paying for the events staging and infrastructure.Sen

PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL is expected to pick up the majority of the cost to stage the 2017 draft in Philadelphia, with the citys iconic Rocky steps serving as its backdrop.City officials say they dont expect the NFLs 82nd event to come at taxpayer expense, but instead expect to fundraise about $5 million of the $25 million budget with the league paying for the events staging and infrastructure.Senior vice president Peter OReilly said on Thursday the events location will represent a return to the birthplace of the draft. The first NFL draft was held in Philadelphia in 1936, when the Eagles selected versatile halfback Jay Berwanger first overall.This is clearly a very passionate football town, its also a city steeped in NFL history, Reilly said.The draft was held in New York for decades before being moved in 2015 to Chicago, where it was also held this year. It was last held in Philly in 1960.Hosting the draft is just the latest in a string of high profile events for Philadelphia. Pope Francis celebrated Mass in a similar location near the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Benjamin Franklin Parkway during a visit to the city last fall. The city also hosted the four-day Democratic National Convention in July.Mayor Jim Kenney said the city knows how to hold major events, and while hosting the draft may ultimately require some city funds, it will be worth the return on investment.Its a very significant event from individual expenditures. People who come are going to be spending money, Kenney said.City officials visited Chicago to see how the event was previously hosted, and took NFL leadership on tours of Philadelphia and its venues.Philadelphia beat out several other locations vying to host the event, which will be held April 27-29. The first three rounds are held in prime time. The hometown Eagles wont have a pick, however, in the first round.Draft organizers said Philadelphia may draw a bigger crowd than Chicago because nine NFL team markets sit within driving distance to the city. Philadelphia is currently one of 13 teams not to have won a Super Bowl.Julie Coker-Graham, Philadelphia convention and visitors bureau president, said more than 200,000 fans are expected to flood the city during the three-day event. Half of those fans are expected to come from out of town.ESPN analyst and former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski will help lead the host committee and said he and others were relentless in (their) approach to find a way to get the draft back to Philadelphia, 80 years after its conception.Theres incredible passion for football in this community, he said.---AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Rams T-shirts . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Custom Rams Jerseys . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. http://www.customramsjersey.com/ . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Custom Taylor Rapp Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Rams Jerseys China . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors run to the NBA Finals boosted merchandise sales for both teams.The two teams finished in the top two spots, respectively, in gear sold on the NBAs online store from April to June, the league announced Thursday.The Los Angeles Lakers, who finished with the second-worst record in the NBA, came in third thanks to sales of items related to Kobe Bryant, who retired in April after 20 seasons.Bryant finished third in jersey sales behind Stephen Curry, who has had the leagues best-selling jersey for the past 16 months, and LeBron James. Rounding out the top five were Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.The Warriors had four playeers among the top 15 of the leagues best-selling jerseys from April through June.ddddddddddddDraymond Green achieved his highest ranking at No. 7, while Andre Iguodala cracked the list for the first time at No. 14.Greens place on the list was topped by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and followed by Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Derrick Rose, whose recent move to the New York Knicks was accounted for in the rankings.The Chicago Bulls and Thunder finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in sales over the past three months. ' ' '