Kansas City Chiefs

Najee Harris says his vision is fine after fireworks accident

Running back Najee Harris addressed reporters for the first time since being involved in a Fourth of July fireworks accident — his eyes hidden by Chargers-colored sunglasses.

“It’s a humbling experience,” Harris said about the accident that left him with an eye injury. “It still hasn’t really shaken. I’m still going through it in a way. Just the whole situation [can] show you how things could change at just a snap of a finger.”

Harris declined to describe the accident in detail, but said he feels blessed the incident wasn’t worse. He said his vision wasn’t affected, reiterating that the injury was superficial.

“I’m just happy that everybody’s safe and we’re alive,” Harris said.

Cleared for contact Monday after wearing a non-contact jersey last week, Harris took another step toward suiting up for the season opener in São Paulo, Brazil, against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.

Harris has been wearing a tinted visor — a new look compared with his days with the Steelers — and keeping sunglasses on off the field since the accident, which has fueled online speculation about the severity of his injury. However, he brushed off the chatter.

“It’s not my job to care what other people think,” Harris said. “It’s my job to do what I got to do, so they can write what they want to, say what they want to.”

Harris has never missed an NFL game, starting in 68 straight contests over four seasons in Pittsburgh, but that streak could be in jeopardy. He said he expects to play as his workload ramps up.

“We’ll see where it takes us. … I’m just recovering, getting in shape,” Harris said. “Just trying to stay on top of the playbook. I was on [the non-football injury list], so [that] makes things a little more difficult.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh, typically tight-lipped on injuries, said there is “a possibility” Harris will play against the Chiefs. Since being cleared to practice, Harris has looked “really, really good,” Harbaugh said.

Whether Harris is ready before the team boards its 12-hour flight or becomes a game-time decision remains uncertain.

In Harris’ absence, rookie Omarion Hampton has handled most of the carries in camp but welcomed his teammate’s return. The pair is expected to share duties in offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s system.

“It’s been amazing, he’s my guy,” Hampton said. “We talk all the time. He helps me out on reads. I help him out seeing what we see, how we see it.”

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Trump signs order bringing Presidential Fitness Test back to schools

1 of 10 | President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The order will formally re-establish the Presidential Fitness Test, creating school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education. Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo

July 31 (UPI) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday alongside his professional athlete friends to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test in schools.

The executive order signing event hosted golfer Bryson DeChambeau, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, retired champion golfer Annika Sorenstam and Paul “Triple H” Levesque of World Wrestling Entertainment.

In Trump’s second term, the United States will host the 2025 Ryder Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

DeChambeau will chair the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, the White House confirmed. He is a friend of Trump and has been seen on the campaign trail with him.

The order advises the council to create school-based programs that reward achievements in physical education. It will also reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test, first created in 1966 and was administered in public middle and high schools. The test was replaced in 2013 with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which touted living an active and healthy lifestyle.

Other sports issues in the president’s second term have been to demand the NFL’s Washington Commanders to change their name back to the Redskins and to issue an executive order banning transgender women in women’s sports.

Former President Barack Obama killed the test in 2012 and replaced it with an assessment called the FitnessGram focused on improving individual health.

“President Trump wants every young American to have the opportunity to emphasize healthy, active lifestyles — creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement.

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Jalen Hurts doesn’t want to linger on Super Bowl win. ‘I’ve moved on’

Jalen Hurts is ready to move on.

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback spent nearly 10 minutes talking to reporters Wednesday after the team’s first day of training camp. From the first question to the last, Hurts was clear that he has no interest in dwelling in the past — even if that past includes hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX and being named that game’s MVP a mere five months ago.

“It’s a new journey, it’s a new season, and those things are far behind us,” Hurts said. “The past is behind us, and the future’s too far away, so we have to stay present and worry about right now.”

It’s not that Hurts doesn’t look back fondly at what he and his teammates accomplished last season, when they thwarted the Chiefs’ attempt to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. He allowed himself to do so last week when the Eagles received their championship rings.

“It was honestly surreal to see it in person,” Hurts said of the Super Bowl ring, “almost — not nostalgic, but to see something that you’ve earned, have a moment to appreciate that one last time.”

And now, Hurts reiterated, “that moment’s behind us.”

One reporter noted that Hurts wasn’t seen actually wearing the ring at the ceremony and asked if he’s put it on at any point.

“I’ve moved on, moved on to the new year,” Hurts replied, “It’s as simple as that.”

Another reporter noted that Hurts has spent time this offseason with Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA titles two times (1991-1993, 1996-1998). The journalist asked if the basketball legend had any advice about how to approach a season after winning a championship.

“He used every word but ‘repeat,’” Hurts said, “and I can appreciate that.”

Hurts isn’t the only one at Eagles camp with that mindset. Offensive lineman Jordan Mailata told reporters it irks him to hear the team described as the “defending champions.”

“We’re not defending nothing,” Mailata said. “We just won the title and now we gotta go win it again. Prove it all over again. And that’s the mentality this team is going to have.”

Similarly, coach Nick Sirianni said: “Every year at training camp feels the same. You’re not looking back, you’re not looking forward, you’re solely focused on today and how we can get better today.”

So, yeah, don’t expect to see Hurts strutting around camp wearing his shiny new Super Bowl ring.

“Ultimately, it’s a new journey,” Hurts said. “It’s a blank canvas. And we are who we are. We have what we have. And regardless whether you win a championship or lose a championship the next year, you have to be able to reset, have the right focus and pursue it with great intensity, great passion. And I think that’s where we are.”

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