Jared Allen, ninth all-time on the NFL quarterback sack list, announced his retirement on horseback with a video posted to his Twitter feed Thursday.
Allen, who played in the Super Bowl with the Carolina Panthers earlier this month, is mounted on a horse and wearing a cowboy hat as the video begins.
“Well, everyone, I just want to say thank you for an amazing 12-year career. This is the part where I was going to ride off into the sunset. But seeing as how there is no sunset, I’m just going to ride off,” Allen said with a wave before turning his steed into a snow-covered plain.
Allen was a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs and also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Allen, 33, has 136 career sacks in 643 games.
—A federal judge in New Orleans threw out the plea deal reached in the rape case against Darren Sharper, emphatically denying the nine-year sentence was appropriate punishment for allegedly assaulting as many as 16 women over multiple states.
Last March, Sharper reached a “global” plea agreement. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo told Sharper, who appeared in the courtroom in his orange prison coveralls with his ankles shackled, “This court cannot accept this plea agreement.”
Sharper could revert to a not guilty plea, with other jurisdictions likely to weigh in before he advances decisions in state courts in Arizona, Nevada and California.
Sharper was arrested on Jan. 17, 2014, on charges that he drugged and raped women. He also has been accused of sexually assaulting three women in New Orleans in 2013 and was indicted in Arizona on charges he drugged three women and sexually assaulted two of them in November 2013.
Sharper played in the NFL for 14 years, with the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints. The five-time Pro Bowl player retired in 2010.
—The lawyer for Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy said his client did nothing wrong in the alleged nightclub assault that left several off-duty police officers with injuries described as severe.
“We’re awaiting a decision by the DA’s office,” criminal defense attorney Dennis Cogan told the Buffalo News. “We trust that they are really taking time to consider all the surrounding circumstances. But I’m here to say and I’m telling you that McCoy did nothing wrong, nothing wrong. And he was sober. The questions will have to be asked about the conditions of other people.”
CSNPhilly.com reported Thursday that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office might not charge McCoy in the case because of concerns about the police officers’ conduct on the night of the incident, the amount of alcohol they consumed and their reasons for not calling 911.
McCoy is one of four suspects under investigation for allegedly assaulting two off-duty officers on Feb. 7 at the Recess Lounge. Police said multiple sources of video footage have been obtained.
—Calvin Johnson continues to contemplate retirement and the Detroit Lions are content to give the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver more time to make the decision.
Lions president Ron Wood said he talked to Johnson this week, as did general manager Bob Quinn, and the receiver hasn’t made a decision. In the next two weeks, Johnson’s roster status will become a key ingredient to approaching player personnel decisions.
The new league year begins March 9, the first day free agents can discuss contracts with another team. Johnson has a salary-cap figure of more than $20 million for the 2016 season.
Johnson, 30, told Lions coach Jim Caldwell the day after the 2015 season that it had been his final campaign. Caldwell asked Johnson to take his time to think about the finality of the decision before making it official.
—The Jacksonville Jaguars kept backup quarterback Chad Henne in the fold by signing him to a two-year contract.
Published reports state that Henne’s deal is worth $8 million and includes playing-time incentives. Henne serves as the backup to Blake Bortles and didn’t take a single snap in 2015.
Henne, 30, is entering his ninth NFL season. He has an 18-35 career record as a starting quarterback.
—The Cleveland Browns terminated the contract of defensive tackle Randy Starks and tight end Jim Dray, the team announced.
Starks, 32, started 15 games for the Browns last season and had 29 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. The 2015 season was his lone campaign with Cleveland.
Dray, 29, had six receptions for 61 yards last season. In two seasons with the Browns, he had 23 catches for 303 yards and one touchdowns.
—The San Francisco 49ers have shuffled around some executive roles, leading to Paraag Marathe becoming chief strategy officer and executive vice president of football operations and Al Guido being named president.
Marathe has been with the organization for more than 15 years and is well-versed in contract negotiations as well as the NFL salary cap. Guido will oversee the franchise’s business initiatives.
The 49ers also named Ethan Casson as Chief Operating Office, Hannah Gordon as general counsel, Brano Perkovich as Chief Investment Office and Scott Sabatino as Chief Financial Officer.