Tag Archives: football

Texans cheerleader lawsuit update

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Couple points of interest here. A former Texans cheerleader who says cheer director Alto Gary derided her as “skinny fat” and applied duct tape to her stomach before a 2017 game added her name Friday to one of two lawsuits … Continue reading →

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San Antonio to get pro football team

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not the NFL or the XFL but the AAF. “After talking to [league co-founder and CEO] Charlie Ebersol, I knew the Alliance of American Football was right for San Antonio, and that San Antonio was right for the Alliance,” said … Continue reading →

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Texans move to dismiss one cheerleader lawsuit

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Standard stuff, I presume. Attorneys for the Houston Texans have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the team by five former cheerleaders or to delay proceedings while the former cheerleaders’ complaints are submitted to arbitration. Team … Continue reading →

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They’re still trying to make XFL 2.0 happen

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And who knows, maybe it will. Oliver Luck, the former Oilers quarterback and Dynamo executive who has most recently worked at the NCAA, was named Tuesday as the commissioner of the relaunched XFL that World Wrestling Entertainment will launch in … Continue reading →

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More on the Texans’ cheerleader lawsuit

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a story in Vanity Fair about the second lawsuit filed against the Houston Texans by a group of former cheerleaders, who allege wage theft and harassment, among other things. The tale is from the perspective of plaintiff Gabriella Davis, … Continue reading →

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Second group of cheerleaders sues the Texans

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Different group, same basic complaints. Hannah Turnbow spent the 2017 NFL season wearing a bright smile and a Texans cheerleaders uniform, dancing on the field, waving pompons on the sideline, meeting fans in NRG Stadium suites and concourses and attending … Continue reading →

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Former cheerleaders file lawsuit against Texans over pay

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been wondering if something like this was going to happen here. Three former Texans cheerleaders sued the team and its cheerleading supervisor Tuesday, accusing the Texans of failing to pay minimum wage and overtime and accusing the cheer squad … Continue reading →

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Stadiums and sports betting

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sheryl Ring at Fangraphs adds another dimension to the SCOTUS sports betting decision story. But there is another incentive for states to legalize sports betting aside from just basic tax revenue. We’ve talked about ballpark deals, particularly in the context … Continue reading →

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The XFL will be back

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And this time the gimmick is there will be no gimmicks. WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go. It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league … Continue reading →

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Texans take a knee

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. On Sunday afternoon, before the Houston Texans faced off against the Seattle Seahawks in Washington, all but approximately 10 Texans took a knee during the national anthem. This was a direct response to Texans owner Bob McNair … Continue reading →

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How much will the county get repaid for Super Bowl activities?

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Quite possibly not very much, as it turns out. After the New England Patriots stunned the Atlanta Falcons with a storybook comeback in Super Bowl LI, after the crowds drained away and the national spotlight left Houston, Harris County officials … Continue reading →

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Bathroom bill or NFL draft?

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Back to some familiar questions as the special session looms. The Cowboys have made their pitch to host the NFL draft. Whether that occurs depends, in large part, on what happens in Austin this summer. NFL officials have no interest … Continue reading →

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Tom Brady’s jersey recovered

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Our long national nightmare is finally over. On Monday morning, the NFL and Houston’s police chief reported [Tom Brady’s Super Bowl] jersey was located and will be returned to the Patriots. Investigators with the Houston Police Department’s Major Offenders Division … Continue reading →

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The NBA is keeping an eye on SB6, too

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’d be shocked if they weren’t. While lauding the work of New Orleans to take on the NBA All-Star game after the league pulled its events from Charlotte because of House Bill 2, which limited anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay … Continue reading →

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Again, there is no such thing as an acceptable bathroom bill

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The current strategy for Dan Patrick in trying to round up support for, or at least blunt opposition to, his bathroom bill is to claim that it will contain exceptions for sports venues, so no one needs to worry about … Continue reading →

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Abbott shakes fist at NFL

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously? Gov. Greg Abbott is blasting the NFL for raising the prospect that Texas’ so-called “bathroom bill” could impact future events in the state — wading into a debate he has so far mostly steered clear of. “The NFL is … Continue reading →

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Super Bowl or bathroom bill?

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Choose one or the other. Texas’ next trip to the Super Bowl may hit a roadblock in Austin, where conservative lawmakers are pushing a bill to ban transgender people from the public bathrooms they feel most comfortable using. “If a … Continue reading →

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Your Super Bowl AirBnB dream probably did not come true

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Vacation rental websites like Airbnb and Home Away still have pages of listings available for this weekend. Many are asking well over $1,000 per night for, in some cases, run-of-the-mill two-bedroom apartments. Data from Airbnb Thursday show the typical … Continue reading →

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Welcome to Houston, y’all

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of visitors in town this week. Our goal is for them to leave with a positive impression. With the city’s third Super Bowl a week away, Houston appears ready for its close- up. The national press has taken turns … Continue reading →

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Now is the time to rent out your house

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

If it was your plan to do that, anyway. The teams playing in next month’s Super Bowl [are now set] and the final rush for last-minute lodging will be in full swing. That also means more house and apartment rentals … Continue reading →

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The Super Bowl economic impact calculators have figured out it’s all a game

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve adjusted their methods in anticipation of your criticisms. With less than a month to go before the big day, let no one say that Super Bowl LI — as an economic event, not a football game — has been inadequately forecast. … Continue reading →

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Who wants to rent their house out to Super Bowl visitors?

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t, but some people hope to make a lot of money renting theirs. With the Super Bowl heading to Houston next month, locals are starting to see dollar signs as well, hoping to cash in on visitors’ willingness to … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Super Bowl security

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There will be a lot. You may or may not get to hear about it. When an expected 1  million people descend on Houston for 10 days of Super Bowl concerts, contests and championship football, they will be protected – and … Continue reading →

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The Complete Transportation Guide To Super Bowl LI

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For which the tl;dr version is don’t drive in or near downtown if you can at all help it. More than 1 million people are expected to converge on downtown Houston during the week leading up to Super Bowl LI … Continue reading →

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Does it matter why infrastructure was improved?

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I say no, but maybe that’s just me. In the days leading up to the nation’s biggest sporting event, thousands of visitors will use Broadway to travel from the airport to downtown hotels and other spots. Work on gravel paths, … Continue reading →

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Time once again to talk about the Super Bowl and its economic impact

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’re less than 100 days out from Super Bowl LI here in Houston. I don’t know how much people who are not directly involved in the planning and execution of it are thinking about that. The economic benefits of hosting … Continue reading →

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Big XII declines to expand

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, UH. The University of Houston’s campaign to join the Big 12 Conference was crushed Monday by the league’s presidents, who ruled out expansion without discussing the merits of any individual applicants, including the confident, fast-rising Cougars. Bob Bowlsby, the … Continue reading →

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The Reliant Stadium area is ready for its closeup

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For the Super Bowl, of course. Gotta look pretty, you know. Currently, the area surrounding NRG Park, which includes NRG Stadium and the Astrodome, is “functional” but hardly an impression-maker for a throng of out-of-town guests, said Ed Wulfe, chairman … Continue reading →

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“The only game in college sports history whose the final outcome was decided after the game”

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If you follow sports, you have probably heard about this: In one of the more improbable finishes to a football game, Central Michigan wide receiver Corey Willis grabbed a lateral from fellow receiver Jesse Kroll at the 12-yard line after … Continue reading →

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The MOB and Baylor

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So you’ve probably heard about this by now. If it’s possible for a band to steal headlines away from a football game, Rice’s Marching Owl Band found a way. While Rice made strides but ultimately fell against No. 21 Baylor … Continue reading →

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ACC makes it three

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So long, North Carolina. Just two days after the NCAA announced they were moving scheduled tournaments out of North Carolina in protest of the state’s anti-LGBTQ House Bill 2, the Atlantic Coast Conference—which includes North Carolina’s biggest Division I programs … Continue reading →

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On big money high school stadiums

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly is against ’em. As a part of a $220 million bond package, McKinney ISD is adding an opulent events center and 12,000-seat high school football stadium that will cost a total of $62.8 million. According to the Dallas … Continue reading →

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Baylor fires Art Briles

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Baylor University, in response to allegations of sexual assaults made against students — including by several football players — announced Thursday that football coach Art Briles has been suspended with intent to terminate, and Kenneth Starr will no … Continue reading →

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The dry run for the Super Bowl

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It went pretty well. In less than a year, the Super Bowl is expected to draw almost twice as many as the 70,000 out-of-towners who flocked here for the Final Four. More than 1 million are expected to come downtown … Continue reading →

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