New England Patriots capture their fourth Super Bowl, while Tom Brady is named Super Bowl MVP for the 3rd time in his career.
Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots Defeat Seattle Seahawks 28-24
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Did Nationwide Insurance Air The Darkest Super Bowl Ad Ever?
No dead kids, Nationwide! C’mon now.
This is Nationwide's "Make Safe Happen" Super Bowl ad and at first, it looks really cute.
UNTIL YOU GET TO THE END AND THE KID DIES!
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A Friendly Reminder That Tom Brady Is An Ugg Model
He’s f-ugg-ing amazing.
Tom Brady is a man of many hats: NFL champion, husband to Giselle Bundchen, water-slide aficionado, and air pressure expert.
Getty Images / Elsa
But there is one of his accomplishments that just DOESN'T get the attention it deserves: his stint as an Ugg model.
UGG
Like, he's paid to appear in pictures wearing Uggs. And he's pretty damn good at it.
UGG
Look at that smoldering stare, that seductive gait, and his hand ~casually~ placed in his pocket. Tom is a MODEL.
Ugg
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Browns Quarterback Johnny Manziel Enters Treatment Program
Many on the team reportedly felt the former Texas A&M star was partying too hard during his rookie season.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has entered a treatment program to work on himself, a family friend said Monday.
Scott Cunningham / Getty Images
"Johnny knows there are areas he needs to improve on to help him be a better family member, friend and teammate, so he decided to take this step in his life during the offseason," he said.
Browns General Manager Ray Farmer said the team respect Manziel's "initiative" in seeking help and are supporting him through the process.
"Our players' health and well-being will always be of the utmost importance to the Cleveland Browns," he said. "We continually strive to create a supportive environment and provide the appropriate resources, with our foremost focus being on the individual and not just the football player."
Many on the team reportedly felt the former Texas A&M star was partying too hard during his rookie season.
Over a dozen Browns sources told ESPN that Manziel's issues are deep-rooted, and many on the team are concerned about his hard-partying ways and lack of commitment.
The issues culminated in Manziel receiving a fine for oversleeping the day before the season's finale after a night of partying, Cleveland.com reported.
Soon after, he vowed to change his ways at a press conference.
"I brought this on myself," Manziel said according to ESPN. "I brought these cameras and all these people that are in this locker room right now and I don't think it's fair to myself, I don't think it's fair to anybody in this locker room the distractions I've brought at points in time."
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Here's A Map Of The Top Tweeted Super Bowl Moments
New England Patriots captured their fourth Super Bowl, Tom Brady won his third Super Bowl MVP, and Katy Perry had a stellar halftime show. This year’s game was the most Tweeted about Super Bowl in history.
Last night, more than 28.4 million related tweets were sent around the world during NBC's live telecast of the Super Bowl, including Katy Perry's halftime extravaganza.
395,000 tweets per minute: the championship-clinching interception by the Patriots' Malcolm Butler in the final seconds of the game.
NBC / vine.co
379,000 tweets per minute: the moment the clock hit zero and Tom Brady and his New England Patriots won their fourth Super Bowl championship.
Rob Carr / Getty Images
284,000 tweets per minute: the end of Katy Perry's face-melting halftime show, which reminded us the more you know, the better.
NBC / vine.co
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This Year's Super Bowl Was The Most Watched Thing On American TV — Ever
The NBC broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX was the most watched show in U.S. television history, with 114.4 million viewers.
Andrew Weber/Usa Today Sports
It beat last year's broadcast by about 2 million viewers, according to national data from Nielsen. It was also the highest-rated Super Bowl since 1986, with about 47% of households tuning in.
More people than ever also watched the final half-hour of the nail-biting game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Viewership peaked with 120.8 million watching in the fourth quarter.
NBC's live stream also set records, the network said. Analytics showed 800,000 average viewers per minute watched on computers or tablets, and on average, they tuned in for about 84 minutes. At its highest — during Patriots center back Malcolm Butler's game-winning interception — the live stream had 1.3 million viewers.
1. 114.4 Million – Super Bowl XLIX, NBC (2015)
2. 112.2 Million – Super Bowl XLVIII, FOX (2014)
3. 111.3 Million – Super Bowl XLVI, NBC (2012)
4. 111.0 Million – Super Bowl XLV, FOX (2011)
5. 108.7 Million – Super Bowl XLVII, CBS (2013)
6. 106.5 Million – Super Bowl XLIV, CBS (2010)
7. 106.0 Million – M.A.S.H. Finale, CBS (1983)
8. 98.7 Million – Super Bowl XLIII, NBC (2009)
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Watch Young Steph Curry Talk About His Dreams Of Reaching The Pros
Even at 14 years old, the All-Star starter knew what he was doing.
During Dell Curry's days in Toronto, he and his family appeared on an episode of Off The Hardwood, a series that showcases the off-court lives of Raptors players.
Steph Curry, at 14 years old, stole the show, which should come as no surprise to anyone who's watched his career in the NBA.
While playing 1-on-1 with his brother Seth, who plays for an NBA D-league team, it becomes clear that Steph's jump shot was already in the works.
When asked about any interest in playing baseball, Steph says he had already decided to stick with basketball because it was "more his sport." That's putting it lightly.
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Americans Return The Heartwarming Favour By Finishing "O Canada" At Another Hockey Game
True neighbou-rly love.
A few months ago, a viral video captured an entire stadium of Canadian Leafs fans helping to finish the American national anthem after a mic cut out at a hockey game.
The gesture touched a lot of Americans' hearts.
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Good Guy Russell Wilson Visits Children's Hospital Two Days After Super Bowl Loss
This is why fans love him.
Two days after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl...
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson visited the Seattle Children's hospital.
Which is something he does nearly every Tuesday.
And along with knowing each of the patient's names...
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Judge In Aaron Hernandez Trial Tells Victim's Mom Not To Cry On The Stand
Odin Lloyd’s mother agreed to remain calm despite testifying about her murdered son.
NBC News
Ursula Ward, mother of victim Odin Lloyd, took the stand on the fourth day of the Aaron Hernandez's first-degree murder trial.
Before beginning her testimony, lawyers discussed how to handle showing sensitive evidence to Ward. Because the jury was not yet present, the lawyers were not required to speak amongst themselves.
After Ward was sworn in, Judge E. Susan Garsh asked her to remain calm and not cry while testifying. Judge Garsh acknowledged that this was a tall order for the mother of a murder victim, but her tone remained stern in an attempt to convey how important it was to the testimony. Ward agreed: "Yes, your honor."
Ward was shown a photo of Lloyd taken by medical examiners after his death. Prior to her testimony, Hernandez's defense attorney objected to use of that specific photo to identify him.
Hernandez's team said that the prosecution was attempting to elicit an emotional response in order to influence the jury, but the prosecutors maintained that Ward could maintain composure when shown the photo. The defense called it a "cruel and unnecessary" act by the prosecution, but Judge Garsh decided it was appropriate. the judge said, however, that if Ward became emotional at any time on the stand — but particularly when shown photos of her deceased son — attorneys would go to sidebar.
Ward remained calm and composed while on the stand, during which she testified that she had not met Aaron Hernandez. Prosecutors will use her testimony to disprove the defense's argument that Hernandez and Lloyd were close companions.
Before Ward took the stand, Lloyd's girlfriend, Shaneah Jenkins, concluded her testimony. Her sister Shayanna, Aaron Hernandez's fiancée, was in attendance for the first time during her testimony that spanned three days. Shaneah testified that Hernandez and Lloyd liked to smoke marijuana together, but maintained that she was unaware of any close relationship between the two.
LINK: Here’s What You Need To Know About The Aaron Hernandez Trial
LINK: Aaron Hernandez’s Lawyer: Former Patriot Didn’t Kill Odin Lloyd Because He Had No Motive
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Wisconsin Family Sues Pop Warner Football After Player Commits Suicide
The family of Joseph Chernach alleges that youth tackle football is responsible for his suicide and is seeking $5 million in damages.
Debra Pyka and Joseph Chernach
Courtesy of Debbie Pyka
In June of 2012, 25-year-old Joseph Chernach killed himself as a result of depression caused by chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that's been heavily linked to playing football. Chernach played football from 5th grade until he graduated high school, but did not continue with the game at a college or professional level.
Today, Gordon Johnson, an attorney on behalf of the Chernach family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the largest youth football league in the country: Pop Warner. Filed in Wisconsin, the suit also names Chernach's mother, Debra Pyka, as a plaintiff.
Johnson has practiced brain injury law since the early 90s, long before the issue of concussions and brain damage in football reached the mainstream cultural consciousness.
The lawsuit alleges that Pop Warner is at fault due to its "ultrahazardous" nature, which Johnson supports with research on the effects of youth football. The lawsuit says:
No later than 1997, it was a known risk that children playing tackle football with helmets could suffer brain damage and other injuries. In 1997, Pop Warner knew or should have known that tackle football was dangerous for children and exposed children to head injuries, including Dementia Pugilistica.
The suit also claims that Pop Warner is responsible for Chernach's death because they have acted in ways that are negligent of the safety of children. Johnson points to poorly trained coaches and inferior equipment as examples of this.
The lawsuit claims that because Pop Warner failed to alert families to the dangers of youth tackle football and consistently does not take steps to protect its players, the Chernach's family is entitled to $5 million in damages.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Gordon Johnson said he believes children should not be exposed to the dangers of youth football, but if parents do choose to allow their children to play the game, there should be greater care taken to protect the most vulnerable amongst us.
In December, Debra Pyka and her surviving children spoke extensively with BuzzFeed News about the events leading up to and after Joseph's suicide.
Read the lawsuit here:
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Chipper Jones Is Sorry For Tweeting The Sandy Hook Massacre Was A Hoax
Uhhh…
Jones' tweet soon drew outrage from many users, including accounts belonging to relatives of the victims.
The 2012 massacre at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School killed 26 people, including 20 children.
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President Obama Leads Tributes To Late U.N.C. Coach Dean Smith
The former basketball coach for the University of North Carolina has died aged 83.
Coach Dean Smith in 1997.
Getty Images/Doug Pensinger
Dean Smith, the man who coached the University of North Carolina's men's basketball team from 1961 to 1997, died late Saturday at the age of 83 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, his family said.
Smith, who steered the U.N.C. Tar Heels to national championships in 1982 and 1993, also coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in the Montreal 1976 Olympics.
"Coach Dean Smith passed away peacefully the evening of February 7 at his home in Chapel Hill, and surrounded by his wife and five children," the Smith family told U.N.C. in a statement. "We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as arrangements are made available to the public. Thank you."
Smith retired after 36 seasons at the university as the most successful coach in college basketball history.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Last night, America lost not just a coaching legend but a gentleman and a citizen. When he retired, Dean Smith had won more games than any other college basketball coach in history. He went to 11 Final Fours, won two national titles, and reared a generation of players who went on to even better things elsewhere, including a young man named Michael Jordan—and all of us from Chicago are thankful for that.
But more importantly, Coach Smith showed us something that I've seen again and again on the court – that basketball can tell us a lot more about who you are than a jumpshot alone ever could. He graduated more than 96 percent of his players and taught his teams to point to the teammate who passed them the ball after a basket. He pushed forward the Civil Rights movement, recruiting the first black scholarship athlete to North Carolina and helping to integrate a restaurant and a neighborhood in Chapel Hill. And in his final years, Coach Smith showed us how to fight an illness with courage and dignity. For all of that, I couldn't have been prouder to honor Coach Smith with Medal of Freedom in 2013.
Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to his wife Linnea, to his family, and to his fans all across North Carolina and the country.
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Team USA's Michael Bradley Scored A Ridiculously Outstanding Goal Against Panama
‘Merica.
During the first half of Team USA's friendly match against Panama, Michael Bradley scored this absolutely beauty directly from a corner kick.
An aerial view of the goal shows just how insane of a bend Bradley put on the ball to bury it in the side-netting.
Here's the full play, from start to finish.
U.S. Soccer / youtube.com
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The Most Epic NBA Dunk Contest Photos Ever Taken
With the 2015 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest on the horizon, here is a look back at the most memorable photos and videos from the competition over the years.
Reuters / USA Today Sports
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
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Domestic Violence Charges Dropped Against NFL Player
The case against Carolina Panther Greg Hardy, who was charged with throwing his former girlfriend onto a couch covered with guns, has been dismissed.
Prosecutors have dropped the case against Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer reports.
Grant Halverson / Getty Images
In July, a North Carolina judge found Greg Hardy guilty of assaulting and threatening his former girlfriend. The victim, Nicole Holder, said that Hardy threatened to kill her and threw her onto a couch covered in guns.
Under North Carolina law, Hardy had the right to appeal immediately and be tried in front of a jury. That trial was set to begin today.
The district attorney said the charges were dropped because Holder "made herself completely unavailable," Jones reported. The DA said they made multiple attempts to produce the allege victim in court, but had no luck finding her at her last-known employer and home address.
Under the NFL's new personal conduct policy, Hardy remains on the commissioner's exempt list—a kind of limbo between suspension and not. He receives his salary in full, but is not allowed to play for the team. Though Hardy's criminal charges have been dismissed, the NFL can still punish him under their new policy.
"His status remains unchanged until we fully review the matter," the NFL said in a prepared statement.
Last year, Commissioner Goodell promised to take a tougher stance on domestic violence incidents around the league, and the new minimum suspension is six games for a first offense. However, Hardy was both convicted by a judge and dismissed in front of a jury, so the NFL could grant itself some flexibility.
Hardy is likely to become a free agent this offseason, so executives of potential teams are likely to be closely watching the NFL's course of action.
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This Week's Episode Of "Friday Night Tykes" Shows A 10-Year-Old Experiencing A Concussion
The Esquire Network show presents a disturbing reality about the nature of youth football.
Sedrick "Juju" Thomas
On the most recent episode of Friday Night Tykes, Esquire Network's reality series about the highly competitive Texas Youth Football Association, then-10-year-old Sedrick "Juju" Thomas took a hard hit while returning an onside kick and was immediately pulled out of the game. It was the first time on the second season of the network's breakout success that viewers saw a child experience a concussion, opening up a larger conversation about the dangers of youth contact sports.
The Esquire Network has built a roster of bachelor-centric programming about sports, bars, and "fascinating and captivating" women, but Friday Night Tykes is its biggest hit and has caught the attention of parents, a not insignificant number of whom are fiercely critical of the program. As discourse about the dangers of playing football at any age reaches the mainstream consciousness — a recent study, for example, showed a correlation between tackle football and impaired brain development— critics of Friday Night Tykes worry the program further glorifies the game. But producer Matt Maranz told BuzzFeed News via phone that the documentary-style show aims to be objective, and present viewers with the realities of the good, and the bad.
According Maranz, it was "never a question" as to whether Esquire Network would or wouldn't show Juju's injury on the series. He understands that watching a young boy be taken off the field with a dazed look in his eyes is "heartbreaking," adding that, as a parent, he knows that nobody wants to see a child get hurt. But he maintains the necessity of representing youth football as it exists, which included a Season 1 incident that led the coach and assistant coach for the San Antonio Colts to be suspended in the wake of footage of airing that featured them instilling negative dangerous habits in their players, who were nine years old at the time (Coach Marecus Goodloe encouraged swearing from his young players, and assistant coach Tony Coley instructed them to make violent head-to-head contact with opposing players). Maranz told BuzzFeed News the coaches were suspended as a direct result of their misguided techniques being featured on the series.
Esquire Network
Friday Night Tykes presents a disturbing reality about the nature of youth football, which includes the lack of properly trained coaches and the physical dangers of the sport. Juju's concussive hit aired at the end of the most recent episode of Friday Night Tykes, leaving viewers with a bit of a cliffhanger about the well-being of the then-10-year-old boy. But Juju's mother, Brittney Harris, told BuzzFeed News he is excited to be playing again.
Juju, now 11, began playing flag football at the age of six, but when Harris and her ex-husband realized his passion for the sport, they decided to find him a team that had a competitive edge. They chose the San Antonio Outlaws, knowing that Juju would have to work hard for his spot on the roster. During his first practice, when he was seven, he jumped right into tackling. "He just went for it," Harris said. "I watched him just take out a kid like it was nothing." Harris knew her son could tear a ligament or sprain an ankle playing the game, but in her mind, those possibilities were overridden by the benefits Juju could experience from being in a structured environment, like building character and keeping him out of trouble in his teenage years. Still, she felt and continues to feel conflicted about letting her ambitious son pursue his lifelong dream, and offering guidance and protection as his mother.
"Participation in youth team sports is highly beneficial in developing social skills, confidence, feelings of mastery, instilling a sense of hard work, teamwork, and other benefits. In no way do we want to get rid of this positive side," Doctor Robert Stern, who leads research at Boston University on the neurological effects of football and other highly physical sports, told BuzzFeed News via phone. "We just aim to make it safer for players. Does it make sense to expose children to repetitive hits to the head during cognitive development? The logical answer is no, but we are still in preliminary stages of research and understanding of football's true effects on the mind."
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Aaron Hernandez's Fiancée Granted Immunity And Could Testify Against Him
The development marks a major turning point in his first-degree murder trial.
Pool / Reuters
Shayanna Jenkins, Aaron Hernandez's fiancée, has been granted immunity to testify against him.
Prosecutors will rely heavily on Jenkins' testimony to make their case against the former New England Patriots star. Prosecutors so far have been trying to convince the jury that he is connected to the murder without presenting evidence of a solid motive or the Glock .45 used to murder Odin Lloyd.
Jenkins, who was previously indicted on a perjury charge, has long been alleged to have disposed of the murder weapon, and court documents show a text message from Hernandez to Jenkins that prosecutors say was a coded message to dispose of a gun:
Go in back of the screen in movie room when u get home an there is the box avielle likes to play with in the tub jus in case u were looking for it!!!! Member how u ruined that big tv lmao WAS JUST THINKIN bout that lol wink wink love u TTYL ..... K
Last week, Jenkins' sister Shaneah, who was dating Odin Lloyd at the time of his murder, testified that she watched her sister carry a bulky black bag out of Hernandez's mansion the day she learned of Lloyd's murder.
The immunity deal was proposed weeks before the trial began, but it is unknown why Jenkins decided to take the deal now, three weeks into her fiancé's trial. Had she declined immunity, she would have taken the stand, but likely would have plead the fifth, with an understanding that prosecutors might not have a case against Hernandez, and eventually her, without her testimony.
On Friday, the jury was taken on a field trip to Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, where surveillance video showed him coming and going — returning with a gun in hand — the night of Odin Lloyd's murder.
Jenkins still resides in the home with their daughter, who was born on Hernandez's birthday in 2012.
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Tiger Woods Taking Indefinite Leave From Golf
Woods said that “the last two weeks have been very disappointing to me” and that he needs “a lot of work on my game.”
AP Lenny Ignelzi
In a statement on his website, Woods wrote that "the last two weeks have been very disappointing to me" and that he needs "a lot of work on my game."
As a result, he is taking time off.
In his statement, Woods adds that he will still be practicing next week and hopes to play the Honda Classic, a tournament that begins Feb. 28. However, he won't play "unless my game is tournament-ready."
"I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon," Woods adds in the statement.
Arguing that Woods had "reached a low point," the Boston Globe wrote Wednesday that he has been so bad of late that it "brought audible gasps from those watching and sympathy — sympathy! — from some of his fellow tour players."
On Tuesday, the Golf Channel speculated that Woods' "fall" could be due to his "quest for perfection." And earlier this year, The New York Times wrote about watching Woods' "launch wildly errant drives" during the "worst round of his career."
Woods was once golf's top player, but has suffered a string of injuries, as well as scandals in recent years.
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Which Basketball Wasn't Photoshopped?
This quiz really has some balls.
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