Miami Dolphins issue statement regarding tragedy at Kansas City championship parade
Miami Dolphins issue statement regarding tragedy at Kansas City championship parade
Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated 2/15/24
Wednesday was another tough day for our country. At the Kansas City Chiefs’ championship parade, gunfire broke out. Twenty-two people have reportedly been treated for injuries as a result, with eleven of them children. One person has been confirmed dead.
The Miami Dolphins were among the teams that issued a message in response to the tragedy, posting a statement to their Twitter/X account on Wednesday night.
“On the very day we lost 17 innocent lives in Parkland six years ago, we again are faced with senseless violence and tragedy facing our communities. Our hearts break for Kansas City and we extend our thoughts and prayers to all involved.”
On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz entered Stoneman Douglas High School and shot and killed 17 people while injuring several others. Six years later to the day, the country is reeling from yet another tragic mass shooting.
Three suspects have reportedly been arrested in connection with the shooting. Kansas City police chief Stacey Graves stated after the incident, “I’m angry at what happened today. We had over 800 law enforcement officers to keep everyone safe. Because of bad actors, this tragedy occurred, even in the presence of Law Enforcement officers.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas added, “600 KCPD, 250 officers from outside agencies. The celebration was marred by a shooting today. We recognize some are injured. We prayer for the safety of everyone.
“Everything is fluid and the details of the investigation and situation could change moving forward.”
All Kansas City players, coaches, and staff are reportedly safe.
This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
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Former Jets QB sounds warning about Aaron Rodgers
Former New York Jets quarterback, one-time Most Valuable Player and current NFL analyst Boomer Esiason explained during Tuesday’s edition of the WFAN “Boomer and Gio” program why New York QB1 Aaron Rodgers had “better not” have a say in who serves as his backup during the 2024 season.
“The Jets have to do what’s in the best interest of the team, not in the best interest of one specific player,” Esiason said, per Ryan Chichester of Audacy.
“…Aaron Rodgers is not a 25-year-old making $50M a year. He’s a 40-year-old coming off (a torn) Achilles. You better have someone back there that you trust. It doesn’t matter whether Aaron Rodgers likes him or not. You gotta get a real guy in here if he has to play three or four games.
” Rodgers’ relationship with Zach Wilson coupled with Jets owner Woody Johnson seemingly wanting to keep the future Hall of Famer happy resulted in Wilson beginning this past campaign as New York’s QB2. Rodgers then suffered his torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the regular-season opener, and Wilson ultimately flopped before he was benched during a blowout loss in Week 11.
It has since been reported that Wilson’s feelings about Rodgers “soured over the season.” Johnson directly acknowledged last week that the Jets “need a backup quarterback,” the latest sign that the club presumably will try to get anything in return for Wilson either before or shortly after this year’s draft.
Meanwhile, Robert Saleh has gone 18-33 as Jets head coach and probably held onto the job this winter because he received Rodgers’ endorsement. Esiason fears that the 40-year-old who played with a broken thumb on his throwing hand during the 2022 campaign and then dealt with a hurting calf last spring won’t be able to give the Jets 17 starts next season.
“I don’t really care what Aaron Rodgers thinks in this particular situation…they need a legitimate backup,” Esiason added. “You have to assume he gets hurt somewhere along the line. Hopefully not seriously. But to make it through 17 games, man, especially coming off an Achilles injury?” Esiason’s takes make plenty of sense, but history suggests Johnson and/or general manager Joe Douglas will, at the very least, reach out to Rodgers before a new face is added to the club’s quarterback room.
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Insider gives huge update after Chiefs’ All-Pro DT’s contract extension comments
Shortly before the horrific mass shooting at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Wednesday, defensive tackle Chris Jones made it clear that he intended to continue playing for the franchise. One day following Jones’ words, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that a possible contract extension between the two sides is not close to happening.
“Adding to the perception that a decision has been made was Jones’s specific claim that he’ll be back this year, next year, and the year after that. It suggests that a three-year deal is being negotiated, and that it’s possibly close to being done,” Florio wrote. “Per a source with knowledge of the situation, an agreement is expected ‘no time soon.’”
As Florio noted, Jones “applied maximum leverage” early last season, skipping training camp, the preseason and the team’s Week 1 loss against the Detroit Lions amid his contract dispute. Jones was eventually given a new one-year deal. He said multiple times last summer that he was willing to sit out until Week 8, as he attempted to secure a deal that would make him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL.
Los Angeles Rams All-Pro Aaron Donald holds that distinction, as he earns an average annual salary of $31.6M. Jones finished the 2023 regular season with team highs in quarterback hits (career-high-tying 29) and tackles for loss (13), while tying for the team lead in sacks (10.5).
Jones added four passes defended in the regular season as well, and recorded eight tackles, six quarterback hits, two passes defended and one forced fumble across Kansas City’s four playoff games. Now, the Chiefs have options. They could franchise tag the 29-year-old, and per Florio, with Jones’ 2023 cap number at $26.8M, it would cost them $32.1M for a one-year deal.
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Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce discuss ‘bump’ of Chiefs’ Andy Reid
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce didn’t dance around the issue while speaking with Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce about Travis’ “bump” of head coach Andy Reid in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII this past Sunday night.
“You crossed the line,” Jason told Travis during the latest edition of their “New Heights” podcast, according to Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report. “I think we can both agree on that. Let’s be honest, the yelling in his face, too, was over the top. I think there were better ways to handle this, retrospectively.”
Travis presumably was upset about not being on the field when Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble in the red zone early into the contest’s second period.
The three-time Super Bowl champion acknowledged the way he approached Reid, who turns 66 years old next month, was “definitely unacceptable” in front of a worldwide audience. “I can’t get that fired up to the point where I’m bumping coach and it’s getting him off balance and stuff,” Travis said. “When he stumbled I was just like, ‘Oh s—,’ in my head.”
Travis ultimately recorded nine catches for 93 yards in the 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers that secured Kansas City its second consecutive championship. Barring an unexpected change of plans, both Travis Kelce and Reid are expected to run it back with the Chiefs as they chase what they hope will become the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history.
“I talked to coach Reid about it and we kind of chuckled about it, and I couldn’t be more proud of where we’ve come as a team since I got here in 2013,” Travis explained, per Nika Shakhnazarova of the New York Post. “I just love playing for the guy. Unfortunately, sometimes my passion comes out where it looks like it’s negativity, but I’m grateful that he knows it.”
Living legend Tom Brady is among noteworthy members of the NFL community who have defended both Travis Kelce for an emotional outburst and Reid for not taking one moment “personally.”
A famous sports adage teaches that winning cures everything, and the two men involved in Sunday’s confrontation likely won’t let those few seconds ruin their offseason celebrations.
