Highlights

The New England Patriots are a professional football team that has enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout its checkered history. Under owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots won three Super Bowls during a four-year period (2001-04). The team originated when Boston businessman William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise in the upstart American Football League on Nov. 16, 1959. Originally known as the Boston Patriots, the team played home games at several venues during the 1960s, including six years at Fenway Park. The Patriots were one of 10 AFL teams that joined the NFL when the two leagues merged on Feb. 1, 1970. The following year, t...
The New England Patriots are a professional football team that has enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout its checkered history. Under owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots won three Super Bowls during a four-year period (2001-04). The team originated when Boston businessman William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise in the upstart American Football League on Nov. 16, 1959. Originally known as the Boston Patriots, the team played home games at several venues during the 1960s, including six years at Fenway Park. The Patriots were one of 10 AFL teams that joined the NFL when the two leagues merged on Feb. 1, 1970. The following year, the team was renamed the New England Patriots and started playing home games at newly built Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The venue would be renamed twice, first as Sullivan Stadium (1983-89) in honor of the man who founded the franchise and later as Foxboro Stadium (1990-2001) after Sullivan sold the team to Victor Kiam, owner and CEO of Remington Products in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1988. In 1992, Kiam sold the controlling interest of the team to James Orthwein. The ownership changed hands two years later when Kraft, who strategically purchased Sullivan Stadium in November 1988 with the hopes of buying the team some day, fulfilled a lifelong dream when he became the fourth owner in Patriots history on Feb. 25, 1994. The following day fans responded to the sale by purchasing nearly 6,000 season tickets, a single-day sales record at the time. The Patriots have come a long way. At his introductory press conference as head coach in 1969, Clive Rush was shocked, literally, when he grabbed a microphone that wasn't grounded and received a jolt. With the team headed to the postseason in 1978, fans were stunned to learn that coach Chuck Fairbanks had accepted a job to be the University of Colorado coach. The team suspended Fairbanks for the final game of the regular season but reinstated him for the playoffs and the Patriots played like a distracted team in a 34-14 loss to Houston. In 1985, the Patriots won three playoff games on the road for the team's first trip to the Super Bowl. Days after getting hammered by the Bears 46-10, six Patriots players were identified as drug users. The next time the Patriots played in the Super Bowl, there was more dysfunction. A power struggle between coach Bill Parcels and Kraft resulted in Parcells quitting shortly after a 35-21 loss to the Packers. He was replaced by Pete Carroll, who lasted three seasons. The Belichick era began in 2000 and coincided with the opening of Gillette Stadium two years later. In Belichick's first eight seasons, the team won the AFC East six times and three world championships with Tom Brady as quarterback.
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Tom Brady's father questions if he'd let his son play football
With all of the recent discoveries about the dangers of concussions, Tom Brady's father said that he's not sure if he would have let his son play football if knew then what he knows now. "No, not without hesitation," Brady Sr. told Michael Silver of...
Tags: Amani Toomer, ESPN Radio (tv network), Wayne Gretzky, NFL Network (tv network), Tom Brady
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Upfronts 2012: NBC giving thanks for Patriots-Jets
Show TrackerNBC adds another NFL game to its schedule, this one on Thanksgiving in prime time. It will feature New York Jets and New Englad Patriots.... -
Cleveland's Kyrie Irving easily wins NBA's rookie of the year award
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving is the NBA's rookie of the year, winning the award Tuesday with the same ease as he dribbled past defenders this season.
Irving received 117 of 120 possible first-place votes from a nationwide media panel of writers...Tags: Serena Williams, Kenneth Faried, College Football, Cleveland Cavaliers, Purdue Boilermakers
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Junior Seau's family revisiting decision to donate his brain
L.A. NOWThe family of Junior Seau is revisiting the decision to allow his brain to be examined for possible injuries from his football career.... -
NFL draft: Patriots take DE Chandler Jones of Syracuse at No. 21
No. 21 New England Patriots: DE Chandler Jones, Syracuse –- Jones believes his biggest career strides were made during the off-season before his final year when he participated in mixed-martial-arts workouts with his brother, Ultimate Fighting...
Tags: Football, Mark Anderson, Chandler Jones, Mixed Martial Arts, Ultimate Fighting Championship
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NFl draft: Patriots get Alabama ILB Dont'a Hightower at No. 25
No. 25 New England Patriots: ILB Dont’a Hightower, Alabama –- Hightower, who made the calls and defensive adjustments for Alabama last season, was a finalist for four national awards last season and had career highs in tackles (85) and sacks...
Tags: NFL Draft, NFL Pro Bowl, Dont'a Hightower
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2012 NFL schedule
(x-Subject to change) All times Pacific.
Arizona Cardinals
Sept. 9 Seattle, 1:15 p.m.
Sept. 16 at New England, 10 a.m.
Sept. 23 Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m.
Sept. 30 Miami, 1:05 p.m.
Oct. 4 at St. Louis, 5:20 p.m.
Oct. 14 Buffalo, 1:05 p.m.
Oct. 21...Tags: Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers
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NFL mock draft: Luck of the draw
A year ago, when the NFL was slogging through its labor meltdown, there was plenty of hand-wringing that rookies wouldn't be as prepared to play as in seasons past. It was a reasonable assumption they would be shortchanged by a compressed off-season and...
Tags: Coby Fleener, Dre Kirkpatrick, Matt Kalil, David DeCastro, A.J. Green
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Report says Saints general manager eavesdropped on opponents
The New Orleans Saints, already reeling from the bounty scandal, were confronted Monday with a different type of explosive allegation. According to ESPN, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis had a device in his Superdome suite that allowed him to...
Tags: Mickey Loomis, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Bill Belichick
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NFL draft preview: AFC and NFC East
The draft will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday in New York. Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the needs for each team by division. Today, the East divisions: AFC East Yet again, the Dolphins are looking for their franchise quarterback. They...
Tags: Coby Fleener, Santonio Holmes, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick
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NFL draft: Off the clock and under review
ARIZONA Heady move: Fourth-rounder Bobby Massie of Mississippi can play right tackle, and some scouts had him going in the second. Head scratcher: In taking Oklahoma's Jamell Fleming in the third, the Cardinals picked up their ninth corner. ATLANTA...
Tags: Coby Fleener, David DeCastro, David Wilson, Kendall Reyes, Justin Blackmon
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Junior Seau left no suicide note, police say
Los Angeles Times Staff WriterPolice say no suicide note was left behind by football star Junior Seau, who was found dead Wednesday in his Oceanside home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. Though few details were available, police confirmed no suicide note...Tags: Miami Dolphins, Reggie Bush, USC Trojans, Football, Sports
May 25, 2012
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May 2, 2012
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