INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Green Bay wide receiver Romeo Doubs is expected to be back with the team this week after he was suspended for what the Packers described as conduct detrimental to the team.
Coach Matt LaFleur said after Green Bay's 24-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday that he would have a conversation with Doubs on Monday.
“I fully anticipate him coming back and am hopeful that he’ll come back and get ready to work,” LaFleur said. “Distractions happen in the National Football League. Distractions happen in life. You’ve got to do your best to focus on the task at hand. I thought our guys did a pretty good job of that.”
Doubs didn’t practice Thursday or Friday. The Packers said at the time he was dealing with a personal matter.
With Doubs out of the lineup, tight end Tucker Kraft had four receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jayden Reed had four catches for 78 yards, including a highlight-reel play in the first quarter.
On second-and-10 at the Packers 45, Jordan Love completed a 53-yard pass to Reed in a tight window near the left sideline. Reed hauled it in despite three Rams defenders in the vicinity, including Lake all over Reed’s back.
“He's doing good, that's all I know,” Reed said when asked if he has talked to Doubs. “We’ve just got to stay together collectively. That’s the most important thing.”
Doubs has 12 catches for 169 yards and no touchdowns through Green Bay’s first four games this season after he had 59 receptions for 674 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He capped his 2023 season by catching a combined 10 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown in the Packers’ two playoff games.
Doubs has spent his entire three-year career with the Packers, who selected him out of Nevada in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Packers coach Matt LaFleur expects suspended wide receiver Romeo Doubs to be back this week
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) makes a catch past Minnesota Vikings cornerback Shaq Griffin, right, during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Packers coach Matt LaFleur expects suspended wide receiver Romeo Doubs to be back this week
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers have canceled plans to receive their Stanley Cup championship rings at a public event Monday night, doing so out of concerns about Hurricane Milton as it bears down on the state.
Fans had been invited to attend the event for a $20 donation that would have benefited the team's foundation, the United Negro College Fund and the United Way. Players will now receive their rings in a private ceremony on Monday, the team said.
For now, the Panthers’ opening regular-season game — and Stanley Cup banner unveiling — against the Boston Bruins is scheduled to go on as planned on Tuesday night in Sunrise.
“As this event would take resources from first responders and service providers, we have made the tough decision to cancel our Champions Ring Ceremony out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all involved," Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell said Sunday night. “We will instead distribute our championship rings privately.”
Milton intensified Sunday and forecasters expect it will become a major hurricane, one that could approach the Tampa Bay area on the state's Gulf coast by Wednesday. Much of that side of the state is still dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 counties in Florida — including Broward, where the Panthers play, along with neighboring Miami-Dade to the south and Palm Beach to the north.
DeSantis said the state is bracing for “a major disaster” in some areas.
The Panthers said they will remain in contact with state and local authorities while going ahead with plans to open the season on Tuesday.
“We are closely monitoring the situation,” Caldwell said, adding that the team “will continue preparing our arena and surrounding areas to safely welcome guests” for the opener.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's preseason schedule ended earlier than expected, with the team canceling its home exhibition finale against the Nashville Predators because of ongoing preparations in the region for Milton's arrival.
It was the second time this Lightning-Predators game was called off. The teams were scheduled to play Sept. 27, only to have that moved to Monday because of the effects of Helene.
This time, it will not be rescheduled. Tampa Bay opens its regular season Friday at Carolina.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) celebrates his game winning goal during overtime at a preseason NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Florida Panthers goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky makes a save during the third period of a preseason NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings in Quebec City, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)
