Midnight Man

The five Rams players who entered the field before Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders in St. Louis with their hands in the air in "don't shoot" poses will not be fined for their actions, NFL and team sources tell ESPN's Chris Mortensen. The players had used the team's pregame introductions to offer a show of support for nearby Ferguson. As the Rams' offense was introduced, tight end Jared Cook and receivers Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens Tavon Austin stopped near the tunnel and raised their hands in a nod to the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9. Some witnesses said Brown had his hands up before being shot. Wilson, who is white, testified to the grand jury that Brown had hit him and reached for his gun. The St. Louis Police Officers Association called for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a "very public apology," its statement read in part."I know that there are those that will say that these players are simply exercising their First Amendment rights," SLPOA business manager Jeff Roorda said in the statement. "Well, I've got news for people who think that way: Cops have First Amendment rights too, and we plan to exercise ours. I'd remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser's products. It's cops and the good people of St. Louis and other NFL towns that do. Somebody needs to throw a flag on this play. If it's not the NFL and the Rams, then it'll be cops and their supporters." In response, Brian McCarthy, the NFL's VP of communications, released a statement Monday: "We respect and understand the concerns of all individuals who have expressed views on this tragic situation.""We kind of came collectively together and decided we wanted to do something," Cook said after the Rams’ 52-0 victory. "We haven't been able to go down to Ferguson to do anything because we have been busy. Secondly, it's kind of dangerous down there and none of us want to get caught up in anything."So we wanted to come out and show our respect to the protests and the people who have been doing a heck of a job around the world." Earlier this week, the Rams spent time lamenting the fact there wasn't much they could do to help with the unrest in Ferguson. But Cook said he plans to go to Ferguson once things settle down."My sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law -- all of them went this past week for Thanksgiving," Cook said. "They came back and reported to me about the things they saw and what was going on around there. Definitely, I will be making a trip to Ferguson."Britt said he and his teammates were not "taking sides" with their display."We wanted to show that we are organized for a great cause and something positive comes out of it," Britt said. "That's what we hope we can make happen. That's our community. We wanted to let the community know that we support the community." Source: ESPN

The body of missing Ohio State defensive lineman Kosta Karageorge was found by Columbus police on Sunday after a search that started after he went missing on Wednesday. Karageorge, 22, was found dead in a dumpster of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was identified by tattoos at the scene, and a police spokesman said the investigation would continue with both the dumpster and the body of Karageorge being transported to the county morgue. "At this time, there's a lot of questions that we're still trying to work out," Sgt. Rich Weiner told reporters at the scene. "But he was found inside of the dumpster, the handgun was found inside of the dumpster with him."At this time we are able to confirm through tattoos here at the scene that it is the body of Kosta Karageorge." A police report says Karageorge's mother told authorities he has had concussions and spells of confusion. She said he texted a message Wednesday citing the concussions and saying he was sorry if he was "an embarrassment."Karageorge was scheduled to be recognized on senior day during Saturday's home game against rival Michigan, but he had gone missing on Wednesday leading up to the 42-28 win by the No. 6 Buckeyes. "The Ohio State University Department of Athletics was shocked and saddened to learn today of the death of student-athlete Kosta Karageorge, a senior from Columbus," the school said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Karageorge family, and those who knew him, during this most difficult time."Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer took to Twitter to express his condolences. Source: ESPN

When Ben Crawford finds murdered body of his neighbor's young son in the woods, he quickly goes from being a Good Samaritan to the primary suspect in the investigation. Ben is now forced to look into the crime himself in an effort to clear his name, digging deep into the lives of his suburban neighbors and exposing their deep, dark secrets Cast Ryan Phillippe (Ben) Juliette Lewis (Andrea) KaDee Strickland (Christy) Natalie Martinez (Jess) Dan Fogler (Dave) Indiana Evans (Natalie)

Back in 1946, Agent Peggy Carter of the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve) has found herself stuck with administrative duties when she'd much rather be out in the field utilizing her vast array of skills. She's also figuring life out as a single woman after losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers - aka Captain America. When old acquaintance Howard Stark is framed for providing his deadliest weapons to anybody with enough money, Peggy springs into action to help track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons, and clear Stark's name. Cast Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) James D'Arcy (Edwin) Chad Michael Murray (Jack) Enver Gjokaj (Daniel) Shea Whigham (Roger)

Brett and Michelle's relationship has lost its flare since getting married and having kids. Their attempt to rekindle the spark they once had is interrupted when Brett's friend Alex and Michelle's sister Tina move in with them. The foursome, all living under one roof, are each trying to follow their personal dreams while still remaining friends, siblings and spouses to each other. Cast Mark Duplass (Brett) Melanie Lynskey (Michelle) Amanda Peet (Tina) Steve Zissis (Alex)

In Modesto, California a young couple are viciously attacked in their home, leaving a war veteran dead and his wife clinging to life. The horrific crime sends shock waves throughout the community and stirs up tensions across socioeconomic and racial lines. Cast Felicity Huffman (Barb) Timothy Hutton (Russ) W. Earl Brown (Tom) Richard Cabral (Hector) Caitlin Gerard (Aubry) Penelope Ann Miller (Eve) Benito Martinez (Alonzo)

In the world of hip hop music, Lucious Lyon is the king. A former street thug, he rose through the ranks by utilizing his talents to become a successful artist and the CEO of Empire Entertainment. But being on top is short lived for Lucious after he is diagnosed with a disease that will cripple him in as little as three years. With the clock ticking, he must devote his time to grooming one of his sons to take over his crowning achievement, but must make sure not to destroy his already-fractured family. Lucious has a favorite son in Hakeem, his youngest and a gifted but spoiled musician. Jamal is the middle son who is a musical prodigy but shies away from the spotlight. The eldest son, Andre, is the intelligent and educated CFO of Empire Entertainment, but he lacks the charisma that is crucial to running the company. As the Lyons vie for the empire, an emotional struggle begins that will either redeem or destroy the family. Cast Terrence Howard (Lucious) Taraji P. Henson (Cookie) Gabourey Sidibe (Becky) Trai Byers (Andre) Kaitlin Doubleday (Rhonda) Grace Gealey (Anika)

In this spin-off drama that takes place six years before the timeline of Breaking Bad, small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill is hustling just to make ends meet while trying to find his true destiny. Somewhere along the way, Jimmy transforms into Saul Goodman, the man who puts the criminal in "criminal lawyer." Cast Bob Odenkirk (Saul) Jonathan Banks (Mike) Michael McKean (Chuck) Rhea Seehorn (Kim) Patrick Fabian (Howard) Michael Mando (Nacho) Julie Ann Emery (Betsy) Jeremy Shamos (Craig)

RANGERS over FLYERS 3 to 0 BLACKHAWKS over DUCKS 4 to 1 CAPITALS over ISLANDERS 5 to 2 BRUINS over JETS 2 to 1 SABRES over CANADIENS 2 to 1 RED WINGS over DEVILS 5 to 4 HURRICANES over PENGUINS 4 to 2 CANUCKS over BLUE JACKETS 5 to 0 PANTHERS over SENATORS 3 to 2 BLUES over OILERS 4 to 3 WILD over STARS 5 to 4

BULLS over CELTICS 109 to 102 WARRIORS over HORNETS 106 to 101 HAWKS over PELICANS 100 to 91 BUCKS over PISTONS 104 to 88 MAVERICKS over RAPTORS 106 to 102 CLIPPERS over ROCKETS 102 to 85 THUNDER over KNICKS 105 to 78 PACERS over MAGIC 98 to 83 SPURS over KINGS 112 to 104 NUGGETS over SUNS 122 to 97 GRIZZLIES over TRAIL BLAZERS 112 to 99 TIMBERWOLVES over LAKERS 120 to 119

Kansas City Royals and Jason Frasor have agreed on $1.8 million for the 2016 season. Frasor gets $1.25 million next season under Friday's deal, down from $1.75 million this year. The 2016 option is for $2 million with a $550,000 buyout. He can earn $500,000 annually in performance bonuses based on games pitched: $75,000 each for 35, 40, 45 and 50, and $100,000 apiece for 55 and 60. The 37-year-old right-hander was acquired from Texas in July and went 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 23 games for Kansas City and 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 61 games overall. He was a veteran presence for a young clubhouse as the Royals made the postseason for the first time since 1985 and lost to San Francisco in a seven-game World Series. Frasor was 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in the playoffs, earning victories in the Royals' wild-card win over the A's and in Game 3 of the AL Championship Series against Baltimore. Source: ESPN

The Oakland Athletics has traded Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for four players, Brett Lawrie, Kendall Graveman, Sean Nolin, and Franklin Barreto. Donaldson told the San Francisco Chronicle that he was playing video games when his agent texted him about the trade. "I'm so shocked," Donaldson told the newspaper. "I just got off the phone with Billy Beane, and I guess they got an offer that they couldn't resist. I'm definitely a little emotional about it. Oakland is my home. At the end of the day, it's a business, as much as it hurts emotionally. The guys in that clubhouse are my brothers."Beane considers both pitchers ready for the majors. "They had been pretty persistent, and we were pretty adamant that wasn't something we were willing to talk about," Beane said of dealing Donaldson. "We wouldn't have done the deal unless it addressed now and the future, and they were able to do that. This deal in our minds addresses a little bit of everything. It got pretty serious the last 48 hours. They were reluctant to give up all four players, and we weren't going to do it without those four players in the deal." Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos sweetened the deal, offering Lawrie as a replacement for Donaldson."I have a pretty good relationship with Billy," Anthopoulos said. "At some point, someone makes it really compelling." Source: ESPN

A groin injury has caused Lance Briggs to be put on injured reserve by the Chicago Bears and it’s not likely that he will return to the team. A 12-year veteran, Briggs suffered a groin injury in the second quarter of the team's Nov. 23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the ailment kept the linebacker out of Thursday's loss to the Detroit Lions. During the team's pregame show on WBBM, Bears general manager said Briggs would be "out for an extended period of time." A seven-year Pro Bowler with a contract set to expire at the end of the season, Briggs, 34, isn't expecting the Bears to put an offer on the table prior to him hitting free agency. Briggs said, "It's the last year of my deal. It's not like I'm going to magically show up after this year, and they're going to open the gates up for you, I've talked to my buddy [former Bears defensive end] Alex Brown. Those gates are closing, you're a free agent. I know the reality of it, and I'm proud of all the years I've had here. It's been great." Prior to sitting out Thursday's game, Briggs missed three other games this season due to a rib injury.Briggs currently earns $4.75 million in base salary from a three-year extension he signed in 2012, but likely won't be able to command such a salary to return to the Bears in 2015. Briggs said "I don't know" when asked whether he thinks 2014 will be his last season in the NFL. Source: ESPN

Baltimore’s Ray Rice has won his appeal and is able to sign with any NFL team, he has been reinstated. He has stated, "I would like to thank Judge Barbara Jones, the NFL Players Association, my attorneys, agents, advisors, family, friends and fans -- but most importantly, my wife Janay, I made an inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility for my actions, I am thankful that there was a proper appeals process in place to address this issue. I will continue working hard to improve myself and be the best husband, father and friend, while giving back to my community and helping others to learn from my mistakes." Former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who heard Rice's appeal earlier this month, concluded in her decision that Rice did not lie to or mislead NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. "In this arbitration, the NFL argues that Commissioner Goodell was misled when he disciplined Rice the first time. Because, after careful consideration of all of the evidence, I am not persuaded that Rice lied to, or misled, the NFL at his June interview, I find that the indefinite suspension was an abuse of discretion and must be vacated," Jones' decision stated. "I find that the NFLPA carried its burden of showing that Rice did not mislead the Commissioner at the June 16th meeting, and therefore, that the imposition of a second suspension based on the same incident and the same known facts about the incident, was arbitrary," Jones also wrote. Source: ESPN

Yasmany Tomas and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $68.5 million contract for six years and has an opt-out clause after four years. He is the latest Cuban to sign with a major league team and has spent the seven years playing for the Havana industries. He is twenty-four, batted 375, with two home runs and five RBIs in last year’s world baseball classic. Arizona went a major league-worst 64-98 last season, fired manager Kirk Gibson and reassigned general manager Kevin Towers. In total dollars among Cuban players, Tomas' deal would fall just short of the $72.5 million, seven-year contract agreed to in August between Castillo and the Boston Red Sox. Source: ESPN

Jadeveon Clowney, who is outside linebacker for The Texans is having a great deal of pain and swelling in his surgically repaired knee, but only when he plays. He has not been to practice yet this week, and says that he will test the knee before a game, but believes his chances for playing are slim. Clowney said, "A lot of pain right now, just been bothering me off and on the whole season, something I've got to push through, but when the swelling comes up, it's a little setback." He reached out to inside linebacker Brian Cushing, who has also had major surgery on the same knee. Clowney said, "I told him before the game my knee was bothering me during the week, he was like, 'Come out here and do the warm-up I do.'" He decided that he was going to play one way or another, so he copied Cushing’s warm-up in order to help him loosen up. He tore his meniscus in the first game of the season and had surgery the next day, was out for six games, played one and then missed another because of a combination of flu-like symptoms and the knee injury. "I'm kind of surprised; I thought it would have been over," he said. "I thought it'd be back to where it was by now. Some people react differently to injuries. ... Right now I just think it's letting it heal. You push it, push it, then it swells. You've got to let it go back down again. Right now just letting it heal and try to get it back to where it was before I got hurt. Source: ESPN

Mettenberger said, "I was just addicted to it, I guess. I put myself in a rehab program”, whose handful of Twitter self-portraits of his changing look before the Texans game went viral. "And now that I've quit I feel like I am a much better person." He is twenty-three and has recently been finding his stride as a starting Quarter-back, and has thrown for one-thousand one-hundred and three yards, with seven touch-downs. Source: ESPN

Calvin Johnson, a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, breaks another record on Thanksgiving Day in the game against the Chicago Bears. With his 115th career receive he passed ten-thousand yards. The record was previously set by Torry Holt who hit the record of ten-thousand yards in 116 games. Johnson said, "That's big, especially for a receiver, to be able to do it, in the fashion that we were able to do it and with the help I have from the rest of my teammates, we all share and take part in that.” He had eleven catches, made two touchdowns and ran 146 yards during the first half of the game to bring his total up to ten-thousand and fifty-two yards. He also passed Eric Moulds in all time receiving yards and is rapidly approaching Shannon Sharp’s all time record of ten-thousand sixty yards. Source: ESPN