Super Bowl Streamed Live in U.S. For First Time

NBC POSTSEASON EXTRA TO INCLUDE NBC’S WILD CARD SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER, 2012 PRO BOWL & SUPER BOWL XLVI STREAMED LIVE AT NBCSPORTS.COM & NFL.COM

NBC’S POSTSEASON GAMES ALSO AVAILABLE VIA NFL MOBILE ONLY FROM VERIZON

For the first time, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and NBC’s Wild Card Saturday doubleheader will be available to fans on television, online and on select mobile phones, the NFL announced today.  NBC’s postseason games will be broadcast on NBC as well as streamed live on NFL.com and NBCSports.com, and will be available on NFL Mobile only from Verizon.  This marks the first time postseason games will be available in the U.S. via live online streaming and via a mobile app.

The live NFL.com and NBCSports.com coverage will come from NBC’s TV coverage of the games.  Complementing that stream will be a number of extra features to enrich the viewing experience including additional camera angles, in-game highlights, live statistics and other interactive elements.

In addition, NFL Mobile only from Verizon will stream the broadcast of NBC’s Postseason games, for the first time using a mobile application.

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The tradition continues: NFL to remain on broadcast TV

CBS, FOX & NBC Sunday packages extended through 2022 season – longest-ever NFL agreements with over-air broadcast partners

 The National Football League has agreed to nine-year extensions of its Sunday broadcast television packages with CBS, FOX and NBC that will keep NFL games on free, over-the-air television, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced today. The nine-year terms are the longest for NFL television agreements with over-the-air broadcast partners, surpassing the eight-year deals signed with CBS, FOX and ABC from 1998-2005.

The new agreements run through the 2022 season. The NFL’s current television agreements expire following the 2013 season.

The agreements also enable the NFL to expand its Thursday night package of games on NFL Network beginning next year. The number of additional Thursday night games has not been determined.

The NFL is the only sports league that delivers all of its games – regular-season and playoffs – on free, over-the-air television. (ESPN’s Monday night and NFL Network’s Thursday night cable games are required by contract to be carried on over-the-air, broadcast stations in the cities of the participating teams, subject to local blackout rules).

CBS will televise the American Football Conference package of Sunday afternoon games that it acquired in 1998. CBS first began televising NFL games in 1956 and carried the NFC package from 1970 through 1993.

FOX will continue with the National Football Conference package of Sunday afternoon games that it acquired in 1994.

NBC will again carry the Sunday Night Football package of primetime games that it acquired in 2006. NBC will continue to televise the Thursday night NFL season Kickoff game to open each season and will add the annual Thanksgiving primetime game starting in 2012.

Flexible scheduling – which ensures quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots and gives teams a chance to play their way onto primetime on NBC and into the late-afternoon 4:15 PM ET time slot on CBS and FOX – remains a viewer-friendly element of the network broadcast agreements. It will be expanded in 2014, including the ability to move games between CBS and FOX to bring regional games to wider audiences. Further details on enhanced flexible scheduling will be developed with the networks.

CBS, FOX and NBC will each televise three Super Bowls during the term of the agreements, continuing the current rotation. NBC will carry Super Bowl XLIX (49) in Glendale, Arizona in 2015, Super Bowl LII (52) in 2018 and Super Bowl LV (55) in 2021. CBS will broadcast Super Bowl L (50) in 2016, Super Bowl LIII (53) in 2019 and Super Bowl LVI (56) in 2022. FOX will televise Super Bowl LI (51) in 2017, Super Bowl LIV (54) in 2020 and Super Bowl LVII (57) in 2023.

“These agreements underscore the NFL’s unique commitment to broadcast television that no other sport has,” Commissioner Goodell said.  “The agreements would not have been possible without our new 10-year labor agreement and the players deserve great credit.  Long-term labor peace is allowing the NFL to continue to grow and the biggest beneficiaries are the players and fans.”

Commissioner Goodell said NFL fans should expect ongoing innovation from the NFL and its TV partners.

“CBS, FOX and NBC have served NFL fans with the highest-quality television production,” Commissioner Goodell said. “The networks will continue their outstanding coverage of the NFL while also helping to deliver more football to more fans using the best and most current technology.”

Earlier this season, the NFL and ESPN reached an eight-year extension to keep Monday Night Football on ESPN through the 2021 season.

NFL games are 23 of the 25 most-watched programs among all television shows this fall and draw more than twice as many average viewers as broadcast primetime shows.

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Harrison Suspended for One Game for Fifth Illegal Hit Against a Quarterback in Three Seasons

JAMES HARRISON of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been suspended without pay for one game by NFL Executive Vice President RAY ANDERSON as a result of Harrison’s fifth illegal hit against a quarterback in the past three seasons, the NFL announced today.

Harrison was penalized for roughing the passer in last Thursday night’s Steelers-Browns game for an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit against a defenseless quarterback, Cleveland’s COLT MC COY. In addition to four fines for illegal hits against quarterbacks in 2009 and 2010, Harrison also was fined twice for unnecessary roughness during that period. Harrison totaled six fines in that two-year period.

The 2011 League Policies for Players manual states: “Players who were fined for violations in 2009 or 2010, and whose fines were either partially or fully upheld, will be considered second and/or repeat offenders under this policy.”

Harrison may not practice this week or be at the team practice facility or stadium for any other activities during the suspension. He will be reinstated on December 20. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the suspension may be appealed within three business days and an expedited hearing and decision would take place this week in advance of this weekend’s games. Appeals are heard and decided on a rotating basis by either Art Shell or Ted Cottrell, the officers jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.

Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 of the NFL Rule Book states: “It is a foul if a player initiates unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture. (a) Players in a defenseless posture are: (1) A player in the act of or just after throwing a pass.      

Rule 12, Section 2, Article 13 (8) and (3) is also applicable to the roughing the passer penalty called against Harrison.

When a passer is outside the pocket area, as McCoy was, he is still afforded the protection of Article 13 (3), which prohibits defensive players from using their helmet against a passer who is in a defenseless posture, including by “forcibly hitting the passer’s head or neck area with the helmet or facemask, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the passer by encircling or grasping him”.

The applicable rules:

PASSER OUT OF THE POCKET

(8) When the passer goes outside the pocket area and either continues moving with the ball (without attempting to advance the ball as a runner) or throws while on the run, he loses the protection of the one-step rule provided for in (1) above, and the protection against a low hit provided for in (5) above, but he remains covered by all the other special protections afforded to a passer in the pocket (numbers 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7), as well as the regular unnecessary-roughness rules applicable to all player positions. If the passer stops behind the line and clearly establishes a passing posture, he will then be covered by all of the special protections for passers.

HITS TO PASSER’S HEAD AND USE OF HELMET AND FACEMASK

(3) In covering the passer position, Referees will be particularly alert to fouls in which defenders impermissibly use the helmet and/or facemask to hit the passer, or use hands, arms, or other parts of the body to hit the passer forcibly in the head or neck area (see also the other unnecessary-roughness rules covering these subjects). A defensive player must not use his helmet against a passer who is in a defenseless posture for example, (a) forcibly hitting the passer’s head or neck area with the helmet or facemask, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the passer by encircling or grasping him, or (b) lowering the head and making forcible contact with the top/crown or forehead/”hairline” parts of the helmet against any part of the passer’s body. This rule does not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or non-crown parts of the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle on a passer.

“La NFL en Telemundo” Returns This Sunday With a Crucial NFL Match-Up Between the NY Giants and the Dallas Cowboys

Telemundo, in partnership with NBC Sports and the NFL, presents Sunday Night Football with the highly anticipated NFC East battle featuring intense rivals the NY Giants and Dallas Cowboys, this Sunday December 11th at 9:00pm ET / 6:00 pm PT in select cities.

The game, which promises to be one of the best of the season, will be hosted by Jessi Losada together with announcers Rene Giraldo and Edgar López and sideline reporter Verónica Contreras live from the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. It will air in the following major markets: New York, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, San Jose, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, San Diego and Los Angeles.

Visit the sports section at www.Telemundo.com for more information on these and other games on “La NFL en Telemundo”.

Philadelphia Eagles named as global Sport Team of the Year

The Philadelphia Eagles’ long-standing commitment to helping address social issues in its community has earned the organization recognition as Sport Team of the Year by the international social change organization, Beyond Sport.

The Eagles, who had been named finalists for the global competition for the second year in a row, were announced as the winners during the awards ceremony today in Cape Town, South Africa.

“The Philadelphia Eagles’ social inclusion, education, and sustainability efforts triggered the Beyond Sport Awards Judges to acknowledge that this NFL team is setting the standard when it comes to social impact, paving the way for other teams around the globe to do the same,” said Nick Keller, Founding CEO of Beyond Sport.

The team was nominated based on three of its signature programs:

• Eagles Youth Partnership, which provides eye care, reading support and mentoring programs to more than 50,000 children a year;
• Tackling Breast Cancer, which has raised awareness of an important health issue and raised more than $1.6 million for cancer research and care; and
• Go Green, which has made the Eagles a leader in alternative energy and environmentally responsible business practices.

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NFL suspends Ndamukong Suh 2 games for unsportsmanlike conduct

NFL STATEMENT:

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Merton Hanks notified Ndamukong Suh today that he has been suspended without pay for the Lions’ next two games for his unsportsmanlike conduct in the Lions-Packers game on Thanksgiving Day. It was Suh’s fifth violation of on-field rules in the past two seasons that has resulted in league discipline. Suh may not practice or be at the team practice facility for any other activities during the two-game suspension. He will be reinstated on December 12. Under the CBA, the suspension may be appealed within three business days. If appealed, an expedited hearing and decision would take place this week in advance of this weekend’s games.

NFL Celebrates Youth Health and Fitness with NFL Play 60 Games Thanksgiving Weekend

As friends and family gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, the NFL will continue its tradition of encouraging children to be active during special NFL PLAY 60 themed games throughout Thanksgiving weekend. NFL PLAY 60 is a league wide effort to fight childhood obesity by getting kids active for at least 60 minutes a day.

A special NFL PLAY 60 television spot will debut during each of the three Thanksgiving games.  The 90-second ad features Detroit Lions Coach JIM SCHWARTZ, players including QB MATTHEW STAFFORD, WR CALVIN JOHNSON and DT NDAMUKONG SUH, a special appearance by Pro Football Hall of Fame member BARRY SANDERS, as well as other players from teams around the league, joining children to take part in PLAY 60 activities to get healthy and active. The spot also will air during the Sunday and Monday Night Football games on Thanksgiving weekend. In addition, the Lions-Packers Thanksgiving game will include a United Way PLAY 60 PSA featuring Bears players, including DE ISRAEL IDONIJE.  Links to the spots are posted on www.nfl.com/thanksgiving.

Earlier this season, the NFL debuted another new PLAY 60 television spot featuring the Carolina Panthers players encouraging local students to get active, alongside team owner JERRY RICHARDSON.

In support of NFL PLAY 60, all Thanksgiving weekend games will raise awareness of the childhood obesity epidemic and showcase the NFL and its clubs’ commitment to help reverse this trend. Beginning on Thanksgiving and continuing in the coming weeks, teams will designate a home game as an ‘NFL PLAY 60’ game. On-field elements will include PLAY 60 field stencils, banners and goal post wraps. Teams also will invite ‘NFL PLAY 60 youth ambassadors’ to be recognized on-field at each PLAY 60 game. These youngsters were selected by each team for their commitment to being healthy, through NFL PLAY 60 programs like NFL FLAG Football and NFL Punt, Pass & Kick and through participation in the NFL-American Heart Association PLAY 60 Challenge and NFL-National Dairy Council Fuel Up to Play 60 programs.

“Thanksgiving is a great day to encourage families to be active,” said Commissioner ROGER GOODELL. “NFL PLAY 60 continues to impact more children with each passing year, and we’re proud to feature the campaign on a holiday that celebrates family, food and football.”

For the complete release, click here

Week 13 Flex Scheduling

LIONS-SAINTS TO BE ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON DEC. 4;

COLTS-PATRIOTS MOVES TO 1:00 PM, RAVENS-BROWNS TO 4:05 PM ON CBS; BRONCOS-VIKINGS MOVES TO 1:00 PM ON FOX

The Week 13 Detroit Lions-New Orleans Saints game on Sunday, December 4 will be played at 8:20 PM ET on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, the NFL announced today.

Previously, it was announced that the Indianapolis Colts- New England Patriots game would move to 1:00 PM ET on CBS.  In addition, Baltimore Ravens-Cleveland Browns moves to 4:05 PM ET on CBS. The Denver Broncos-Minnesota Vikings game moves to 1:00 PM ET on FOX.

For more, including the the final Week 13 NFL schedule, click here

Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Leads Pro Bowl Charge with Five Weeks of Voting Remaining On NFL.com

Teams to be Announced on Pro Bowl Selection Show December 27 on NFL Network

Green Bay Packers quarterback AARON RODGERS, with 589,801 votes, leads all NFL All-Stars in balloting for the 2012 Pro Bowl, NFL.com announced today.  2012 Pro Bowl voting will continue online and on web-enabled mobile phones by going to NFL.com/probowl through Monday, December 19.

New England Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY (537,780 votes) leads all AFC players and ranks second overall, while Detroit Lions wide receiver CALVIN JOHNSON (487,547 votes), Minnesota Vikings running back ADRIAN PETERSON (469,117 votes) and New England Patriots wide receiver WES WELKER (430,945 votes) round out the top five on NFL.com.

Balloting will conclude on Monday, December 19 following the conclusion of Monday Night Football (Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers, ESPN, 8:30 pm (ET).  The teams will be announced at 7:00 pm (ET) Tuesday, December 27 on a special NFL Total Access 2012 Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network.

The 2012 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 29, 2012 and televised live on NBC at 7:00 pm (ET) from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Fans may purchase tickets starting later this month at NFL.com/probowl.

The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-man rosters that represent the American Football Conference and National Football Conference in the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on December 21-22.

The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams. It was the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.

For the complete release, click here

NFL Magazine, the Official Monthly Magazine of the National Football League, to Launch December 2011

Magazine to Offer Fans In-Depth Editorial, Behind-the-Scenes Information, and Exclusive Photos Year-Round

NFL Great Boomer Esiason and Veteran NFL Reporter Andrea Kremer Join as Regular Contributors

Collectors’ Debut Issue on Newsstands Nationwide December 13

New York, NY, November 15, 2011 – The National Football League will launch its official monthly publication, NFL Magazine, on December 13, 2011, it was announced today.  The collectors’ edition, in print just in time for holiday gift subscriptions, will be the first of 12 monthly issues published by the NFL and will be available by subscription and on newsstands nationwide.

“We are constantly seeking to serve fans by delivering unique and compelling content,” said Kevin LaForce, NFL Vice President of Media Strategy & Business Development.  “The features and stories told in NFL Magazine will chronicle the game like never before – we are excited to offer fans this new way to discover and remember every NFL season.”

NFL Magazine will feature on-and-off the field coverage, providing fans insight into players and teams that can only be delivered by the official magazine of the NFL.   Additionally, in each issue, NFL experts and top sports journalists will offer an inside-the-huddle perspective and exclusive insights, analysis, and features from NFL Network and NFL.com.

NFL great Boomer Esiason and longtime NFL reporter Andrea Kremer have joined the magazine as regular contributors, and Jim Buckley, a veteran NFL Publishing editor and author will serve as the magazine’s editor.

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