THE SCOOP
Federal officials announced that they have seized more than $21.6 million in counterfeit NFL and other sports merchandise during a special operation leading to the Super Bowl, the McClatchy Washington Bureau reports.
Nationwide raids, including at California seaports and New Jersey flea markets, uncovered boxes and boxes of fake Denver Broncos jerseys and Seattle Seahawks caps made to look as if they were officially endorsed by the NFL.
The government’s cyber sleuths seized the domain names of 163 websites that trafficked in counterfeit sporting goods. Another 5,200 websites that sold phony goods were identified with the help of the NFL.
The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, John Sandweg, said consumers were being duped into buying fake memorabilia — from obvious knockoffs to something that might look even better than the real thing — particularly when searching for goods online.
“I was joking with the guys this morning that if you look at the fake website compared to the Broncos’ real website, the fake one actually even looks better,” he said.
The NFL coordinated with agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Postal Inspection Service in the effort, dubbed Operation Team Player.
ANOTHER CHANCE
Seahawks assistant coach Marquand Manuel is the only remaining franchise tie to Seattle’s Super Bowl appearance in 2006.
It was midway through the second quarter when Manuel was injured tackling Pittsburgh’s Hines Ward on an 18-yard, end-around run. Manuel appeared to get tangled with equipment beyond the sideline boundary at the end of his tackle.
That left former practice-squad player Etric Pruitt as Seattle’s free safety for the final 2 1/2 quarters. Pruitt, then in his second season from Southern Mississippi, was signed to the active roster in November that season and had played in 11 career games. And Manuel knew he wouldn’t return immediately after Willie Parker raced 75 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter to give Pittsburgh a 14-3 and the Seahawks lost.
“I get hurt 8 minutes into the second quarter on a fluke play that I’ve made a million times, and I’m not able to come back. … From that standpoint it always sat with me. It always sat with me that if I ever had the opportunity; and that’s what I try and instill to the players is take advantage of it because it’s been eight years and I’m just getting back and it’s not promised to anybody.”
Coaching had always been a thought — his nickname in the locker room was Coach — but what happened in the Super Bowl crystallized that Manuel wanted to help instruct the next generation of players.
It’s an odd stroke of coincidence that he ended up with the Seahawks. He was working as a coaching intern during the 2011 season at his alma mater of Florida, then jumped at the chance to join the Seahawks as an assistant special-teams coach in 2012. He started working with the defense this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
13 Percentage drop, according to the NFL, in the number of concussions in practices and games in the preseason and regular season in 2013. The league also claims a 23 percent drop in concussions caused by helmet-to-helmet hits over the past two seasons.
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