NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he plans to continue to focus on improved player safety by escalating his crackdown on players who repeatedly dish out illegal hits.

Six-time Pro Bowler Patrick Willis says he welcomes the chance to take on the role as the NFL's premier linebacker, which will be left vacant by the retirement of Ray Lewis.

The union that represents U.S. professional football players has given Harvard University a US$100 million grant for a study of the range of health problems, from brain damage to heart conditions, that affect current and former players.

New Orleans police are in the middle of an unprecedented security challenge with an estimated 150,000 Super Bowl fans packing the city during the raucous annual buildup to Mardi Gras, when thousands of revelers flock to the historic French Quarter and its restaurants, bars and strip clubs.

President Barack Obama's comments that he would “think long and hard” before letting a son play American football were shrugged off by Super Bowl coaches on Monday but there was some agreement from players that the game needed to evolve.

Baltimore Ravens players flew into New Orleans on Monday for the Super Bowl, settling into a riverfront hotel three blocks from the San Francisco 49ers, their rivals in Sunday's title game.

The San Francisco 49ers arrived in New Orleans on Sunday with head coach Jim Harbaugh hailing the team's “focus and unity” as they aim for a record-equaling sixth Super Bowl triumph against the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFC beat the AFC in another offensive blowout of a Pro-Bowl on Sunday that could well be the last of the annual NFL all-star games.

Being picked for the National Football League's (NFL) all-star game is an honor reserved for top players. It is a tradition, now in its 63rd year, which began more than a decade before the first Super Bowl was played.

At his peak Randy Moss had a reputation for being as temperamental as he was talented. But now, credited with being a mentor and a wise voice of experience in the San Francisco 49ers locker room, the 35-year-old wide receiver is making an unexpected trip back to the Super Bowl in the twilight of his career.