This is the January 18, 2013 news archive. View today's Atlanta Sports news and rumors.

Atlanta Sports News and Rumors

49ers' Crabtree questioned in sexual assault case

CNNSI.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Police in San Francisco say they're investigating a sexual assault allegation involving 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Associated Press, ESPN.com

Deron Williams scored 24 points, making four free throws in the final 43.4 seconds, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 94-89 on Friday night to earn a split of a home-and-home series.

Ashley Fox, ESPN.com

Atlanta QB shouldn't need to do more to prove he's clutch and a winner

nba.com

Atlanta guard Lou Williams left the Hawks' game against Brooklyn in the second quarter with a sprained right knee and will not return.

nba.com

Al Horford was not in the Atlanta starting lineup against Brooklyn because of leg pain, and Hawks coach Larry Drew was unsure if or how much his center would play.

CNNSI.com

What has the Falcons reveling in their game with the 49ers? Can the Ravens' defense hold up against the vaunted Patriots' offense? Peter King answers these and more in his Last Word.

Associated Press, ESPN.com

The Atlanta Braves avoided arbitration with five players Friday, including outfielder Jason Heyward, starting pitcher Kris Medlen and reliever Eric O'Flaherty.

Kerry Byrne, CNNSI.com

The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers each made major and even controversial decisions on offense this year.

ESPN.com

The Atlanta Falcons are listing defensive end John Abraham (ankle) and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder) as questionable for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against San Francisco. But both took part in Friday’s practice on a limited basis,…

CNNSI.com

A person familiar with Super Bowl entertainment plans tells The Associated Press that Alicia Keys has been lined up to perform the national anthem before the NFL championship game in New Orleans on Feb. 3.

ESPN.com

Five nuggets of knowledge about Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons: Staying grounded: San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not a good matchup for the Atlanta defense. Kaepernick rushed for 181 yar…

Peter King, CNNSI.com

ATLANTA -- I'll be spending the weekend covering the NFC Championship Game, but before I get too heavy into Niners-Falcons, I wanted to write about the most under-appreciated single person of the NFL weekend: John Harbaugh.

CNNSI.com

Working across the country from his more celebrated brother, John Harbaugh has made the Ravens one of the most consistent winners in the NFL, writes Peter King.

ESPN.com

The Atlanta Falcons, whose fans spent the season saying they don’t get enough media attention, are getting a ton of attention with the NFC Championship Game approaching. It’s coming out fast and furious, so let’s run through some of the highlights: …

ESPN.com

On Tuesday, NFC West colleague Mike Sando and I did this Double Coverage segment in which we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons. ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer pretty much did his own Double Coverage on Thur…

ESPN.com

The Atlanta Falcons’ locker room is filled with guys that constantly spew whatever happens to be the company line at the moment. But the notable exception is wide receiver Roddy White. He never has been afraid to say what really is on his mind. Sometime…

Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com

San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons 3 p.m. ET, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. Aside from Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan serving as the 49ers head coach from 2005-08, there are not many story lines or much of a recent histo…

ESPN.com

A quick reminder that our weekly NFC South chat will be held Friday at 1 p.m. ET. I’m sure the Atlanta Falcons will dominate this chat because they are playing the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. But I’m not going to exclude talk abo…

Benjamin Hoffman, nytimes.com

Will Ray Lewis's retirement tour get one more stop?

Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com

When his football career is finally over Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant might be able to find a role on the television show Swamp People. According to Jim Corbett of the USA Today, Bryant is somewhat of an “alligator whisperer.” “I was watching …