MICHAEL THOMAS

The NFL’s steady increase in offensive production took a step back this season.

Cooper Kupp is finishing up one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history.

A judge has ordered charges dropped against two Bureau of Prisons guards who admitted falsifying records after Jeffrey Epstein's suicide in jail.

The decision to drop the prosecution against the guards wasn't made public until one day after Maxwell's conviction on sex-trafficking charges.

Rookie sensation Jaylen Waddle returned from the COVID-19 list to catch 10 passes for 92 yards and touchdown, and the Miami Dolphins beat the short-handed New Orleans Saints 20-3.

Josh Allen passed for 260 yards and four touchdowns, Buffalo’s defense stifled New Orleans’ short-handed offense and the Bills rolled to a 31-6 victory that sent the injury-ravaged Saints to their fourth straight loss.

New Orleans Saints two-time All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas says he won’t play this season because of complications related to ankle surgery last summer.

Mackenzie Salmon connected with Drew Brees and got his thoughts Jameis Winston so far this season as well as if he thinks Michael Thomas still wants to be in New Orleans long-term.

The New Orleans Saints will have eight coaches unable to attend Sunday’s road game against the Panthers because of positive COVID-19 tests.

Two people familiar with the situation say six unidentified members of the New Orleans Saints coaching staff, one player and another employee have tested positive for COVID-19.

Students are beginning their 2021 school year absolutely crushed after discovering that some of their favorite teachers, who were unvaccinated, have passed away from complications related to the COVID-19 virus.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools teachers who decided not to receive the protection of any of the three COVID-19 vaccines available for free are dying.

The Saints don’t want the NFL’s renewed emphasis on punishing unsportsmanlike behavior to squelch C.

In Missouri, COVID-19 cases are surging and hospitalized patients are younger than ever

Carl Nassib, who's come out as the first openly gay NFL player, has long been a proponent of spending smartly and saving for the future. He's how he does it.

"There's nowhere else to go," one parent said of losing the long-running services.

NEW YORK — Two federal correctional officers who neglected their duties while Jeffrey Epstein killed himself inside a troubled lower Manhattan jail planned to defend themselves as scapegoats for a deeply dysfunctional system had they gone on trial, sources told the Daily News. Tova Noel and Michael Thomas reached a deferred prosecution agreement from Manhattan federal prosecutors last Tuesday, ...

Prosecutors had claimed that prison officers were sleeping, browsing the Internet when Epstein hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell

Federal prosecutors said the two "admitted that they 'willfully and knowingly completed materially false count and round slips regarding required counts and rounds'" for Epstein's unit.

Prosecutors had claimed that prison officers were sleeping, browsing the Internet when Epstein hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell

The two Bureau of Prisons workers tasked with guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself in a New York jail have admitted they falsified records, but they will skirt any time behind bars under a deal with federal prosecutors.

The teen celebrated his 16th birthday days before he was killed by a man charged with DUI and other crimes.

A Pentagon Police officer who fatally shot two suspected burglars was indicted by a Maryland grand jury Friday on charges of murder and other crimes in two separate incidents, authorities said.

Jordan Spieth shot a 5-under 67 to move into a tie for the lead heading into the final round of the Valero Texas Open.

Getting into the Super Bowl spirit usually entails some sort of wager. Altogether, more than half of Americans said they'll bet on this Sunday's Super Bowl LV, according to a report from LendingTree. Despite widespread job losses, which have curtailed discretionary spending, 43% of bettors will wager at least $100, the report found. Amy Bonner, 48, an administrative assistant at consulting firm Cowden Associates in Pittsburgh, said her office is trying a virtual pool the first time. At her office, there is no cost to join and winners at the half and at the end will receive gift cards.

TAMPA, Fla. – NFL players and their union want the league to continue fighting for social justice and they’re still seeking an increase in the number of minority coaches. Two minorities were hired for seven head coach openings this offseason. There were three Black head coaches when the Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 and there are three now, despite several changes to the rule to help promote more opportunities. Goodell said having two minority coaches hired this year wasn’t what they expected and not what they expect moving forward. “It does frustrate players, especially African American players, because we see ourselves as potential leaders within the NFL community,” Woodyard said.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) works against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in New Orleans. Brady and the Bucs' offense turned three of four Saints turnovers into touchdowns and Tampa Bay beat New Orleans 30-20 in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday night. Brees’ 16-yard pass to Tre-Quan Smith put the Saints ahead 20-13, and New Orleans appeared primed to build on that lead when Brees found Jared Cook across the 50. WINSTON'S MOMENTJameis Winston, forced out of Tampa Bay when Brady became available, threw a 56-yard touchdown pass against his old team on a trick play. Saints: Deonte Harris, who returned the first Tampa Bay punt 54 yards to set up a field goal, left with a neck injury in the first half.

Brees completed 28 of 39 passes for 265 yards, connecting with Michael Thomas and Latavius Murray for touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints defeated the Chicago Bears 21-9 in an NFC wild-card game Sunday. Brees' first touchdown pass in the opening quarter was 11-yards over the middle to Thomas, back from a three-game absence to help heal a nagging ankle injury. The 2019 Offensive Player of the Year missed nine games this season and had not caught a touchdown pass since December 2019. That marked the second time this season a Bears player was thrown out for action taken against Gardner-Johnson after the whistle. The Bears have reached the playoffs twice since Pace took over in 2015, both times under Nagy, who was hired in 2018.

The Bills won the game 27-24. The first tripleheader of NFL wild-card games Saturday saw Tom Brady extend his postseason record for victories to 31 with a 31-23 victory for Tampa Bay at Washington. After a quarter-century, the Bills got one of those triumphs that Brady collects — and they even figured out how to stop a Hail Mary. The previous playoff win was over Miami on Dec. 30, 1995. And it came in the Bills’ first home playoff game in 24 years, with a limited number of 6,700 fans in attendance for the first time this season.

1 conference seed is tight, with the Packers one game ahead of the Saints, the Rams and Seahawks one game behind. Drew Brees will be active after missing four games with fractured ribs and a collapsed lung, making for an intriguing matchup with Patrick Mahomes. The Bills (11-3) scored twice in a 17-second span in the third quarter to ice their fourth straight victory that officially ended the New England Patriots’ 11-year reign atop the division. Jerry Rice caught a touchdown pass in 12 straight games in 1987 and A.J. Green did it in nine straight games in 2012.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) talks at the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Seattle's star quarterback Russell Wilson and Kansas City's standout tight end Travis Kelce are among the 32 finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)Seattle's star quarterback, Russell Wilson, and Kansas City's standout tight end, Travis Kelce, are among the 32 finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. “The 32 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees remind us that even in the face of adversity, players continue to raise awareness and use their voice and platform to positively impact their communities. “Being nominated as the Chiefs' Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year is one of the greatest honors of my professional career,” Kelce said. As an organization captain, he directs a team of active NFL players who are committed to using their platform to help address the clean water crisis.

From the season-altering (Dak Prescott, Barkley) to the bizarre (Tyrod Taylor, Trent Brown), injuries are playing their traditionally significant role in the NFL. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)ARLINGTON, Texas – From the season-altering to the bizarre, injuries are playing their traditionally significant role in the NFL. Brown also recently went back on the COVID-19 list, a newcomer among potential ailments with the NFL playing during a pandemic. Few teams have had the volume of injuries that have hit defending NFC champion San Francisco. New Orleans' star receiver, Michael Thomas, has had a tumultuous season in part because of ankle and hamstring injuries.

Brees threw for 222 yards and four touchdowns, regaining the NFL career TD pass lead and lifting the New Orleans Saints into first place with a 38-3 rout of Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. The Saints intercepted Brady twice in a 34-23 season-opening win, with Janoris Jenkins returning one for a TD. “We didn't play well in any phase of the game,” Brady said. But with Tampa Bay’s offense sputtering and one of the league’s stingiest defenses unable to slow down Brees, New Orleans pressed on. Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin (three catches, 41 yards) returned after missing one game with a broken right index finger.

That means that going into tonight’s Saints-Buccaneers showdown, home teams are 65-65-1 so far this season. That homefield advantage has largely been erased with sparse crowds or no fans at games because of the coronavirus pandemic. Las Vegas though has taken control on its first two drives of the second half. Neither had started an NFL game, but both have been in the league much longer than DiNucci. The Tennessee Titans already lost left tackle Taylor Lewan for the season, and now they are without left guard Rodger Saffold.

The Bears’ Cairo Santos made a 51-yard field goal at the end of regulation to force the extra period. He came through with his fourth field goal on a windy day, sending the Bears (5-3) to their second straight loss. “My gut, we’re on the field and I feel like we can kick a field goal at that distance without risking any ball-security issues,” Payton said. Marshon Lattimore then intercepted Nick Foles, leading to a tiebreaking field goal by Lutz. After the Saints went three-and-out, Chicago tied it with 13 seconds left on Santos’ field goal into the wind.

Titans: CB Joshua Kalu, LB Derick Roberson, LB David Long Jr., OL Daniel Munyer, T Isaiah Wilson, DL Matt Dickerson. Washington: T Geron Christian, WR Isaiah Wright, DE James Smith Williams, WR Robert Foster, LB Thomas Davis, DE Casey Toohill. ___DETROIT AT ATLANTALions: QB David Blough, CB Desmond Trufant, S Miles Killebrew, OL Logan Stenberg, WR Quintez Cephus, RB Bo Scarbrough. ___GREEN BAY AT HOUSTONPackers: QB Jordan Love, CB Kevin King, S Darnell Savage, RB Tyler Ervin, RB Aaron Jones, T David Bakhtiari, DL Tyler Lancaster. Texans: WR Keke Coutee, CB John Reid, LB Peter Kalambayi, T Charlie Heck, TE Jordan Akins.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Darren Waller (83) during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)LAS VEGAS – Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders delivered a performance worthy of their fancy new home. Carr threw three touchdown passes and the Raiders gave their new fans in Las Vegas plenty to celebrate even if they weren’t allowed in the stadium by beating the New Orleans Saints 34-24 on Monday night. Las Vegas converted 10 of 17 third downs and also went for it successfully twice on fourth down. Alec Ingold recovered for Las Vegas and Carr threw a 1-yard TD to Waller on fourth down to give the Raiders their first lead of the game at 24-17.

(AP Photo/Brett Duke)NEW ORLEANS – Tom Brady was intercepted twice in his Tampa Bay debut, Alvin Kamara scored touchdowns running and receiving, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Buccaneers 34-23 on Sunday. Neither quarterback was statistically exceptional in this first-ever NFL game featuring two quarterbacks in their 40s. One exception was Saints safety and Players Coalition co-founder Malcolm Jenkins, who trotted to the Saints bench area after the anthem had finished. The Saints were flagged four times for 101 yards, with all of those calls occurring during the Bucs' first three scoring drives. Saints: Take part in the first NFL game played in Las Vegas, the Raiders' home opener on Monday night, Sept. 21.

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, left, and Tyrann Mathieu celebrate after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Kansas City Chiefs began talking about a repeat before they had even left the stadium following their Super Bowl triumph. Patrick Mahomes and Tyrann Mathieu knew they had a platform to speak out about social injustice given their visibility and stature with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. And that's why they have joined with the Chiefs in the beginnings of a voter registration drive ahead of the November elections. If we're able to impact voter registration and give those people a voice and let those people go into their communities and select heir leaders, that's going to be very important going forward, Mathieu said.

(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:TOP OF THE HOUR: Australians rally, draw parallels to inequality in U.S. Protesters take to New York City streets after curfew, again. Protesters in South Korea condemn what they described as U.S. police brutality toward demonstrators. ___CANBERRA, Australia -- Thousands gathered in Australias capital on Friday to remind citizens that the racial inequality underscored by George Floyds death was not unique to the United States. ___NEW YORK -- Protesters stayed on the streets of New York City after curfew for another day Thursday, spurred by the death of George Floyd. ___WASHINGTON Protests in the nations capital over George Floyds death broke up before dark Thursday as a heavy rain began to fall.

NEW YORK NEW YORK (AP) Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley and Michael Thomas are among more than a dozen NFL stars who united to send a passionate video message to the league about racial inequality. The players then name several of the black men and women who have recently been killed, including Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Eric Garner. I AM George Floyd, Hopkins says. ... We, the National Football League, admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. ... We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Ross Cameron, File)NEW ORLEANS NEW ORLEANS (AP) Drew Brees now realizes he'd fallen out of touch. In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, Brees repeated his opposition to kneeling during the national anthem. The Saints, Brees included, chose to kneel moments before the anthem and then stand as it began. Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins called Brees part of the problem, in a video he posted on social media. Brees' track record may be one reason Carolina Panthers tight end Chris Manhertz, a former Brees teammate in New Orleans, echoed Davis' sentiments.

REUTERS/Lucas JacksonAt a hearing on Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, Michael Thomas lawyer said it was highly likely he would soon seek a dismissal because his client was singled out for conduct for which other guards go unpunished. The lawyer, Montell Figgins, said Thomas and co-defendant Tova Noel were selectively prosecuted to cover for all of the inadequacies of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Noel and Thomas have pleaded not guilty to charges they falsely certified to have conducted inmate counts during Epsteins final hours. New York Citys top medical examiner called Epsteins death a suicide. The death of Epstein angered U.S. Attorney General William Barr, and management at the MCC has been overhauled.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two correctional officers accused of covering up their failure to check on financier Jeffrey Epstein before he hanged himself will face an April 20 trial date. REUTERS/Jane RosenbergU.S. District Judge Analisa Torres scheduled the trial for Tova Noel and Michael Thomas at a hearing in Manhattan federal court on Monday. Theres only two people charged, but for this to happen, the whole system had to fail, he said. Noel, 31, was charged with five counts of falsifying records, while Thomas, 41, was charged with three counts. Epsteins friends once included U.S. President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britains Prince Andrew.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two jail officers falsified records to cover up their failure to check in on accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the hours before the financier killed himself, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday. Epsteins suicide, at age 66, came a little over a month after the well-connected money manager was arrested and charged with trafficking dozens of underage girls as young as 14 from at least 2002 to 2005. Noel had been a correctional officer in the Manhattan jail since 2016, and Thomas since 2007, prosecutors said. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which runs the jail, the last inmate suicide there occurred in 2006. Epstein had been taken off suicide watch shortly before his death.

August 9, 5:03 p.m.: Based on the falsified count slip, the Control Center clears the 4 p.m. count. August 9, 10:36 p.m.: Based on the falsified count slip, the Control Center clears the 10 p.m. count. August 10, 12:49 a.m.: Based on the falsified count slip, the Control Center clears the 12 a.m. count. August 10, 3:24 a.m.: Based on the falsified count slip, the Control Center clears the 3 a.m. count. August 10, 5:30 a.m.: Based on the falsified count slip, the Control Center clears the 5 a.m. count.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two jail officers falsified records to cover up their failure to check in on financier Jeffrey Epstein in the hours before he killed himself, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday. Epsteins suicide, at age 66, came a little over a month after the well-connected money manager was arrested and charged with trafficking dozens of underage girls as young as 14 from at least 2002 to 2005. The defendants were the first to be criminally charged in connection with Epsteins death, which embarrassed federal officials because the case had an unusually high profile. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which runs the MCC, the last inmate suicide at the facility was in 2006. Epstein had been taken off suicide watch shortly before his death.

"Epstein hung himself," Noel allegedly told a supervisor, the indictment says. "We did not complete the 3 a.m. no 5 a.m. rounds," Noel allegedly told the supervisor. Noel is also charged with four counts of false records, while Thomas is charged with two counts of false records. The two guards also failed to perform "any of the required 30-minute rounds" of the special housing unit where Epstein was being held, the indictment charges. Epstein was in a cell just 15 feet or so from the guards' desk, the indictment says.