WICHITA, Kan. — Former Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has been charged with assaulting a fellow inmate in a Kansas jail.
The Wichita Eagle reported that the aggravated battery and disorderly conduct charges filed Wednesday stem from a confrontation Friday in the Sedgwick County Jail. He now has five criminal cases pending against him in the county, where he has been jailed since June.
County prosecutors also allege that he purposely hit people with a car after being asked to leave a housewarming party, dodged law enforcement attempts to serve him with a warrant, threatened to kill a jail deputy and damaged a jail television.
During a court appearance on the latest charge, Randle said he defended himself when another inmate punched him in the face. His bonds now total $59,000.
CINCINNATI — Former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson wasn’t happy when his one-time teammate and good friend Terrell Owens failed to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second straight year.
Owens ranks second-all time in receiving yards but bounced from team to team in the latter part of his career due to locker-room issues. Johnson told TMZ this week that he felt Owens exclusion was political.
Owens could make the Hall of Fame eventually, but Johnson’s chances seem unlikely.
Johnson played in the NFL for 11 seasons, 10 with the Bengals and one with the Patriots. He caught 766 passes for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns. Johnson made six Pro Bowls, earned four First-Team All-Pro awards and led the NFL in receiving yards in 2006.
Johnson finished his career leading the Bengals in receptions, yards and touchdowns.
Johnson has said repeatedly over the years that he feels that he has earned his way into the Hall of Fame, even once donning a gold jacket during a game that said “Future H.O.F. 20??” He has also criticized the voting process for including criteria other than statistics, particularly in the case of Owens.
Statistically, Johnson’s numbers would make him a long shot for the Hall of Fame.
At the time of his retirement, Johnson ranked 26th in receptions and yards, and 31st in receiving touchdowns. Every other receiver of his era was no lower than 10 in any of those categories, with the exception of Michael Irvin, who retired in 1999.
If the receivers of the 2000s were ranked, Johnson probably wouldn’t be top-five in a list that includes Marvin Harrison, Owens, Torry Holt, Hines Ward and Steve Smith, all of whom finished with better numbers.
But it’s also possible to argue that Johnson ranked among the best during his prime. He led the AFC in receiving yards from 2003-06, joining Jerry Rice as the only receiver to lead his conference in receiving yards for four consecutive seasons.
He also played in and year out against some of the best defenses in the league. Johnson faced the Steelers and the Ravens twice a year for almost his entire career. With the exception of the 2002 season, both teams were ranked top 10 in total defense from 2001-10. Twice, they were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the same season.
However, Johnson struggled once he left the Bengals system, catching only 15 passes for 276 yards and one touchdowns with the Patriots in 2011, the final season of his career.
Johnson became eligible for the Hall of Fame for first time in 2016 but did not make the list of semi-finalists. His path over the next few years doesn’t look easy.
Not only will he be eligible alongside Owens, but also up for consideration in the next decade is Moss, Donald Driver (2018), Smith and Calvin Johnson, in addition to the already-eligible Isaac Bruce and Ward.
Johnson might have been one of the most entertaining receivers to ever play the game, but as a Hall of Fame candidate, he probably doesn’t make the cut.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — If you want to copy the blueprint of most successful NFL franchises, it starts with football’s version of a holy trinity: a head coach, a general manager and a quarterback.
After hiring Kyle Shanahan as coach and John Lynch as general manager, the San Francisco 49ers hope they have found their solution for the first two. Now, their attention turns to finding the third and perhaps most important piece, the quarterback.
About a month from now, Colin Kaepernick, the only quarterback the team currently has under contract for 2017, probably will cease to have that designation when he’s expected to opt out of his deal. When he does, he’ll join Blaine Gabbert, Thad Lewis and Christian Ponder as free agents. With Shanahan and Lynch taking over, there’s no guarantee that any of them will be back, though it also can’t be ruled out.
Which means there’s likely a full-blown makeover coming to the Niners’ quarterbacks room. As you’d expect, even before Shanahan officially signed on for the job, there were plenty of rumors and reports connecting the 49ers to various quarterbacks around the league. That speculation is only expected to heat up in the days, weeks and months to come.
Acquiring Kirk Cousins could be high on the 49ers’ wish list, with new coach Kyle Shanahan having worked with the quarterback in Washington. Steve Nurenberg/Icon Sportswire
Keeping in mind there’s a very real chance the Niners will (and have to) bring in more than one quarterback, here’s a look at some of the options they’ll have to consider over the next few months:
Kirk Cousins: This is one that probably won’t vanish anytime soon, because Shanahan was in place and a fan of Cousins when he was Washington’s offensive coordinator. It’s also probably the most difficult and expensive move to make. Cousins played on the franchise tag a year ago and the Redskins are likely to use it again to prevent him from leaving without compensation. That doesn’t mean the Niners couldn’t facilitate a deal with Washington, but it would cost a lot of draft capital and even more on a long-term contract. And remember, Cousins had his two best seasons (2015 and 2016) after Shanahan departed for Atlanta.
Matt Schaub: Like Cousins, Shanahan and Schaub have a history, having worked together in Houston and Atlanta. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last weekend that Shanahan would like to bring Schaub with him to San Francisco, presumably as a steady hand to help guide young quarterbacks in understanding Shanahan’s scheme. Schaub is a free agent and wouldn’t cost a lot to bring on board.
Jimmy Garoppolo: Garoppolo is under contract for one more year with the Patriots, meaning it would take a trade to acquire him. It’s been reported that the Patriots will seek a first-round pick for him, though perhaps something could be worked out if that price isn’t met. Either way, Garoppolo won’t come cheap and would also come with a fairly large price tag for a contract extension. Garoppolo has only started two games and though he played well, giving up valuable draft picks and a lucrative contract would come with more inherent risk than other alternatives.
Jay Cutler: Cutler played for Shanahan’s father Mike in Denver after the Broncos selected him in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, and Lynch has spoken highly of Cutler’s arm talent in the past. At 33, Cutler is what he is at this point but would offer more upside as a bridge quarterback to the next starter than someone like Schaub. He also might not cost as much to obtain if the Bears cut him loose, a move that would save Chicago $13 million worth of cap space. The Bears also need help at quarterback, though, so they might not be inclined to let him go without at least getting something in return.
Brian Hoyer: Hoyer would make sense in a role similar to the one described for Schaub above. It wouldn’t make much sense to bring in both but like Schaub, Hoyer has experience playing for Shanahan and the duo even had some success together in Cleveland. He’d also make a good mentor for a younger quarterback or two and could even be a bridge starter if need be.
Mike Glennon: Glennon is an intriguing case because he’s actually started 18 games in his career and thrown for 30 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. At 6-foot-6, Glennon is the type of pure pocket passer Shanahan supposedly covets, though he’s only completed 59.4 percent of his career passes. Glennon isn’t likely a franchise solution, but he profiles as the type Shanahan might be able to elevate to solid starter status.
A drafted rookie: Again, Shanahan hasn’t even had a chance to evaluate this year’s draft class and until he does, he won’t be able to determine the direction he wants to go at the position for the long-term. The Niners own the No. 2 overall pick, which means they should have their pick of quarterbacks if there’s one they really like. The early read on this draft class is that there won’t be a signal-caller worth taking that high, though North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer have been mentioned as possibilities in media circles. The Niners could also wait until the middle rounds to find someone Shanahan believes he could develop while using their top pick to get the best player available. Either way, it’s a safe bet the Niners will spend a pick on a quarterback at some point.
MINNEAPOLIS — The children Kyle Rudolph sees hooked up to medical devices at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital — or the parents there with them, trying to force smiles through their kaleidoscopes of emotion — could have just as easily been in his own family.
When the Minnesota Vikings tight end was 15 months old, his younger brother Casey was born with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer that forms in nerve cells and attacks infants. Casey Rudolph went straight from the hospital where he was born to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he spent the first year of his life undergoing chemotherapy; he had a kidney and adrenal gland removed before beating the disease.
The family returned to the hospital throughout Kyle Rudolph’s childhood; only those times, it was to say thank-you by volunteering. Rudolph’s years at Notre Dame were dotted with trips to children’s hospitals in South Bend, and since 2011, when the Vikings drafted him, Rudolph has been a regular presence as part of the team’s four-decade partnership with the Masonic Children’s Hospital.
Now Rudolph is putting his own imprint on that partnership. He and his wife Jordan announced Tuesday that fundraising has been completed for Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone — a 2,500-square-foot space at the hospital where children and teenagers can play, relax and engage in healing therapies. The goal is to have the space open by the start of the 2017 football season.
“From [the point my brother was born], my mom and dad, myself, countless family members were always in and out of the hospital — me being the 15-month-old big brother, constantly in the way, tripping on his IV cords, medicine lines, just a disaster at all times in the hospital, from what I’ve been told,” Rudolph said Tuesday. “We wanted to come up with an idea: Where’s a place where, not only these patients when healthy enough to get out of their rooms, but where can their families go, where can brothers and sisters go, where can friends and family go?
“Through the course of a five-, 10-, 15-month stay in the hospital, the hours and days and months go by. At times, these people don’t leave their rooms — not because they’re not healthy enough. There’s just nothing else for them to do. You can only play with video games for so long. You can only sit and do puzzles and color coloring books [for so long]. At some point, these kids want to be real kids. We wanted to provide a space for them where, no matter what their situation or circumstance is, they can come down here and be kids.”
Designs for the space, which will redevelop an underutilized corner of the hospital, call for a 7- or 8-foot basketball hoop, a sports simulator with a drop-down screen, a media hub, a kitchen and lounge area, an air hockey table, and a seating area for quiet activities. Rudolph and the project’s architects asked for the input of patients such Casey O’Brien, the former quarterback at Cretin-Derham Hall High School (St. Paul, Minnesota) who spent more than 160 nights in the hospital during two bouts with bone cancer before he was cleared to return to his team and hold for extra points last season.
“We spent a little time with him last summer, because it was important to us to get their perspective,” Rudolph said. “We may have all these great ideas about what we want to put in a space and that we think are cool, but if the kids don’t want it and the kids don’t use it, it’s not cool. The worst thing we can do is put a space down here that looks incredible from the street, but there’s never any kids in it. That’s the whole point of building the space: kids can come down here and they don’t want to go back to their rooms. They’re kind of forced to go back to their rooms. We hope it gets a lot of use.”
Rudolph said he will continue to raise funds to finance the operation of the space over the coming years to make sure it stays current and relevant to what future patients want. As he and his wife raise their 4-month-old twin girls, Rudolph is already thinking ahead to the days when they’ll be old enough to visit — and of the families they might meet there who are just looking for a slice of normalcy.
“When my kids come back and spend time down there, and visit patients and families, [we want to make sure] this space looks just as good as when we opened it up,” Rudolph said.
