SEATTLE (AP) — The NFL's Seattle Seahawks and NBA's Portland Trail Blazers are not currently for sale, the chairwoman of both franchises said Tuesday.
Jody Allen's statement came amid growing speculation about the future ownership of the teams due to stipulations in Paul Allen’s will that called for both teams to eventually be sold and the proceeds given to philanthropic endeavors. Most of the speculation has centered on the future of the Trail Blazers.
“As chair of both the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, my long-term focus is building championship teams that our communities are proud of,” Jody Allen said in her statement. “Like my brother Paul, I trust and expect our leaders and coaches to build winning teams that deliver results on and off the court and field. As we’ve stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and there are no sales discussions happening.”
Allen has overseen both teams since her brother died in 2018 and is the trustee for his estate. She acknowledged the teams will eventually be put up for sale but said there is no set timeline.
“A time will come when that changes given Paul’s plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy, but estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no pre-ordained timeline but which the teams must be sold,” Allen said.
Paul Allen purchased the Trail Blazers in 1988 and bought the Seahawks in 1997 to help keep the NFL franchise in his hometown. He also had a minority stake in the Seattle Sounders of MLS.
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NEW YORK (AP) — A look at the 16 venues hosting soccer matches at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada:
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS
AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, is the largest venue in the NFL. The stadium, which opened in 2009, has a retractable roof and an artificial surface. Its capacity is about 93,000, but the stadium set an attendance record of more than 105,000 for an NFL game the year it opened. It also hosted the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. The nearby city of Dallas hosted games at the 1994 World Cup at the Cotton Bowl.
ATLANTA
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is one of three NFL-MLS venues. The Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United both play home matches at the stadium, which opened in 2017 and seats about 75,000. The stadium has a retractable roof and an artificial surface. It was set to host college basketball’s Final Four in 2020, which was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY
Just across the Hudson River from New York, MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 as a replacement for Giants Stadium. Both the New York Jets and New York Giants play NFL games at the venue, which has a seating capacity of about 87,000 and has an artificial surface. The previous stadium hosted several matches at the 1994 World Cup and the 1999 Women’s World Cup.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS
The Boston suburb of Foxborough hosted games at the 1994 World Cup, but Gillette Stadium is a different venue, built near the old Foxboro Stadium. The new venue opened in 2002 and has a seating capacity of about 70,000. The stadium, which has an artificial surface, hosts home games in football for the New England Patriots and in soccer for the New England Revolution. The town is about 30 miles south of Boston and 21 miles north of Providence, Rhode...
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Amanda Ruller’s list of accomplishments is a long one, and potentially humbling for anyone talking with her.
Collegiate-level track star. Bobsledder. Enthusiastic skeleton competitor. Record-setting powerlifter. Football player. Exercise physiologist and strength coach. Even a tryout with the WWE.
Oh, and she once won a car on the “Price Is Right.”
“I think everything that I tried kind of put me in the next direction, the next step,” Ruller said. “And every time I look back, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, every time I tried something new, I met somebody else that pointed me in a new direction.’ And it’s not that I failed at everything. I just think it brought me to this moment."
Ruller's current moment is taking place on an NFL field as an assistant running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks. She joined the Seahawks in late May through the league’s Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship program and will stay on staff through their second preseason game in August.
After that, Ruller is hoping there may be an opportunity to stay in the NFL. Otherwise, she’ll go back to her job as the running backs coach at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where she's one of two women on the coaching staff along with wide receivers coach Taylor MacIntyre.
“I would love to make this home. I am quite fond of the area. I love the staff and the culture. I can’t speak enough good things about them,” Ruller said. “So I just think that there’s more opportunity for me to work with in here. But if that’s (not) the case, I’ll go back to McMaster and still cut my teeth in football there."
Ruller is one of several women participating in the Walsh fellowship this year.
Mickey Grace had her second stint in the program working with the Atlanta Falcons last month. Grace is the...
NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Sherman has been hired by Amazon Prime Video as an analyst for their first season as the exclusive network for “Thursday Night Football.”
Sherman, a three-time Associated Press All-Pro selection, will be part of Prime Video's pregame, halftime and postgame coverage. He had an 11-year career in the NFL, and helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl title during the 2013 season.
Sherman spent seven seasons in Seattle before going to San Francisco for three. He was with Tampa Bay last season, but played only five games because of hamstring and calf injuries.
“We’re excited to welcome Richard right off the field and onto our set,” said Jared Stacy, director of Global Live Sports Production, Prime Video, in a statement. “Few people are better equipped to give insight into the modern NFL than Richard. Fans will love seeing his big personality and brilliant football mind on display.”
Sherman will join Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez on set while Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit have been announced as the broadcasting team. Prime Video will make more announcements over the next couple of months. It will carry a preseason game when San Francisco faces Houston on Aug. 25 before its first Thursday Night game on Sept. 15 when Kansas City hosts the Los Angeles Chargers.
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PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) — Golden Tate is trading his wide receiver gloves for an outfielder's mitt.
The former NFL wide receiver with the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, is rekindling his former baseball career after signing to play for the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League, a summer league for college players.
Tate, who played baseball for two years at Notre Dame, hasn’t played in the NFL since 2020. He was twice drafted in the Major League Baseball amateur draft — in 2007 by Arizona in the 42nd round, and 2010 by San Francisco in the 50th round.
During his sophomore season at Notre Dame, Tate batted .329 in 55 games.
“As a child, my first love was baseball, so I’m excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best young players in the league,” Tate said in a statement. “I look forward to having a lot of fun and exploring baseball more.”
Tate, 33, was a second-round pick of the Seahawks in 2010 and was part of their Super Bowl championship roster in 2013.
The Lefties announced that Tate was expected to start in center field against the Bend Elks on Tuesday night.
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