As the Denver Broncos’ head coach search heats up, two candidates for the job stand out from the rest: Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh.

Payton went 152-89 with the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2021, winning seven division titles in 15 seasons. He also won a Super Bowl with a quarterback who is a similar height to Russell Wilson.

Denver’s quarterback struggled under ex-coach Nathaniel Hackett in 2022, but he finished the season on a positive note under interim coach Jerry Rosburg. After a 31-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Wilson was asked about Payton being a candidate to replace Hackett.

‘I’ve been around Sean, obviously at the Pro Bowl,’ Wilson said after the team’s season finale on Sunday. ‘I’ve been around him across the league and I’ve played against them quite a bit. He’s one of the world’s best, obviously, a guy who has coached a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees, who was one of my closest friends and the guy that got to know across the league and so many other great players.

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‘He’s competitive as can be, he’s a winner and obviously won a Super Bowl, and then at the highest level, I was able to be around him at the Pro Bowl and just the wizardry that you would have on the field was just magnificent. It was just spectacular just being around him and just Alvin Kamara, myself, Michael Thomas, just these guys, we were just talking about ball and just how you saw the game. He’s competitive as can be and he knows how to push guys at the ultimate level.’

Because he is still under contract with the Saints, the Broncos would have to complete a trade with New Orleans in order to hire Payton.

Payton has already spoken in an interview with Colin Cowherd about how he would help Wilson get back on track if he was the QB’s coach. Based on Wilson’s glowing endorsement, it’s fair to say the QB is certainly open to the possibility of teaming up with Payton in 2023.

Odell Beckham Jr. was involved in an incident on a flight back in November, resulting in him being removed from the plane before takeoff. Beckham was kicked off the plane for not putting on his seatbelt and cooperating with the requests of the flight crew, which thought he was ‘seriously ill,’ according to a statement released by the Miami-Dade Police.

On Wednesday night, body cam footage of the incident was released and it shows exactly what happened before Beckham was escorted off the plane. The flight crew claimed Beckham didn’t have his pants on and refused to put his seatbelt on, which prevented the plane from departing.

After police arrived, they told the crew that Beckham had his pants on and it was up to the captain to decide whether Beckham should be removed from the plane. For him to be removed, the entire plane had to be deboarded.

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When passengers began leaving the plane, Beckham is seen yelling at one man who told him to get off the plane.

‘You’re gonna wait 40 minutes, I’m going to be on a private plane home,’ Beck… Get your (expletive) off the plane for a second. Enjoy the cheeseboard on the way home, with your ugly (expletive).’

A longer video of the incident was also released, showing what happened from the time the police got on the plane to Beckham being escorted through the airport.

Beckham remains a free agent and has not played at all this season after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl as a member of the Rams last February.

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant gifted 11-year-old Ellie Hughes a pair of Ja 1 sneakers and an autographed basketball jersey after his 38-point performance in a win against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

Hughes reportedly had her autographed basketball stolen at Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Morant told Hughes that she’s only one of a few people in the world who have the shoe. The Grizzlies All-Star also gave away a pair of Ja 1 sneakers to a kid at an earlier Grizzlies game this season.

‘After seeing what happened to them on social media, I just felt terrible,’ Morant said. ‘… To have that (basketball) taken away from you, I felt was unacceptable.’

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Hughes was speechless after Morant handed her the shoes and jersey. Morant also gifted her two courtside tickets after he found her family when hemade a post looking for them on Twitter.

When asked if she was excited to have the shoes, Hughes only said ‘yes’ while taking in the moment.

‘That’s the classic example of speechless,’ said Morant’s father, Tee Morant.

Derek Carr essentially said goodbye to the Las Vegas Raiders organization on Thursday morning. The message came as report from NFL Network surfaced that Las Vegas is ‘evaluating’ Carr’s trade market.

Carr posted a lengthy message on social media to thank Raiders fans and to say bye to the only team he’s ever played for.

“Raider Nation it breaks my heart I didn’t get an opportunity to say goodbye in person. We certainly have been on a roller coaster in our 9 years together,” Carr posted Thursday. “From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful and appreciative of the years of support you gave my family and me.”

Carr was benched after Week 16 following a tumultuous season in Las Vegas. The ninth-year quarterback had 3,522 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 15 games. His 60.8 completion percentage and 86.3 passer rating were the worst since his rookie season, and his 14 interceptions tied a career high. The Raiders went 6-9 in games Carr started.

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The Raiders drafted Carr in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft out of Fresno State. He’s been the Raiders starting quarterback since. 

Carr’s amassed 35,222 passing yards, 217 touchdowns and 99 interceptions in 142 career games. He registered a 63-79 record. He holds many of the franchise passing records, including most passing yards and touchdown passes. Carr helped the Raiders reach the playoffs twice (2016 and 2021), though he didn’t play in the 2016 wild card game because of an injury.

The 31-year-old quarterback signed a three-year, $121.5 million contract extension that includes a no-trade clause in April and was instrumental in bringing star wide receiver Davante Adams to Las Vegas.  Now Carr and the Raiders are headed toward an imminent divorce. 

“Thank you to the city of Oakland for taking us in. Thank you to the city of Las Vegas for allowing us to proudly call you home. Thank you to the organization, my teammates, all my coaches, staff, and everyone that helped me these last 9 years in those 2 buildings. Thanks to all of Raider Nation that supported, encouraged, pushed and uplifted me at different times along this journey. Raider Nation truly is special.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.

The football coach at Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas has been placed on leave after parents claimed an intense preseason workout caused several players to be hospitalized. 

The school, located about 25 miles northeast of Dallas, sent a letter to all students and parents Tuesday acknowledging claims that some players ‘needed medical attention, and in some cases, hospitalization,’ following the Jan. 6 workout.

Coach John Harrell allegedly made players do 300 to 400 push-ups over a 60-minute period without any water breaks. At least one parent told the Dallas Morning News that her son was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a stress-induced muscle disorder that can cause kidney damage. 

Harrell did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment. In addition to placing Harrell on leave, the school district has retained a third party to conduct an independent investigation. 

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Meanwhile, at least one player has publicly come to his coach’s defense.

‘Heath football, it’s a brotherhood … these coaches have treated me with so much respect and have treated me like their son,’ junior captain Brady Luff told WFAA-TV in Dallas.

Luff said the activity last Friday ‘wasn’t any different than any workout we’ve done before, intensity-wise.’ He also denied claims that players weren’t able to take any water breaks.

In the school’s letter to parents, the campus athletic trainer advised anyone reporting symptoms such as sharp arm pain, limited movement or dark urine to report them immediately. Those symptoms are consistent with a diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis.

The Morning News cites two other nationally reported incidents involving college football players displaying symptoms of rhabdomyolysis after intense workouts: In 2011, 13 players from the University of Iowa were hospitalized, and in 2017 Oregon suspended its strength and conditioning coach after three players were sent to the hospital.

Harrell is in his second season as head coach after serving as an assistant the previous three years. The team finished 7-5 last season and lost in the second round of the regional playoffs.

Most might consider a successful acting gig on a popular sitcom to be a dream job.

But having already cleared that hurdle in the early 2000s, Frankie Muniz has since been exploring other aspirations.

“Ever since childhood, it’s been my dream to pursue racing in NASCAR,” Muniz said via release on Wednesday.

Now, at age 37, Muniz has that chance.

The two-time Golden Globe nominee and former Emmy nominee for his work on the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006), announced that he will drive the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang full time this season in the ARCA Menards Series. He will take part in testing this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

“It was important for me to partner with a team that aligned with my long-term objectives and vision, while providing every opportunity imaginable to grow mentally and physically as a full-time race car driver,” Muniz said. “I look forward to not only demonstrating my ability on the track and just how serious I am in progressing in my racing career, but also showing my son and family what it is to chase your dreams and re-invent yourself.”

Certainly, Muniz’s name will bring interest to the sport and the team and that was a selling point for owners Mark Rette and Terry Jones. But both also stressed their belief in Muniz’s ability.

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“Over the years, we’ve prided ourselves on working with new drivers who have quickly adapted to the diversity of the ARCA Menards Series and, without a doubt, we believe Frankie can do the same,” Rette said. “It is not going to be easy, and there will be a learning curve — but with his passion, focus and commitment, along with the capabilities of our team, we believe we are going to put him in a position to contend for multiple wins in 2023.

“Furthermore, we’re excited that, because of Frankie’s profile, new audiences and fans will be introduced to the sport and Rette Jones Racing.”

It won’t be Muniz’s first laps at the World Center of Racing. He drove the pace car for the 2001 Daytona 500, the race in which Dale Earnhardt Sr. was tragically killed. He also took part in ARCA testing at Daytona last year as well.

But this time around, it will be in preparation for a full season, his first in stock-car racing, and it comes as the latest venture in a busy 20-plus years for Muniz.

Muniz, who also has 24 movies to his credit, took a break from acting in 2006 to pursue racing and competed in in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship from 2007-2009. In the final season of that run, Muniz was involved in a crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, breaking his back and nearly losing his thumb. As a result, an upcoming IndyCar deal was shelved.

Afterward, Muniz explored other mediums, including music, where he served as the drummer for rock band Kingsfoil from 2012-2014. In 2017, he competed on Dancing with the Stars and co-hosted the show in 2018.

It all led to a return to the racetrack in October of 2021 as he made his stock-car debut in an SRL Pro Late Model race. Jones believes Muniz could contend right away.

“2023 is set up to be one of the most memorable seasons for Rette Jones Racing since our inception in 2016,” he said. “Without a doubt, we believe in Frankie’s ability and commitment, and with Mark’s leadership we believe that he will quickly adapt on the track and contend for a championship in his rookie season.”

If the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs make the AFC title game, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta will be the neutral venue, the NFL announced Thursday. The game will be on Sunday, January 29, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

NFL teams approved a resolution last week to mitigate the competitive inequities created by the canceled Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals Week 17 game due to Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest.

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The approved plan included the AFC Championship at a neutral site if the participating teams played an unequal number of games, both could have been the number one seed and hosted conference championship game. 

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The Bills and the Chiefs are the only two AFC teams that qualify. 

‘We are heartened by the continued improvement and progress of Damar Hamlin in his recovery, and Damar and his family remain top of mind for the entire NFL community,’ NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. 

‘We are also grateful to Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons for agreeing to host the AFC Championship Game in Atlanta should the Bills and Chiefs advance. We thank both of those clubs for their assistance in the planning process. We know, if necessary, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will provide a world class atmosphere for the competing teams, our fans and partners.’

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.

A man who had dedicated his life to steering children out of the path of violence was gunned down Wednesday night while riding in a vehicle in Greenwood, Indiana.

Officers responded to the shooting near Interstate 65 and County Line Road and found a man with gunshot wounds in the passenger seat of a white van around 6:30 p.m. CT. He died at the scene, according to Indiana State Police.

The man was identified as Richard Donnell Hamilton, 43, according to the Johnson County Coroner’s Office.

But to hundreds of families in Indianapolis, the man was known as Coach Nell.

A coach, mentor, father and friend

Hamilton was the founder of the Indy Steelers youth football team in Indianapolis, which he started with a simple motto: Mute the echoes of gun violence so children can learn a better way.

Hamilton was born and raised in Butler-Tarkington, the near north side neighborhood where the Indy Steelers play. He earned an athletic scholarship from Western Kentucky University, where he was later kicked off the team and lost the scholarship for having guns in his car. He spent 18 months in prison.

The coach previously told IndyStar he believed his past broadened his ability to reach Indianapolis youth also undergoing hardships like death in the family, gun violence and being surrounded by substance abuse.

‘I been through what you’ve been through,’ he explained. ‘Your struggle is familiar to me.’

Starting in 2005, he served as coach, mentor, father, big brother, uncle and teacher to the hundreds of children who came through his program.

Lacey Nix, whose sons played for the Steelers, said Hamilton’s example reverberated among his players.

‘The way in which he turned his life around has literally been a road map for so many of these kids,’ she said. ‘So when the kids are in trouble or peril, he can speak to them because he’s been there before.’

Families whose children played in the Steelers said it’s hard to overstate Hamilton’s impact on their lives on and off the field. When a player’s house burned down, the team and their families banded together to make sure the children had everything they needed. Nix also said Hamilton and his wife hosted a food drive every Thanksgiving and gave away turkeys to people along 38th Street.

‘When you come into the Steelers and Coach Nell’s world, you become part of something bigger,’ Nix said. ‘You’re not just part of a football program, it’s a family.’

The Indy Steelers were the focus of a 20-minute documentary released by IndyStar in March 2021 after the newspaper’s journalists spent more than two years with the players and families of the football team.

Hamilton and the Steelers received news this week that their field will undergo much-needed improvements through a Lilly Endowment grant — a goal of the coach’s for over a decade. The coach in a post on Facebook praised the news, saying it will be great for the community.

Nix said that goal for the players to have better playing conditions won’t stop now.

‘I’m just confident that in the end of this, you will see the Steelers take the field again. You’ll see his dream of having that field at Tarkington Park come true,’ Nix said. ‘All the things he worked for, for so long, will happen.’

What’s known, and not, about the shooting

The van Hamilton was riding in was targeted by occupants of another vehicle as they exited I-65 northbound to County Line Road, according to state police. It is unknown at this time how many shots were fired or the exact motive of the crime, police said.  

Investigators believe the shooter was in a silver passenger car. Detectives are asking anyone with dash cameras who were in the area of I-65 and County Line Road from 6:20 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to review their recordings and contact police.

In an update Thursday, police said they are continuing to speak with witnesses who have come forward and  examining evidence at the crime scene.

The Indiana State Police can be reached at 317-899-8577. Anybody with information about the shooting also can anonymously report information to Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477. 

Public safety reporter Jake Allen contributed to this article.