Former Virginia safety Jonas Sanker took an unconventional path to the NFL draft.

Filmmaker Deon Taylor has built a pipeline for pro athletes to transition into a filmmaking post career with the Hidden Empire Sports Collective.

Frank Ryan, the quarterback who led the Cleveland Browns to their last NFL title in 1964, has died.

A sculpture commemorating the famous 1967 meeting of Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and other athletes — now known as the Ali Summit — has been unveiled on the site of the original gathering.

Jim Brown's extraordinary life was celebrated in a moving tribute just a short walk from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In many ways, Jim Brown used his platform as one of the greatest football players of all time to fight for people very much like him.

Jim Brown was both extraordinary and extraordinarily complicated.

The sports world reacts to the announcement that Jim Brown, an NFL star, social activist and actor, has died at the age of 87.

NFL legend, actor and social activist Jim Brown has died at the age of 87.

The NFL has awarded through its Inspire Change social justice initiative five new national grants to organizations focused on police and community relations.

The Los Angeles Rams are having a Super Bowl hangover unlike any other.

The fullback position in the NFL has been fading for years, but only in the last decade has it neared the brink of total extinction.

Russell Wilson played his best game since returning from finger surgery by throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns and the Seattle Seahawks made a late goal line stand to beat the San Francisco 49ers 30-23.

With only the Sunday night matchup between the Broncos and Chiefs remaining, kickers have already combined to miss seven extra points on the day.

Derrick Henry scored his third touchdown with 3:05 left, and the Tennessee Titans stopped Josh Allen on a fourth-down quarterback sneak in the final seconds to beat Buffalo 34-31.

The Pro Bowl running back, Jones has agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers and wont be exploring free agency. Drew Rosenhaus, Jones agent, confirmed that his client had agreed on a four-year deal worth $48 million that includes a $13 million signing bonus. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke, File)Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones has agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers and won’t be exploring free agency. Drew Rosenhaus, Jones’ agent, confirmed that his client had agreed on a four-year deal worth $48 million that includes a $13 million signing bonus. “We anticipated bigger offers in free agency, but Aaron wanted to stay with the Packers,” Rosenhaus said via email.

FILE - In this Sept.1969 file photo, Denver Broncos' Floyd Little avoids the tackle of New York Jets' Steve O'Neal (20) during a football game in Denver. Little, the Hall of Fame running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, has died. (AP Photo/File)DENVER – Floyd Little, the versatile running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, has died after a long bout with cancer. “So, I supposedly saved the franchise.”Little was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. “Floyd Little was a true hero of the game," said David Baker, president and CEO of the pro hall.

Not long after came a seismic jolt, the helicopter crash of Kobe Bryant in the fog-shrouded California hills that reverberated across sports and across continents. Deep into the year, a bookend to Bryant, Diego Maradona died from a heart attack in Argentina weeks after brain surgery, the waves of grief rippling across soccer. The losses, of course, came against a backdrop of a pandemic, its number of fatalities rolled out daily on TV screens. Niekro won 318 games and pitched until he was 48, his knuckleball dancing and mystifying batters across the decades. Kurt Thomas in 1978 became the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world title but lost an Olympic shot in 1980 because of the boycott.

1 conference seed is tight, with the Packers one game ahead of the Saints, the Rams and Seahawks one game behind. Drew Brees will be active after missing four games with fractured ribs and a collapsed lung, making for an intriguing matchup with Patrick Mahomes. The Bills (11-3) scored twice in a 17-second span in the third quarter to ice their fourth straight victory that officially ended the New England Patriots’ 11-year reign atop the division. The Ravens have run for at least 100 yards in 36 straight games, seven short of the NFL record set by Pittsburgh from 1974-77. Baltimore is averaging 173.8 yards on the ground and topped 200 yards in each of the past two games.

Enjoying a big performance about 25 miles from his hometown of Yulee was something new for Henry. He managed just 13 yards as a rookie in 2016, followed by outings of 92, 57 and 44 yards in front of friends and family. Henry had 170 yards on 17 carries in the first 30 minutes, including a 36-yard touchdown run. He added a 47-yard scamper early in the third as the Titans (9-4) started to pull away. AFC South-leading Tennessee clinched its fifth consecutive winning season and moved a step closer to securing a playoff berth.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) reacts after running for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Cincinnati. Outside, Burrow got lessons on Paul Brown, Jim Brown, Boomer Esiason, Bernie Kosar, The Ickey Shuffle and Dawg Pound. “In my eyes I played terrible through 3 1/2 quarters and then played up to my standards in the last drive and almost won the game,” Burrow said. RUN OVERThe Bengals significantly overhauled the NFL’s worst run defense of last season — 149 yards allowed per game —- and had a tough start against the Chargers, who ran for 155. Bengals coach Zac Taylor expects Bullock, who fully practiced on Tuesday, to handle kicking duties against the Browns.

Maybe the most talked-about Super Bowl commercial of this season took place before the game actually began. Before kickoff on Sunday, the NFL aired a “NFL 100” commercial to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the league, and it gave people chills -- in a good way. The ad features 12-year-old football prodigy Maxwell “Bunchie” Young, a native of Los Angeles who is already a YouTube sensation. The commercial then finishes live at the Super Bowl LIV, with Young leading other youth football players representing each of the league’s 32 teams onto the field before kickoff. Read below for the cast -- and if you missed it, check out the full three-minute video below.