Weekend Rap

A federal criminal investigation into finances of the NFLPA includes “potential misuse of funds and self-enrichment by union officials,” according to a document obtained by ESPN. A memo titled “Crisis Management” was “drafted by a senior union attorney and shared with the NFLPA’s executive committee and player representatives.” The memo says the union is “now on notice of financial actions that may be criminal” and that the union faces “immediate threats requiring prompt actions.” The memo also “cites potential action” by the National Labor Relations Board. A union spokesperson declined to comment. A source said the memo is “reflective of one person’s views and recommendations.” Five candidates to be interim NFLPA Exec Dir are named as part of the “union’s ‘triage plan.’” Three of the candidates are current union officials -- Senior Dir/Player Affairs Lester Archambeau; Chief Player Officer Don Davis; and COO Teri Smith. The two named outside candidates, both former players, “have held senior NFLPA leadership positions” -- Domonique Foxworth, who served as NFLPA president from 2010-14, and his successor in that job for six years, Eric Winston. The memo also reveals the “possibility that players might sue the union for the January collusion decision” (ESPN.com, 7/25).

Commanders RB Austin Ekeler said that NFLPA leaders are “telling membership that the union is in good hands and still operating with their best interests in mind, while asserting that things remain more stable than they appear” following the resignations of Exec Dir Lloyd Howell and Chief Strategy Officer J.C. Tretter. Ekeler, a member of the union’s 11-person exec committee, said, “We want to make sure we’re moving smart and urgent, and this isn’t something that has to be immediately done to fill these spots. We have a lot of great staff that we can trust that are in leadership roles.” Ekeler said that the “worst thing union leaders could do is rush through the selection process, even if it is a temporary position.” Ekeler said Howell’s hiring process was a “good process,” though there were a “few issues that wound up biting us that we couldn’t have foreseen at the time, but I like where we’re at” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/25).

Bills player rep and LS Reid Ferguson said, “We want somebody at the helm that can put us on the right track and change the culture of the union. We want somebody who can lead us for the foreseeable future and whoever that might be, they will have the full support of the (union) president, executive committee and board members” (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/27).

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano “criticized” MLS’ decision to suspend F Lionel Messi for the team’s home match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday “over skipping the All-Star Game.” Messi and D Jordi Alba were “both out due to league discipline.” Mascherano after the game, which ended in a 0-0 draw, said, “Now I have a question: What if today’s game was an away game? Would you ask for Leo not to play? Because when it comes to filling stadiums and making money, no one complains. The thing is: This game happened to be a home game. That’s the issue. I’ll leave it up to you to decide” (USA TODAY, 7/26). Messi “watched from the sidelines next to new Argentine acquisition” MF Rodrigo De Paul. The game “marked the debut of the baby blue Riptide jersey” as the club “officially welcomed De Paul with the same type of ceremonious presentation that was given in years past to the star foursome of Messi, Alba, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets” (MIAMI HERALD, 7/26).

Although he was ineligible to be inducted into the Baseball HOF, Pete Rose had been a “staple on Main Street in Cooperstown since 1993” during Hall of Fame Weekend with regular appearances at Safe At Home Ballpark Collectibles to sign autographs. Rose died in September at 83. The store’s former owner, Andrew Vilacky, said, “Whether he was banned or not, Pete was a Hall of Famer. He played his career that way. … Whether they put him in that building or not, people that know, he’s a Hall of Famer.” Rose was reinstated in May by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, making him eligible for induction next year (WKTV.com, 7/26).

This year’s inductees are Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia, Billy Wagner and the late Dave Parker and Dick Allen. They will be inducted at the Clarks Sports Center in Cooperstown at 1:30pm ET today (MLB Network).

Here are some headlines around the incoming class and Hall of Fame Weekend:

• Ichiro soaking up induction weekend in his return to Cooperstown.
• It was basketball, not baseball, that helped Hall of Famer CC Sabathia fit in with the Yankees.
• Former Yankees lefty CC Sabathia’s only road block into Cooperstown was car issues.
• Billy Wagner’s Hall of Fame moment awaits. Former Astro ready for his speech, and maybe a few tears.
• In Cooperstown, Dave Parker’s son prepares for the speech his father always wanted to give.
• Dick Allen’s Hall of Fame induction marks the end of Frog Carfagno’s work for his friend.
• Tom Hamilton joins baseball broadcasting’s icons with humor and heart in Cooperstown speech.
• Thomas Boswell’s speech in Cooperstown: ‘Thanks, baseball.’

A youth baseball team from Venezuela was “denied entry to the United States for the Senior League Baseball World Series.” Little League International in a statement said the Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo was “unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas.” Venezuela is “one of several countries whose nationals are restricted from or limited in travel into the United States under the proclamation signed by President Donald Trump in June.” The event is a tournament for players aged 13-16 held annually in Easley, S.C. It is not the Little League World Series that is played in Williamsport, Pa. The AP reported the team “traveled to Colombia two weeks ago to apply for their visas at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá.” The team in a statement to the AP said, “What do we do with so much injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?” Tournament organizers said that they “replaced the team with the Santa María de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, which lost the Latin American championship game” (WASHINGTON POST, 7/26).

Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings revealed Friday afternoon that the NFL’s Football Trust league-wide credit facility has issued notes totaling $1.04B in new debt for multiple undisclosed clubs. The new borrowing “will be used to repay existing indebtedness, for general corporate purposes and/or to provide working capital for the participating clubs,” per Fitch, and it has various maturities in 2030, 2034 and 2037.

Fitch has given an “A” rating to the new debt and affirmed existing “A” ratings for the NFL’s Football Trust ($7.6B) and Football Funding ($4.1B) credit facilities. The agency maintains a stable rating outlook for the league.

As in the past, like when the credit rating agency issued a similarly strong rating for the NFL earlier this year, Fitch cited the NFL’s “position as the most popular professional sports league” in the country, as well as the strength of the NFL’s media rights deals, collective bargaining agreement and debt structure.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he is “enthused and very supportive” of the NFL’s continued international growth and that an “international game every year for every team” is “probably on the horizon.” During an interview with NFL Media at Falcons training camp Saturday, he said, “We’ve learned how to travel. We’ve learned how to enjoy the experience. Players enjoy it. We love seeing the game grow all over the world. The number of cities and continents that we’re touching now is incredible. The outpouring of fans every place we go is tremendous. One of the beauties of the NFL is you have the world you can expand to” (NFL Network, 7/26). NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he could envision 16 international games per season happening “very soon.” The league has seven international games across five countries scheduled for the 2025 season (SBJ).

Ed Policy officially took over as Packers Chair, President and CEO at the team’s shareholder meeting on Friday. The meeting in the Lambeau Field bowl began with Mark Murphy as the “team’s leader and ended with Policy in that position.” Murphy “reached mandatory retirement age of 70 earlier in July.” While other members of Packers leadership “made for the stage in the middle of the field, Murphy took a detour to the bleachers to shake some hands, which he did for quite some time after the meeting, too.” Murphy said, “This is my favorite day of the year. Not only are you the best fans in the NFL, you are the best owners in the NFL.” Policy listed some of Murphy’s accomplishments, citing bringing the 2025 NFL Draft to Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl in 2011 and his leadership during the COVID year. Murphy said of Policy, “The thing I’ve told him is he’s got to be himself. I’ve seen him grow quite a bit as a leader. There’s no question he’s positioned and ready to have success.” Murphy said he does “not intend to maintain an office at Lambeau,” but he will “always be available if Policy needs him.” The meeting was attended by 6,529 shareholders and guests (GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE, 7/25).

The standoff between the Bengals and No. 17 overall draft pick DE Shemar Stewart has “come to an end,” with Stewart agreeing to a four-year, $18.97M contract. The contract is “fully guaranteed -- a major victory for Stewart.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that number also includes a $10.4M signing bonus. The Bengals reportedly “changed a controversial clause that was the basis of Stewart’s standoff.” The clause would have “allowed Cincinnati to void Stewart’s guaranteed money if he engaged in ‘detrimental’ conduct.” The clause was “not dropped entirely,” but it was “softened enough that Stewart agreed” (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/25).

Stadium questions, decisions, sites and timelines are “at the forefront” for the Broncos as the team pushes toward the 2025 season. When asked about the Burnham Yard site, Broncos President Damani Leech said the team has “not made any decisions about a preferred site.” He added, “What you’ve heard from us is really at a city level. City conversations, city viewing. Denver, Aurora, Lone Tree. Beyond that, the level of the detail there, no decisions have been made.” Leech said Broncos owners believe Empower Field is “in good shape right now.” But he added, “That being said, five more years and it’ll be a 30-year-old stadium.” Leech: “That’s certainly something we’re thinking about.” The Broncos plan to have a topping-out ceremony for their new training facility and HQ “in August when the highest beam gets put in place.” The structure will be “enclosed by November” (DENVER POST, 7/26).

The eight teams participating in the NFL’s Rivalries program in 2025 -- the AFC East and NFC West -- “released teasers” Friday of what the alternate uniforms they will wear for those games will look like. The uniforms are going to be revealed Aug. 28. Teams will wear the uniforms for one game. The Bills look to be “going with a mono-white uni.” The Dolphins appear to be “going with a darker shade of green, with a heavier blue base.” The Patriots look like they are “going to go with a whiteout uniform.” The Jets appear to be “going with a smoggy, greenish-grey.” The Cardinals appear to be “going with a golden sand look.” The Rams tease showed the “white jersey turning black.” The 49ers’ teaser is “one of the more opaque that Nike and the NFL released,” but could be hinting at “black jerseys with gold numbers.” It is also “less clear what the Seahawks are going to do compared to the other teams” (UNI WATCH, 7/26).

D.C. United supporters’ groups behind Audi Field’s north goal chanted “Sell the team!” at halftime of the club’s 4-2 loss to Austin FC on Saturday. One spectator behind the team benches “sported a T-shirt reading ‘Levien Out’” -- a reference to United CEO Jason Levien. United’s home mark fell to 2-6-5 and 6-14-10 over two seasons (WASHINGTON POST, 7/26).