JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey could be sidelined for offseason workouts and maybe more because of a knee injury.
The team said Thursday that Ramsey, the fifth overall selection in the NFL draft, sustained a "small tear to the meniscus" in his right knee during on-field workouts earlier this week. The former Florida State standout will get a second opinion next week before deciding the next course of action.
It's the second time in as many years that Jacksonville's top draft pick was hurt long before training camp. Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., the third overall pick in 2015, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the first hour of a rookie minicamp last year and missed his entire rookie season (see full recap).
NFL: League returns money used to honor troops
WASHINGTON -- Two Republican senators said Thursday that they've scored a touchdown for taxpayers after the National Football League informed them that it is refunding more than $700,000 paid by the Defense Department to NFL clubs to honor military service members at league games and events.
Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake had complained that the Pentagon spent more than $10 million in marketing and advertising contracts with professional sports teams between 2012 and 2015 for what the senators dubbed "paid patriotism."
Flake and McCain called for an end to the taxpayer-funded practice of sponsoring such military celebrations at games, an effort that is often used for recruiting efforts and community outreach. A report they issued last year found 72 contracts in which the Pentagon paid for patriotic tributes at professional sports games.
The senators said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell notified them that an external audit to evaluate contracts between NFL clubs and the Pentagon identified $723,734 over four seasons that may have been mistakenly applied to appreciation activities rather than recruitment efforts. That amount is being returned in full to taxpayers, Goodell told the senators this week (see full recap).
NFL
Redskins: 9 out of 10 Native Americans OK with team name
NEW YORK -- A recent national poll finds that nine of 10 Native Americans aren't offended by the Washington Redskins name.
The poll conducted by the Washington Post indicated more than eight in 10 say they wouldn't be offended if someone who was not a Native American called them that name.
A federal judge ordered the cancellation of the Washington Redskins' trademark registration in July, ruling that their name may be disparaging to Native Americans. The club is appealing.
Ninety percent of the random national sample of 504 Native Americans says the name doesn't bother them; 9 percent say it is offensive.
Native Americans make up about 2 percent of the U.S. population
Interviews were conducted from December through April on landline and cellphones, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points (see full recap).
Jets: Revis parts with longtime agents
NEW YORK -- New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, one of the NFL's highest-paid players among non-quarterbacks the past several years, has fired his longtime agents.
ESPN first reported Thursday that Revis had parted ways with Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod, the cornerback's agents since his rookie year in 2007.
Schwartz and Feinsod negotiated a few huge deals for Revis, who has made $101 million in his career, according to Spotrac.com. He is due to make $17 million in guaranteed money this season.
Both agents confirmed the split in emails to The Associated Press, but the reasons for Revis' move was not immediately certain. "Jonathan and I wish him the best of luck," Schwartz wrote in an email.
Revis returned to the Jets last year after two seasons away, and signed a five-year, $70 million deal that included $39 million in guarantees.