Dallas Cowboys reportedly try to get their Pro Bowl kicker out of jury duty — but he refuses



Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey missed practice Wednesday and was later revealed to be attending jury duty during that time.

Aubrey, a second-year kicker who went to Notre Dame, was listed as a nonparticipant at the most recent Cowboys practice after being selected for a 12-person jury in Tarrant County, Texas.

The felony assault case pertains to a second-degree strangulation charge against the defendant.

Football reporter Nick Harris broke the news and noted that the Cowboys tried to get Aubrey out of the jury duty stint, but the kicker refused. Aubrey reportedly insisted that he fulfill his civic duty on Wednesday — and moving forward — despite the possibility of missing pivotal regular season games.

Aubrey is expected to return to court Thursday and Friday, but the judge reportedly will take his football schedule into consideration.

"There's not a clear timetable for how long the case will last," Harris wrote.

The reporter added, "This case does not require jurors to be sequestered."

With jurors being released for nights and weekends, Aubrey will be available for this Sunday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers, which has a 7:20 p.m. CT kickoff.

This case does not require jurors to be sequestered, meaning he will be available for Sunday’s game in San Francisco if the case lasts that long.
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) October 23, 2024

At the same time, Aubrey could end up missing several more practices and even a game if the case persists on weekends. The Cowboys play afternoon games on both Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, visiting the Atlanta Falcons before returning home to play the Philadelphia Eagles.

Media members began questioning Aubrey's whereabouts when he was not seen during the media portion of the Cowboy's practice Wednesday. Later that day, multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing Aubrey serving on a jury in a Fort Worth courthouse.

Juror information has not been made public.

Aubrey played in the United States Football League prior to the NFL; he already has an NFL record of eight-straight games with a field goal over 50 yards. He made the Pro Bowl in the 2023-2024 season, his first with the Cowboys.

'We've all got a civic duty to do'

Aubrey isn't the first Cowboy to insist on fulfilling his jury duty.

Former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten in 2012 missed morning meetings and his scheduled physical before arriving late to a preseason minicamp due to serving on a jury in Denton County.

"We've all got a civic duty to do," Witten said at the time, according to ESPN. "Proud to be a citizen and held up my end. It went a little longer than we thought, but it was a good experience. I was just glad I was able to get back in time for practice."

Then-coach Jason Garrett stated that Witten is a "good citizen" who "cares about the judicial process" and never considered trying to get out of jury duty.

"Guys, when you get your summons, don't be skipping out," Witten reportedly said.

The tight end donated his jury pay.

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'Alabama stole our kicker': Miami (Ohio) head coach mocks media for not living in 'reality' when it comes to transfer portal



University of Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin made a point-blank statement that the University of Alabama illegally recruited their kicker Graham Nicholson.

In an interview posted to the official Miami (Ohio) Redhawks website, coach Martin made direct claims that the Alabama Crimson Tide program "stole" their kicker.

'You media people, it's all pretend.'

"All right, special teams, you lost your kicker," a reporter prefaced.

"We didn't lose him, he's at Alabama," Martin interrupted. "We know exactly where he's at."

Martin then accused the media of playing "pretend" when it comes to the reality of the NCAA transfer portal.

"You media people, it's all pretend. No, Alabama stole our kicker, they illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. That's a fact, but that's college football," he continued.

"We live in this La-La-World, let's not talk reality. I don't know why, every coach knows what's going on. Yeah, Alabama stole our kicker, a couple of other schools tried to steal him," Martin added.

Alabama Head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke to media after a practice and was asked by a reporter about Coach Martin's claims.

"The Miami of Ohio coach accused you guys of tampering with the recruitment of Graham Nicholson. Do you have a response to that?" the reporter asked.

"I don't know anything about that, I guess that comment," DeBoer replied. "Yeah, I mean he (Nicholson) entered the portal and we reached out to him. So, that's how it goes, right? We did everything you're supposed to," he claimed.

While it has not been specified exactly what the potentially illegal recruitment acts might have been, it has been speculated that since this was Nicholson's second time in the transfer portal, his deal with Alabama may have been predetermined.

Barstool Sports' Connor Knapp suggested that since Nicholson entered the transfer portal in December 2023 and then again in April 2024, it was likely that his move to Alabama was already decided by the kicker before the transfer window.

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Anti-woke Harrison Butker becomes highest-paid NFL kicker of all time: 'There's no place I'd rather be'



Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs player and noted promoter of traditional values, has signed a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.

A four-year, $25.6 million extension puts Butker at a salary of $6.4 million through the 2028 season, the most any kicker in the NFL has ever made. Butker slightly passes the salaries of fellow kickers Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens and Jake Elliott from the Philadelphia Eagles, who both average $6 million per year.

Butker's previous contract was nothing to sneeze at, which paid him an average of $4.055 million per year, according to Spotrac.

'The better you are at the job the more a team is willing to put up.'

ESPN reported that the kicker even represented himself and negotiated the deal, too.

"There's no place I'd rather be than with the Chiefs, excited to finalize a 4 year extension. To the Heights!" Butker excitedly wrote on his X page.

Besides being one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, Butker made headlines for a May 2024 speech at a Catholic university that promoted Catholicism and traditional values, while disavowing woke culture.

The kicker became a target for leftist activists who called him anti-woman and antigay.

Of course, there were a few detractors after Butker inked his new deal, including former ESPN host Trey Wingo, who said the kicker's contract proved an old adage that teams will put up with troublesome players if they are good enough on the field.

"The Harrison Butker extension ... making him the highest paid kicker ... underscores the inherent truth of the NFL: the better you are at the job the more a team is willing to put up with pure and simple."

— (@)

Radio host EJ Stewart said that the Kansas City Chiefs were "dignifying weirdos" when they resigned Butker. He added that resigning the player was "unbecoming of a championship head coach" like the Chiefs' Andy Reid.

However, Butker's numbers do not lie.

Butker has the second highest field-goal percentage of all time at 89.1%, second only to Tucker at 90.2%. He is also coming off a season in which he went six for six from beyond 50 yards, finishing 2023 with a 94.3% field-goal percentage.

As well, the Georgia-born player has multiple clutch playoff field goals to go with his three Super Bowl rings.

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Buffalo Bills kicker deletes social media over threats after missing game-tying field goal in playoffs



Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass reportedly deleted his social media accounts after he was alleged to have received online threats for missing a game-tying field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bass' X and Instagram accounts were nowhere to be found following the divisional playoff game during which the NFL kicker missed a field goal wide right, while his team was losing 27-24 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

Bass reportedly deleted his accounts, NBC News reported, after the player received threatening remarks for missing the kick.

The alleged abuse prompted a local cat adoption group to raise money on behalf of Bass, coming to his defense in a Facebook post.

"WE STAND WITH TYLER BASS. DON’T BULLY OUR FRIEND[.] We just heard the terrible news that Tyler Bass is receiving threats after yesterday’s game and our phones are ringing off the hook from people who want to donate $22 to Ten Lives Club in Tyler’s name," the Ten Lives Club reportedly wrote on Facebook.

"Tyler doesn’t deserve any of the hate he’s receiving. He’s an excellent football player and an even better person who took the time to help our organization and rescue cats last year. Leave our friend alone," the group added.

Sports writer Joe Pompliano noted that the group soon raised a record-setting amount in the 48 hours following the field goal attempt.

"After missing a game-tying kick on Sunday, Bills kicker Tyler Bass deactivated his social media accounts. But fans have responded by donating over $100,000 to Ten Lives Club — a cat adoption center near Buffalo. It's the most money they've ever raised in a 48-hour period," Pompliano wrote on X.

After missing a game-tying kick on Sunday, Bills kicker Tyler Bass deactivated his social media accounts. \n\nBut fans have responded by donating over $100,000 to Ten Lives Club \u2014 a cat adoption center near Buffalo.\n\nIt's the most money they've ever raised in a 48-hour period.
— (@)

The Buffalo team has unfortunately had an epic history when it comes to missed field goals.

Kicker Scott Norwood missed the "shot heard round the world" during the 1991 Super Bowl against the New York Giants. The Bills lost that game 20-19.

That missed kick was further immortalized in the Jim Carrey comedy "Ace Ventura." While the storyline was focused on a fictional Miami Dolphins kicker (while using the likeness of a real player), the plot was based on the missed Norwood field goal and even referred to as the "kick heard 'round the world" in the film.

The Bills went on to lose the next three Super Bowls, marking an infamous four straight Super Bowl losses that no team has replicated. No team has even lost three in a row; however, the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings have both lost back-to-back championship games.

THE KOREAN BROADCAST CALL OF THE TYLER BASS WIDE RIGHT MISS WAS ELECTRIC. \n\nIt would be nice if we could get this more on our broadcast
— (@)

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Sarah Fuller, brand new to college football team, blasts players at halftime. After one kickoff, she's named SEC special teams player of the week.



One story utterly dominated the sports world Saturday: A goalie for the Vanderbilt University women's soccer team joined the school's football team as its placekicker after specialists on the squad were out with COVID-19.

Factually speaking, Sarah Fuller made history when she stepped on the field against Missouri to start the second half, becoming the first woman to play in a Power 5 football game. The Southeastern Conference called her kickoff "perfectly-executed" noting that it "sailed 30 yards and was downed at the Missouri 35-yard line."

Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller Becomes First Woman To Play In Power Five Football Gameyoutu.be

But everything else surrounding her stint with the football team, according to a number of sports commentators, seemed just a tad over the top.

What are the details?

For starters, Fuller actually blasted her brand-new teammates in a halftime speech. Now, it's not uncommon for players to get vocal with each other in the locker room when the chips are down — but a player who just joined the team? And given that kickers' workloads are quite light, typically they're the last players who will rip into teammates covered in mud, blood, and sweat.

But Fuller told reporters that's just what she did.

"I just went in there, and I said exactly what I was thinking," Fuller recalled, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "I was like, 'We need to be cheering each other on. This is how you win games. This is how you get better is by calling each other out for stuff, and I'm going to call you guys out. We need to be supporting one another.'"

Fuller added that she "was a little pissed off at how quiet everybody was on the sideline. We made a first down, and I was the only one cheering, and I was like, 'What the heck? What's going on?' And I tried to get them pumped up."

I just got off a Zoom call with Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller, who detailed the halftime speech she gave and the r… https://t.co/vBUh74szRf
— Courtney Cronin (@Courtney Cronin)1606671547.0

And believe it or not, Fuller said after her speech she "had coaches come up to me and say, 'I've been wanting to say that for awhile now.'" Vanderbilt lost the game 41-0.

Oh, and after her single kickoff, Fuller was named the SEC's co-special teams player of the week.

Fuller's effort reportedly was compared to Jackie Robinson

And a number of folks just couldn't get enough of the growing legend surrounding Fuller.

Uber-woke NBA superstar LeBron James praised Fuller on Instagram. ESPN's Linda Cohn gushed on camera, calling Fuller a "rock star" during a recent interview.

Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller on becoming the first woman to play in Power 5 game | SportsCenteryoutu.be

Alex Scarborough, also with ESPN, penned a feature article totaling more than 2,000 words on Fuller.

Nashville-based radio commentator Chad Withrow said that a fellow local host likened Fuller's efforts to Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier.

"I'm thinking, 'Are you kidding me?'" Withrow told Outkick's Clay Travis on Monday. "I mean the insanity of some of this drives me crazy."

Broadcasters Compare Sarah Fuller To Greats Like JACKIE ROBINSON- Clay And Chad Are NOT Ok With It!youtu.be

Travis — a Vanderbilt alum — has been following the story closely and suggested that the whole thing may have been a publicity stunt pulled off by head coach Derek Mason to save his job. (If so, it apparently didn't work; Mason was fired the day after Fuller's game, having tallied an 0-8 season.)

Anything else?

Fuller is well aware of the negativity pointed at her.

"I've been trying not to look at the comments, but it's hard not to see them sometimes when they're talking crap about you, and I'm just like, at this point, what are you doing?" she told ESPN in a separate story. "I am a D-I soccer player, I go to Vanderbilt University, I am going to get my degree from here, I've done amazing things I've set out to do, and so they can talk crap all they want. This is something I believe I've earned, and I was at the right place at the right time, so yeah, I'll take on the hate."

Fuller also said she wants to keep playing for Vanderbilt's football team, even if other specialists return to the squad.