Troy Vincent breaks down during Senate hearing on domestic violence (VIDEO)

While speaking Tuesday in front of a U.S. Senate committee, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, broke down while talking about his own childhood experiences witnessing domestic violence firsthand in his home.

NFL VP Troy Vincent choked up at a Senate hearing on domestic violence while discussing his own experience: http://t.co/DHrtfOfGgo
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 3, 2014

The former NFL player of 15 years tearfully recalled his past:

Domestic violence was a way of life in my home growing up. As young boys, my brother and I watched helplessly numerous times as our mother was beaten, and we called 911 while she lay unconscious.

We saw how she struggled to seek help, and find the voice and courage to say “no more.” The sense of fear, powerlessness, and all the complexities that accompany this violence remain very real for me today.

I have worked for over 20 years as an advocate against domestic violence to try to help keep others from experiencing this pain. So I very much relate to the more than 12 million victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in every community in this nation, amongst every economic class and racial and ethnic group.

This is not an issue limited to the NFL, or to professional sports.

Vincent went on to outline the league's intent to change their handling of domestic violence and sexual assault cases with the following:

The NFL intends to create a “Conduct Committee of Owners” who will be responsible for regularly reviewing and recommending changes to the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

The league is creating a “comprehensive and mandatory education program for the more than 5,000 men and women in the NFL family.”

The NFL already has a Critical Response Team that Vincent said offers support for “anyone in the NFL family.” The team, though, will be retrained to handle issues of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The NFL is also “supporting” organizations that focus on issues of domestic violence and sexual assault, although Vincent did not explicitly say if that support is financial.

The league is also promoting programs that “develop the character of young people” in an attempt to help educate coaches and players at the college, high school, and youth level.

Here's the full statement:

Rams executive denies apologizing to police for Ferguson protest by four players: Report

After five St. Louis Rams teammates joined in a "hands up, don't shoot" Ferguson protest before Sunday's home game at the Edward Jones Dome, a team executive appeared to apologize to police for the controversial moment.

But that executive, VP of football operations Kevin Demoff, later denied he said he was sorry.

The Rams issued a statement later on Tuesday to say there were "positive discussions" with Belmar and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Sam Dotson, though as FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo pointed out, there was no "apology" mentioned:

Here's the Rams' statement. The word you won't find is "apologize." Dunno what Demoff said to Dotson privately. pic.twitter.com/U0jC4iqfXa
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 2, 2014

The original report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch included an email from St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar in which he said Demoff "[took] the opportunity to apologize to our department on behalf of the Rams for the 'Hands Up' gesture that some players took the field with yesterday."

Regarding statements on an "apology" from Rams COO Kevin Demoff: Chief Belmar was contacted today by St. Louis... http://t.co/8pF5QAIi87
— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) December 2, 2014

On Tuesday, the NFL said the four players wouldn't be disciplined for their actions. So don't expect this issue to just go away.

Rex Ryan gets emotional after disappointing Jets loss: 'I feel sick' (VIDEO)

You can usually expect a lot of high and lows at a Rex Ryan press conference but, after the Jets disappointing 16-13 loss to the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium Monday night, it seemed that the head coach had finally reached rock bottom and spilled his guts in front of the media.

And after 13 weeks of horrible football, the normally fiery coach somberly admitted : "I feel sick."

Ryan seemed to be holding back tears as he stood despondently at the podium, reflecting on what will surely be his last season as a Jet, one that has long been a disaster. 

“I can’t believe we’re 2-10,” he said. “A joke.”



Although the Jets had a shot at winning, there was no chance of salvaging Ryan's job. Rex is definitely living on borrowed time but, its kind of sad to see him go out like this.

[Video of press conference]

Tony Dungy: Time for Tom Coughlin to step down

As miserable as the Giants season has been, nothing could have prepared them for the downright embarrassing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

And while the finger-pointing has been directed at everyone and from everywhere — now it is even coming from where you'd least expect.

Tony Dungy said on NBC's "Football Night in America" that head coach Tom Coughlin shouldn't be fired, but needed to step down. 

The 3-and-9 Giants have dropped seven straight and seem destined to finish with their worst record since Coughlin's first season with the team.

Dungy was blunt with co-host Dan Patrick in this exchange:

Patrick: "Time to start over in New York?"

Dungy: "It really is."

Patrick: "Where do you start when you start over?"

Dungy: "I think that you start with the coach, and Tom Coughlin should not be fired. You don't fire coaches that have won two Super Bowls, but he should step down. This is going to be a long-term rebuilding process."

When the pro-coach Dungy comes out and says what he did on Sunday night, you might have to admit the Coughlin Era is over.

And while it's still nearly impossible to find someone in the organization wanting to release an experienced coach who brings two Super Bowl rings to the table, even co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch — who don’t want to fire him — might have no other option.

Odell Beckham Jr.'s catch featured on customized gloves (PHOTO)

A week after Odell Beckham Jr. broke the Internet by making one of the greatest catches in NFL history, the New York Giants wideout already has a special pair of gloves to commemorate the play.

It didn't take Nike long to create a pair of customized gloves for the receiver that features an image of Beckham's one-handed catch and the phrase "Be-ckham Legendary."

Turn uncatchable into unforgettable. @OBJ_3 takes the field in a custom Nike Vapor Jet 3.0. pic.twitter.com/2dxVtTnNp6
— Nike Football (@usnikefootball) November 30, 2014

Too bad the slogan isn't as catchy.

Ryan Fitzpatrick's son shows off math skills during postgame presser (VIDEO)

Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went to Harvard, and his son Brady seems to have inherited a lot of pop's academic skills.

After Fitz put up big numbers — he threw for 358 yards and six touchdowns in a 45-21 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday — young Brady dazzled everyone with a few of his own at the postgame press conference.

Fitzpatrick challenged a reporter to throw out a few random numbers at the end of the press conference and, in a matter of seconds, Brady was able to multiply 93 by 97 in his head.

Now if Brady can throw a football, Harvard will probably be calling soon.

Ray Rice is most added player in fantasy football leagues after NFL reinstatement: Report

NFL owners may be reluctant to add Ray Rice to their teams, but fantasy owners appear to be more forgiving when it comes to helping out their teams.

Not surprisingly, after the former Ravens running back was reinstated by the NFL on Friday, fantasy owners — who won't have to worry about a public relations nightmare by picking up the disgraced running back —wasted no time in adding Rice to their teams as many begin their final playoff push.

The Yahoo! transaction trends page shows Rice has been added to 201, 968 teams as of 7 p.m. Friday.

That dwarfs the next most added player, Vikings running back Matt Asiata, who has been added to 20,277 teams.

Rice is still without a real NFL team and it may be difficult for the 27-year-old find an organization willing to take a player with all the excess scrutiny he'll surely attract.

But that doesn't mean NFL teams won't follow the fantasy owners lead.

Brent Grimes says his one-handed INT was better than Beckham Jr.'s catch (VIDEO)

New York Giants rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s incredible one-handed catch Sunday night is being called the greatest catch of all time but, at least one NFL player is claiming he made a better grab just two weeks before.

That's right. Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes thinks his similar leaping interception robbing the Lions' Calvin Johnson of a touchdown during Week 10 deserves as much consideration as Beckham's widely publicized play — and maybe more.

"It was a cool catch. I may be biased, I think mine was better," Grimes joked, via ESPN’s James Walker. "I jumped and everything. I was on defense. They weren't throwing me the ball. That was a great catch, though."

Here's Beckham's fantastic catch ... again:



Let's make it simple and separate Big Apples from Orange Bowls by calling it like it is: Best Catch and Best Interception — respectively.

Settled.

Seahawks' Bruce Irvin trolls 49ers with tweet after win

The Seattle Seahawks trounced the San Francisco 49ers with a 19-3 road win on Thanksgiving night, and linebacker Bruce Irvin decided to rub the victory in their arch-rival's social media faces.

Just after the game, Irvin trolled the Niners with this tweet, poking fun at 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh's team motto.

Whosss got it better than us?!!! NOOOBOODYYYY! #12thman
— Bruce Irvin (@BIrvin_WVU11) November 28, 2014

They meet again in a couple of weeks in Seattle. That should be fun.

49ers owner apologizes for team's loss to Seahawks: Report

The 49ers were trounced by their arch-rival Seahawks on Thanksgiving night. 

At home in their new billion-dollar stadium. 

On national TV. 

And that's not a good combination when you pay for the whole enchilada.

So 49ers owner Jed York took to Twitter to express his frustration, apologizing to fans for the performance:

Thank you #49ersfaithful for coming out strong tonight. This performance wasn't acceptable. I apologize for that
— Jed York (@JedYork) November 28, 2014

The Niners play their cross-bay rivals, the Oakland Raiders next week in a must-win game to keep up in the playoff picture while Jim Harbaugh's future hangs in the balance.

"We know what we have to do now," the 49ers head coach said right after Thursday's game. "We've got to come back and win them all. We'll set our jaw to that."

To reach the playoffs, his 7-5 team technically might not have to "win them all." But they must win three of the four games and somehow hope to gain the tiebreaking advantage over several other teams that will probably have 10 victories.

And who's apologizing?

Rex Ryan knew John Idzik planned on firing him since start of season: Report

The on-and-off chatter about firing Rex Ryan has been flying around MetLife Stadium for the past three years but, apparently, little planes with "Fire Rex" banners have been soaring around inside John Idzik's head since the season began.

It's not surprising a head coach who had such early success with the two AFC Championship Game appearances his first two years with Woody Johnson's team would hold on to his job this long, but according to the N.Y. Post, Ryan's fate was actually sealed long ago — and he knew about it.

Sources told The Post that, during the offseason, Ryan bumped into scouts and other coaches from around the league who told him Jets general manager had been telling people his plan all along was to replace Ryan after the season and bring in his own head coach.

“Did he think that wasn’t going to get back to me?” an angered Ryan told one confidant.

The Post wrote:

All year, Ryan has been exasperated by the deficiency of talent Idzik has given him — particularly at cornerback, which is the most crucial position on his defenses.

Through it all, he has remained a company man and kept those frustrations to himself, instead actually praising some of the ill-fated moves Idzik has made.

Idzik staying more than $20 million under the salary cap this year was a clear message to Ryan there was not a strong commitment to win during a year in which Ryan knew he had to win to keep his job.

Two sources told The Post in recent days Ryan has been hinting to people with whom he is close he is prepared to go directly to TV if (when?) he’s fired by the Jets.

And, after Monday's atrocious 38-3 loss to the Bills,  it appears he is about to lose his fight to remain the Jets head coach for a seventh season after the Jets failed to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive time — their longest drought since the six-year run from 1992 to 1997.

And at Monday's postgame presser, the always colorful and direct Ryan put it best: "One thing I know, unless it changes drastically, I will be the head coach here for the next five weeks."

Warm up the mic, Rex. TV beckons. 

Bengals' Devon Still hasn't paid child support, says mother of cancer-stricken daughter: Report

Devon Still, who made headlines and won the hearts of fans from all over when the Cincinnati Bengals re-signed the once-cut player to help pay for his daughter's battle with cancer, has not paid child support in months, the little girl's mother claims.

Still, a defensive end for the NFL team, has not paid any child support for his four-year-old daughter Leah since July, according to her mother Channing Smythe.

The deadbeat claim threatens to overshadow what has been one of the few feel-good stories in a league otherwise riddled with controversy, including allegations of domestic violence and child abuse.

Smythe's attorney, Gloria Allred, has delivered a letter to the NFL asking it to investigate if Still has violated its Personal Conduct Policy by failing to pay child support, reported the New York Daily News.

"I don’t think it is fair that Devon Still, who is Leah’s father, has refused to pay any child support for her for the months of August, September, October and November of this year.," Smythe said in the letter.

Still's highly-publicized story began when he initially missed out on making Cincinnati's 53-man roster so he could be by his daughter's side while she endured expensive treatment for cancer. The sympathetic Bengals organization then offered him a spot on the practice squad, ensuring Leah would be covered under the team's health insurance policy.

Still fired back at the newspaper via Twitter:

@NYDNSports "Truth allows you to live with integrity. Everything you do and say shows the world who you really are. Let it be the Truth."
— Devon Still (@Dev_Still71) November 26, 2014

He claims he went public with his daughter's cancer diagnosis "not for sympathy," he wrote on Instagram, but "because I've come to the point where I no longer [am] feeling sorry but [want] to ask that y'all keep my daughter in your prayers...

"The more prayers that go up, the more faith we [have] that she will overcome this obstacle," he wrote.

The courageous Leah was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in June and given a 50 per cent chance of survival. She has since endured surgery to remove a tumor, five rounds of chemotherapy, one round of radiotherapy and, most recently, stem cell treatment to restore bone marrow.

Still's trips from Cincinnati to Delaware to be with his daughter each time she goes in for treatment have been making news for months but, Smythe claims she has been unable to work at all because Leah needs full-time care.

Still's agent, a spokesman for the Bengals and an NFL spokesman did not respond to requests for comment when contacted by the Daily News.

He has set up a donation program encouraging people to pledge money for every sack the Bengals' defense gets this season in an effort to help raise money and awareness about pediatric cancer.

Hopefully this situation will be resolved right away and won't tarnish something the NFL can be proud of.

And — more importantly — a little girl's health.

Reggie Bush compares shooting of Mike Brown to Palestine: Report

Reggie Bush has been pretty outspoken about the verdict in Ferguson on Twitter the past couple of days. But on Tuesday, the Lions running back curiously compared the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown to the conflict in Palestine on his Instagram page.

Bush posted a photo of a man holding a sign with the message: "The Palestinian People know what mean to be shot while unarmed because of your ethnicity. #Ferguson #Justice."

The post suggests that unarmed Palestinians were being shot by Israel.

Bush also included the caption: "No matter who you are, what color skin you have, where you live, we are all in this together! This isn't a Ferguson problem it's a Global Problem! We need change NOW! What happened to humanity? #JusticeForMikeBrown."

No matter who you are, what color skin you have, where you live, we are all in this together! This isn't a Ferguson problem it's a Global Problem! We need change NOW! What happened to humanity? #JusticeForMikeBrown

A photo posted by reggiebush (@reggiebush) on Nov 11, 2014 at 9:33pm PST

While the 29-year-old Bush has every right to voice his opinions regarding the verdict handed down in Ferguson, comparing it to the Middle East bloodshed might be a reach.

Bush, who famously dated reality star Kim Kardashian for two years, made the comment late on Monday. It was liked by more than 14,000 of his followers on Instagram.

'Fire John Idzik' billboard has new suggestion for Jets owner (PHOTO)

There is a new twist to the "Fire John Idzik" billboards which have been popping up around MetLife Stadium. The newest sign on Route 3, the main thoroughfare right outside the stadium where the Jets play, not only calls for owner Woody Johnson to clean house and fire Idzik — the Jets embattled general manager — it also suggests Johnson (and Jets fans) would be better off if he sold the franchise.

The latest billboard appeared one day after the Jets embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills Monday night in Detroit, reports NJ.com.

The signage is a result of the work being done by firejohnidzik.com. The site is run by disgruntled Jets fans and refers to "The Florham Park Circus" and pleads for the Jets to "Clean House."

So it looks like they're going to need longer banners on those planes that fly over Jets games.

LeBron James, other athletes respond to Ferguson verdict via Twitter

Within minutes of Monday’s Ferguson verdict, NBA star LeBron James used social media to express his remorse for the family of dead teenager Michael Brown and the chaos that followed.

The grand jury’s decision not to prosecute police officer Darren Wilson was announced on Monday evening during the Cleveland Cavaliers' 106-74 win over the Orlando Magic.

After the game, James took to Twitter to voice his frustration at the situation in Ferguson by tweeting a drawing of Brown and Trayvon Martin walking arm-in-arm.

As a society how do we do better and stop things like this happening time after time!! I'm so sorry to these families. Violence is not the answer people. Retaliation isn't the solution as well. #PrayersUpToTheFamilies #WeHaveToDoBetter

A photo posted by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:06pm PST

Twitter blew up with other prominent sports stars speaking out as well.

Magic Johnson expressed his disappointment with the situation in Ferguson by tweeting: "We must work together to stop the unnecessary loss of young men of color. Justice was not served in Ferguson."

We must work together to stop the unnecessary loss of young men of color. Justice was not served in Ferguson.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 25, 2014

Serena Williams also tweeted her shock. 'Wow. Just wow. Shameful. What will it take???,' she said.

Wow. Just wow. Shameful. What will it take???
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) November 25, 2014

NFL star Reggie Bush also tried to put it in perspective.

No matter who you are, what color skin you have, where you live, we are all in this together! This… http://t.co/iDYzkjygbE
— Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) November 25, 2014

Bills' Scott Chandler celebrates TD by pretending to shovel snow (VIDEO)

Buffalo residents had a rough week due to the snow storm in New York state, with many of them having to dig out of up to seven feet of the white stuff just to get outside of their homes.

Luckily, the Buffalo Bill were able to escape the white hell and play the New York Jets in Detroit Monday night.

So how did Bills tight end Scott Chandler celebrate scoring a touchdown in the first half? By pretending to shovel snow of course.

And if he got flagged for an excessive celebration penalty doing his 'shovel dance,' he could always blame it on muscle memory.

Katy Perry to perform at halftime of Super Bowl XLIX: Report

Katy Perry will be the headlining act at the next Super Bowl halftime show when she takes the stage on the NFL's biggest night and during one of the world's most watched events, it was announced Sunday night.

The pop singer was picked for the vaunted spot during the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show next February 1, the singer and the National Football League both confirmed.

"Yeppers! And I've already started testing out ideas!" Perry tweeted moments after the announcement was made at halftime during the nationally-televised game between the Cowboys and Giants.

.@SNFonNBC @NFL Yeppers! And I've already started testing out ideas! http://t.co/eYUKcQTxtG #halftime
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 24, 2014

NFL announces @katyperry will headline #SuperBowl halftime show Feb. 1, 2015. pic.twitter.com/GHb79q1jVr
— Sean Jensen (@seankjensen) November 24, 2014

There was already speculation last month that the perky Perry would be the star performer at this year's Super Bowl. And after show business' worst kept secret, she beat out other popular artists which reportedly included Rihanna and Coldplay.

The most recent Super Bowl halftime extravaganza featured Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and drew a record 111.5 million US television viewers last February.

The 30-year-old Perry — known for her flamboyant costumes and such hits as Firework, California Gurls, Dark Horse, and Part of Me — will now find a new audience in millions of homes worldwide.

It seems the league's new policy for keeping abuse out of households doesn't apply to TV viewers' listening pleasure.

Just kidding Roar fans.

Well, at least she won't have skeevy Russell Brand in tow.

Broncos players weren't very happy after kicker missed FG (VIDEO)

With the Denver Broncos trailing the Miami Dolphins, 21-17, in the third quarter Sunday, Denver kicker Brandon McManus missed a routine 33-yard field goal when it hit the upright.

And that didn't sit well with Broncos guard Manny Ramirez or wideout DemaryiusThomas.

The two players were hardly the only players who were angry over the botched chip shot — McManus has now missed three of his last six field-goal attempts — but there was probably one teammate the kicker especially hoped he wouldn't run into on the sidelines — namely one Peyton Manning.

The missed field goals by McManus have re-ignited comparisons to clutch kicker Matt Prater, who was released by the Broncos in October following his four-game suspension and who has since signed with the Lions.

Somewhere, you know Prater is getting a real kick out of this.

Close-up of Odell Beckham Jr.'s unbelievable catch makes it even more incredible (PHOTO)

If you didn't see Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. make what is being called one of the greatest catches of all time on dozens of replays Sunday night, you're sure to see it all over ESPN along with the tweets and numerous memes making the rounds on the Internet Monday morning.

Some might say that the only thing that could have possibly made the rookie's acrobatic, one-handed grab of Eli Manning's wayward throw any better would be if The Odell  — as the catch is being called — helped lead to a Giants win.

Not true. When you look at a close-up of Beckham's hand on the play, it reveals something else to be marveled at.

Behold... The Odell. pic.twitter.com/chV7An8BPi
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) November 24, 2014

That's correct. Not only did Beckham make a one-handed catch while falling backwards with a defender in the way, but he snagged the football with only three fingers.

Detroit radio station organizing Jets rally to spite ex-Lions coach: Report

The NFL announced Friday tickets for the transplanted Jets-Bills game on Monday night in Detroit will be free to the general public and all seating will be general admission.

Since the two teams really have much of a fan base in Motown,  one Detroit radio station — WMGC-FM — which still holds a grudge against former Lions coach and now Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, urged the locals to support the Jets.

Schwartz, who had coached Detroit the previous five seasons, was sarcastically carried off the field when the Bills beat the Lions back in Week 5 this season.

So expect to see a lot of green and white at the Jets' "home" game.

This Monday, #Detroit wears green to Ford Field to turn Jim Schwartz' "home" game into a road game. #GreenMonday pic.twitter.com/IW0vPROUVx
— Detroit Sports 1051 (@DSports1051) November 21, 2014

Tickets were made available to season-ticket holders on Friday and will be available to the public beginning Saturday (10 a.m.) at Detroitlions.com Gang Green fans.