With Sam Darnold and Trevor Siemian both out, Luke Falk moves from the Jet’s practice squad to starting quarterback against the New England Patriots (Sept. 20)
A Florida court is currently weighing an important matter: Does the public have the right to see a 77-year-old billionaire get a hand job?
The billionaire, of course, is Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots. He was arrested for soliciting a prostitute back in February in a bust at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, where surveillance cameras police had secretly installed at the spa captured him in action.
Kraft has pled not guilty, and since the arrest his lawyers have been working hard to keep that footage from being released to the media. They say that since all the gory allegations against Kraft are in a publicly available police affidavit, releasing the actual video would serve no purpose other than to humiliate Kraft and generate a lot of clicks.
It’s a reasonable argument. But in this case, it’s in direct conflict with a series of Florida statutes called sunshine laws, which require that all government records — texts, photos, videos, whatever, including criminal evidence — must be easily available to the public, with only a few exceptions. This is what makes the endlessly entertaining Florida Man Twitter feed possible. And it’s what gives Floridians more government transparency than residents of any other state.
In other words, the Kraft case isn’t just about the public’s appetite for salacious news. It’s also about the value of government transparency, and whether a rich and famous person should be exempted from the rules. And the case is especially important because it comes at a time when the sunshine laws are under assault on a variety of fronts.
Corporations, for instance, are giving transparency a bad name by mining public records for information they can use in lawsuits. The Florida legislature, under the guise of reducing the workload for the Department of Law Enforcement, is considering a bill that would allow the department to seal millions of criminal records from cases where charges were dropped or dismissed, or even where someone was tried and found not guilty. That would make it harder to identify patterns of misconduct, or to expose things like wrongful prosecutions.
Finally, there are the rich guys like Kraft, who are pushing hard to make sure the sunshine laws don’t apply to them. And in Kraft’s case, at least, that push is working: on Tuesday, a judge temporarily sealed the tapes, saying that Kraft’s fame did make releasing them a different proposition than it would be if he were just an average Florida man. The case is still ongoing, but for now at least, the score is Kraft 1, Transparency O.
Attorneys representing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other men charged in a Florida massage parlor prostitution investigation are asking a judge to block the release of video that police say shows them engaging in sexual acts (March 21).
Here are the top stories for Monday, February 25th: Trump heads to Vietnam for North Korea summit; R. Kelly pleads not guilty in sex abuse case; Police detail charges against New England Patriots owner; Academy Awards sees ratings boost.
Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady raises the trophy during the New England Patriots victory parade in Boston. Thousands line the streets to celebrate the Patriots win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.
(4 Feb 2019) Fans of the NFL Los Angeles Rams watched in L.A. as their NFL team lost the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots in Atlanta, 13-3. Fans expressed sadness over the loss and optimism about the teams’ future. (Feb. 4)
(3 Feb 2019) Hours before Super Bowl 53 kicks off in Atlanta, fans of both the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams are confident they’ll walk away victorious. (Feb. 3)
(1 Feb 2019) A baby gorilla at the Dallas Zoo is picking the Los Angeles Rams over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Seven-month-old Saambili chose a treat with Rams’ blue and gold colors (Feb. 1)
Videographic on brain trauma and concussion. The New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl on Sunday. A July 2017 study which analysed brain tissue of 111 dead former NFL players found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the neuro-degenerative condition, in 110 of them. Also, the Six Nations rugby union competition begins in Europe on Friday. How to reduce the number of head injuries suffered by rugby union players has become as major concern for the game’s authorities.VIDEOGRAPHICS
(29 Jan 2019) Rams Head Coach, Sean McVay, talks about how his team is preparing to take on the New England Patriots on Sunday. McVay says he feels good about where they are. (Jan. 29)
(28 Jan 2019) The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams arrived in Atlanta on Sunday and will practice this week before squaring off in the Super Bowl next Sunday. (Jan. 28)
Police are investigating the apparent burglary of the home of New England Patriots receiver Rob Gronkowski. Police say it happened while the team was in Minneapolis for the Super Bowl. (Feb. 6)
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Philadelphia Eagles fans cheered the team’s return to the city with the Vince Lombardi trophy after an historic 41-33 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in Minneapolis. (Feb. 5)
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An explosion has hit the US city of Philadelphia where street celebrations turned violent following American Football’s biggest game of the year. Underdogs the Philadelphia Eagles won their first-ever Super Bowl title against the New England Patriots. READ MORE: https://on.rt.com/8yfa
RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.
Eagles fans crowded the streets of Center City Philadelphia and sang the team’s theme song “Fly Eagles, Fly” after the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, 41-33. (Feb. 5)
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Running Back LeGarrette Blount says the Philadelphia Eagles knew they had to score ‘a lot of touchdowns’ to beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Eagles players credit Doug Pederson’s aggressive coaching with the Eagles’ 41-33 victory. (Feb. 5)
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StubHub, the internet ticket broker, says that despite the New England Patriots being in the Super Bowl again, and frigid temperatures in Minneapolis, this year’s Super Bowl is on track to be the most expensive in history. (Feb. 1)
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats.
AP’s commitment to independent, comprehensive journalism has deep roots. Founded in 1846, AP has covered all the major news events of the past 165 years, providing high-quality, informed reporting of everything from wars and elections to championship games and royal weddings. AP is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information.
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The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles kicked off Super Bowl week with the always irreverent tradition of Super Bowl media night. (Jan. 30)
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AP’s commitment to independent, comprehensive journalism has deep roots. Founded in 1846, AP has covered all the major news events of the past 165 years, providing high-quality, informed reporting of everything from wars and elections to championship games and royal weddings. AP is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information.
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AP’s commitment to independent, comprehensive journalism has deep roots. Founded in 1846, AP has covered all the major news events of the past 165 years, providing high-quality, informed reporting of everything from wars and elections to championship games and royal weddings. AP is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information.
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The Museum of the American Revolution has temporarily renamed its Patriots Galley as “Eagles Gallery,” in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles’ upcoming Super Bowl face-off against the New England Patriots. (Jan. 25)
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Crowds filled the streets of Philadelphia after the Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 to win the NFC title on Sunday. The win sends the Eagles to the Super Bowl where they will play the New England Patriots. (Jan. 22)
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