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Commission on preliminary consideration of anti-doping rules violations of RAA RUSADA rendered the decision that made athlete Yatsunenko Aleksandr (American football) ineligible for 5 years for violation under cl. 4.1, cl. 4.2 and cl. 4.5 of the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules. The period of ineligibility is commencing on the date of the decision, namely on July 24, 2023, with credit for the served period of provisional suspension, namely from May 31, 2023.

NFL teams can now interview head coaching candidates during last two weeks of season

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The NFL's Fall League Meeting has produced a handful of changes to the Rooney Rule.

A memo sent by the NFL to all 32 clubs and obtained by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero detailed policy changes enacted during Tuesday's session that were initially reported on Monday. Among those changes were an increase in the amount of external minority candidates required to be interviewed during a hiring process to fill vacancies at the executive level, as well as coordinator positions.

ESPN to broadcast Super Wild Card Weekend's Monday night game for next five years

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The inaugural Monday wild-card playoff game will be broadcast by the home network of Monday Night Football.

ESPN announced Wednesday it has won the rights to host the finale of Super Wild Card Weekend for the next five years. This season's offering, the league's first scheduled weekday prime-time playoff game, will be played on Jan. 17, 2022.

NFL COVID-19 Testing Results and Vaccination Rates: Sept. 19-Oct. 2, 2021

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The NFL's COVID-19 testing results for the September 19 – October 2 period are as follows:

  • 16,910 tests were administered to a total of 6,528 players and team personnel; 2,408 players and 4,120 personnel.
  • There were 15 new confirmed positive tests among players and 20 new confirmed positives among personnel. The overall incidence rate is 0.5% for this testing period. 

LawInSport Weekly News Recap - 1 October

LIS News Roundup

Welcome to LawInSport’s weekly News Roundup.  This recap highlights this week’s news pieces from across the world of sport. For further updates, please visit our news section.

We hope you find this useful. If you have any related questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

NFLPA Launches Accelerator, DRIVEN, to Help Close Diversity Gap in Licensing

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To address the diversity gap in licensing, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) today unveiled a new business accelerator – Driven. This program is committed to advocating for greater inclusion of diverse entrepreneurs and their consumer products while empowering them as agents of change, moving them off the sideline and providing them with a seat and voice at the table.

NFL-Premier League joint statement on medical conference to discuss player health and safety

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The National Football League (NFL) and the Premier League held a joint medical conference in London today to discuss their latest advancements in player health and safety and to share best practices for analyzing, treating, and preventing injuries among elite athletes. Led by a diverse group of the leagues' world class physicians, injury prevention specialists and epidemiologists, the day-long conference was an opportunity to ensure each leagues' efforts are informed by the latest scientific and medical information available in pursuit of a joint commitment to continuous improvement of player safety. The leagues discussed strategies for reducing soft tissue and knee ligament injuries, innovation in field surface materials, concussion prevention and treatment and the importance of prioritizing athletes' mental wellness. Held as part of the annual NFL London Games, the conference was attended by a delegation from the NFL Player Health & Safety team and Premier League physicians, certified athletic trainers/physios and sports science specialists, with representation from its clubs.

Marshawn Lynch to become NFLPA's first-ever Chief Brand Ambassador

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The NFL Players Association is excited to announce that All-Pro running back and Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch will serve as the union’s first ever chief brand ambassador. In this role, Lynch will support the development of players past, present, and future both on and off the football field.

NFL announces agreements with four approved sportsbook operators

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NEW YORK -- The National Football League (NFL) today announced it has reached agreements with FOX Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, and WynnBET to become Approved Sportsbook Operators for the 2021 NFL season. These agreements make all four operators eligible to purchase NFL in-game commercial units and other select NFL media inventory.

NFL permitting unlimited players to return from injured reserve for 2021 season

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A popular amendment to roster rules is back for another year.

In a Tuesday memo, the NFL notified all teams that they are permitted to have unlimited players return from the injured reserve list for the 2021 season after missing three games, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported. Only players on the 53-man roster after Sept. 1 are eligible to be designated for return from IR or the non-football injury list, Pelissero added.

NFL and AWS Launch Artificial Intelligence Challenge to Crowdsource Ways to Automate Player Identification using NFL Game Footage

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Challenge is next step in the NFL's Digital Athlete initiative, designed to improve the long-term health and safety of players

$100,000 in total prize money available; open through November 2, 2021

New York, August 10, 2021 – The National Football League (NFL) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) today launched a new artificial intelligence challenge to create ways for computers to automatically identify players using NFL game footage. New computer vision models created through the challenge will accelerate the NFL's work with AWS to better understand, and aim to reduce, injuries in the NFL. Prize money totaling $100,000 will be awarded to data scientists with winning models. The contest will be open through November 2, 2021.

Washington Football Team no longer permitting fans to wear Native American headdresses, face paint at home games

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The Washington Football Team has yet to announce its new name, but until then, club policy will begin breaking fans away from the old one.

The club announced Wednesday that fans at FedExField will not be permitted to wear Native American ceremonial headdresses or face paint this season. Fans weren't permitted into WFT home games last year due to COVID-19 and the prior year such costuming was still permitted under the former branding.

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