NEW ORLEANS — The four newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were formally introduced to a live television audience on Thursday night’s NFL Honors, but the first true rite of passage for this royal quartet — Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and Sterling Sharpe — took place Friday and the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s annual Merlin Olsen Luncheon.
It was there, in a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency, where the Class of 2025 was feted by a group of 425 attendees that included 34 current Hall of Famers.
The Merlin Olsen Luncheon has been an annual event during Super Bowl Week since 2004. The luncheon bears his name because Olsen, who was always one of the most philanthropic and beloved members of the Hall, was the one who persuaded the NFL to sanction the luncheon as an official event of Super Bowl Week. Proceeds of the luncheon go to the Hall of Fame’s Enshrinee Assistance Fund.
Members of the Class of 2025 will have to wait until August to get their gold jackets and unveil their bronze busts, but the luncheon provides the first real taste of the exclusive fraternity they are now a part of.
“All of our journeys are different to end up at this spot,” said Sharpe, who will join Shannon Sharpe as the Hall’s first pair of brothers to be enshrined in Canton.
“And the friendships that we have made over the last two days, listening to their stories, meeting their families, getting an opportunity to be a part of their lives. … The thing about greatness is, you don't put it on yourself, other people do. And just being around those guys, I can tell you from the time I heard that I was going to be elected to the Hall of Fame and then meeting these gentlemen, they made me feel like I belong.”
The event, hosted by NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, was also a nod to the Super Bowl LIX host city. Sunday’s game will be the 11th Super Bowl in New Orleans, tied with Miami for the most. Wyche noted that 102 Hall of Famers have played, coached or been a part of the first 10 Super Bowls in the Big Easy. Some were in attendance Friday, and the program featured a panel discussion with four Hall of Famers who have won a title here: Bobby Bell (Chiefs, Super Bowl IV), Mike Singletary (Bears, XX), LeRoy Butler (Packers, XXXI) and Ed Reed (Ravens, XLVII).
Reed, who is from New Orleans, was asked what it was like coming home to play in a Super Bowl. Securing tickets for family and friends might have been tougher than preparing to play the 49ers.
“To come home and play the Super Bowl, man, it was amazing,” said Reed, adding that he knew in his mind the Ravens would get to the Super Bowl as soon as they lost to New England in the AFC title game the season before.
Reed pointed to the luncheon crowd to give them an idea of how many tickets he needed.
“Yeah, everybody in here was my family,” he said. “I brought all of you to the game.”
As for his teammates that were new to New Orleans, Reed mainly warned them not to go crazy with the food. He did give them a speech when they got to town.
“Just told them … look, after Tuesday, go back to your normal way of doing things, you know. But it was special, man. So many things happened.”
Amazingly, Reed shared that Super Bowl XLVII wasn’t his first New Orleans Super Bowl. He was a 7-year-old fan taking in the activities leading up to Super Bowl XX between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots following the 1985 season.
“I went to media day,” Reed said. “I won a quarterback challenge.”
Reed brought up the connection between that Super Bowl XX Bears team and his playing days with the Ravens: Buddy Ryan was the Bears’ defensive coordinator in 1985. His son Rex Ryan was Reed’s defensive coordinator for four years in Baltimore.
Rex used a version of the 46 defense that his father employed to turn Chicago into one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history. With one of those Bears defenders also on stage, Reed and Singletary used the moment to lobby for Buddy Ryan’s Hall of Fame candidacy.
Singletary used the words “genius” and “nasty” to describe Ryan, calling that a formidable combination but adding that Ryan also had the ability to inspire and keep his cast of great players focused.
“And that's what leadership is all about,” Singletary said. “When one guy catches fire, then the whole group catches fire. Buddy was that guy. His attitude and his mentality was the thing that really made us take it to the next level.”
Ryan’s Hall of Fame debate can wait for another day. On Friday, the focus was squarely on the Class of 2025.
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Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL to ensure that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after some offensive emails that he sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is in peak off-season mode, enjoying his time off while staying ready for his upcoming 23rd season in the NBA, eighth with Los Angeles. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for the Lakers last season. On a separate note, his youngest son, Bryce James, is preparing for his first collegiate season with the Arizona Wildcats, where he committed early in 2025. Before this new chapter, he spent most of his high school basketball career playing for Sierra Canyon, where he won a State Division 1 title in his senior year. Meanwhile, upon Bryce's first trip back home since leaving for college, James was taken aback by his appearance. In the Lakers star's latest Instagram story, he welcomes home his youngest son after his first stint away at Arizona. Within the video, James is overcome with excitement as he points out Bryce's latest physical change to his 159 million followers: his beard. "Y'all see his beard? Oh my goodness!" said James. Born in 2007, Bryce is just 18 years old and stands 6'6 tall ahead of his first season with the Wildcats. Primarily playing the shooting guard position, he's poised for a bright future under legendary coach Tommy Lloyd, who is entering his fifth season with the team. Lloyd's 61 wins in his first two seasons with Arizona are an NCAA Division 1 record. The Wildcats will open their season on November 3 against the defending champion Florida Gators at a neutral site in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have quite an interesting quarterback room for the 2025 season. Of course, all the focus is truly on Aaron Rodgers and what he can bring to the team at this stage in his career. Behind him, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph serving as the primary backup. Skylar Thompson and Will Howard are competing for the third spot on the depth chart, but unfortunately for Howard, an injury has slowed his progress. Thompson took advantage of the opportunity, performing well in the first preseason game and possibly reclaiming the QB3 role. Before his injury, Howard had previously moved ahead of Thompson in the competition. Former teammate of Rudolph, Ben Roethlisberger, recently shared his honest thoughts about the veteran quarterback’s performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Roethlisberger, who spent years with Rudolph during his time in Pittsburgh, had a unique perspective on how his former understudy handled the game. While Roethlisberger acknowledged there were some areas where Rudolph could improve, he also praised his composure, decision-making, and ability to move the offense when needed. Roethlisberger discussed Rudolph’s performance on his Footbahlin podcast, noting that the veteran looked confident and in control despite limited opportunities. "You know I thought Mason [Rudolph] played really well," Roethlisberger said on his podcast. "I thought he did exactly what you would hope to see from your backup quarterback. He went out there I think, he solidified himself… as the two." He pointed out that Rudolph’s familiarity with the Steelers’ system allows him to step in without disrupting the flow of the offense. With Rodgers leading the way, Rudolph providing a steady backup presence, and the QB3 competition between Thompson and Howard continuing, the Steelers’ quarterback depth will be a storyline worth following as the 2025 season approaches. "Let’s see how he does this week and the next week," Roethlisberger said. "I thought he played really well. I thought he was efficient with the ball. He threw the ball down the field. As a team, you like seeing that because that gives you confidence going into the season that if something were to happen one game for Aaron… you have a guy that you feel confident who could go in there. Same thing when we had Charlie Batch, you had Bruce Gradkowski, you had Byron Leftwich, you had Dennis Dixon and Josh Dobbs. Any of those guys. You just feel confident he can go in and just get it done for you." Roethlisberger had high praise for Rudolph, and hearing him mention him alongside names like Charlie Batch shows he has faith in Rudolph’s ability to be a reliable backup in Pittsburgh. There is a strong argument that Rudolph is one of the most dependable backup quarterbacks in the NFL, which is a significant asset for the Steelers in the 2025 season. Steelers' Mason Rudolph Has Great Preseason Game Versus Jaguars Rudolph only attempted 10 passes on Saturday night against the Jaguars, but completed 90 percent of them. He threw for 84 yards and one touchdown. While preseason football can be difficult to evaluate, he performed well in roughly a quarter and some change of action. His efficiency and composure reinforced the notion that the Steelers have one of the league’s most steady and trustworthy backup quarterbacks heading into the regular season. Roethlisberger is confident Rudolph has now locked up his spot as QB2 for the 2025 season. Steelers fans are now super eager to get updates on when Howard will be back from his injury. Howard and Thompson will fight for the QB3 spot. What grade would you give Rudolph for his preseason outing against the Jaguars?
The New York Knicks are reportedly interested in bringing back veteran shooting guard Landry Shamet. The Knicks are looking to complete their roster for the 2025-26 season. Last season, Shamet appeared in 50 games for the Eastern Conference team after recovering well from a dislocated shoulder during the preseason. During that stretch, Shamet averaged 5.7 points on 39.7% shooting from deep. In the playoffs, he didn't play an integral part in their run. The guard spent most of the time on the bench and suited up for 11 games, averaging 2.4 points on 46.7% shooting from deep. The Knicks are reportedly interested in having him back as one of their veteran leaders. There Is Mutual Interest Between the Knicks And Shamet NBA insider Ian Begley opened up the idea of Shamet returning to the Knicks. He talked about it on the recent episode of the "Putback with Ian Begley." “I’m talking about Shamet because I think there’s still mutual interest there in Shamet and the Knicks,” Begley said. “If I’m guessing, I’m guessing that it ends up with Shamet getting one of those spots… I think it’ll end up that way. “I think there’s a lot of support, internally, for bringing Shamet back. I think there’s a lot of respect for what he did last year with the shoulder injury, getting back on the floor, impacting the things in the postseason.” Begley also entertained the idea of bringing another veteran player onto the roster. He mentioned free agent guard Ben Simmons, who last played with the Los Angeles Clippers. He remains unsigned despited being a former NBA star.