we don't just see it in the nfl. in the nba, paul george of the pacer got a concussion during a game and came back later and said i'm sorry. i reported it because it then he had to go through the concussion protocol and almost missed a game. i want to thank you guys so much. i really appreciate your time. all right. we're going to take a quick break. when we come back one of the nfl's best players, j.j. watt l lets us in on how he turned heartbreak into happiness. you'll want to stick around for that. >> let's give him a reason to believe. his arm was crazy good. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh-oh, oh, oh, la, la-la, la-la, la-la ♪ ♪ na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na some things just go together, like auto and home insurance. bundle them together at progressive, and you save big on both. ♪ oh, oh-oh, oh, oh hey, it's me! [ whistles ] and there's my dog! [gasps] there's my steps! i should stop talking. perfectly paired savings. now, that's progressive. cozy or cool? "meow" or "woof"? exactly the way you want it ... until boom, it's bedti

event. >> reporter: at the core, the nfl draft is a simple exercise. >> the st. louis rams select sam bradford. >> reporter: 30 teams gather to submit choices across a crop of college prospects, but what fun is that? there are no tackles or touchdowns, but the draft become a football spectacle second only to the super bowl.

we don't just see it in the nfl. in the nba, paul george of the pacer got a concussion during a game and came back later and said i'm sorry. i reported it because it then he had to go through the concussion protocol and almost missed a game. i want to thank you guys so much. i really appreciate your time. all right. we're going to take a quick break. when we come back one of the nfl's best players, j.j. watt lets us in on how he turned heartbreak into happiness. you'll want to stick around for that. >> let's give him a reason to believe. and i wanted to show off his arm. his arm was crazy good. ♪ ♪ ♪ i live in a world oi am totally blind.. i've been blind since birth. i lost my sight to eye disease. i lost my sight in afghanistan. and it doesn't hold me back. but my blindness can affect my sleep patterns. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. but i learned that my struggle was with non-24. non-24 is a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70% of people who

. >>> damage assessment from the big new lawsuit levelled against the nfl. tonight, former players including a hall of famer speaking publicly about these new allegations. >>> hidden danger, a frightening accident caught on camera bringing renewed attention to pool safety as we head into this traditional start of the summer season. >>> and the graduates, the reason we are here tonight in nashville. an offer too good to renews. "nightly news" begins now. >> this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams, reporting tonight from nashville. >>> good evening from nashville and before we get underway tonight, a quick word about the past two evenings of unexplained absences with my thanks to lester holt for filling in. at the end of this broadcast, we'll show you why we are here in nashville tonight, but first, first, where we've been for the past two days. about 16 hours ago, i departed moscow, where moscow, where i traveled to interview edward snowden. he is widely referred to these days as the most wanted man in the world, the interview was months in the making

[ cheers and applause ] the nfl draft is this week and the nfl estimates that over 1,000 members of the media and 3,500 fans will attend. so come and see your favorite players do what they do best. hold up a shirt. [ laughter and applause ] very new hats at the nfl draft. it's always young men with giant heads wearing very new hats. very flat brims. very new, on giant heads. [ light laughter ] richard branson, we all know richard branson. richard branson has announced plans to develop a new type of plane that could fly from new york to tokyo in one hour. one hour. apparently the engines are powered by human screams. [ laughter ] also, the bad news, it still takes an hour and a half to deplane. i don't know why. this is very surprising. a british travel company has launched a new app designed to help users plan a vacation to north korea. but they're still working on an app to get you back. so you wait until that one's beta tested before you go over there. [ cheers and applause ] this is a scary story, i apologize in advance for telling you a scary story. a hospital in great britain has i

nfl. in the lawsuit they do not specify the amount that they're looking for. but that is one of those things will have to be argued out in the courts in the years ahead. >> ed, thank you. we want to bring in lee steinberg, and jerry mcguire. lee, are you with me? i see you. >> yeah. >> let me just begin with your take. you have represented some of the biggest names in all of the nfl. what's your reaction to these claims. >> my reaction is that i've been doing this since 1975. and players are in a state of denial. they want to play, so they're very dependent on what a physician would tell them, and especially what a physician would tell them to take. there have been so many situations where players get shot up to mask the pain, go out, get injured worse. when i started, the vats of these painkillers and all sorts of meds were just there for players to scoop up and take. they had no idea what was going on. and now you have players who are -- one player took 1,000 vicoden a month, because the

being in the nfl is tough. so really the work is about to begin in a big way for him. >> it's a production-driven business. and if you cannot perform, it is called nfl for a reason. not for long. so michael sam, even though he is a draft pick, he still has to earn his way on to that team. so yes, he'll have training camp in august and he's going to be fighting for a job and it's most likely going to be on the special teams. the team he's going to is not only a good fit for him professionally, but also geographically, because the university of missouri is only two hours away. so the people in that state are very familiar with michael sam, so he's going to get a lot of support. he's really going to be looking for a job in special teams. so that's where he's got to go forward. get a job on special teams. maybe two or three years later, he can be a starter. >> missouri home for him. it's been home for him. what a great feeling that must be to now be at the home team. >> it's a great story. three big stories this dr

hawkins didn't break into the nfl conventional way. the star wideout for the browns is here with us with an inspirational story. thank you for coming on. great to see you. how does it feel to be with the browns? >> it feels good. it feels good. excited to be here. actually where it all started. getting excited about last year's season and building upon next year. gerri: i was shocked how fast you were. you can move. no wonder they picked you up. i know your story is amazing and you had to leave the country to get into the nfl. you went to the montreal aloe wets. tell us what happened from there and how you managed this trek, this very arduous trek. >> well i went to the cfl, like you said in the canadian football league. coming out of college, i didn't get picked up. and one thing led to another. i was able to get to canada and parlay that into an opportunity in the nfl. gerri: you went to cincinnati, right? >> uh-huh. gerri: but you also as i understand it, you had a hard time with the nfl lockout. what happened there? >> well, i sign

nfl draft? benghazi. of course, it's not just benghazi that republicans want the electorate to focus on. as the house gop reminded us, with contempt against former irs official lois lerner, they're on the full gamut of the session. boehner brought up the fast and furious yesterday. now, if the point of going to the well time and time again on this greatest hits list of conspiracy theories is to rally the base ahead of the midterms, the republicans might want to look at a new poll, that not only is the support for the tea party at the lowest level, below 50%, the pollsters go on to say the tea party will have less potential to affect elections this year than was the case in the last midterm election in 2010. the "washington post," luke from capitol hill hill for nbc news. luke, i want to start with you. one of the issues coming up regarding the benghazi situation is the fund-raising. house republicans are said they'll make sure no one will get away from the select committee. this is going to be a national

, but he won't be the first gay player in the nfl. we'll talk to someone who lived it, next. i always say be the man with the plan but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive, i had to do something. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about two weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer, worsening prostate symptoms, decreased sperm count, ankle, feet or body swelling, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing while sleeping and blood c

this is a culture in the nfl. i've had some seasons where i was in a oning boot and crutches, take four or five shots before the game, a handful of pain killers and played the whole season that way. wasn't able to walk into the stadium on my own but after taking drugs to get myself on the field and then i'm back on the crutches after the game. >> they told you about the know cane and the vicodin and you accepted it. they didn't hide is. >> a lot of time is knew what i was changing -- >> did you have a choice? >> we can get you back on the field if we give you this. what the long are term effect? you below re just fine. now i have stage three kidney failure, 35% kidney function, i'm one step away from needing dialysis roar kidney transplant because of the drugs the nfl fed me for years. >> is this still going on? >> still going on. i train young athletes and so i got a lot of friends and a lot of people that are still in the nfl, and first, let me say i love the nfl, sports, but if i didn't speak out and say someth

>> i think the nfl is ready. i think that they have a blueprint for this, seen what the nba has done with the jason collins situation. they've known this was coming out for a while. i think the nfl is ready, i think the st. louis rams are a good fit from a football standpoint and geographical standpoint, only two hours where he went to college at the university of missouri. lot of fans know him very well and support him on and off the football field and from a football standpoint he fits into that defensive scheme just well. he has a lot ahead of him. he has to make the 5 -man roster, not assured to make ma roster. he has to go into training camp. it's going to be a media frenzy. you're talking about everybody from the morning shows to the entertainment programs will be there and it will be interesting to see how they handle the michael sam situation with the media. >> let's talk about this in the context of the broader major four. they thought this perception of -- >> bullying. >> bullying, yes, and i'm looking

. >> there are four lawsuits against nfl teams. the raiders are being sued along with the bangles and the buffalo bills in new york and now the new york jets. all of them have the same outline which is that the women are only paid for their appearances on the field during games and an occasional outside appearance. they are not paid for all of they hours they spend practicing and going to fan days, photo shoots and other activities. >> some of these activities i understand there are events where future or want to be cheerleaders are in attendance. the cheerleaders are supposed to be there so someone is making money while the cheerleaders are not. >> that is right. the raiders have two days where they have junior cheerleaders go on the field. so these kids come the day before and they are taught all of the routines, or those that younger children can master. the parents pay for the program and the cheerleaders do not get paid at all. the raiders are pocketing that money. >> what kind of response have you had from any of the teams we

dennis is next with sports. ,, ,, players against the nfl det a >>> of course, everybody in the nfl right now is talking about the lawsuit filed by among others former raider, former 49 jeremy newberry and hundreds of other players. >> unbelievable these charges. >> jeremy so far is the only one to do the interviews. so he has become sort of the cover boy of the latest lawsuit against the nfl. it was filed by several former players against the league detailing a culture of administering illegal drugs for profit. former 49er jeremy newberry is also a football analyst. kpix 5 is among the players who say the nfl is at fault for medical misconduct. newbury told me the painkillers some with serious side effects were rampant in the locker room. >> a lot of times team trainers are giving out drugs. none of them have medical degrees. some of them aren't license and they are handing out drugs, anti-inflammatories, painkillers, sleeping pills, they are handing out this stuff all together and a lot of times you're playing the game, downing it about we are. how are you feeling? what do you need? her

we'll be right back look at the latest lawsuit at the nfl nfl. when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. >> last week the sports world of rocked by a lawsuit from 500 nfl players who faced permanent injuries by prescription drugs. the players say they were not told potential side effects long term problem

that's the nfl problem, not michael sam's problem. i want to take you into the mind of some of these guys. the way they think is not the way being aligned with a forward-thinking view of what makes us human beings. >> wade davis, a former nfl player who came out as gay after retiring, says the nfl is in a no-win situation with sam. if he gets cut from training camp before the season starts? >> i mean not so much if he gets cut from training camp before the season starts because there will be enough footage, because what michael sam's players say is he's a gamer. not one that does well in the sprints or weight lifting but when you see him in the field he's an impact player. it is entirely possible that michael sam will not get drafted and have to go into the camp as a free agent. no shame in that. it would be better for sam because he can pick and choose where he goes. as a high level college player who doesn't get drafted he would probably have his pick in terms of nfl teams, where to go for training camp. a place where strong veteran

i don't think the nfl really is as concerned as they show. the nfl is more of a bottom line league. if it doesn't affect their bottom line, they're not as concerned. >>> arnado's hit streak extends, he ties the franchise record and could break it tonight in texas. he's close to dying ji tying j o dimaggio's record. >>> a game delay at a bolivia soccer match. obviously not a dog lover. he's booed as he roughs up the pooch. easy, guys. it is a little puppy. the pup was rescued and removed by a kinder and pet friendly official. >>> just ahead, president obama on a three-day west coast democratic fund-raising tour gets up close and personal with springsteen, streisand, spielberg, and others. you're watching "early today." beautiful day in baltimore where most people probably know that geico could save them money on car insurance, right? you see the thing is geico, well, could help them save on boat insurance too. hey! okay...i'm ready to come in now. hello? i'm trying my best. seriously, i'm...i'm serious. request to come ashore. geico. saving people money on more than just car insuranc

does he fit in the nfl. there are questions that there isn't a clear position for him at the nfl level. i think that hurt him more than anything else. >> reporter: but sam has persevered before. today welcomed by new teammates and celebrated by those who call him a pioneer. >> we're going to rock it, the next season and all the seasons to come. we're going to be rocking in st. louis. >> reporter: he's made history, and now he's ready to play ball. >> while sam has been welcomed by so many of his teammates, however, not all have been accepting. one said omg, and horrible. he is being disciplined by the team. alex? >> do you think, miguel, despite this historic moment for the sports, do you think the media attention will be a distraction for michael sam and the st. louis rams? >> he said he's focused on playing, making the team and becoming the best player he can be in st. louis. there will certainly be a lot of media attention around him. not just in the opening training days, but during preseason games. it c

. >>> and it's football night in america and nfl events second only to the super bowl. big money at stake, red carpet treatment and millions set to watch it live. "nightly news" begins now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. just 24 hours ago we heard from the secretary of foreign affairs, eric shinseki there are calls for him to resign. he's trying to hang on and keep his job while the va has a very big problem. charges of a shameful record of medical care for some of our returning vets including neglect and mistreatment and in some cases veterans have died as a result. the families want answers, so do investigators. today subpoenas were issued for e-mails and correspondence surrounding the phoenix va hospital. there is an audit underway and shinseki will testify before congress next week. it's where we begin tonight with our correspondent jim mickly chef ski. >> reporter: she lost her father in law thomas breen to cancer last november and blames his death on the va hospital in p

nfl commissioner roger goodell says that nfl hasn't received the lawsuit yet and has no comment. reporting live at candlestick, cate caugiran, kpix 5. >>> and looking at the golden gate bridge, they have four southbound lanes open in the commute direction. everything is very quiet through your marin county drive this morning. in the south bay can't say that any longer. seeing delays on northbound 280 through downtown and 101 begins to slow around capitol expressway past mckee exit and westbound 580 thick fog through the livermore valley so the backups extend from tracy into the livermore valley then remains sluggish out into dublin-pleasanton. >>> low clouds and fog extending onshore today and there you go, more of a typical summer-like pattern beginning to set up here and that means some very nice weather as we head in toward the afternoon. skies will become mostly sunny temperatures 70s and low 80s well inland 60s and patchy fog toward the coastline but as we head toward the holiday the weather is looking good much warmer right on through saturday and sunday. >> looks good. can

coming up on kpix 5, former nfl players accuse the nfl of illegally using drugs. the details of a lawsuit included more than 600 ex-players. >> and an infamous convicted rapist is set to be released back into his old neighborhood. the neighbors there are furious. what a santa clara county judge has to do with all this coming up in a live report. ,, ,,,,,, what? you expect me to stay up there all day? [ car alarm chirps ] just like you, i love everything the golden state of california has to offer. so i stay golden by managing my energy use. energy upgrade california taught me how. learn to manage your energy at energyupgradeca.org >>> i'm taking two or three games at halftime, vicodin at halftime, toradol every game. >> several nfl players are accusing the league of pushing painkillers like candy. >> were disclosures made when you were recording him? >> and she gave variable answers to that. sure he knew. did he tell you him every time? no. >> the nba is us cooing clippers owner -- is accusing clippers own donald sterling trying to destroy evidence because of the

i think that we have to give the nfl a little bit more credit than we do and say that nfl players are used to being around people who are different from them, right? whether different race, different class, different religion. they're used to dealing with difference. the difference this time is that there was a little bit of the unknown. right? i think fear entered into that space but i think what you're finding that by the experience that michael sam had in missouri that players are much more capable of dealing with this than we might imagine. >> you also spoke, i believe, earlier this year to some of the owners. from what i understand, you actually got a pretty positive response. >> i had a coach tell me it was the best speech he's ever heard at the owner's committee. right? what i found was that so many of them came to me afterwards and said can you come visit my team. there are a lot of coaches and gms who i've been speaking to, so i'll be working with their teams throughout the next couple of years. >> rashad, how big a moment is this for the lgbt community? >> i think it is abso

there are four lawsuits against nfl teams. the raiders are being sued along with the bangles and the buffalo bills in new york and now the new york jets. all of them have the same outline which is that the women are only paid for their appearances on the field during games and an occasional outside appearance. they are not paid for all of they hours they spend practicing and going to fan days, photo shoots and other activities. >> some of these activities i understand there are events where future or one of the cheerleaders are in attendance -- or want to be cheerleaders are in attendance. the cheerleaders are supposed to be there so someone is making money while the cheerleaders are not. >> that is right. the raiders have two days where they have junior cheerleaders go on the field. so these kids come the day before and they are taught all of the routines, or those that younger children can master. the parents pay for the program and the cheerleaders do not get paid at all. the raiders are pocketing that money. >> what kind o

they're very hungry nfl guys. they're about to go in the nfl, guys. >> are we going drink this thing? >> jimmy: absolutely. >> we have to finish it by the time it's done. >> jimmy: absolutely not. [ laughter ] i have an idea, by the way, for one of your restaurants. last time i really -- [ mumbling ] >> jimmy: you're my best friend. [ laughter ] >> i want to tell you one thing. >> jimmy: you're about to be my best friend. am i a pretty girl? [ laughter ] >> you are not in that picture by the way. >> jimmy: i know, i know. >> zac was pulling it off. but you with the braces -- >> jimmy: i know. how about this. check this out. you have a second part of the menu called shredders. and it's shredded chicken, shredded beef and shredded pork and you have sandwiches. shredders. shredded. something like that? no, it's awful. >> okay. okay. no it's -- >> jimmy: you do have it already? >> no. no. [ light laughter ] i mean like a enchilada or a a taco or you're an old folks home or something like that. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: o

in the nfl they said they didn't care. now it proves that they don't care. >> reporter: the 49er general manager reacting. he said he is happy for michael sam but he wishes he had gone into a a different team. not looking forward to playing against him. >>> more details on a move to change the definition of marriage in california. they're working to change the phrasing in the state family code. this comes after the u.s. and state supreme court allowed same sex marriages to resume last year. the curveball code said marriage must be between a man and a woman. it call for using gender neutral terms to pass out with two republicans supporting it. >> there wasn't a definition of marriage. it changes the code to be consistent. a lot of the different codes say husband and wife. this changed it to be spouse. >> reporter: the bill also calls to recognize all same sex marriages performed out of the state. current law only recognizes out of state marriages before 2008. >>> new at 11:00, we are hearing from that chp office here rescue

that's common place in the nfl. there's many times when the trainers, the doctors would tell the player it's a sprain, and they'll continue to play on it for many, many weeks only to discover many weeks later after the season perhaps and then you'll have surgery and say it's broken or you tore a ligament. the powerful drugs that are given out are numerous. first and foremost, the most recent drug of choice is toridal. z-pac. halls yon. we could go on. these drugs were given out in cocktail form where they were stacked or given out randomly, given out by the trainers, given out by doctors. no warnings whatsoever. no record keeping. he said as player you get all of these drugs for free over the years of your career, and then suddenly you're released, and the free supply stops overnight. many players are addicted and turn to street dealers for the drugs formerly provided by the nfl. this then leads to other problems, such as cocaine or heroin use, bankruptcy, and prison. in your experience and players that you have kno

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. >>> some serious charges levied against the nfl. the stunning accusations in a lawsuit just filed by former players here in san francisco. good afternoon, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. michelle griego is on assignment. and we begin this noon with some breaking news. retired nfl players accusing the league now of illegally giving them painkillers and other drugs to numb their injuries. kpix 5's dennis o'donnell spoke with one of the players who says the nfl needs to change. >> reporter: frank, we saw this happening at 9:00 this morning when the suit was filed. jeremy newberry played almost 200 games in his nfl career. he took tore doll insections for the majority of those games. now he is paying the price. he thinks the nfl should too. >> i'm 38 years old and i got 30% kidney function. if my kidneys get any worse, i'll be on dialysis or a transplant. >> reporter: in the suit filed in san francisco federal court, jeremy newberry, richard dent, jim mcmahon, and others claim that the nfl has intentionally recklessly and negligently dev

nfl players staid they never signed up for this. serious injured including broken boned ignored, covered up and masked by painkillers fed to them to keep them into the game. those are some of the explosive allegations being levelled against the nfl tonight in a lawsuit filed by a group of retired players who claim the league placed its profits above their health. another hard hit to a league who settled allegations that it hit what it revealed about concussions. now today stunning charges. more now from ron mott. >> reporter: the lawsuit alleges nfl teams illegally gave players judged to mask serious injuries they were never told about in some cases, all in an effort, former players argue, to keep them on the field anticipate the money rolling in. >> basically what you have in the nfl is a bunch of anethetiz gladiators going out there each week. the recovery period for enhanced by a lot of these players by forcing them to play on sunday then thursday night, monday nights and then saturday. it's absolutely profit before players. eigh

and thursday night, the much-anticipated nfl draft. to no one's surprise, the number one pick is that guy. jadeveon clowney out of south carolina. but then, things got a little, well, strange. blake bortels out of central florida, he goes three overall to jacksonville. what about johnny manziel? johnny football. he falls all the way to 22. but he's going to cleveland. he's going to be a part of lake erie. >> johnny brown. >> yes. >> he's excited about it. >>> to the nba, game two. heat/nets. lebron james, 22 points in this game. he scored the final eight points of the first half to pull the heat within one. and then, in the fourth, miami would outscore brooklyn 25-15. they had a possession where they had three offensive rebounds. and james would finish it off with this fadeaway. 2-0, the heat on top of the nets. spurs also with a 2-0 games lead on portland. >>> a reminder, rounds two and three of the nfl draft, radio city, are on friday night. >> jonathan coachman. chris hassle. good morning, america. >> guys, thanks. >>> up next in "t

he says we have an nfl team cold the redskins oovps. i don't think the redskins is as concerned as they show, the nfl is a bottom-line league. if it doesn't affect their bottom line, they're not as concerned. >> i imagine the commissioner isn't that happy about that. >> probably not. >>> all eyes on radio city as we are about 14 hours away from the nfl draft. coming up on "morning joe," nfl analyst jon gruden joining us to talk about the topix. can you imagine the guys sweating it out to get drafted. it's their day. >>> let's bring us up to speed on the weather. some of these guys showing up tonight in new york city, should they bring an umbrella. >> it's raining cash. we do have a little rain to deal with around new york city, airport delays are likely because of the low ceilings and rain. not too much wind with it. it's pretty much isolated. right in between philly and hartford. it goes back to buffalo. it's going to be on and off throughout a good portion through the first half of today. i don't expect any rain in boston or d.c. a po

the nfl draft, back to you. what advice, you are a money manager. what advice do you have for young instant millionaires? >> your advice was perfect. today and tomorrow, 90% of these people statistics show will be in financial distress five years after they finish playing so it is something i worked closely with. it is a tragedy. if you said to them if you do these you will double your money every few years, rolling in at 10%. do exactly what you see, take big risks, challenges, send a lot of money, you are spot on, take a deep breath and go learn and learn and slowed down so you have that money the rest of your life. stuart: what would you tell them to do? >> 30 years ago i was a bench warmer for the university of colorado and a lot of friends that were drafted they deserve a lot of the money they get paid because the average age for an offensive linemen in the nfl today is 54 years old so i say they put their lives on the line they deserve the money that have to make sure the money sticks around. they need to be as careful as they can and take goo

high contacts were with the nfl and the nfl is going to raise the rates on this package so great that i think only companies with $60 billion in cash can be able to bid on these things. you can ask and talk to the add viders over the last 20 minutes. the deal is going to get done. if they spoken to anybody? >> that road is paved with broken dreams. they are very powerful and the actual nfl corporation has got the international rights coming up. every week, that is coming and you have a group of people who frankly are so powerful and the only single sports event where the numbers are up year after year is espn. does does any want to let this go? >> it is the greatest ithink on earth. when you talk about the customer base, of course larger picture here again what does it give them? access to video content on this type. they are hoping to bring programming costs down because of the sdal thcale that they wi have. and of course bringing mobil video to you, jim, where ever you want it when ever you want it. you do that, to me, the old technology i don't want to do this deal. i think that al

he's learning, he's getting a call. 1% of college athletes make it to the nfl. he's willing to celebrate that accomplishment openly, with the person he cares about the most. that's why this is historic. in the nfl draft, we don't see this, a man celebrating and casing and embracing another man. it doesn't happen. we see men kissing their spouses, girlfriends, mothers. that moment that you just saw is a moment that will talked about and discussed and will be a turning point moving forward. >> the thing about his story, he comes from a tough background. he has two brothers in prison, a brother who died from violence. >> from a big family, first of all, eight brothers and sisters, single mother raised them. two brothers incarcerated, three other siblings are dead. he lived in his car, moved in with friends during his high school days. he's the first person in his family to go to college. he joins the 1% of college athletes that make it to the professional ranks. certainly a great story, a lot of adversity. for him, when he takes on that first press conference as a

this was the seventh round of the nfl draft. it was supposed to end about an hour from now, so not at the very, very bottom of this draft situation but let's go back to our panel and get a reaction first to margaret hoover. what do you think? >> you and i were right here on the set and we put our hands up. i put my hands up. i won't speak for you. very excited and enthusiastic. i think a good day against the backdrop what happened to the nba recently and good news for the nfl but the point is here that he was drafted because he is an excellent football player. he was s.e.c. defensive player of the year. he would have been the only one not to have been drafted actually in history, got in the seventh round. the anticipation was probably very high but great for michael sam because he is an excellent player and also be a ground breaking moment for the nfl and a ground breaking season. >> he said he wanted to be treated as an nfl player, as a football player and judged as a football player and not a gay athlete and not why he wanted

the nfl agreed to pay more than $760 million to settle concussion claims brought against it by former players. that settlement still awaits a judge's approval. is it enough to change the pattern and behavior of athletes, parents, and coaches? what's needed, the president says, is a shift in attitude towards concussions. >> we have to change a culture that says you suck it up. identifying a concussion, and being able to self diagnose that this is something that i need to take care of doesn't make you weak. it means you're strong. >> neil, this is obviously a big white house push with that why did the president have to get involved? >> i think that thanks to the nfl suit, there's been a lot of awareness about concussions, first boxing, hockey and now football. a lot of football players look to the end of their careers and saw themselves with boxers with all the issues that they have. in fact, just as many concussions happening to girls in high school playing soccer, softball, boys playing soccer, lacrosse is involved. i think the president is looking for a comprehensive approach so we'r

the name is not used by the team or the nfl in any other context. though we respect those who view it differently, end quote. bringing in democratic congresswoman eleanor holmes norton, and spokesman who wants to change the name campaign started by raharahalbritter. and so in virginia where the team's headquarters is at, according to what they are saying did not sign that letter, so when you look at that, how does that letter help in your effort in addition to the fact that it is not bipartisan, and it is all democratic senators who have signed this? >> well, there is a bipartisan s support. there are other representatives on the other sidef of the aisle, but this is a question of which side people stand on and which side the nfl stand on. there is no gray area in this name, and it is a dictionary-defined racial slur and so the nfl being a powerful and wealthy enterprise certainly has a responsibility, and especially in our time, and especially the washington team, because the city is full of symbols of the history and the count country, and the nfl

that is about all nfl is saying. >> what are some of of the cosmetic changes? >> i know we are standing on the 50 yard line. [laughter] there will be a coin toss right here. >> together with the owner of the jets, tisch is the cochairman of the super bowl committee. they make sure this stadium he helped build is ready for the big game. >> a lot of responsibility. what keeps you up at night? >> this scale. the sheer number of things that have to get done, the sheer number of issues that we have tried to think of, to plan for. power is the big issue here. a blackout affected the superdome. >> can you guarantee no power failure? >> so much work has gone into ensuring that there will not be a power failure. there are contingency plans. generators on-site. never say never. you cannot promise 100%. we have done a lot of work. due to the security perimeter that will be built around metlife stadium, we're losing half of our parking spaces. we are trying to call this the first public transportation super bowl. we are working closely with the mta, new jersey transportati

on objective metrics, nfl scouts don't love the guy. but that doesn't mean he might come in the sixth or seventh round. and if he goes undrafted someone will surely invite him to football camp. he's the s.e.c. defensive player of the year. that's a very hard league. he may not get drafted but he'll get a chance. >> we're coming off of donald sterling's comments that prompted this sports conversation about sports teams whether or not they have caught up with the 21st century and that inevitably leads to a conversation about the washington redskins. >> yes. >> whether or not they will change their name. harry reid on the senate floor last week spoke to the redskins franchise and said what tradition of tradition of racism. okay. so is dan snyder any closer to changing this? i will remind everybody, this is the 30 most valuable nfl franchise. and the eighth most valuable franchise in the world, the washington redskins. >> on the contrary, i think dan snyder is farther from changing the name of this team. and he has the support of roger good

they finished the season nfl in passing offense last season. raiders selected louisiana and texas justin ellis and quarterback for you talkies mcgill and the forefront they finished the draft three other defensive players in of the sons run. about what iraq elias state defensive end sean harris and the western kentucky's 58 jonathan dolling for the raiders treat for the first time in 77 years prestigious texas longhorns fails to have a single player selected in the 2014 nfl draft officials say the fact that taxes the biggest single player drafted a sign of just how far the longhorns program has gone >> : to heaven 94 full half-hour of lawyers sports news trends daughters aires nationals + break on good draft foreigners for strumpet to traders of st. sports that level to lead not right after the news. >> : others differ for us coming up level code size of the freezing conditions way up on mount camp will be right you'll want weather is the new weather definitely " operating for all mothers it plans setting things off the level of the biggest acc

nfl content. there is plenty of competition for this. although we see those historic deals coming up at 60 or 70% we can even see a bigger number. >> unbelievable. it is all about sports. cristina alesci, thank you so much. they had two options for customers, you could pay $10 per month for a limited content, or get the service for free and see advertisements pop up. spotify will announce that they have signed the 10th million and you canber, read that article online, right now. john.re i'm joined by 10 million subscribers is a lot. but they don't benefit in the way that we think that they will. people are paying and they are making more money. >> they are sort of on the hamster wheel where you think that you are company and the more subscribers that you had that are paying to watch that content, the bigger your margins will get. but the way that royalties work is the more subscribers they get the more they actually have to pay in content costs, about 70% in royalties. and the contract is structur

also this weekend was the nfl draft. did anyone here watch the nfl draft? [ applause ] i -- growing up, i would say when i was about 10 years old, it became a tradition to me that i had to watch the nfl draft, at least until my beloved pittsburgh steelers drafted their player. and it used to be very frustrating to my parents because we would often be on spring break. we'd be on vacation somewhere warm, say florida, and it would be the day of the nfl draft and they would all -- my whole family would go out to the beach and i would sit in the hotel room watching espn like a loser. like a full loser. but it's great because you watch the nfl draft. there's only one reason as a fan to watch it, which is like, hope. you hope that your team will get better, you don't know. but it's something that i think that idea is why people tune in. i think that's why fans tune in every year. this year, however, was a historic nfl draft. i don't know if you followed the saga of michael sam. michael sam is a football player -- [ cheers and applause ] yep, give it up for michael

coming up on "early today," nfl under fire. from the bears' jim mcmahon to hundreds of former players, america's most powerful sport is under pressure for painkillers and narcotics. >>> pet danger, dog and cat treats that can hurt or kill your furry family members are being taken off store shelves. >>> voter nation, tuesday results are in and we have the winners and losers for you. >>> plus, 20 million bees on the loose in one place. >>> this season's winner of "the voice" and a $60 million mistake. it's wednesday, may 21st. "early today" starts right now. >>> good morning. i'm richard lui. the votes are in. here are some primary results. in kentucky, senate republican leader mitch mcconnell will take on alison lundergan grimes. mcconnell got close to 60% of the vote to defeat his challenger, matt bevin. in georgia, it's going to be a runoff there. no candidate came near the 50% that was needed in the seven-candidate primary field. right now it looks like congressman jack kingston will face david purdue in july. in idaho's high

of him becoming the first open lay gay nfl player? >> we have to take the chance if that's what they want to invest in. >> darrell pollard has two super bowl rings under his belt. he looks at sam as a football player and not a gay football player. >> he has to play. he did it in missouri. i don't see why they have an issue. >> the bay area sports agent agreed. he said sam is a good player, but he has limitations and his sexuality has nothing to do with it. >> he's what you call in football terms tight hip and not very explosive. >> he was a great player in college. some might say staying in the closet would give him a better chance of being drafted in the earlier round of nfl teams. that's up for speculation. >> the nfl made clear that that's not how they evaluate anybody. it's about can you play the game. >> most guys don't care. if they are can't, they make comments. you can help them win, most guys want to win football games. he is just waiting for an opportunity to prove everybody wrong. >> some people are saying sam will be draft

as the soviets and then the crime 4 the nfl players are suing the nfl they filed suit yesterday they claim they're not told about how serious the injuries were and they were instead giving them drugs to numb and mask the pain and get them back on the field and naysaying it was not to their benefit in the long run the drugs hurt them. in this to the players say that the nfl illegally gave them dangerous and addictive drug so they can get back the plane. the nfl did have prescriptions for the drugs and not one the players about the side effects. eight players are suing including their super bowl winning quarterback ma meta man. this is the second major lawsuit against the nfl. and the league agreed to pay $760 million for settlement. >>: and i've been digging about this position am for a long time a lot of material of the club box and we had a loss. --- thoughts. at a fellow in my heart we wanna get to that point and i felt here. >>: the order and stop more coming up the next hour. hey there. did you select these things on purpose? not a color found nature. there's nothing wrong with t