Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray is involved in a bid to purchase the New York Mets alongside Alex Rodriguez and Jenifer Lopez
Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray is involved in a bid to purchase the New York Mets, per a report from ESPN.
The former Sooners running back is joined by fellow former pro athletes Alex Rodriguez and Brian Urlacher, as well as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and actress Jenifer Lopez.
The group’s initial bid is worth $1.7 billion.
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have assembled a group of investors including NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, Super Bowl Champ Travis Kelce and former NFL running back DeMarco Murray.
— Front Office Sports (@frntofficesport) July 13, 2020
This effort currently falls just short of the $2 billion bid from hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, but the New York Post reports that Mets COO Jeff Wilpon prefers the Rodriguez-Lopez group.
Cohen was set to buy the team for $2.6 billion in February before the deal fell through.
The group led by A-Rod and J-Lo also includes Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee and former NFL offensive lineman Joe Thomas,
Murray played at OU from 2006-2010 before being drafted in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played in the NFL for seven seasons before retiring in July 2018.
In 2014, he was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
He is OU’s all-time leader in touchdowns and all-purpose yards.
Three NFL stars have joined the sports-power group headed by Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez looking to buy the Mets.
As if the Alex Rodriguez/Jennifer Lopez bid to buy the New York Mets didn’t have enough star power, it added plenty of muscle with the news Monday three NFL players have joined their power group seeking ownership.
ESPN reported Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce and 2014 NFL Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray are part of the ARod/JLo pursuit.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have such high-quality individuals as part of our group,” Lopez and Rodriguez told ESPN.
The group has already submitted its initial bid of $1.7 billion. Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen has made a top bid so far of $2 billion, according to a report by the New York Post. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon would prefer to sell to the Rodriguez-Lopez group if its offer is close to the best bid at the end of the auction, according to the Post.
Rodriguez and Lopez have put $300 million of their own money toward the bid. Other investors include future offensive lineman Joe Thomas, who spent his entire career with the Cleveland Browns, two-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee.
The ESPN report was able to get quotes from the new investors:
“Being a former athlete and having a chance to be a part of a group trying to purchase a professional team, it’s pretty cool,” Urlacher told ESPN on Monday. “It’s especially cool to be involved with Alex. Alex is the man. You’ve got Kelce, Joe Thomas, DeMarco Murray. It’s great to be in a group with them.”
Added Chiefs tight end Kelce, “This is a crazy opportunity. I had a chance to meet Alex Rodriguez a couple years ago and just told him how much of a fan I was as a kid of him. I’m very thankful for the success that I’ve had in the NFL, to have an opportunity like this come across the table. I couldn’t think of a more unique set of people to be in charge of this.
“Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez are a star-studded couple that have gotten to where they are because they work their tails off. And they’re good human beings. I thank them for letting me be a part of this.”
Demarco Murray discussed one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in Oklahoma football history
Arguably one of the best running backs to come through Norman, Oklahoma, newly appointed running backs coach Demarco Murray went on the Sooner Sports Podcast to give a peek behind the curtain of the Sooners’ magical 2008 season.
“That 2008 team and that stretch of offensive games that we had when we scored 65 straight points is pretty dang special,” Murray told Sooner Sports. “Being a coach now, I’m trying to break all those records and help our guys forget about that 2008 season and get one of those banners we didn’t get that year.”
Murray discussed one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in Oklahoma football history of whether the Sooners could have beat Florida in the BCS Championship game had he been healthy down the stretch.
Murray tore his left hamstring in the Big 12 Championship beatdown against Missouri a month before the National Title game.
“Obviously it was a big bummer not to play in the national championship game, probably the biggest game of my career,” Murray said. “I was excited and pulling for us but as a competitor, you want to be out there and help your guys.
“I try not to let things like that [bother me]. I try not to dwell on ’em. It wasn’t meant to be for me to be in that game but I definitely think the outcome would’ve been different.”
The NFL has made its archival video service free through May; here’s a season’s worth of Dallas games worth revisiting to pass the time.
It’s football withdrawal season. Sure, there’s the free agency frenzy to keep track of, there are mock drafts to dissect, there are contract clauses and salary caps to crunch. But for the fan who just wants to park it on the sofa for an afternoon and take in an honest-to-goodness game, with running and throwing and tackling and after-further-reviewing and all, the pickings are pretty slim this time every year.
In 2020, though, that drought is compounded heavily by COVID-19. Whether on genuine lockdown, practicing some common-sense self-quarantining, or doing a little basement social distancing from the rest of your family and their never-ending Disney+ marathon, the phrase, “Are you ready for some football?” may elicit a slightly more visceral reaction these days.
And while one can satisfy their pigskin craving with tons of original programming like A Football Life, Hard Knocks, and Mic’d Up, nothing restores a sense of normalcy (at least temporarily) like making some snacks, putting on a jersey, and cueing up a regular season game.
The archives go back to 2009, offering over a decade’s worth of football on various viewing platforms. Games are available in several different flavors: full broadcast (best for enjoying Tony Romo’s crystal-ball commentary, Troy Aikman’s no-nonsense stylings, or Booger McFarland’s head-shaking buffoonery), condensed versions (when you need a quick fix just to pass the time during Frozen 2), and even from the All-22 “coaches’ angle” (for maximum nerding out over the Xs and Os).
Cowboys fans, here’s a collection of games worth going back and re-watching, a full 17-game schedule (because there are no bye weeks in quarantine) to keep you cheering (mostly) while you’re under couch arrest.
2009 (finished 11-5, 1st in NFC East)
Week 15: Cowboys 24, Saints 17
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
It was the team’s first season in what is now called AT&T Stadium, but for this ’twas-the-week-before-Christmas tilt, the 8-5 Cowboys traveled to the Superdome to battle the undefeated Saints in primetime.
Dallas jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead on a touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin and a scoring run by Marion Barber. Barber would score again in the second half, but the hero of the night was DeMarcus Ware, who caused a pair of Drew Brees fumbles, one of which ended a late potentially-game-tying drive by New Orleans.
[lawrence-newsletter]
Wild Card Weekend: Cowboys 34, Eagles 14
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas had swept the regular-season series with Philadelphia by a combined score of 44-16. After a scoreless first quarter, the Cowboys blew things open with 27 points in the second and never looked back. Tashard Choice, Miles Austin, Felix Jones, and John Phillips all found the end zone in what was the Cowboys’ first playoff victory since 1996 and coach Wade Phillips’s first-ever postseason win.
Referee Ed Hochuli got loads of airtime in this one, as the two clubs set a league record for the most penalty yards (228) in a playoff game. Sloppy? Yes. But a win over the Eagles is a win over the Eagles. And a win over the Eagles in the playoffs is even sweeter.[lawrence-newsletter]
Deion Sanders, Larry Csonka and Orlando Pace were among free-agent signings that did not work out for new teams.
Free agency is like game of risk and reward. In some cases, the investment doesn’t pan out.
Matt Flynn
Getty Images
The Seattle Seahawks signed Matt Flynn to a three-year, $26 million deal in 2012. Flynn wasn’t able to beat out rookie Russell Wilson and the rest is history. Flynn was traded to the Oakland Raiders a year later and Wilson remains under center in Seattle.
Lincoln Riley named Shane Beamer his special teams coordinator at his press conference on Wednesday.
Lincoln Riley named Shane Beamer his special teams coordinator at his press conference on Wednesday.
Lincoln Riley said Shane Beamer would take a bigger role with special teams but that special teams would be more of a collaborative effort this season #Sooners
The vacancy came open due to Jay Boulware’s departure to Texas. Boulware spent seven seasons with the Sooners, acting as Oklahoma’s running backs and special teams coach.
Riley has not given the special teams coaching role to anyone yet. Along with Beamer, cornerbacks coach Roy Manning has spent time coaching special teams in his lone season at UCLA. New running backs coach DeMarco Murray also returned kickoffs for Oklahoma during his playing days starring for the Sooners.
Beamer was initially hired on as Oklahoma’s assistant head coach and tight ends coach in 2018. He spent the previous year as the tight ends and special teams coach for Georgia. Before that he had stints at South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Georgia Tech.
Demarco Murray replaced Boulware as the Sooners running backs coach.
The Sooners begin spring practice on March 10, and will play their annual Spring Game on April 18. Their first game of the 2020 season will be against Missouri State on Sep. 5.
The University of Oklahoma’s spring break commences on March 14 and lasts through March 22.
A lot is up in the air with this Sooners team, but one thing is certain—there will assuredly be a quarterback battle. This year’s contest features freshman Spencer Rattler and junior Tanner Mordecai. While Mordecai saw a majority of the backup role behind Jalen Hurts last season, Riley opted to go with Rattler at the end of the game in last year’s loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl. Both have plenty of arm talent.
This will be Alex Grinch’s second spring season with the Sooners. After losing several key players to the NFL draft, including linebacker Kenneth Murray and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, a lot is left to be desired for Oklahoma’s defense. With a full season under his belt at Oklahoma, Grinch should continue to help the unit improve.
Oklahoma’s spring game will kick off on April 18. The time has not been announced.
Lincoln Riley gave a post-signing day press conference prior to introducing Jamar Cain and DeMarco Murray.
Lincoln Riley gave a post-signing day press conference prior to introducing outside linebackers/defensive ends coach Jamar Cain and running backs coach DeMarco Murray.
Riley on the three suspended players for the Peach Bowl, "We'll get to that at a later date. Process is ongoing." #Sooners
Prior to the Peach Bowl, Ronnie Perkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Trejan Bridges were all suspended for failing an NCAA drug test. The trio was suspended for the Peach Bowl and the national championship game if the Sooners would have made it that far.
NCAA rules state that a player failing a drug test must sit out for half the regular season, regardless of the sport. With the trio already serving one game, that leaves five games for them left to serve if their appeals do not lessen the punishment.
Looking forward, Oklahoma opens the season against Missouri State on Sept. 5. The Sooners play host to Tennessee before playing against Army on the road following a BYE week. To open Big 12 play, Oklahoma squares off against Baylor and Texas in their first two conference games.
If the appeals process does not pan out for the trio, they will not be available to play until Oct. 17 when the Sooners head to Ames, Iowa in Week 7.
