Time Warner Cable ends impasse, reaches deal to carry NFL Network

NEW YORK -- Time Warner Cable agreed to carry NFL Network on Friday, the last major holdout in the channel's long-running push into more homes.

NFL Network and the NFL RedZone channel will be available to customers of Time Warner and Bright House Networks starting Sunday.

Time Warner is the country's second-largest cable provider with about 12 million homes. Bright House, with about 2 million, is the sixth biggest.

NFL Network began airing regular-season games in 2006; this year, the number increased from eight to 13. The league initially feuded with several major cable companies over adding the channel but had gradually expanded its availability.

"We're delighted to have reached an agreement for NFL Network and NFL RedZone that provides a good value to our customers," Time Warner Cable executive vice president Melinda Witmer said in a release. "The additional games this year and the proven appeal of NFL RedZone will certainly prove to be a draw for our customers. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with the NFL."

RedZone, produced by NFL Network, whips around to every NFL game on Sunday afternoons, showing touchdowns and other key plays. When Cablevision announced a deal with NFL Network in August, Time Warner became the last big missing piece.

For Time Warner and Bright House customers, NFL Network will be available on the digital basic and sports pass tiers, while RedZone will be available to sports pass customers.

Time Warner and Bright House are major providers in the home markets for 12 NFL teams, including the Jets/Giants, Cowboys and Packers.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Jets DT Kenrick Ellis reaches plea agreement, will serve 45 days in jail

Posted: 05:01 PM ET May 21, 2012

By Ryan Wilson | NFL Blogger

Ellis avoids deportation with plea agreement. (Getty Images) After reaching a plea agreement last week, Jets backup nose tackle Kenrick Ellis is headed to jail for 45 days following the team's minicamp that ends June 14, several outlets are reporting. The 2011 third-round pick out of Hampton University was originally arrested on felony assault charges in April 2010 while he was still in school.

Ellis isn't a United States citizen (he was born in Jamaica and moved to the U.S. at age 11), but he holds "permanent resident" status. As such, a permanent resident can be deported if convicted of aggravated felony. To avoid this, Ellis reached an agreement to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery. He was sentenced Monday to 179 days in prison, with 89 days suspended and two years supervised probation, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Richi Cimini.

Ellis' attorney told Cimini that, based on Virginia law, his client will serve 45 days with good behavior. And based on the timing of the sentence, Ellis won't miss OTAs or minicamp, which starts for the Jets on July 26. The attorney adds that his client is "anxious to get this behind him. ... He wants to get on with his career with the New York Jets. This (plea deal) is a fair compromise, and it protects his ability to do that."

As for any league-mandated sanctions, an NFL spokesman told the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta that the league will review the court records to determine if there will be any subsequent punishments.

Before the 2011 NFL Draft, at least one NFL general manager admitted that he shied away from Ellis because of the pending legal issues. "That was big for us," the GM told Cimini at the time. "It's a pain in the tail, the whole legal issue."

Clearly, this wasn't a problem for Jets coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who had previously dealt with Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Antonio Cromartie, players who arrived in New York with baggage from previous stops in their NFL journeys. In fact, the team said it was comfortable with the risk of taking Ellis after doing its due diligence.

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Tags: Antonio Cromartie, Kenrick Ellis, Santonio Holmes, Ryan Wilson, New York Jets, NFL

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