Deion Sanders is donating half of his salary to complete the Jackson State football facility. Merger talks between Big 12 and PAC-12 end, Gators QB AR-15 changing nickname, WR Ryan Switzer retiring, and more football news.
Deion Sanders is donating half of his salary to complete Jackson State football facility
NFL legend Deion Sanders, who is currently head football coach at Jackson State, announced he is donating half of his salary to help complete renovations to the school's football facility, per, ESPN. Sanders' salary is a four-year deal worth an average of $300,000 per year in 2020. His goal is to complete the facility a month before the season starts on September 4, when Jackson State meets Florida A&M.
"I'll put half on it to get this done," Sanders said. "If you don't believe me, check me. I will send you the receipts."
Merger talks between Big 12 and PAC-12 end
It appears that efforts between the Big 12 and the PAC-12 to come together in a partnership won't happen. Extensive talks over the past two weeks have come to an official and without a deal, ESPN reported.
Officials from both parties said on Monday they are no longer interested in exploring the partnership, only saying the deal won't work for "a multitude of reasons." Those reasons included the fact that any potential deal wouldn't have driven much revenue for the league, sources said. "It just didn't work."
Ryan Switzer, former Cowboys/Steelers/Browns WR announces NFL retirement
Ryan Switzer, 27, who spent the 2021 season with the Cleveland Browns, and who also formerly played for the Cowboys and Steelers, announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday after five years in the league.
He cited a recent injury that will prevent him from playing to his standard as the impetus for his decision to retire, CBSSports reported. Switzer was picked by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. As a rookie, he fielded 29 punts for 256 yards and a touchdown and had 600 kickoff return yards.
Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson no longer wants nickname "AR-15"
Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson, a sophomore who wears No. 15, says he no longer wants to use the nickname "AR-15" because of its association with the semiautomatic rifle. The weapon has been used in several mass shootings, the Washington Post reported.
He wants to rebrand his image, given the ability college players have to generate money from their name, image, and likeness deals. "'AR-15' was simply a representation of my initials combined with my jersey number...it is important to me that my name and brand are no longer associated with the semiautomatic rifle ..." Anderson wrote on Twitter. "...My representatives and I are currently working on rebranding, which includes the creation of a new logo and transitioning to simply using ‘AR’ and my name, Anthony Richardson."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers highly favored to win NFC, go to Super Bowl in 2022-23 season
According to the predictions by Sports Illustrated, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to win the NFC championship and make a trip to Super Bowl LVII in the 2022-23 NFL season. Predictions call for the Buccaneers facing any of the following four teams: the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers or Denver Broncos in the big matchup.