Judge Tells Kansas Authorities to Destroy Electronic Copies of Newspaper's Files Taken During Raid
UNDATED (AP) — Kansas authorities must destroy all electronic copies they made of a small newspaper's files when police raided its office this month, a judge ordered Tuesday, nearly two weeks after computers and cellphones seized in the search were returned.
The August 11 searches of the Marion County Record's office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion, a central Kansas town of about 1,900 people, at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Attorney Bernie Rhodes, who represents the newspaper, said a judge ordered authorities to hand over those electronic records and destroy any copies they have of them along with all photographs that officers took during the raids.
The local prosecutor and sheriff agreed investigators shouldn’t keep that evidence, but Rhodes insisted on a court order to document it. It won’t be clear what files were on the drive until Rhodes gets a copy.
Authorities returned the computers and cellphones they took during the raids after the prosecutor decided there was insufficient evidence to justify their seizure. A few days later the newspaper learned from court documents about the thumb drive with an electronic copy of thousands of files taken from its computers. It wasn’t disclosed in the initial search warrant inventory.
It's not clear what additional steps authorities might take. Neither city officials nor the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into reporters’ actions, are saying much.
City Council members refused to discuss the raids at their meeting last week, and the mayor didn’t answer text message questions Tuesday about whether the raids will be on the next agenda. A spokeswoman for the KBI said it’s impossible to predict how long that agency’s investigation will take.
Insurance companies for the city and the county have hired lawyers to prepare for possible lawsuits, including one promised by the newspaper’s publisher.
Supporters of the small Kansas newspaper can now order T-shirts emblazoned with the Marion County Record’s defiant headline “SEIZED but not silenced” that led its front page in the first edition after the raids. The plain black shirts feature the headline in block letters across the front along with the date of the raids.
The Kansas Press Association organized the T-shirt sale to show support for the newspaper. Executive Director Emily Bradbury said proceeds from the $24.49 shirts and $40.49 hoodies and other items that are supposed to be ready next week will go to the Kansas Newspaper Foundation that supports publications like the Marion County Record across the state.
The raids came after a local restaurant owner accused the newspaper of illegally accessing information about her. A spokesman for the agency that maintains those records has said the newspaper's online search that a reporter did was likely legal even though the reporter needed personal information about the restaurant owner that a tipster provided to look up her driving record.
Police Chief Gideon Cody didn't respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. He said in affidavits used to obtain the search warrants that he had probable cause to believe the newspaper and City Council member Ruth Herbel, whose home was also raided, had violated state laws against identity theft or computer crimes.
The newspaper's publisher Eric Meyer has said the identity theft allegations simply provided a convenient excuse for the search after his reporters had been digging for background on Cody, who was appointed this summer.
Legal experts believe the raid on the newspaper violated a federal privacy law or a state law shielding journalists from having to identify sources or turn over unpublished material to law enforcement.
Video of the raid on the home of publisher Eric Meyer shows how distraught his 98-year-old mother became as officers searched through their belongings. Meyer said he believes that stress contributed to the death of his mother, Joan Meyer, a day later.
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Justice Department Secures Agreement with Highland Community College to Address Racial Discrimination
HIGHLAND, Kan. (KPR) — The U.S. Justice Department has announced a settlement with Highland Community College (HCC) in northeast Kansas to resolve the department’s investigation into allegations that Black students experienced discriminatory treatment. The complaints alleged that Black students, primarily Black student athletes, were targeted for searches and surveillance and disciplined more severely than their white peers, resulting in their unfair removal from campus housing or even expulsion from the school. Under the settlement, the college will improve the fairness and transparency of disciplinary proceedings to prevent such discrimination. Federal officials opened their investigation into HCC in January 2022.
(AP version)
Kansas College Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against Black Athletes
HIGHLAND, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas community college that was accused of discriminating against Black student-athletes has agreed to a settlement. The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday in a news release that the agreement requires Highland Community College to make its disciplinary proceedings fairer, to provide more training and to improve its procedures for responding to student complaints. College President Deborah Fox stressed the importance of the student body in a written statement and said "there is always room for improvement."
"Our student body is the most important part of the Highland Community College experience," said college president, Deborah Fox, who was named personally in one of the lawsuits filed over the allegations. The agreement resolves the department's investigation into complaints that Black students were targeted for searches and disciplined more severely than their white peers, resulting in their unfair removal from campus housing or even expulsion, the department said in the release.
Former coaches and athletes described horrific treatment in a pair of lawsuits. The coaches' lawsuit, which was settled this year, alleged that the school intimidated Black student-athletes into leaving and told coaches not to recruit African Americans. The American Civil Liberties Union alleged in another lawsuit, which also was settled, that Highland expelled Black students for minor or bogus infractions and subjected them to arbitrary searches, surveillance and harassment on campus.
Highland has about 3,200 students and is about 80 miles northwest of Kansas City. Fewer than 6% of the students are African American, but half or more of the student-athletes, until recently, were Black and came from out of state, one of the lawsuits noted.
Fox, who became the school's president in March 2019, found herself in the middle of the controversy last year when The Kansas City Star disclosed that she had compared a Black football player to Hitler, whom she called "a great leader." Fox made the remarks during a meeting about the alleged harassment of Black student-athletes, during which she questioned a Black football player's leadership skills and his influence on other Black teammates. In an email to KCUR, Fox said she was trying to describe "negative leadership" and the short audio clip was taken from a long conversation. She said she had apologized to the students, faculty and college "for my poor choice of words."
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Governor Attends Ceremony for Returning Sacred Rock to Kaw Nation
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly was in Lawrence this (TUE) morning to help commemorate the return of the red prayer rock from the City of Lawrence to the Kaw Nation. The Lawrence Journal World reports that Kelly joined leaders of the Kaw Nation and city officials along with representatives from the University of Kansas and other community members for the event in Watson Park. Nearly 100 years ago, Lawrence settlers took the 28-ton rock from tribal land and erected it in Lawrence as a tribute to themselves. Since then, the sacred boulder has stood in Robinson Park in downtown Lawrence. It will soon be returned to tribal land in Council Grove.
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Missouri Law Banning Minors from Gender-Affirming Treatments Takes Effect
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP/KPR) — Two new laws restricting transgender Missourians' access to gender-affirming health care and school sports are now in effect. Both laws took effect Monday and expire in 2027. One law bans minors from beginning puberty blocks and hormones and outlaws gender-affirming surgeries for minors. The other law requires student athletes from kindergarten through college to play on sports teams that align with their biological sex. LGBTQ+ advocates who sued to overturn the health care law were dealt a blow last week, when a judge allowed the law to take effect throughout the court challenge. Republican Governor Mike Parson signed the bills in June after he and other proponents of the laws pressured the GOP-led legislature to act during this year's session.
HEALTH CARE
The health care law prohibits physicians from providing gender-affirming health care to minors, but young people prescribed puberty blockers or hormones before August 28 can continue to receive those treatments. Missouri's Planned Parenthood clinics had been ramping up available appointments and holding pop-up clinics to start patients on treatments before the law took effect. Adults still have access to transgender health care under the law, but Medicaid will not cover it and access to surgeries is limited for prison inmates. Missouri Department of Social Services spokeswoman Caitlin Whaley said Monday that the state's Medicaid program "has not historically paid" for gender-affirming surgeries. She said the agency has already enacted changes to Medicaid to prevent payments for hormones and puberty blockers. Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Monday sent a letter to a handful of health care providers, including Planned Parenthood, warning that the law is now in effect. Bailey had tried to enact limits on gender-affirming health care through rulemaking earlier this year. His office is now defending the health care law in court. Physicians who violate the law face having their licenses revoked and being sued by patients.
LAWSUIT
The ACLU of Missouri, Lambda Legal, and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner filed suit last month seeking to overturn Missouri's transgender health care law on behalf of doctors, LGBTQ+ organizations, and three families of transgender minors. Arguing that the law is discriminatory, they asked that it be temporarily blocked as the court challenge against it plays out. A St. Louis judge disagreed, and last week ruled that the law can take effect throughout the lawsuit. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 22.
SCHOOL SPORTS
Beginning Monday, student athletes will only be allowed to play on K-12 and college sports teams that align with their biological sex. That means transgender girls and women will not be allowed on girls' and women's school teams, and transgender boys and men can only compete on girls' and women's teams. Girls and women can play on boys' and men's teams if there is no corresponding sports program for girls and women. Compliance is based on students' birth certificates or other government documents, but only records created shortly after birth are acceptable. Modified birth certificates are only allowed in cases of typos and other mistakes. The state education department is responsible for creating additional rules for enforcement of the law, which isn't facing a challenge. Schools, including private institutions, face losing all state funding for violating the law. Parents, adult students and former students can sue if they believe a violation of the law led to the loss of an "athletic opportunity" for them.
OTHER STATES
At least 22 states have enacted laws banning or restricting gender-affirming care for minors, and most of the bans are being challenged in court. The most recent state to enact a ban was North Carolina, where Republican lawmakers overrode Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's veto of a measure banning medical professionals from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs and surgical gender-transition procedures to anyone under 18, with limited exceptions. North Carolina's law took effect immediately. But minors who began treatment before August 1 may continue receiving that care if their doctors deem it medically necessary and their parents consent. Opponents of the law have vowed to file a lawsuit challenging it. A federal judge in June struck down Arkansas ' first-in-the-nation ban, and the state has appealed that decision. The judge in that case ruled the prohibition violated the constitutional rights of transgender youth and families, as well as those of medical providers. He also rejected proponents' claims that the treatments were experimental. People opposed to such treatments for children argue that they are too young to make such decisions about their futures.
Major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, have opposed the bans on gender-affirming care for minors and supported the medical care for youth when administered appropriately. The American Academy of Pediatrics earlier this month reaffirmed its support for the treatments, and voted to conduct an external review of research regarding the care.
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KCK Screenwriter Dies at Age 44
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) — Playwright, screenwriter and Kansas City, Kansas, native Nathan Louis Jackson has died at the age of 44. Jackson was a product of the Quindaro neighborhood, and went on to study at Kansas State University, and New York City’s famed Juilliard School. Jackson told KCUR Radio in 2018 that he made a conscious effort to inject different parts of Kansas City culture into his work. “For instance, the dialogue and the way people speak. People speak a certain way in Kansas City, that I love and I put in my scripts," he said. As a screenwriter, Jackson’s television credits included the Netflix teen drama series “13 Reasons Why” and the Marvel hit “Luke Cage.”
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Preliminary Hearing in Jackson Mahomes Felony Case Delayed Because Judge Has COVID-19
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The preliminary hearing in the felony case for Jackson Mahomes, the brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has been pushed back nearly a month because the judge has COVID-19. Jackson Mahomes was charged in May with three felony counts of aggravated sexual battery and one misdemeanor count of battery. He is accused of forcibly kissing a woman Feb. 25 in the office of an Overland Park, Kansas, restaurant that she owned at the time. The hearing was initially scheduled for Thursday. Johnson County District Court Judge Thomas Sutherland said during a scheduling conference over Zoom on Monday that he has COVID-19 and couldn't be sure he would be well enough by Thursday, the Kansas City Star reported. The hearing was postponed until Oct. 24.
At the preliminary hearing, the prosecution is expected to outline its case and the judge will likely hear testimony from witnesses. Jackson Mahomes pleaded not guilty to the charges and is free on $100,000 bond. The accuser, Aspen Vaughn, has since closed the restaurant. She said her business suffered from the publicity associated with the case.
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FBI and European Partners Seize Major Malware Network in Blow to Global Cybercrime
LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. officials said Tuesday that the FBI and its European partners infiltrated and seized control of a major global malware network used for more than 15 years to commit a gamut of online crimes including crippling ransomware attacks.
They then remotely removed the malicious software agent — known as Qakbot — from thousands of infected computers.
Cybersecurity experts said they were impressed by the deft dismantling of the network but cautioned that any setback to cybercrime would likely be temporary.
“Nearly ever sector of the economy has been victimized by Qakbot,” Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said Tuesday in announcing the takedown. He said the criminal network had facilitated about 40 ransomware attacks alone over 18 months that investigators said netted Qakbot administrators about $58 million.
Qakbot's ransomware victims included an Illinois-based engineering firm, financial services organizations in Alabama and Kansas, along with a Maryland defense manufacturer and a Southern California food distribution company, Estrada said.
Officials said $8.6 million in cybercurrency was seized or frozen but no arrests were announced.
Estrada said the investigation is ongoing. He would not say where administrators of the malware, which marshaled infected machines into a botnet of zombie computers, were located. Cybersecurity researchers say they are believed to be in Russia and/or other former Soviet states.
Officials estimated the so-called malware loader, a digital Swiss knife for cybercrooks also known as Pinkslipbot and Qbot, was leveraged to cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage since first appearing in 2008 as an information-stealing bank trojan. They said millions of people in nearly every country in the world have been affected.
Typically delivered via phishing email infections, Qakbot gave criminal hackers initial access to violated computers. They could then deploy additional payloads including ransomware, steal sensitive information or gather intelligence on victims to facilitate financial fraud and crimes such as tech support and romance scams.
The Qakbot network was “literally feeding the global cybercrime supply chain,” said Donald Alway, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office, calling it “one of the most devastating cybercriminal tools in history.” The most commonly detected malware in the first half of 2023, Qakbot impacted one in 10 corporate networks and accounted for about 30% of attacks globally, a pair of cybersecurity firms found. Such “initial access” tools allow extortionist ransomware gangs to skip the initial step of penetrating computer networks, making them major facilitators for the far-flung, mostly Russian-speaking criminals who have wreaked havoc by stealing data and disrupting schools, hospitals, local governments and businesses worldwide.
Beginning Friday in an operation officials dubbed “Duck Hunt,” the FBI along with Europol and law enforcement and justice partners in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Latvia seized more than 50 Qakbot servers and identified more than 700,000 infected computers, more than 200,000 of them in the U.S. — effectively cutting off criminals from their quarry.
The FBI then used the seized Qakbot infrastructure to remotely dispatch updates that deleted the malware from thousands of infected computers. A senior FBI official, briefing reporters on condition he not be further identified, called that number “fluid” and cautioned that other malware may have remained on machines liberated from Qakbot.
It was the FBI's biggest success against cybercrooks since it “hacked the hackers” with the January takedown of the prolific Hive ransomware gang.
“It is an impressive takedown. Qakbot was the largest botnet" in number of victims, said Alex Holden, founder of Milwaukee-based Hold Security. But he said it may have been a casualty of its own success in its staggering growth over the past few years. “Large botnets today tend to implode as too many threat actors are mining this data for various types of abuse.”
Cybersecurity expert Chester Wisniewski at Sophos agreed that while there could be a temporary drop in ransomware attacks, the criminals can be expected to either revive infrastructure elsewhere or move to other botnets.
“This will cause a lot of disruption to some gangs in the short term, but it will do nothing from it being rebooted," he said. "Albeit it takes a long time to recruit 700,000 PCs.”
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Woman Dies, Three Others Injured in Missouri Boat Crash
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (KMBC) — One woman is dead and three others are recovering from injuries after a boat crash at the Lake of the Ozarks last weekend. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 44-year-old Nicolette Mckenna, from Sunrise Beach, died after the boat she was on crashed. KMBC TV reports that troopers were called to the area Saturday night. The driver of the boat and two others were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from minor to moderate. Two on board were from Kansas City, Missouri. The crash remains under investigation.
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Police ID Man Fatally Shot by Gladstone Police Officer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB)— Police have now identified the man who was shot and killed by a Gladstone police officer during a confrontation Friday morning. KSHB TV reports that Gladstone officers responded to reports of a prowler in an apartment complex. While attempting to arrest several people, one fled in a vehicle dragging an officer through the complex parking lot. The officer fatally shot the suspect, who has now been identified as 34-year-old D’Metrius J. Robinson.
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Lawrence Man Accused in Fentanyl Death Fails to Appear in Court
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A Lawrence man who was allowed to bond out of jail in connection with a fentanyl death failed to appear for his court date in Douglas County Monday. Prosecutors say 27-year-old Mason Duane Robinson, of Lawrence, faces one felony count of distribution of a controlled substance leading to death. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the charge is in connection with the death of 23-year-old Angelyca LeAnn Cowdin, of Lawrence, who died of acute fentanyl intoxication in April 2022. Since his arrest, Robinson has been charged in two felony auto theft cases while out on bond. According to court records, he was released in January on $100,000 bond in connection with the fentanyl. The judge has now revoked his bond and issued an arrest warrant for Robinson.
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Child Care Providers Struggle, Despite High Demand
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Child care is hard for Kansas parents to find. It's so difficult that some providers say people should start looking for infant care the second they know a baby is coming. Child care providers are also struggling to grow, despite their businesses being in high demand. As one provider said, "The misconception is that we're just rolling in money, you know, because parents think $145 a week is expensive... but it doesn't pay for an employee to make a living wage.” (Read more.)
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South-Central Kansas Moves Closer to Building a Regional Psychiatric Hospital
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) — South-Central Kansas is moving closer to getting a regional psychiatric hospital. Governor Laura Kelly signed an executive order that creates an advisory panel for the facility, even though it has yet to be built. The panel will consist of 14 members who will gather public input and help with the designing, planning and construction stages of the proposed 50-bed facility, which will be constructed in Sedgwick County.
In May, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Service awarded Sedgwick County $25 million to create a new regional hospital to help ease the statewide shortage of health and behavioral health services. In addition, last year, the State Finance Council earmarked $15 million from the general fund for the hospital. There are currently two psychiatric hospitals operated by the state, one in Osawatomie and the other in Larned.
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KDOT to Use Federal Funds for Bridge Repairs
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will use $225 million in federal funding to help local governments repair and replace bridges. KDOT Secretary Calvin Reed says Kansas ranks fourth in the nation with just under 25,000 bridges. And 80% of those are owned and maintained by local governments, who must balance costly bridge repairs with other needs. “The funding that they have to be able to address their critical bridge needs is obviously competing with other needs in their communities," he said. "So, we have identified some funding strategies to really help accentuate this program.” Reed says KDOT will prioritize bridge replacements that are most badly needed.
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West Nile Virus Human and Animal Cases Reported in Kansas
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — State health officials say two people have died from symptoms related to the West Nile virus over the summer and at least seven people have become ill. Multiple cases of West Nile virus have also been confirmed in horses across the state over the past few weeks. The animal cases have been reported in Douglas, Barber, Butler, and Pratt counties. State officials say West Nile is a preventable disease with annual vaccinations that have proven effective. All horse owners are asked to consult with their local veterinarians and make a vaccination plan for their animals. The virus can infect humans as well as horses, birds and other species. It is carried and transmitted by mosquitoes.
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Suicide Rates Rising in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Suicide rates are rising across the country and Kansas is no exception. The highest suicide rates in Kansas are in the state’s least populated counties. And the state’s youth suicide rate is higher than the national average. Wyatt Beckman, with the Kansas Health Institute, says suicide rates rose rapidly starting in 2007. “The suicide rate in our final two time periods was significantly higher for every single peer group," he said. The state’s suicide rate ranked 33rd overall. Kansans can call or text the new emergency 988 number for help when going through a mental health crisis.
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Kansas to Conduct Survey to Decide Where to Spend Opioid Settlement Money
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) — The State of Kansas plans to conduct a statewide assessment of substance use disorder needs. The $1.5 million dollar assessment funded by opioid settlement money will take a comprehensive look at the needs of providers that help people with substance abuse. The state is currently looking for an entity to conduct the study. The assessment will help inform the board deciding where future state opioid settlement funds should go. Alyssa Nava is with the Sunflower Foundation, a Topeka nonprofit focused on health. She says the assessment will range from early childhood to long-term recovery. “We understand it is a spectrum and individuals just don't magically appear in one area," she said. The first round of opioid settlement funds for treatment will be awarded to providers in September. Funds for prevention will be disbursed later this year.
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Kansas City Area Gymnasts Joining USA National Team
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KPR/KCUR) — Two gymnasts with Kansas City area connections are joining the USA national team. Leanne Wong and Amelia Disidore are both from Overland Park and have both trained at the GAGE gymnastics center in Blue Springs. Wong is coming off a career-best third place finish at the national championships over the weekend. She now trains while attending classes at the University of Florida. Their selection means Wong and Disidore could compete for the U.S. in this fall’s world championships in Belgium. It’s also a big stepping stone toward next year’s Olympics.
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SNL Star, Travis Kelce's Mother to Take Part in 'World Largest Tailgate'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Saturday Night Live” star Heidi Gardner will be among several entertainers expected to take part in a virtual tailgate and concert experience before the NFL’s kickoff game in Kansas City next month.
The show dubbed as the “World’s Largest Tailgate” looks to celebrate the start of the football season as the Super Bowl defending champion Chiefs host the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7, the team announced Monday. The event will be held live outside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Along with Gardner’s appearances during segments, the 90-minute show will be hosted by YouTube stars the Merrell Twins along with performances from DJ-producer duo Two Friends. The show will also feature internet personality Tabitha Swatosh and Donna Kelce, the mother of Chiefs star Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Chiefs Kingdom is wherever you are, and the World’s Largest Tailgate is one way we can unite people in Kansas City, around the country and throughout the world around the fact that NFL football is back in a big way,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in a statement. The virtual seats can be reserved online.
Donovan said the Chiefs are proud of their team and tailgate culture with the hopes of creating a “unique music and entertainment experience.”
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AP Source: Chiefs Get DT Neil Farrell Jr from Division-Rival Raiders for Draft Pick
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs acquired defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. from the Las Vegas Raiders for a sixth-round pick in a rare trade among division rivals, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person, speaking just hours before the deadline for teams to reach the 53-man roster limit, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Farrell still must pass a physical. That is not expected to be a problem after the Raiders' fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft appeared in all of their preseason games.
The trade for help along the defensive line could be a sign that the Chiefs do not expect All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones to report in the near future. Jones has been holding out in the hopes of earning a lucrative long-term contract, racking up millions in fines for missing the Chiefs' mandatory minicamp, their entire training camp and three preseason games.
In a back-and-forth with fans on social media, Jones indicated he would be willing to hold out until Week 8. That would be the deadline for making sure he would accrue a full season and fulfill the terms of his four-year, $80 million contract.
Even in that case, the Chiefs could use the franchise tag on him next offseason.
Farrell, who at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds plugs a mammoth hole in the middle of the defensive line, only had 12 tackles and two quarterback hits in nine games last season. But the acquisition of the 25-year-old tackle follows a trend of Chiefs general manager Brett Veach acquiring relatively high draft picks and giving them a fresh start in Kansas City.
The Chiefs were relatively thin along the defensive line with Jones holding out. Turk Wharton missed a big chunk of training camp with a knee injury, though he should be ready to go for their Sept. 7 opener against the Detroit Lions, while defensive end Charles Omenihu will begin serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Tom Parkinson and Kaye McIntyre. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. You can also follow KPR News on Twitter.