Abdullah Retires Citing Concussion Concerns

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A week after the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted to a link between football and the degenerative brain condition CTE, the Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah has announced his retirement at the age of 30, citing concerns over concussion.

“There are numerous deciding factors in my decision, with personal health being foremost,” wrote Abdullah in a post on Instagram. “Sitting for five weeks last year after suffering the fifth concussion of my career, I had a lot to contemplate. My goals moving forward are to be of benefit to my family, my community, my country and hopefully the world.

“Having a sound mind will be vital in accomplishing these goals. Thank you to everyone I’ve crossed paths with during my time as a player. You’ve had an impact on my life for the better. Thanks for the love and support. It’s greatly appreciated.”

Abdullah joined the Chiefs as a free agent in 2013. He had previously played for the Minnesota Vikings after finding himself undrafted out of college. He is also an practicing Muslim and took the 2012 season off to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

A number of high-profile stars have retired in their prime this off-season, including Calvin Johnson and Marshawn Lynch, although neither of those players cited any concerns over their health. In 2015, the San Francisco linebacker Chris Borland quit the NFL at the age of 24 due to concerns about head trauma. He has since described football as “inherently dangerous”.

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Jarryd Hayne to Remain a 49ers

Jarryd Hayne will remain at the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 according to the NFL franchise’s general manager, Trent Baalke.

Baalke has also labelled Hayne’s NFL experiment a success, despite the former NRL star playing just eight games in a fractured season which included spending a number of months in the practice squad.

“I don’t have a crystal ball, but what I do know is that he is very conscientious and this is very important to him,” Baalke told Fairfax Media.

“We are committed to this. I’m looking forward to getting him back here, I know the coaching staff is.”

Baalke also predicted the 27-year-old would have a big second season in the game, despite having to prove himself to the coaching team headed by former Philadelphia Eagles mentor Chip Kelly.

“We haven’t spent a ton of time speaking about individual players on a roster yet but I’ll tell you [Kelly is] well aware of Jarryd and Jarryd’s story, as is everyone in the National Football League by now.

Baalke, who has been involved with the club in various roles since 2005, also defended the club’s mid-season dropping of the punt returner.

He also suggested he couldn’t envisage Hayne giving up on his NFL dream to return to the NRL.

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Former First Draft Phillips Dead

Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips was found dead in his California prison cell early on Wednesday. It is believed he took his own life.

Guards at Kern Valley State Prison found Phillips, 40, unresponsive in his cell shortly after midnight. He was taken to an outside hospital and pronounced dead about 1.30am, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

He had been housed alone in a segregation cell since April 2013 after he was suspected of killing his cellmate. A Kern County judge had ruled Tuesday that there was enough evidence to try Phillips in the death of Damion Soward, 37.

Phillips was drafted in the first-round of the 1996 NFL draft by the St Louis Rams before being released in 1997 for insubordination. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers. He was once one of the top college football players at Nebraska.

Phillips was sent to prison in 2008 to serve a sentence of more than 31 years after he was convicted of twice choking his girlfriend in 2005 in San Diego and of driving his car into three teenagers later that year after a pickup football game in Los Angeles.

He was sentenced for inflicting great bodily injury involving domestic violence, corporal injury to a spouse, false imprisonment and vehicle theft.

Phillips was housed with about 3,900 other inmates in the prison about 80 miles south of Fresno in California’s Central Valley.

#RIP 

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Browns Bryant and De'Ante Arrested

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Armonty Bryant will miss Sunday’s game at Kansas City after he and safety De’Ante Saunders were arrested Christmas morning following a traffic stop.

Bryant, who has a history of legal troubles, is not traveling with the team so he can tend to the legal matter. Browns general manager Ray Farmer issued a statement on Saturday condemning the players’ behavior.

“These are charges that we take very seriously,” Farmer said. “The importance of responsible decision-making is something we continually stress to all members of our organization, which makes it extremely disappointing that these two individuals would put themselves in this situation by making such poor decisions.”

Farmer said the incident is subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

There were no immediate details about the arrests. The state highway patrol said no information will be available until after 10 pm Saturday.

Browns coach Mike Pettine gave his players the holiday off so they could be with their families.

Bryant is second on the team with 5 1/2 sacks this season, his third with the Browns. The 25-year-old was drafted in the seventh round in 2013 from East Central Oklahoma, where he had some off-field problems. He was arrested for driving under the influence less than a week after Cleveland drafted him. He was also suspended for three games in college for selling marijuana to an undercover officer.

Saunders has been on Cleveland’s practice squad.

The Browns, who are 3-11 and dead last in AFC North, will visit the Chiefs on Sunday before ending the regular season at home against Pittsburgh on Janueary 3.

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Cardinals Clinch Play-Off Spot

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-20 at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Thursday to secure a play-off spot. But they need to wait until Sunday to know if they have secured the NFC West title.

The Cardinals blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, but a 47-yard field goal from Chandler Catanzaro, his third of the game, with less than two minutes of the match remaining broke a tie and gave the home team a winning margin.

The Vikings had a chance to win it or at least force overtime but the veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney forced a fumble by Teddy Bridgewater that was recovered by the Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell with five seconds to go.

The Cardinals (11-2) extended their winning streak to seven games and they can claim their first division title since 2009 if the Seattle Seahawks lose or tie at Baltimore on Sunday.

The Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer worked over a depleted Minnesota defence that was missing a handful of starters, throwing for 310 yards and two touchdowns. He has 31 scoring passes for the year, breaking Kurt Warner’s single-season franchise record.

The loss was the third in four weeks for the Vikings, who are now jockeying to stay in play-off contention.

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Brown Steels Win Over Colts

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers overwhelmed the Indianapolis Colts 45-10 on Sunday night.

Antonio Brown caught eight passes for 118 yards and two scores and also returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown for the Steelers (7-5).

Martavis Bryant hauled in four passes for 114 yards and a score, and DeAngelo Williams added 134 yards rushing as Pittsburgh shook off a slow start to dominate the Colts (6-6) over the final three quarters.

Roethlisberger has 886 yards passing and 10 touchdowns in his last two starts against Indianapolis.

Matt Hasselbeck threw for 169 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions before leaving in the fourth quarter because of neck and shoulder pain. The Colts remain tied with Houston for the lead in the AFC North.

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