During a recent podcast, a former NFL player commented that he remembers a teammate showing up drunk for a game. You would expect the rest of the story to mention that said player would have had a terrible day, but that’s not what happened!

Jon Kitna, a former QB for the Bengals, recently appeared on the Ryen Russillo Podcast and chatted up old times. During the interview, Kitna talked about an unnamed player showing up late before the game and then going on to have a pretty good day!

“There was a time that I played a game with a guy that was drunk in the huddle. There was a time that a guy showed up late to a game. In the NFL, you need to be there two hours, two hours, and 15 minutes ahead of time. And he showed up under an hour before the game’s start. Those are weird things, now. That’s tough. I’m not sure if the staff knew. But I think the guy was like — that was kind of his normal. I mean he was drunk and had close to 200 yards receiving now. So it was crazy.”

Kitna played with the Bengals from 2001-2005 so there’s a good chance a bunch of internet detectives is already crunching game stats during that period looking for players that had near 200 yard days.

If you thought drinking before a game was unheard of, guess again!

Several NFL players have admitted to drinking before games. Clinton Portis, former back for the Washington and Denver Clinton Portis, said that he and some other teammates would regularly have a quick swallow “of Hennessy” before the start of a game.

The admission came during an interview with the Washington Post in 2017. Portis stated that he, Santana Moss, and the late Sean Taylor would boost their “adrenaline” before games.

“Not like going out and getting sloppy wasted. Just adrenaline,” Portis said in the interview. “You know, you take a shot and you were done with it. Me, Santana, and Sean, we did this for a year and a half before anybody knew. We never told anybody. It was just, hey, here’s a little sip, bam, that was it.”

It just stands to reason that Babe Ruth couldn’t be the only professional sports figure in history that would have a swallow, or several, before hitting the field.

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Then the reformed XFL started to play with good results before the start of the 2020 COVID pandemic. The resulting shutdown caused the league to close soon after their season started. Now it’s time for the latest league named Fan Controlled Football which is beginning to get some exposure as the season progresses.

So… what the heck is Fan Controlled Football?

Fan Controlled Football is an indoor football league with roots dating back to 2008 when comedian Steve Hofstetter floated a satirical business concept of a fan-controlled baseball team. The idea went through several generations and eventually moved from satire to a working business model.

According to the official site, FCF.io, this incarnation started in 2015 when the group purchased an indoor team in Salt Lake City and applied the fan control idea to the team. Fans helped pick the name – Screaming Eagles – as well as the uniforms and other aspects of running a team. That included everything from coaching hires to recruiting players and “what beer we had on tap” during games.

It also created a chance to test out how fans could sit at home, or from anywhere, and watch games on devices while interacting with their team. Now, the term “armchair quarterback” may be real.

The FCF is a four-team league that is playing a short season in a bubble environment outside of Atlanta in Duluth, Georgia. Games are 7 on 7 and played on a 50-yard field with no goalposts inside Infinite Energy Arena. Games are televised live on Twitch and VENN.

What Makes FCF Different

Will the FCF survive or will it hit the same fate as other leagues in the past? Going up against the NFL is a tough thing to do. That’s why the FCF may stick around for more than one season – they are not trying to be another version of the NFL.

COSTS: First, payroll is not as expensive as a normal football team as there are not as many players. There are no kickers and no special teams. Players make somewhere around $750 bucks a week plus room and board.

TIME: games are shorter averaging about an hour which is perfectly geared towards a modern society with changing TV viewing patterns.

SEASON: Other leagues have tried to mimic the NFL with full schedules of sixteen games, playoff games, and a Championship. The FCF has a short season and a Championship game. Granted, if there are more seasons to follow that schedule will probably increase. This year the format is being tested – expect rule and other modifications – something the NFL is not good at doing in a timely matter.

FANS: The biggest difference between the NFL and the FCF is the role that fans play in the league. With the NFL, and leagues that have tried to compete with them using the NFL format, the idea is to have fans as spectators and consumers. That may be the same for the FCF but the fans can now take an active role in how the game is played while the game is in progress!

It looks like the FCF will complete its inaugural season of four games with two post-season games. That’s something both the Alliance of American Football and the XFL failed to do. Hopefully, an expanded version will kick off in 2022… wait… scratch that. As mentioned above – there are no kickoffs.

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If you can’t get in front of a television at game time this evening, you may be one of many people searching for how to watch the Super Bowl online. Thankfully it’s not hard.

Watch Super Bowl LV online video stream from CBS

Pre-game coverage of today’s big game between Tampa Bay and Kansas City on CBS and on the NFL network is already several hours underway.

CBS will air Super Bowl LV beginning with the kick-off show at 6pm eastern time. The game itself will begin at 6:30.

When the Buccaneers and Chief take a break at half time, The Weekend will take center stage for the Super Bowl LV Half-Time Show. Pepsi, the primary sponsor of the half-time show has been promoting The Weekend and the upcoming show via commercials for weeks now.

And of course, peppered throughout the game during breaks, millions will be watching for what will later be rated as the best Super Bowl commercials.

The CBS sports app and the CBS All Access apps should provide the needed tech to allow you to watch the Super Bowl online.

The live video streaming apps are free to download and are available for iOS, Android and other mobile device platforms.

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Now the XFL is coming back for a third time in 2022 thanks to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners who acquired it for a cool fifteen million.

Johnson tweeted about it, a video was released, the current XFL president released a statement, and one city has confirmed talks for a return!

Watch the official XFL Returns 2022 video below:

Johnson’s tweet talked about hard work – which will certainly be needed to bring the XFL back.

“It’s an uphill battle,” Johnson tweeted, “but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us.”

Aside from the PR tweet by Johnson and the video, there was actual news confirmed by one of the former XFL host cities that work was underway – even if it was on a very basic level.

The St. Louis Dispatch confirmed that the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC) was in talks with the XFL. The CVC manages the Dome at America’s Center where the St. Louis Battlehawks played their home games.

CVC president Kitty Ratcliffe told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they had been in contact with the XFL about the return of the St. Louis XFL Battlehawks.

“We talked with them a couple of weeks ago,” Ratcliffe told the Post-Dispatch according to their reporting. “And they just reached out today to schedule another call. What they were doing with their (first) call is they were contacting each one of the previous venues just to let them know that the new ownership intends to restart in 2022.”

St. Louis averaged 28,000 fans per game, and led the league in merchandise sales, making them the most popular of XFL fanbases. St Louis was the former home of both the Cardinals and the Rams.

The Pandemic shuttered sports around the globe including the XFL. The league folded after roughly two-months of play consisting of five games for each of the ten XFL teams; St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Washington, D.C.

XFL president Jeffrey Pollack released an announcement indicating that they want to take the rest of 2020 and 2021 to ensure that everything is in place for a return that includes a solid business plan and plans for playing safely with COVID-19 including possible “bubble” play and hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022. The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back. We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners, and fans.”

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Fortunately for Prescott, many are now saying the injury should not be career ending.

Seeing Dak Prescott’s ankle dislocation in the video brought back memories of a similarly gruesome leg injury in the NFL decades ago. That was when quarterback Joe Theisman’s leg was broken by Lawrence Taylor. Theisman never played again.

But there is a key difference between Prescott’s injury and Theisman’s.

We have both the Theisman video and the Prescott video below for comparison.

For Joe Theisman, there was a clean break of the leg just above the ankle. Instead, Dak Prescott’s injury is actually an ankle dislocation accompanied by a compound fracture.

Fortunately, for Dak, a number of athletes have come back after suffering similar injuries. These include athletes like Celtics forward Gordon Hayward, and NFL running back LeSean McCoy – to name just a few.

Prescott underwent surgery on his right ankle on Sunday night. While it’s way to early to tell how long his recovery will be, it is surely the end of this season for the NFL veteran quarterback.

It will undoubtedly be a long road of rehabilitation for Prescott, but most experts agree that Dak should be able to return to the NFL.

Financially, Dak is in great shape for the remainder of 2020. Because he was playing on the franchise tag, Prescott is guaranteed $31.4 million. Money he will still receive even after being placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

The post Dak Prescott Injury Video – Update on his return to play appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

Amid the concerns with COVID-19, the NCAA football season was in doubt for some time. Last week several college football teams had their season openers. Today, the SEC started its season.

While the number of fans allowed in stadiums is limited, the action on the field is as enjoyable as ever.

Earlier today, Ole Miss hosted the Florida Gators in the season opener. The game was close during the first half. Offense on both sides performed well.

But going into the second half, the Gators established a lead that would not be relinquished. Mississippi never gave up and kept themselves within about 2 scores until the end. But, in the end, Florida won the opener 51-35.

Underway now on the SEC Network, the Georgia Bulldogs are in Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. In this closely matched game, Arkansas currently leads in the 2^nd quarter 7-2.

Also in the second quarter, LSU is trailing Mississippi State 17-14. That game is currently airing on CBS.

Tonight on ESPN, the Crimson Tide of Alabama takes on the Missouri Tigers. Alabama is currently ranked number 2 going into play tonight. Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm.

The other two SEC football games will also air on the SEC network at 7:30pm. In these games, Tennessee goes up against South Carolina, and Vanderbilt faces Texas A&M.

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