Last fall, Norris and his wife released a video that tacitly endorsed Mitt Romney for U.S. President. In the video, he speaks of the U.S. being at a “tipping point” and quotes President Ronad Reagan, warning of “1,000 years of darkness” if America doesn’t “change direction.”

Now, Norris has penned an essay about why Tim Tebow is his favorite NFL quarterback. Writing on conservative news website WorldNetDaily, Norris recalls Tebow’s short professional career before stating he has “never seen a more determined and inspiring athlete play the game of football.” From the essay:

I’ve heard the so-called critics say Tebow has poor technical skills, but the truth is that Tim is a natural-born leader, an amazingly gifted football player, an inspiration to his team and the possessor of intense determination and strategy to bring any team to victory – no matter what the odds. One can improve technique, but leadership is innate. That is why I believe Tebow could be a super star and legend in the NFL.

Norris’ op-ed comes as Tebow is currently a free agent with no apparent prospects other than offers from arena league football teams. NFL teams such as the Miami Dolphins have not shown intrest in the quarterback, though his fans have even petitioned President Obama to intervene on his behalf.

Urlacher played college football at the University of New Mexico, where he set a school record for tackles in one season. He was drafted by the Bears in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft, and later that year was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Urlacher announced his retirement via his Twitter account. He linked to a message that made it clear that, although he could keep playing in the NFL, he feels that he wouldn’t be able to live up to his past performance or maintain his passion for the job. Urlacher goes on to thank all of the people that helped him during his career and states that he has “no regrets.”

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Falcons Owner and Chairman Arthur Blank will put up most of the funding for the project, which could run upwards of $1 billion.

Blank hopes the Falcons will be in the new stadium by 2017.

Blank had this to say in a statement:

Today’s approval by the NFL team owners is an important milestone in moving the new stadium project forward. The consideration of G-4 financing for new stadiums requires thoughtful analysis on the part of the NFL Finance and Stadium Committees, including compliance requirements that protect the best interests of all owners and the league.

The NFL has supported new stadium construction through various means for decades. Our club owners understand that investments such as G-4 financing are important to the long-term strength of the league, and we thank them for their support.

We are pleased with the outcome of today’s vote, and we look forward to continued progress in designing and constructing the new multi-purpose stadium over the next four years. We, along with our City of Atlanta and State of Georgia partners, are excited to participate in a project that will benefit the city and state for many years to come.

Upon completion of the new stadium, the Georgia Dome will be torn down.

Portis declined to take a breathalyzer test, but eventually submitted to two of them after he was taken into custody. His blood alcohol level was .092 on one test and .078 on the other; the legal limit in Washington is .080. He reportedly admitted he had been drinking tequila at a Cinco De Mayo event, but not until he’d tried the old, “Don’t you know who I am?” card.

“Portis asked me if I knew who he was and I stated yes,” the trooper wrote. “(The passenger) exited the vehicle and began to cry. (The passenger) stated I was arresting a Seahawk, and I was going to ruin him. … (The passenger) shouted at me and stated she couldn’t believe that I was from Seattle, and was arresting a Seahawk.”

25-year old Portis just signed a contract with the Seahawks that will see him bringing in $480,000 a year for two years, though he is up against Brady Quinn and Jerrod Johnson for the position of backup quarterback behind Russell Wilson.

Johnson is on probation after a domestic violence dispute with his ex-wife, Evelyn Lozada, and has been placed in jail on $1,000 bond. Prosecutors are asking that he spend a minimum of 60 days in jail after he failed to report to his probation officer. However, Johnson says it was all just a misunderstanding and a lack of communication between him and his attorney is to blame.

“I didn’t do anything on purpose,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t blatantly not show up.”

The judge didn’t buy his story, though, and says he doesn’t think Johnson is taking his sentence seriously. A new hearing will take place on June 3.

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Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier confirmed the decision in an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. A move for Webb had been rumored since the Vikings signed free agent quarterback Matt Cassel for the backup position. Frazier stated that the decision was made shortly after this year’s NFL Draft, during which the Vikings drafted wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson in the first round.

Webb was reportedly informed of his new position on the first day of team workouts. He told the Star Tribune that the move will be “very interesting,” as he has not played wide receiver since his rookie minicamp. Webb also played wide receiver during his college sophomore season with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, during which he had 30 receptions and three touchdown catches. Webb stated that he believes his quarterback experience and knowledge will help him and his fellow teammates.

Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave told the Star Tribune that Webb may be used on special teams and “in other ways.”

Now, it appears the Packers organization is attempting to smooth things over with their greatest quarterback. According to a Fox Sports Wisconsin interview with Packers CEO Mark Murphy, the Packers want Favre “back in the family.” Murphy cited Favre’s appearance with current Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at a recent NFL Honors show as a “first step” in bringing Favre “back into the fold.”

Rodgers has also made similar statements on an ESPN radio show, revealing that he spoke with Favre and carefully helped organized the two’s handshake during the show. The Packer’s organization is hoping the event will symbolically begin healing the rift between the team and Favre that began in 2007.

“It didn’t take a lot of coaxing for me to do it,” said Rodgers. “I did want to sit and think about whether it was the right thing to do. I really feel very secure in my position with the team and feel good about the things that we’ve been able to accomplish in my five years as the starter, and feel good about the direction the organization is going in.

“Brett is two years removed from the game. He’s going to obviously be in the Packers Hall of Fame. He’ll get his number retired, and he’ll be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the next few years. It’s important, I think, to make sure that he’s recognized for all the accomplishments that he’s achieved in our organization especially. He’s still very dear to many of our fans for the things that he’s done for the Packers on the field. You can never take that away.”

Muncie got his start in the mid-’70s as the third-overall pick for the Saints; he stayed with them for four years, but was ultimately unhappy with the team and moved on to the Chargers in 1980. His career seemed promising as he helped lead the Chargers’ game with 19 touchdowns in 1981. But just three years later, he tested positive for cocaine and was suspended.

Muncie eventually sought counseling for his drug abuse and began helping others, saying, “I’m a very selfish person, and I like to feel good. One way I could make myself feel good was by helping other people. I learned, over a period of time, that was something that worked for me.”

He tried to make a career comeback with the Vikings in 1985, but as it turned out, the drugs played a bigger role in his life than he’d let on. In 1989, he was arrested for selling cocaine. He eventually turned things around, however, and began working with convicts and drug addicts to help them change for the better. One of his biggest projects was helping to provide ex-prisoners with tattoo removals in order to help them secure jobs on the outside.

His friends and teammates remember him as a man who would drop what he was doing to help others, and a former team doctor once said he did what he did because he genuinely wanted to make a difference.

“Whenever we call, he makes himself available,” Bill Coysh said. “That’s what’s incredible about him. This is not a paid position. He does it because that’s how he is.”

The Philadelphia Soul says they want to see him on the gridiron and have reportedly sent him an offer, including a list of plays they would use with him. Tebow has yet to respond, but co-owner Ron Jaworski and Coach Clint Dolezel say they’re hoping they’ll get a chance.

“I haven’t heard back from him and I’m not going to push it,” Jaworksi said. “If he decides he wants to play Arena Football, we’ll make a spot for him.”

Jaworski thinks Arena Football could be just the thing Tebow needs to strengthen his game and says it would force him to really look at his weaknesses.

“One [criticism] of Tebow is that he is slow and methodical,” Jaworski said. “He would be forced to quicken it up in this league and it would be good training for him. You can learn a lot in this league. It’s about processing information and getting the ball out . . . or you get whacked.”

Now, police have made an arrest in the case.

25-year-old Michael J. Creed (mugshot seen above) has been charged with 1st degree assault and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. Surveillance video of the parking lot where Sasek was stabbed helped to identify Creed and the car he was using. Police say that Creed yelled at Sasek and others before leaning into a car and back out again. He then walked up to Sasek, grabbed his shoulder, and was seen “punching” toward Sasek. Creed then ran away as Sasek realizes he had been stabbed.

After the stabbing, Sasek was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. He is currently in stable condition.