The Raiders signed free agent tight end Qadir Ismail, the team announced Thursday.
It is the third position Ismail has played, having converted from a quarterback at Villanova to a wide receiver after the Wildcats changed offensive coordinators. He played two seasons at wide receiver for Samford before going undrafted in 2024.
Ismail signed with the Ravens as a free agent after a tryout at their rookie minicamp. He then signed with the team's practice squad after being waived out of the preseason.
He is the son of Qadry Ismail, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in 2000, and the nephew of Raghib Ismail and Sulaiman Ismail. Qadry Ismail played 10 NFL seasons with the Vikings, Saints, Dolphins, Packers, Ravens and Colts.
Shannon Sharpe takes break from ESPN amid sexual assault allegations
Shannon Sharpe has worked for ESPN and Fox Sports.Photograph: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe says he is stepping away from his duties as an ESPN analyst after a lawsuit was filed against him in Nevada on Sunday.
The lawsuit was filed by a woman who says she met the 56-year-old Sharpe at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 20. A two-year consensual relationship ensued during which, she alleges, he raped her.
Sharpe, who has previously denied the allegations, said on Thursday that the relationship was “100% consensual” and that he was “electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.”
In the statement, he added: “I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.”
Sharpe has fashioned a successful media career on television and podcasts since he retired from the NFL, and had recently signed a contract extension with ESPN. In a statement on Thursday, ESPN commented on Sharpe’s decision.
“This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away,” the network said.
In the lawsuit, the woman also claims Sharpe once threatened to kill her after she arrived at his house. Additionally she alleges he filmed some of their sexual encounters and shared the footage with others. She is seeking $50m in damages.
Her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, released audio earlier this week in which someone, allegedly Sharpe, can be heard threatening to choke the woman. Buzbee has also represented women who say they have been assaulted by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson. On Thursday, Sharpe said in a video posted to Instagram that the lawsuit is a “shakedown,” and Buzbee “targets Black men”. Sharpe’s lawyer also said the audio recording was “heavily edited and taken entirely out of context.”
Sharpe temporarily stepped away from his role at CBS Sports in 2010 after a woman accused him of sexual assault. Sharpe never faced criminal charges over those allegations, and he later returned to his job.
Sharpe played 14 seasons in the NFL, won three Super Bowls and was an eight-time Pro Bowler. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Browns haven't had a first-round selection since 2021
The Browns have the No. 2 overall pick tonight, and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is the betting favorite to go there. The team also has and will field calls about trading the choice since that's what teams with high picks do.
Whenever the Browns select in the first round, it will be their first first-round pick since 2021. They took cornerback Greg Newsome II with the 26th overall selection that year.
Deshaun Watson cost the Browns their past three first-round picks, all of which eventually were traded by Houston.
As NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno points out, the three players selected where the Browns were slated to pick in the first round were wide receiver Brian Thomas (to the Jaguars with the 23rd overall pick in 2024), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (to the Lions with the 12th overall pick in 2023) and defensive tackle Jordan Davis (to the Eagles with the 13th overall pick in 2022).
That would be three solid starters on their roster today.
The cost of acquiring Watson — in cap space and draft picks — has been an albatross around the neck of the organization . . . and continues to be. The Browns aren't likely to have the injured Watson on their active roster this season, but at least they will have a first-round rookie.
