Great talking with @NBCSports@miketirico about the upcoming 'Domecoming' anniversary game.
A seminal moment for New Orleans, so much so he's coming back for 20th anniversary.
Full Q&A w/Tirico will air next week during our extended pregame coverage.
https://t.co/5Y3MgZLU4X
Russell Brand, who's awaiting trial in London next month on rape and sexual assault charges, will moderate a panel at DC's MAHA summit tomorrow on reforming a U.S. health agency
I'll never forget being at work in Pittsburgh (I lost everything in Katrina amd was rebuilding my life at home), tearing up & wanting to scream & celebrate at the same time! 🖤💛⚜️
There have been a lot of questions about the field surface in Brazil, and I wanted to provide the NFLPA’s perspective.
Our number one priority is the health and safety of our players. The concern heading into this week was that the field would be loose, patchy, and lead to excessive slipping. Those conditions are generally more of a playability and performance issue than a significant injury concern.
But safety isn't the only standard. Players should be able to perform at the level they expect of themselves and that fans expect from them. A thin, slick field may not present the same risks as a surface with too much traction, but it still affects performance and the quality of the game.
We've been in regular communication with the league about the field. Both the NFLPA's and the league's field experts have been on the ground in Brazil for days, monitoring conditions and working to make the surface as safe and playable as possible for Sunday.
Based on our experts' assessment, the field needed better traction and stability. They recommended reinforced stitching to help the surface hold together and brought in equipment to reinforce as much of the field as possible before the game. Our experts will remain engaged and continue evaluating conditions through kickoff.
The work happening this week also highlights two larger issues.
First, we need field standards that account for both safety and performance. The NFL, NFLPA, and our field and engineering experts spend a lot of time working on these issues, and we've made progress. But we're not where we need to be yet. We can't have surfaces that melt players' cleats, like we saw in Nashville last week. We can't have frozen fields that create unnecessary risks. The best athletes in the world should be playing on surfaces that meet the same standard of excellence we expect from them every week.
Second, this reinforces one of our concerns about international expansion. Two of the three games played in Brazil have had field-related issues. That's not a coincidence. This time of year makes it extremely challenging to maintain the kind of grass surface we expect at the NFL level.
Our guys are exceptional at what they do, and I'm confident they'll put on a terrific game in Rio this week. They always do. But we owe it to them to provide the best possible opportunity to succeed. Players can overcome a lot. But they shouldn't have to overcome the field.
The NFL has been clear they want to continue to grow the game internationally. However, growth alone cannot be the goal. The goal has to be growing the game while maintaining the standards our players deserve. If we can't do both, then we need to make different decisions.
20 years ago today, the Saints returned to the Superdome for their first home game after Hurricane Katrina.
Steve Gleason’s iconic blocked punt led to the game’s first TD, and a 23-3 win over the Falcons on Monday Night Football 💛
(🎥: @Saints)
On September 25, 2006, the New Orleans Saints played on Monday Night Football against the Falcons in their first game back at the Superdome after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
20 years later, the Saints again will host the Falcons at the Superdome on Monday Night Football Oct. 5
The FAA should not use my constituents as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system that has Americans’ lives in its hands.
I’m calling on the FAA to immediately suspend use of this AI system at Washington area airports until its safety has been established.
My full statement:
State run media, state owned enterprises, prosecuting political opponents, gifts from foreign countries, selling pardons, massive amounts of money flowing into the President’s bank account, and banners with his head plastered on government buildings. NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL.