next day.
Images and text copyright © 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
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6/24/2009
.: Print Version :.
Page 1 of 2
Print Page
WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2009 :: Last modified: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 12:17 AM EDT
Starks signs for big bucks and long-term security
By Mike Bires
Times Sports Staff
Max Starks got the long-term security he wanted and the Pittsburgh Steelers got the salary
cap room they needed.
So both sides are delighted that the mammoth left tackle signed a four-year contract
Tuesday.
The contract is reportedly worth $26.3 million, with $10 million of it guaranteed.
The contract also wipes away the “franchise” player tag the Steelers put on Starks in
February.
As a franchise player, the 6-foot-8, 345-pound Starks would have been paid $8.451
million this year. That’s the average salary of the top 10 players at his position.
But now that Starks has a new deal, the Steelers will have much-needed cap relief. Starks’
cap number may be $3 million lower had he kept the franchise tag.
Starks, who’s getting married in a few days, was the Steelers’ “transition” player last year.
As a transition player, Starks was paid $6.895 million.
At 27, Starks has already started on two Super Bowl teams, the first at right tackle in SB
40 and then at left tackle last year in SB 43. He was a third-round pick out of Florida in the
2004 NFL Draft.
Starks lost his starting job at right tackle to Willie Colon in 2007 during Mike Tomlin’s first
season as coach. He was a backup again last year until since-departed Marvel Smith was
sidelined with a back injury.
Starks started the last 11 regular-season games and then all the playoff games.
http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2009/06/24/sports/steelers/doc4a41a8a5b50ae198062... 6/24/2009
.: Print Version :.
Page 2 of 2
Now that Starks has signed, the Steelers will likely try to finalize a deal with tight end
Heath Miller, who’s in the last year of his contract.
Mike Bires can be reached online at [email protected]
http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2009/06/24/sports/steelers/doc4a41a8a5b50ae198062... 6/24/2009
Starks agrees to new deal
Page 1 of 1
Starks agrees to new deal
By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer
[email protected]
The Pittsburgh Steelers created $3 million in cap space on Tuesday when left tackle Max Starks agreed
to a four-year contract.
Starks, who was to earn $8.45 million in 2009 after the Steelers placed the franchise tag on him in
February, signed a deal worth $26.3 million that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2012. The deal
includes $10 million in guaranteed money.
The 27-year-old Starks was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2007 season.
But the Steelers placed the transition tag on him, paying him $6.9 million in 2008 even though he was
not guaranteed a starting position.
The move paid off, however, when starting left tackle Marvel Smith was injured for the second year in a
row, missing the final 11 games of the regular season and the playoffs with a back injury. The 6-8, 345pound Starks replaced Smith and played well as the Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl.
Smith signed a free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers this year and the Steelers placed the
franchise tag on Starks, hoping to get a long-term deal completed.
"We were very fortunate to have him," Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. "A
transition on a backup probably didn't make a lot of sense, but we didn't feel like we would have been as
good a team without him. We wanted to do a long-term deal (in 2008) but we couldn't get it done."
A third-round pick in 2004, Starks has been a starter on the Steelers' past two Super Bowl championship
teams. In addition to starting at left tackle in 2008, he started at right tackle when the team won Super
Bowl XL in 2005.
In other news Tuesday, the Steelers announced cornerback Fernando Bryant has retired from the NFL.
The Steelers signed the 32-year-old Bryant last November after injuries to Bryant McFadden and
Deshea Townsend depleted their depth at cornerback. He saw action in two games.
Bryant was re-signed by the team in February, but the addition of draft picks Keenan Lewis and Joe
Burnett, and free agent Keiwan Ratliff, probably meant Bryant would have been released in training
camp.
Copyright Observer Publishing Co.
http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Print/06-24-Steelers-sign-Starks
6/24/2009
The Herald Standard - Sports - 06/24/2009 - Steelers OT Starks signs 4-year contract
Page 1 of 1
06/24/2009
Steelers OT Starks signs 4-year contract
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Offensive tackle Max Starks has signed a four-year contract that keeps him with the Pittsburgh Steelers
through the 2012 season and frees up several million dollars in salary cap room for the team.
Starks, the starting left tackle, was designated as the Steelers' franchise player on Feb. 20 - less than three weeks after they won the Super
Bowl - and he initially accepted a 2009 salary of $8.45 million.
Instead, the new contract is expected to pay him a signing bonus of slightly
more than that amount but reduce his annual salary, creating additional salary
cap room for a team that was up against the cap most of last season. The
signing bonus, for cap purposes, is spread out over the length of the contract.
Advertisement
By agreeing to the four-year contract, Starks no longer carries the franchise
player tag.
Starks, 27, gains long-term stability with the new deal and avoids having to
negotiate with the Steelers on a yearly basis. Last year, Starks was tagged as
the Steelers' transition player and was paid $6.9 million, a large sum for a
player who began the season as a backup but became a starter again after
Marvel Smith missed most of the season with a back problem.
The 6-foot-8, 345-pound Starks, the starting right tackle when the Steelers
won the Super Bowl during the 2005 season, was a third-round pick out of
Florida in 2004. He made 30 consecutive starts at right tackle from 2005-06
and has started 15 regular season games at left tackle the past two seasons. He
started the Steelers' final 11 regular season games and their three playoff
games last season.
Now that Smith and former starting guard Kendall Simmons are no longer with the team, Starks has the longest tenure of any of the
Steelers' offensive linemen. Simmons was released in February after sustaining a season-ending Achilles' injury four games into the
season. Smith signed with the 49ers.
"We were very fortunate to have him," Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. "A transition on a backup probably
didn't make a lot of sense, but we didn't feel like we would have been as good a team without him. We wanted to do a long-term deal (in
2008) but we couldn't get it done."
©The Herald Standard 2009
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6/24/2009
Steelers open cap space by giving OT Max Starks a four-year deal - USATODAY.com
Page 1 of 1
Powered by
Steelers open cap space by giving OT Max Starks a
four-year deal
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Offensive tackle Max Starks has signed a four-year contract that keeps him with the Pittsburgh Steelers
through the 2012 season and frees up several million dollars in salary cap room for the team.
Starks, the starting left tackle, was designated as the Steelers' franchise player on Feb. 20 — less than three weeks after they won
the Super Bowl — and he initially accepted a 2009 salary of $8.45 million.
PHOTO GALLERY: Inside NFL's minicamps
Instead, the new contract is expected to pay him a signing bonus of slightly more than that amount but reduce his annual salary,
creating additional salary cap room for a team that was up against the cap most of last season. The signing bonus, for cap
purposes, is spread out over the length of the contract.
By agreeing to the four-year contract, Starks no longer carries the franchise player tag.
Starks, 27, gains long-term stability with the new deal and avoids having to negotiate with the Steelers on a yearly basis. Last year,
Starks was tagged as the Steelers' transition player and was paid $6.9 million, a large sum for a player who began the season as a
backup but became a starter again after Marvel Smith missed most of the season with a back problem.
"We were very fortunate to have him," Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. "A transition on a backup
probably didn't make a lot of sense, but we didn't feel like we would have been as good a team without him. We wanted to do a
long-term deal (in 2008) but we couldn't get it done."
The 6-foot-8, 345-pound Starks, the starting right tackle when the Steelers won the Super Bowl during the 2005 season, was a
third-round pick out of Florida in 2004. He made 30 consecutive starts at right tackle from 2005-06 and has started 15 regular
season games at left tackle the past two seasons. He started the Steelers' final 11 regular season games and their three playoff
games last season.
Now that Smith and former starting guard Kendall Simmons are no longer with the team, Starks has the longest tenure of any of
the Steelers' offensive linemen. Simmons was released in February after sustaining a season-ending Achilles' injury four games
into the season. Smith signed with the 49ers.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
Find this article at:
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Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
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ESPN.com - Source: Starks gets $26.3M contract
ESPN.com: NFL
Page 1 of 1
[Print without images]
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Source: Starks gets $26.3M contract
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed left tackle Max Starks to a $26.3 million, four-year contract,
according to a source.
Included in the deal is $10 million in guaranteed money, the source said. The Steelers announced the
deal Tuesday but did not give financial details. Starks is signed through 2012.
The agreement between the Steelers and Starks ends a two-year stretch in which Starks, a transition
player in 2008 and the franchise player in 2009, ate up a lot of Pittsburgh's cap room.
By getting a long-term deal, Starks was able to get a good read on his future. Even though the Steelers
gave him the transition tag in 2008, he didn't open the season as a starter.
"We were very fortunate to have him," Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said,
according to The Associated Press. "A transition on a backup probably didn't make a lot of sense, but we
didn't feel like we would have been as good a team without him. We wanted to do a long-term deal [in
2008] but we couldn't get it done."
Left tackle Marvel Smith's back problems led to Starks getting the chance to be the left tackle in the
second half of last season. The 6-foot-8, 345-pound Starks remained at left tackle through the Super
Bowl.
Starks had been an unsigned franchise player with an $8.451 million tender. His agreement is expected
to save the Steelers about $3 million in salary-cap space.
The 27-year-old Starks started 45 games during his first five seasons in Pittsburgh. He was a third-round
draft pick of the Steelers in 2004.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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6/24/2009
ESPN.com - Bryant to retire after decade in NFL
ESPN.com: NFL
Page 1 of 1
[Print without images]
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Bryant to retire after decade in NFL
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH -- Fernando Bryant, a cornerback and former first-round draft pick who played 10 NFL
seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers, is retiring.
Bryant started 109 of the 112 NFL games he played, making seven interceptions and recovering nine
fumbles.
Bryant, from Alabama, was the No. 26 overall pick by Jacksonville in 1999 and played five seasons
with the Jaguars before signing with the Lions as a free agent in 2004.
The 32-year-old Bryant was cut by the Patriots in training camp last year but signed with Pittsburgh on
Nov. 11, playing in two regular season games. He was not activated for any of the Super Bowl
champion Steelers' playoff games.
Bryant signed a one-year contract with the Steelers in March after starting cornerback Bryant McFadden
left to play for Arizona.
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6/24/2009
Jay Feely, Kicker and Obama Critic - The Fifth Down Blog - NYTimes.com
Page 1 of 1
JUNE 24, 2009, 1:00 AM
Jay Feely, Kicker and Obama Critic
By TONI MONKOVIC
Monday’s post made the point that the Jets try harder to gain attention from the news media.
Jets kicker Jay Feely has been as outspoken as anyone, and his media experience and exposure
have been unusually diverse:
In 2005, after missing three field goals for the Giants in an overtime loss at Seattle, he was
lampooned in a Saturday Night Live segment.
In 2006, he and his wife appeared on A Baby Story on TLC.
He has been a regular guest on “ESPN First Take.”
This week, he appeared on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox. He has been sending Twitter messages
about it:
Excerpts from the panel discussion on “The Sean Hannity Show”:
FEELY: “A guy named Phillip Brooks said character may be manifested in great moments, but it’s
made in the small moments, and this is what scares me about President Obama because if you look
at Iran, you look at Chavez, you look at North Korea. Bob, I heard you talk on this show a few
weeks about calling Obama to be a little more stringent with North Korea.
He’s creating a foundation from which he must lead from, and that foundation does not have the
same character traits that have made this nation great. Those character traits are standing up for
what is right and talking about and believing in and…”
FEELY: “Bob, you won’t like it, but I think that the magic act that Obama put on during the
election, the curtain has kind of being pulled back, and the American people will see what is behind
the stage, and they don’t really like it.
You know, from his refusal to stand firm in the face of tyranny, to now going all through the
bailout package, on into Chrysler and GM, and his meddling and jumping in there and kind of the
throwback that he gave to the unions. I think the American people are unhappy with what he’s
doing, and they don’t like the direction we’re going.”
Extra point: Nothing to add here, not even an observation that Feely’s kicks sometimes drift to
the right.
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Jets announce plans to wear corporate patch on practice jerseys - USATODAY.com
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Jets announce plans to wear corporate patch on
practice jerseys
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Jets are taking advantage of a new NFL rule this summer that will allow them to place a
corporate logo on their practice jerseys as a source of additional revenue.
The rule allows teams to sell sponsorships on their practice jerseys, and the patches can be no larger than 3½-by-4½ inches.
The patch the Jets will wear starting in training camp features the logo of Atlantic Health, a New Jersey-based health care
provider that owns naming rights on the team's training facility in Florham Park, N.J.
"In this climate, teams have to find ways to deliver additional value to their corporate sponsors because everyone is facing
their own unique challenges," said Matt Higgins, the team's executive vice president of business operations. "It's an example
of trying to go the extra mile to deliver value."
Terms of the deal — first reported by the Daily News last week — weren't disclosed, but Higgins confirmed Tuesday the Jets
will earn extra revenue. Houston and Green Bay are among other teams exploring similar options.
"When we first did the agreement, we looked for ways to maximize (Atlantic Health's) exposure through impressions at the
facility and through the media," Higgins said. "The original agreement contemplated that if the NFL ever changed the rules,
they would have the ability to put their patch on our jerseys."
Sponsor logos are common in U.S. auto racing and golf events, but the NFL allows only one logo to be worn on a practice
jersey. The Phoenix Mercury recently announced it will become the first WNBA team to put a sponsor's name on its jerseys.
"The NFL wants to be certain that the brand you're associating with meets the high standards of the league, so there are
controls," Higgins said. "There's no desire to NASCAR-ize the jerseys, so there's only one allowed at a time."
The Jets are also working with the state of New Jersey, as well as New York and Connecticut, on developing instant lottery
games that could reap an additional $1 million in revenue. Higgins said he expects the team to make an announcement
within the next few weeks on the games that will feature a combination of significant cash prizes as well as unique Jets
experiences, such as accompanying the team for a road game.
Higgins also said "sales are going very well" with the Jets' personal seat licenses. The team announced its PSL plan last
August and held on online auction in October for 620 choice seats for the new stadium, which opens in 2010. The nonauctioned seats will cost season-ticket holders between $4,000 and $25,000, but spares 27,000 upper-level seats from the
new fee.
"We're still in the process of going through our season-ticket holders year by year," Higgins said. "We're only up to 1985, so
we still have a ways to go. We feel very confident that we're going to sell out the building."
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ESPN.com - Sources: Jennings close to extension
ESPN.com: NFL
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sources: Jennings close to extension
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
The Green Bay Packers and wide receiver Greg Jennings are in the process of finalizing a three-year
extension that will keep him with the team through 2012.
According to a source, Jennings could make $27 million in new money with the deal, but if he performs
at a Pro Bowl level, his new contract could be worth as much as $30 million. Jennings was in the last
year of his rookie contract and was scheduled to make $535,000.
Jennings will earn slightly in excess of $16 million in guarantees, a source told ESPN.com's Len
Pasquarelli. The source also said that the structure of the contract is more front- than back-loaded.
Though both sides have come to an agreement on the numbers, a couple things have to be worked out as
far as the language of the contract. First, it must be approved by the NFL Management Council. Second,
it has to be signed by both parties. The plan is to try to get the final draft ready in the next couple of
days.
Jennings is coming of an 80-catch, 1,292-yard season in which he caught nine touchdown passes and
was a Pro Bowl alternate. He was a second-round choice of the Packers in 2006 and has developed into
one of the top young receivers in the game.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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