By Matt Verderame Rose Namath packed a small green suitcase with tan stitching around its edges. She gave her son a kiss and five dollars. On that summer day in 1961, the woman who had raised five kids said goodbye to her youngest. She handed the suitcase to her son, walked up to Alabama assistant football coach Howard Schnellenberger and gave a three-word instruction. Take him, Coach. With that, Rose Namath thought she was sending her son to Tuscaloosa. Instead, she was releasing him to a nation that would come to see him as an icon in sports and society. Joe Namath is 82 years old now. He's had both knees and hips replaced, but only one shoulder. The left one has held out. He exercises four times a week, 20 minutes a day. Just enough to get the heart rate above normal. Nothing where he jams the joints. He mentions this more than a few times. Some days it's in the water, others it's a NordicTrack. But no jamming. Namath is a grandfather of six and a dad to two daughters. The older one, Jessica, lives in a South Florida home that shares a property line with his. The younger, Olivia, is temporarily staying with Namath along with her children. On this October afternoon, Namath has come to the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa to talk about his life. About what more than eight decades spinning around the sun has taught him. And about a game played in 1969 that changed the face of pro football. A game that helped turn the sport's pinnacle, the Super Bowl, into a uniquely American holiday. |
|
|
By Conor Orr With all the fury of a light spring shower that inspires the scent of a Yankee Candle, the NFL said it would "get the facts first" before making a determination as to whether Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, whose name appears within the millions of documents, audio files and videos related to the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein, would be subject to league discipline. Tisch's name comes up in the Epstein document release more than 400 times, with their correspondence primarily taking place years after Epstein pleaded guilty to the charge of procuring a child for prostitution. Of course, the tenor of Roger Goodell's yearly Super Bowl press conference rose to the expected level of delicate, handle-with-care pragmatism. But the larger issue at hand is how the NFL plans to "look at all the facts" when a global network of police and governing bodies can't seem to do an adequate job of the same task. Hobbyists on Reddit seem to be approaching the release of the files with more gusto than career law enforcement officials and prosecutors. Sitting politicians, businessmen, celebrities, musicians—the sheer volume of names connected to this individual makes adequately seeing all who are truly guilty of punishment (or, at the very least, a public reckoning with their life choices) feel like catching single snowflakes in a bomb cyclone. |
Steve Roberts/Imagn Images |
By Albert Breer The facts are the facts. The NFL had a record nine minority head coaches in 2024 (Mike Tomlin, Todd Bowles, DeMeco Ryans, Raheem Morris, Jerod Mayo and Antonio Pierce—plus Dave Canales (Hispanic), Robert Saleh (Lebanese) and Mike McDaniel (multiracial). That number dropped to seven in 2025. With the latest hiring cycle now complete, it's now at five. And as for the specific number of Black head coaches, the figure has dropped over that same period from seven to five to three (Buccaneers' Todd Bowles, Jets' Aaron Glenn and Texans' DeMeco Ryans. Over the past two cycles, only one of 17 hires was Black, and the league went 0-for-10 this year. This also happened to be the year that the NFL decided to stop doing the Accelerator Program, a networking/professional development program for minority coaches and personnel men. So what's next? Well, while canceling the Accelerator (they can call it a postponement, but let's refer to it for what it has effectively been) the year the bottom fell out on the league's diversity efforts is a bad look, I do think the league office has had good intentions. I don't think commissioner Roger Goodell or anyone else is part of some sinister plan to get this result. In fact, I think the notion of that is a little out there. But could the league be treading lightly on DEI topics, given the current administration's stance on them, and that the NFL needed approval from the Justice Department to push through the ESPN merger? There has been, at least, a lot of speculation on that. |
|
|
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images |
By Gilberto Manzano The Pro Bowl should thank the 11 Hall of Fame voters who didn't have Bill Belichick on their ballots because it took attention away from its own flawed process. Both setups for selection need work, but at least there's still plenty of weight in being called a Pro Football Hall of Famer. The same cannot be said for being called a Pro Bowler, with the NFL's biggest stars often passing on the game, forcing the league to dig deep for participants on an annual basis. With the all-star exhibition filled with alternates upon alternates, the meaning of what it is to be a Pro Bowler has been lost for quite some time now. "The Pro Bowl definitely has taken a hit," one AFC coach told me. "I don't know what it truly is, but it doesn't hold the same weight, I don't think. The honor of the actual award, maybe, but definitely not playing in the game or attending the event." Technically, Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is a Pro Bowler, but the football public is well aware that he's not truly a Pro Bowler by the standard of what that honor used to mean. Sanders, who had seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight games for a 5–12 squad, replaced Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, an MVP finalist, on the AFC roster because Maye is preparing to face the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. |
Steven Bisig/Imagn Images |
By Michael Fabiano The Super Bowl LX matchup is set, as Sam Darnold and the Seahawks will face Drake Maye and the Patriots. It's a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, when the Patriots beat the Seahawks 28–24. That's the game that ended on a Malcolm Butler interception and is remembered for Marshawn Lynch not getting the football down near the New England goal line (I bet Pete Carroll still has nightmares about it!) Obviously, we are down to the nitty-gritty in one-and-done fantasy postseason leagues. With only two teams left, there isn't much to choose from as fantasy starters. In fact, there's a good chance you'll be playing some less-than-attractive players this week! So, here's a look at my 2025 Super Bowl fantasy rankings. Enjoy! |
|
|
Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door |
|
|
We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email.
Sports Publishing Solutions Inc.
625 Broadway, 10th floor
New York, NY. 10012 You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the MMQB newsletter. You can unsubscribe here . Privacy Policy – Terms & Conditions © 2026 Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. All betting and gambling content included in the MMQB newsletter is intended for individuals 21+ (18+ in DC, KY, NH, RI, and WY). Betting and gambling content, including picks and predictions, are based on individual commentators' opinions and we do not guarantee any success or profits. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER or texting 800GAM. |
Click this link to view the newsletter in your browser. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment