Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman and former US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney died last week aged 84.

Hawthorn’s three-time AFL Premiership captain Luke Hodge will lead the Australian team in the international rules Test against Ireland.

Few champions have returned to the field under this thick a cloud. But as the accusations and rumours and innuendo pile up, New England Patriots players insist they have shut out the noise as they begin the defence of their Super Bowl title tonight against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

US: A New York City millionaire has bequeathed a $100,000 (€89,700) trust fund to care for her 32 pet cockatiels.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has upheld Tom Brady’s four-game suspension for the New England Patriots quarterback’s role in the ‘deflategate’ scandal.

Domestic violence charges against Ray Rice were dismissed after the former National Football League running back completed a pretrial intervention programme, New Jersey prosecutors said.

In among the rubble and whirlwind of hot and bothered sports talk radio that blitzed through Monday evening’s rush hour, one bit of perspective on the heavy sanctioning of Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady rang true.

I noted last week that there was a position vacant on the Kilkenny hurling team — that of full-back, given the departure of JJ Delaney into retirement. I think there might be even more significant vacancies in Irish sport, however.

An embattled NFL, reeling from off-field brutality issues, received more bad news with numerous injuries to key players in the second week of an already tumultuous campaign.

This has been the NFL’s worst week.

American football player Adrian Peterson has been indicted in Texas on a charge of child abuse after using a branch to discipline his son.

Before it gets grim around here, allow me to get a little sentimental.

Baltimore Ravens have released running back Ray Rice hours after a shocking video surfaced showing the NFL star punching his then-fiancee.

The new NFL season in the US is bringing with it more moral confusion than ever and it’s only the beginning of August.

The NFL have agreed to pay $765m to ex-players suffering the effects of concussion — but have not admitted liability.

Now that the US President is safely returned to office, attention has quickly turned to that other ultra-magnified bastion of American culture: the Super Bowl.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes on Sunday to help Pittsburgh beat the New York Giants 24-20 in an NFL game played with Hurricane Sandy’s devastation as a backdrop.

Andre Carter is quickest to his feet. He walks away from Peyton Manning’s carcass, his shoulders hunched, his fists clenched, his angry eyes darting side-to-side. Job done.

AMERICAN sport has always been a movable feast.

HIGH ranking NFL officials will visit Croke Park on Friday to assess the stadium’s suitability to host their games.

AMERICAN Football’s NFL representatives have confirmed Dublin could host a regular season game within the next few years.

The four-and-a-half-month NFL lockout came to an end today after the players’ union and 32 team owners reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.

THE 400 Super Bowl fans who paid at least $900 (€662) for their tickets only to discover they had no seats for the big game will be invited to next year’s Super Bowl as guests of the NFL, league commissioner Roger Goodell said yesterday.

GREEN BAY PACKERS coach Mike McCarthy has pledged to bring the Vince Lombardi trophy “back where it belongs” tomorrow night.

CHEAP hot dogs, subsidised travel and discounted tickets.

LONDON could be set to hold the SuperBowl after “substantive talks” with officials about holding the event in the city, a senior National Football League official said yesterday.

Sunday’s NFL game at Wembley is part of a long-term commitment to London on the part of the league, according to NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood.