Saint Interim Head Coach Darren Rizzi selected for Rhode Island Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Saints interim head coach is one of eight selected for induction to Rams’ school hall of fame

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi has been selected for the University of Rhode Island Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Rizzi played tight end for the Rams from 1988-9992 after starting as a walk-on. At the time he graduated, Rizzi ranked third in program history with 160 catches and he still ranks sixth in the category. He still ranks fifth in program history with 2,426 receiving yards and sixth with 15 touchdown catches.

“This is an incredibly impressive class of Hall of Fame inductees,” Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn said. “These individuals were among the best of the best, not just among their peers here at Rhode Island, but across the country during their respective collegiate careers. When you take a moment to appreciate their accomplishments, it really allows you to embrace what is a rich history of athletic success at Rhode island.”

Rizzi earned nine All-America honors during his career in Kingston. He was a consensus First Team All-American in 1992, earning the distinction from the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football News, Don Hansen, Kodak, The Sports Network and Walter Camp. In 1991, Rizzi earned Second Team All-America honors from The Sports Network and Third Team All-America honors from Don Hansen. He had 74 receptions for 1,103 yards in 1992. A two-time All-New England selection, he also earned First Team All-Yankee Conference and All-ECAC honors in 1992.

Rizzi would also work as the head coach for the Rams for one season in 2008 and still celebrates his connection to the university including having touted the school’s accomplishments ahead of a Saints press conference earlier in the season to commemorate his alma-maters achievements on the field this year.

“I am going to start off by giving a shout out to my alma mater, the University of Rhode Island, the Rhody Rams were selected for the FCS, I still call it I-AA, the I-AA playoffs, got a home game, first playoff home game since 1985 so congratulations to the Rams,” Rizzi said. “Go Rams.”

The 2025 Hall of Fame induction will occur Saturday, March 8 as part of the men’s basketball regular-season finale against Fordham.

“I think the league should definitely do something about that” DeAndre Hopkins Blast NFL Amid Chiefs’ Grueling Schedule

The Chiefs are one of four teams playing three games in 10 days.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of four NFL teams in the middle of a stretch that sees them playing three games in just 10 days. Along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, the Chiefs will play games on Dec. 15, Dec. 21, and Dec. 25.

After all four teams played Week 15 games on Sunday, they will play games on back-to-back short weeks. They face their Week 16 opponent on Saturday, before having just four days before taking on another opponent the following Wednesday, on Christmas Day. All four teams will then have 10 days before their regular season finales on Jan. 5.

The Chiefs began this stretch with a win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. They face the Texans on Saturday, followed by the Steelers on Wednesday.

Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the team in October, was critical of the NFL for scheduling three games in 10 days.

“I’ve never played this many games in a short amount of time,” Hopkins told the media on Thursday. “I think the league should definitely do something about that. … As they preach player safety, I don’t feel this is the best situation for any team. I think the league should review that after the season, just to see how they can help player safety in the future.”

For many teams and players, it’s already tough to get through a 17-game season without playing three games in 10 days. Over the course of an NFL season, many players become banged up or are working through injuries, making that rest period between games more crucial. For a Chiefs team dealing with an ankle injury to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, this period could potentially add more strain to his ankle, or to any other players on the team working through injuries.

Mahomes, who is expected to play in Saturday’s game, also spoke critically of playing three games in a 10 day stretch earlier this month.

“It is not a good feeling,” Mahomes told the media of the upcoming stretch. “I’m excited to play on Christmas to hopefully get back from what we did last year, but you never want to play this many games in this short of time. It’s just not great for your body. But at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it.”

The good news for the NFL is they will not have to deal with this problem when scheduling games for Christmas Day over the next few years. The NFL only ran into this issue because Christmas Day fell on a Wednesday in 2024. Due to this timing, they had to schedule the teams playing on Christmas to also play on the Saturday before, giving them enough time between those two games. Next season, Christmas will fall on a Thursday, meaning the NFL can approach the timeline like they would for a typical Thursday Night Football game.

SHOCKING REPORT: Billionaire Woody Johnson, Wife Suzanne and Sons Criticized and Humiliated Jets Players in Locker Room

While most NFL teams generally keep the locker room as its own unique space for players, coaches, personnel and members of the media, the New York Jets do not operate like a normal franchise.

Per The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver, Jets owner Woody Johnson, his wife Suzanne and their two sons, Jack and Brick, have “criticized” players inside the locker room over the years.

One example cited in the report happened during the 2022 season after a Week 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks officially eliminated the Jets from playoff contention.

Quarterback Mike White, who missed the previous two games due to fractured ribs, struggled in the loss to Seattle and showed his frustration in the locker room after the game.

“After the game, with the quarterback in the showers after throwing his helmet to the locker room floor, multiple Jets players said they heard Woody Johnson say, ‘You should throw your helmet, you f–ing suck.’ The statement got back to White,” the report said.

A spokesperson for the Jets told The Athletic that Johnson later apologized to White for the comment.

There were multiple instances cited of Johnson’s sons getting involved in postgame locker-room incidents, including “disparaging” comments directed toward certain players after a Week 17 loss to the Cleveland Browns during the 2023 season.

Another instance came this season following New York’s 21-13 victory over the Houston Texans:

“This year, on Halloween night, the Jets registered their first victory since Saleh’s firing four weeks earlier. It was a significant moment for a struggling team. Rodgers walked into an energized locker room with a game ball in hand, and it was expected that he’d give the ball to Ulbrich, a customary gesture when a coach gets his first NFL win.

“But before Rodgers could speak, Brick Johnson took another game ball and awarded it to wide receiver Garrett Wilson in a profanity-laced exclamation, which the owner’s son later posted to Instagram.
Woody Johnson then gave Ulbrich the ball Rodgers had been holding. Multiple players said the energy felt drained out of the room.”

There have been reports this season about Johnson interfering a lot more with personnel decisions, limiting the amount of authority the people he has hired to run the football operations department have.

None of this is technically breaking any rules because Johnson owns the team, but coaches and players may not feel like they can properly express themselves if the owner, the owner’s wife and the owner’s sons are constantly inserting themselves into football matters.

The Jets haven’t had a lot of reasons to celebrate in the locker room after games this season. They fired head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 6, followed by general manager Joe Douglas on Nov. 19.

New York enters the final three games of the 2024 season with a 4-10 record. The franchise has had nine consecutive losing seasons dating back to 2016.