Author: Julie Miller

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Julie Miller has been a writer at Gridiron Heroics since July of 2022. She is an Epidemiologist with a focus on the intersection between sports and science. In result, Julie writes about sports injuries. She also enjoys writing about the history of football, and football affiliated true crime.

NFL

In honor of Women’s Herstory Month, the first edition will cover female professional football leagues – then and now. There are a surprisingly high number of female professional football leagues running today. We will be bringing awareness to three large national leagues. Women’s Football Alliance The Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) is the world’s largest, longest-lasting tackle female professional football league. The WFA began in 2009 with a 96% growth rate from 2011 to 2013. The most significant growth in the league has occurred in the last five years. Trailblazing has always been the WFA way – they were the first…

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NFL

Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks agreed to an exciting three-year contract for $105 million – a day before the franchise tag deadline. Geno Smith’s contract There are two camps – Seahawks fans like me who appreciate Geno Smith and feel he will be a great asset moving into the future and the other fans who are irritated by Smith being resigned for so much money. Geno had the highest completion rate (69.8%) in the 2022 season, which cannot be emphasized enough. This often gets overlooked. Smith is a bit of a wildcard – he has been a professional backup…

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In our most contemporary edition of Homicide Brides ever, we will discuss the recent conviction (Thursday) of Alex Murdaugh. If you wonder what a soulless attorney from the Low Country has to do with the great sport of football, you may be surprised to find out that Alex Murdaugh was a USC Gamecock in college. His career was short due to a knee injury precipitating his alleged opioid addiction (30 pills a day, Alex? That would kill an entire 80s rock band). Alex Murdaugh(er) The Murdaugh family has more skeletons in their closet than the Kennedys, The Duggars, and the…

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Is anyone else an NFL and UFC fan out there? I was not expecting to see Chandler Jones with winner Jon Jones in the octagon after the main card event. Man of the Night Chandler Jones may get his more than fair share of the limelight as an NFL star, but tonight was his Mixed Martial Artist brother, Jon Jones, turn. Controversy Jon Jones hasn’t gotten good press in a while. He appears dead set on becoming the subject of one of my upcoming Homicide Bride articles. To honor Women’s History Month, the UFC gifted us with a man who…

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NFL

We can now cross off the “OJ Simpson becomes a legal commentator” on our 2023 Bingo cards after he weighed in on Alex Murdaugh’s court case via social media. OJ informed us many people had asked him to weigh in on the case. Maybe people mistook him for a lawyer because he has spent more time in a courtroom than many attorneys. Quick question, OJ, can you co-write a book with him about how he committed the murder IF he did it? If he wants to tell you (if you know, you know). OJ Simpson’s hot take on Alex Murdaugh…

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In this edition of Homicide Brides, we will discuss the less-known case of Terry Underwood, a former CFL and college football player charged with murdering his high school sweetheart Theresa. Backstory  There is minimal backstory on Terry and even less on Theresa. What do we know about Mrs. Underwood? Theresa Rodriguez grew up in Matawan, New Jersey, attending Matawan Regional High School. She had a loving family with involved parents. At the time of Theresa’s death, she was living in Cliffwood, NJ and was the mother of two: Terry (5) and Alexandra (4), with her husband; she was also 6…

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The New Orleans Breakers have signed on more former CFL talent (for former CFL talent drafted in the 2023 USFL draft, look here). McLeod Bethel-Thompson is coming to New Orleans! He barely missed Mardi Gras… there’s always next year. Bethel Thompson’s career so far Bethel-Thompson played college ball for the UCLA Bruins and the Sacramento State Hornets. After graduation in 2010, McLeod did a Kurt Warner and played for the Arena Football League with the San Jose SaberCats. From there, he played briefly with the San Francisco 49ers, followed by a short stint in the UFL; McLeod would play for…

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Our last edition of 2023 African American History Month articles, will discuss the first HBCU (Historical Black College or University) football game in 1892. In a time when black players were rarely allowed to participate in collegiate football, the first game between two HBCUs nearly 30 years after the first college football game was a monumental historical event in US History. African American players who did break the color lines at PWIs (predominantly white institutions) were exposed to horrific racism from teammates, opponents, fans, coaches, and other staff. Not enough positive things can be said for minority players who fought…

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In honor of Mardi Gras, the USFL Draft was today, starting at 1 PM EST (it’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it). In case you had a little too much Lundi Gras fun, I popped a few aspirins and got all the good deets this afternoon. 2023 USFL Draft The February 21st USFL Draft was a 10-round, 80-player affair. Unlike last year, there were no restrictions on which positions could be picked at which time. No players or picks could be traded during the USFL Draft – a key difference from the NFL. For basic information on the entire…

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In this edition of homicide brides, we will cover the tragic homicide, and self-murder of Martha and Jim Tyrer on September 15th, 1980. This is the earliest homicide (and self-murder) covered so far in this series – this story is for you, history buff! Jim who? Our memories are short, and years are long. It’s easy to forget players playing this past season, much less an athlete who died before many readers were born. Jim Tyrer is one of the most talented players of his time. However, due to the circumstances surrounding his passing, he is often left out when…

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