Free-agent offensive tackle Duane Brown was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday for allegedly possessing a concealed weapon.

Brown, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, posted $10,000 bond and was released from custody at 11:32 pm PT, according to an online record.

He is due back at LAX Superior Court on Aug. 3 for a hearing on the charge, which is a misdemeanor.

TMZ reported that the gun, which wasn’t loaded, was found in Brown’s luggage by airport security. He was arrested at 3:08 pm PT.

Brown, 36, started all 17 games for the Seattle Seahawks last season, his fifth with the franchise, and became a free agent this offseason. He was added to last season’s Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for the San Francisco 49ers’ Trent Williams.

Though Brown has dealt with knee issues and has had his practice workload heavily managed, he hasn’t missed a game in either of the past two seasons. He ranks seventh among offensive tackles in pass block win rate since 2018 (91.8%).

Brown was selected in the first round (26th overall) of the 2008 draft by the Houston Texans, who traded him to Seattle in 2017

ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

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The negative leaks about Baker Mayfield from the Browns began even before the quarterback was traded — and now they’ve continued.

In March, before the Browns had consummated their deal with the Texans to bring in Deshaun Watson, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that the team wanted an “adult” at quarterback, the implication being that Mayfield was not one.

In a postmortem of Mayfield’s Browns era, Jason Lloyd, a Cleveland-based writer for The Athletic, wrote that this leak “was an awful look” for the Browns, considering they were acquiring Watson amide heavy baggage over accusations of sexual assault from two dozen Houston-area massage therapists.

But, Lloyd noted, the characterization of Mayfield in Mortensen’s report “isn’t entirely untrue.”

“Mayfield was widely viewed as childish and immature,” Lloyd wrote. “His behavior annoyed teammates and divided the locker room. He was often difficult to coach.”

It has been widely documented that Mayfield had relationships deteriorate in Cleveland.

A prominent example came when Odell Beckham Jr.’s father distributed a video showing his last being open but not getting the ball from Mayfield in what was a clear shot at the quarterback.

The Athletic column was careful to note that the Browns organization deserves some of the blame that Mayfield did not make it to a second contract with the team that drafted him first overall in 2018 and was beset with a revolving door of the offensive coaching staff. Last season, there was a breakdown in the trust between Mayfield and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, the story said.

A year ago it would have been difficult to see this coming.

While the Browns did not break the bank to give Mayfield a longterm extension and it was always possible there would be a divorce, they’d come off an 11-5 season in which they defeated the rival Steelers in the first round of the NFL playoffs . Mayfield played through a shoulder injury (which affected him but also was not the be-all-end-all of his performance struggles, according to Lloyd) for much of last year. The Browns went 8-9 — and 6-8 in the games he started — and missed the postseason.

Ultimately, the quarterback was traded to the Carolina Panthers in a deal in which the Browns had to take on about half the money remaining on his contract for next season. Cleveland also got a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024.

Mayfield, meanwhile, will compete with Sam Darnold in an attempt to reclaim the promise of his career.

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When I think of potential 2023 Super Bowl winners, I think of the Bills, the Bucs, the Chargers, the Bengals, and maybe even the Denver Broncos — the AFC West is stacked — depending on how risky I’m feeling. Perhaps that’s why, according to OddsChecker US, they make up four of the five teams receiving the most bets, over the last 60 days, to win the Super Bowl next year. Any guesses who the last team might be?

It’s gotta be a team with Super Bowl aspirations, right? Maybe a team with low odds but a big payout like the Raiders or Eagles? Not even close.

It’s the New York Jets.

Per OddsChecker spokesperson Kyle Newman, over the last 60 days, only the Bills (11.3 percent of bets) have received more action than the Jets (5.3 percent). The Buccaneers are close with another 5.3 percent, but rank just slightly under the Jets in that category.

So… why?

It has to be the Bengals, right? It always is. Bettors saw Cincinnati climb out of the AFC North basement to reach the Super Bowl and are looking for a similar experience to happen this year. The Jets have a second-year quarterback, a head coach who comes from a system in the NFC West, and just drafted a wide receiver in the top-10 of the most recent draft. It can’t be a coincidence. Bettors are seeing history flash right before their eyes. I mean, just think about all the times in recent memory a team with very few wins came back the very next year to reach the Super Bowl. The Bengals last year, the 2019 49ers…the 2001 Patriots? Okay. It hasn’t happened that much recently, but it happened last year and that’s all that matters.

The Jets (4-13 last season) are currently being given +15000 odds to win the Super Bowl, or a 0.5 percent chance — the third-lowest of any team in the NFL. Only the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons have worse odds. That being said, the Bengals were also given +15000 odds to win the Super Bowl last year and look what they did. They had sportsbooks shaking in their boots hoping they wouldn’t have to pay out all those “Who Dey?” bettors from the start of the season. So, what do I or anybody else know? Nothing.

If you want to bet on the goddamn jets, go for it. I’m not going to try to stop you from going all gung-ho on your favorite team. But let’s be clear, what the Bengals did last season was nothing short of spectacular, and expecting another team to replicate that success is probably not going to work out in the long run. Probably.

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The Raiders have hired Las Vegas attorney Sandra Douglass Morgan as their new team president, becoming the first-ever Black woman to hold a team president title for an NFL franchise.

Morgan’s a Las Vegas native who comes to the Raiders after previously serving as chairwoman and executive director of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. She has also served as the director of external affairs for AT&T Services, Inc. in southern Nevada and as a litigation attorney for an international gaming and hospitality company.

“I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “Her experience, integrity and passion for this community will be invaluable to our organization. From the moment I met Sandra, I knew she was a force to be reckoned with. We are extremely lucky to have her at the helm.”

Morgan, who was the first person of color to chair the Nevada Gaming Control Board, is the third woman and third African-American to become president of an NFL team.

She is also the latest Raiders hire to break barriers. Former Raiders coach Tom Flores was the first Hispanic head coach to win a Super Bowl title and former coach Art Shell was the first Black head coach of the NFL’s Super Bowl era.

Morgan, who spent eight years with the city of North Las Vegas, was also the first Black city attorney in the state of Nevada when she served in that role from 2013 to 2016.

“I definitely never want to be the last,” Morgan said, “and I want to get to a point where there is no more firsts.”

Morgan emphasized leadership and full transparency during her introductory press conference at Allegiant Stadium.

“We have so much more to do, and I’m excited to be at the helm of that growth and look forward to ushering in the new chapter for the Raiders,” said Morgan. “The fact is I have accepted this role because I believe in the promise of the Raiders, I believe in the future of the Raiders, and I believe in this organization’s tenets of community, integrity, and most of all, commitment to excellence.”

She takes over a team that has endured tumultuous times in its front office, with two presidents and several longtime executives leaving the organization in less than a year.

After Marc Badain resigned as president last summer, Dan Ventrelle took over in July 2021 on an interim basis and was promoted to the full-time role in January.

But Ventrelle was gone less than a year after joining the organization. In a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Ventrelle said he was fired in retaliation for bringing concerns from multiple employees to the NFL about a “hostile work environment.”

“It’s no secret that this organization has faced some recent challenges, but I want to be clear, I am not here to sweep anything under the rug or avoid problems or concerns that need to be addressed,” said Morgan. “It is not lost on me that this is a critical and defining moment in the NFL. It’s important to me and it is my intention to make a meaningful contribution well beyond the Raiders family.”

Star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who attended Morgan’s introduction, said Raiders players are excited to start a new chapter.

“It’s incredible,” Crosby said. “First off, just breaking barriers and Mark has done an incredible job and it started with his father. You know, just being transparent and giving everyone an equal opportunity. She’s honestly the best for the job and it’s going to be awesome, we’re excited for the future.”

Coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler welcomed Morgan in a prepared statement.

“We congratulate Sandra Douglass Morgan on her historic hiring as team president and are excited to welcome her into the Raiders family. Sandra brings impressive leadership experience to the organization and we are thrilled to work with her as we continue to build a championship-caliber culture and team,” the statement said.

Morgan’s husband, Don, played with the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals between 1999 and 2002

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Justin Houston and the Baltimore Ravens have reached an agreement on a one-year deal for the four-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker to return to the team, it was announced Thursday.

The Ravens tendered Houston after the draft — much as the Kansas City Chiefs did with Melvin Ingram — to try to ensure his return to Baltimore.

In his first season with the Ravens, Houston led the team with 17 quarterback hits but was credited with only 4.5 sacks, his fewest ever for a full season and the second consecutive season in which his sack production has decreased.

Houston, who turned 33 in January, became the 39th player in NFL history to reach 100 career sacks. His 102 sacks is tied for the fourth most in the league since he entered the NFL in 2011.

His return helps to address the thinnest position on the Ravens defense.

There’s uncertainty whether starting outside linebacker Tyus Bowser, who tore an Achilles in the season finale, will be ready for the start of the regular season. Outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson died on June 21 from the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine.

Before the Ravens brought back Houston, the other remaining experienced outside linebackers — Odafe Oweh, Steven Means and Vince Biegel — have combined for 13.5 career sacks.

Houston has made an impact in Baltimore as a leader, repeatedly staying after practice to help the Ravens’ young pass-rushers on moves. He was nicknamed “Yoda” by Oweh, a rookie first-round pick.

A 2011 third-round pick by the Chiefs, Houston has totaled 484 tackles, 165 quarterback hits, 18 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries and 4 interceptions in 11 seasons for the Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts and Ravens.

ESPN’s Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.

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We all love best-of lists, but what if people around the NFL created their own? To preview the 2022 NFL season, we surveyed more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top 10 players at 11 different positions, from edge rusher to interior offensive lineman. This is the third edition of these rankings, and there are several players who moved up or dropped from last year’s lists. Thursday, we focus on the linebackers.

Here’s how our process worked: Voters gave us their best 10 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average, hundreds of interviews, research and film-study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen. In total, more than 50 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. We had several ties, so we broke them with the help of additional voting and follow-up calls with our rankers. Each section is packed with quotes and nuggets from the voters on every guy — even the honorable mentions.

The objective is to identify the best players right now for 2022. This is not a five-year projection or an achievement award. Who are the best players today? Pretty simple.

We’ll roll out a position per day over 11 days. Here’s the schedule: edge rushers (July 5), defensive tackles (July 6), off-ball linebackers (July 7), cornerbacks (July 8), safeties (July 9), interior offensive linemen (July 10), quarterbacks (July) 11), running backs (July 12), wide receivers (July 13), tight ends (July 14) and offensive tackles (July 15).

Racking up tackles doesn’t get a linebacker high on this list. What matters most to league execs, coaches, scouts and players when evaluating the NFL’s top linebackers is how they affect game plans — and how often they create turnovers.

Splash plays are paramount at the “stack” or off-ball linebacker position. That helps explain the top two in the voting: One is imperfect but elite at getting the ball back to his offense, the other is so good at sacking quarterbacks he might not even be an off-the-ball linebacker a year from now.

The position is lacking in undeniable stars. The depth of playmaking is strong, however, with more than 20 players garnering at least one vote. Plus, several 30-year-olds are still playing at a high level. Let’s look at some of the game’s top linebackers as ranked by execs, coaches, scouts and players around the NFL.

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Attention Green Bay Packers fans, astrologers and tattoo aficionados the world over: Aaron Rodgers has gotten some new ink.

The four-time NFL MVP revealed his new design on his Instagram account on Wednesday. The tattoo, by Hungarian artist Balazs Bercsenyi, is exceptionally detailed and full of different astrological designs.

“There’s a deep and meaningful story and connection to absolutely each element of this art piece, and I’ll share a little more about that one day,” Rodgers said in his Instagram caption.

From what we can see of the design, several elements appear to relate to astrological symbols. At the top, there’s the Sagittarius zodiac sign (Rodgers himself is a Sagittarius, having been born on Dec. 2, 1983) and two lions that could call to mind the sign of Leo. A single open eye adds an aura of mystery to the whole thing, among several constellations. The signs of Aquarius and Scorpio are also present.

This season will be Rodgers’ 18th in the NFL, all of them spent with the Pack. He has only gotten better with age, as he is coming off back-to-back MVPs in his age 37 and 38 seasons.

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]]> https://harchi90.com/aaron-rodgers-shows-off-his-mysterious-new-arm-tattoo/feed/ 0 6630 https://harchi90.com/dt-eddie-goldman-latest-ex-chicago-bears-player-to-sign-with-atlanta-falcons/ https://harchi90.com/dt-eddie-goldman-latest-ex-chicago-bears-player-to-sign-with-atlanta-falcons/#respond Wed, 06 Jul 2022 23:23:39 +0000 https://harchi90.com/dt-eddie-goldman-latest-ex-chicago-bears-player-to-sign-with-atlanta-falcons/ Another former Chicago Bears player is headed to the Atlanta Falcons. Defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, who was released by the Bears in March, signed a one-year contract with the Falcons on Wednesday. Atlanta released safety Brad Hawkins in a corresponding move. Goldman becomes the sixth former Bears player to sign with the Falcons this offseason, …

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Another former Chicago Bears player is headed to the Atlanta Falcons.

Defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, who was released by the Bears in March, signed a one-year contract with the Falcons on Wednesday. Atlanta released safety Brad Hawkins in a corresponding move.

Goldman becomes the sixth former Bears player to sign with the Falcons this offseason, joining running back Damien Williams, wide receiver Damiere Byrd, offensive linemen Germain Ifedi and Elijah Wilkinson and defensive back Teez Tabor.

Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who was fired by Chicago after last season, is now a senior personnel executive with the Falcons.

Goldman joins a defensive line depth chart in Atlanta that is led by two-time Pro Bowl selection Grady Jarrett and also includes defensive tackles Anthony Rush and Vincent Taylor. The Falcons play a base 3-4 defensive scheme.

Goldman, 28, had two years remaining on his contract when he was released in a move that saved the Bears $6.66 million in cap space.

Goldman was an important player in Chicago’s 3-4 scheme as a run-stopping nose tackle. He signed a four-year contract extension worth $42 million in 2018 and was selected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate a year later.

He opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns and missed the first three games with injury last season. Overall, he appeared in 14 games last season with 10 starts.

A second-round pick by the Bears in the 2015 draft, Goldman has 13 sacks and 175 tackles in 81 games.

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.

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]]> https://harchi90.com/dt-eddie-goldman-latest-ex-chicago-bears-player-to-sign-with-atlanta-falcons/feed/ 0 6550 https://harchi90.com/cleveland-browns-trade-baker-mayfield-to-carolina-panthers-for-conditional-draft-pick/ https://harchi90.com/cleveland-browns-trade-baker-mayfield-to-carolina-panthers-for-conditional-draft-pick/#respond Wed, 06 Jul 2022 18:26:46 +0000 https://harchi90.com/cleveland-browns-trade-baker-mayfield-to-carolina-panthers-for-conditional-draft-pick/ BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns have agreed to trade quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a conditional draft pick, a source confirmed to ESPN. The Panthers will pay $4.85 million of Mayfield’s salary while the Browns will pay $10.5 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Mayfield has agreed to …

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BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns have agreed to trade quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a conditional draft pick, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Panthers will pay $4.85 million of Mayfield’s salary while the Browns will pay $10.5 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Mayfield has agreed to forgo the remainder of his $18.8 million salary to facilitate the deal, which is pending a physical, the source said.

The Browns will receive either a fourth- or fifth-round pick in 2024, depending on Mayfield’s playing time in Carolina.

The news was first reported by NFL Network.

Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, joins a Panthers team that already has Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall selection in 2018, on its quarterback depth chart. The Panthers also selected Matt Corral in the third round of this year’s draft.

Now Mayfield and Darnold, who competed with each other to become the No. 1 pick in 2018, will compete again in training camp to vie for the right to be the Panthers’ starter this season.

The Mayfield trade comes on the heels of Cleveland’s blockbuster deal with the Houston Texans that landed quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Browns gave Watson a new five-year deal worth $230 million fully guaranteed, the richest deal in guaranteed money in NFL history by a full $80 million. Cleveland also surrendered three first-round picks in the deal, the first team to do so for a single player since the Minnesota Vikings traded three first-rounders to the Dallas Cowboys for running back Herschel Walker in 1989.

With Mayfield gone, the Browns now have starter Watson along with Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs at quarterback. Watson, however, might not be available to the Browns at all this season. He has been accused in civil lawsuits by 25 women of actions ranging from sexual assault to inappropriate behavior during massage sessions. His hearing before the NFL and NFL Players Association’s jointly appointed disciplinary officer, Sue L. Robinson, finished after three days last Thursday.

The NFL has been pushing for a suspension of at least a year, according to Graziano, who reported that both sides engaged in multiple attempts to reach a settlement while the hearing was still happening, but remain unable to agree. There is no timetable for Robinson’s decision.

If Watson is suspended, the Browns are expected to start Brissett at quarterback.

The Watson trade effectively ended the Mayfield era in Cleveland. The Browns selected the former Heisman Trophy winner No. 1 in 2018 and he made his debut in Week 3 that season off the bench and rally the Browns to their first victory in 635 days. He went on to finish second in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting while breaking the NFL rookie record with 27 touchdowns. That record was later broken in 2020 by the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, who finished with 31 touchdown passes.

Mayfield’s tenure overall, however, was marred by inconsistency, drama and a left shoulder injury that plagued him throughout the 2021 season.

And over his four years in Cleveland, Mayfield, according to multiple sources, had grown increasingly frustrated with a franchise that had made him the fourth quarterback in NFL history to play for four different head coaches in his first three seasons. Even after Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years during the 2020 season, the team declined to engage Mayfield’s camp about a potential contract extension once he became eligible for one, a signal to Mayfield he might not be in the team’s long -term plans.

Mayfield then left played a torn labrum to his non-throwing shoulder in Week 2. Instead of undergoing or undergoing-season surgery, Mayfield through the injury and struggled for much of the season. One season after finishing in the top 10 in QBR in 2020, he fell all the way to 27th in 2021, the largest QBR dropoff (-30.4) of any passer in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Still, over the last two months, both Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry repeatedly had publicly affirmed that Mayfield would remain their quarterback.

At the combine in February, Berry did tell Mayfield’s agent the Browns might pursue an elite-level quarterback, like Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers, according to a source familiar with the conversation. Mayfield’s camp was also aware that short list could eventually include Watson, even with 22 civil cases pending alleging inappropriate behavior and sexual assault during massage sessions.

On March 12, when a Texas grand jury declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson, the Browns made their move, securing a meeting with Watson in Houston.

Multiple sources told ESPN that Mayfield was angered that the Browns didn’t inform him directly that they would be meeting with Watson; instead, he found out about it over social media. Mayfield responded with a statement that night thanking the city of Cleveland and its fans “who truly embraced who I am,” while Browns officials were flying back from Houston.

The breaking point for Mayfield with the Browns, however, came the following day.

On March 16, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported a Browns source had told him that the team wanted to replace Mayfield with “an adult at that position.”

Mayfield requested a trade the next day. The Browns initially told him they were “not accommodating his request.” But after Cleveland landed Watson, that made Mayfield expendable.

As a result, Mayfield becomes just the third quarterback in NFL history to go No. 1 overall in the draft and last four or fewer seasons with the team that drafted him, according to ESPN Stats & Information, joining JaMarcus Russell (Raiders) and Jeff George (Colts).

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]]> https://harchi90.com/cleveland-browns-trade-baker-mayfield-to-carolina-panthers-for-conditional-draft-pick/feed/ 0 6327 https://harchi90.com/ron-rivera-says-terry-mclaurins-extension-impacts-entire-washington-commanders-organization/ https://harchi90.com/ron-rivera-says-terry-mclaurins-extension-impacts-entire-washington-commanders-organization/#respond Wed, 06 Jul 2022 17:42:41 +0000 https://harchi90.com/ron-rivera-says-terry-mclaurins-extension-impacts-entire-washington-commanders-organization/ ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera viewed receiver Terry McLaurin as more than just a receiver who needed to be extended. He was a key player for an organization trying to rebuild its image amid a congressional investigation. “He’s an organizational signing,” Rivera said. “It impacts not just the football side but the …

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ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera viewed receiver Terry McLaurin as more than just a receiver who needed to be extended. He was a key player for an organization trying to rebuild its image amid a congressional investigation.

“He’s an organizational signing,” Rivera said. “It impacts not just the football side but the business side. It tells people we want to retain young men of this stature; we want young men of this magnitude out there representing our organization.”

Congress has been investigating Washington owner Dan Snyder since October. It held a hearing on June 22, and Snyder declined to attend or to testify via video call. The House Oversight Committee’s Democratic leadership continues to negotiate with Snyder’s attorneys to get him to testify about Washington’s workplace culture.

The drumbeat of the congressional story has drowned out other organizational on-field news. When McLaurin skipped the on-field voluntary OTA work and then the mandatory three-day minicamp, fans feared more bad news was headed their way. McLaurin worked his way from a third-round pick in 2019 – expected to be a key special teams player and backup receiver – to a guy with two 1,000-yard seasons in his first three.

Rivera stressed to McLaurin his importance to the organization in a phone call during minicamp — when McLaurin was training in Florida.

“He emphasized the priority from ownership on down was to get the deal done,” McLaurin said.

By the time Washington left minicamp June 16, there was optimism McLaurin would soon be extended. He agreed to his three-year contract worth up to $71 million — with a $28 million signing bonus — last week and signed it Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Rivera centered the McLaurin signing around how he said the organization has changed in the past two years, getting rid of others in key spots who have been accused of sexual harassment.

“As I ask, please don’t judge us from, ‘This happened at this point in time,'” Rivera said. “We’re going forward. We’re changing things. We’re trying to do the best we can. I know some people don’t think it matters, but it does matter. It shows you can change, you can adapt, you can make things better. You can correct your mistakes, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re correcting our mistakes; we’re getting a lot of support.”

McLaurin blossomed in Washington despite having played with eight different starting quarterbacks. After finishing with 919 receiving yards as a rookie, he topped 1,000 yards each of the next two seasons.

In the past two seasons combined, McLaurin ranks 11th in the NFL with 2,171 receiving yards and 12th with 164 receptions.

That’s also why he was a must have for Rivera as he juggles on-field planning with off-field news.

“We’re doing the best we can putting the best players in position so we can build something we can all be proud of,” Rivera said. “I get a little upset about it because I get it, it’s a news item. What we do on the field is important; that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re not trying to say what happened isn’t important because it is. It’s something we need to make sure societally going forward we don’t let those things happen again so we’re doing everything we can to make sure we are better.”

McLaurin said he and other team leaders have tried to look forward.

“We trust Coach Rivera’s vision and how he leads us,” McLaurin said. “He does a great job handling it and taking all the pressure on from outside voices. … We represent the organization the best way we can on and off the field. We take that seriously. It comes with work and, honestly, transparency and working hard as a collective group and building unity. Coach Rivera allows us to focus on the field. We understand what’s going on outside; we want to focus on where we’re heading.”

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