Sport of the Week: Football

Monday, March 8, 2010

Sport of the Week: Football

As the football season came to a close a few weeks ago with the New Orleans Saints taking their first title in franchise history, some fans have been going through withdrawals. Those Sundays just aren’t the same, unless you look forward to watching coverage of the Combine. So to tide you over, we are going to take a look at what’s been going on in the NFL since the Superbowl. Just because football season is over doesn’t mean the mean the teams are staying quiet.

First up, New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez led his team to the AFC Championship game regardless of battling with a knee injury that has been bugging him since his junior year at USC. Sanchez reinjured the patella ligament during the 2009 season and decided to have off-season surgery to correct this problem.

Sanchez recently took to his Twitter account to tell his fans not to worry:
“Out of surgery. Doc says it went exceptionally well. Thx to Dr. (Ken) Montgomery. Thx to family, friends and tweeps for the love and well wishes”

He says he will “definitely” be ready for training camp later this summer.

Next, wide receiver Dante Stallworth just signed with the Baltimore Ravens. The one-year contract will hopefully be a starting point for his comeback after dealing with the vehicular manslaughter conviction he faced back in 2009, which put him in jail for 24 days and suspended him from the league for a year. After being reinstated, the Ravens offered him a $900,000 contract. During his career in the NFL, Stallworth has previously played for the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cleveland Browns.

With one player returning to the NFL, another announces his retirement. Buffalo Bills starting right tackle Brad Butler, 26, decided to retire from the league after just four seasons. Butler said he was leaving the NFL to pursue a career in governmental issues that are close to his heart. He spent the 2008 off-season working for Congressman Jack Kemp, who happens to be a former Bills quarterback.

-Mia SpadoniTweet