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Buffalo Bills open 2nd round of NFL draft by selecting Florida State receiver Keon Coleman

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Buffalo Bills open 2nd round of NFL draft by selecting Florida State receiver Keon Coleman
Sport

Sport

Buffalo Bills open 2nd round of NFL draft by selecting Florida State receiver Keon Coleman

2024-04-27 11:28 Last Updated At:11:30

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — A day after improving the Buffalo Bills' NFL draft positions, general manager Brandon Beane opened the second round Friday by addressing his team’s two most obvious needs.

Beane resisted any lingering urge to trade back in the order for a third time to instead select Florida State receiver Keon Coleman with the No. 33 pick in the wake of the Bills trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans last month. He followed up by selecting Utah safety Cole Bishop at No. 60, to address a position in transition from the starting tandem of Jordan Poyer (cut) and Micah Hyde (considering retirement).

“Our board was getting thin as we went down and we just didn’t want to take a chance,” he said, acknowledging Coleman was among the few available receivers the Bills had been targeting since moving back from their original No. 28 pick. “Everyone in the draft room kind of knew without me saying who we wanted today.”

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, the 20-year-old Coleman brings size and adept catching ability to a Josh Allen-led offense that traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans earlier this month and lost fourth-year player Gabe Davis to free agency.

In his only season at Florida State last year, Coleman earned All-ACC honors in leading the Seminoles with 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. He earned All-ACC honors and also doubled as a return specialist. Coleman spent his first two college seasons at Michigan State, totaling 65 catches for 848 yards and eight TDs.

Though not considered speedy, Coleman’s best attribute is using his size and big hands to make difficult catches in tight spaces. It’s a skill he adapted from playing basketball, and something he’s confident will complement Allen, who isn’t afraid of attempting passes into tight coverage.

“I’ve been a fan of his game, man, since watching him at Wyoming,” Coleman said of Allen, who played his final two college seasons with the Cowboys. “He can really throw the ball. He can spin it. He has pretty much everything you would want out of a quarterback.”

And Coleman is unaffected by whatever pressures he might face in being the newest member of a post-Diggs receiver room that includes Khalil Shakir, coming off a promising second season, and free agent additions Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.

“I’m really just trying to come in and work hard to establish myself as a guy they can trust, win over the locker room, man, and then let the on-field stuff take care of itself,” Coleman said.

The 21-year-old Bishop was a three-year starter at Utah, and coming off a season in which the team captain had 6 1/2 tackles for a loss, three sacks and two interceptions. Bishop is reunited with tight end Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo's first-round pick last year.

Buffalo closed the day by selecting fifth-year Duke defensive tackle DeWayne Carter at No. 95. The 23-year-old Carter was a four-time team captain and fills a backup need on a line that does not return Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle and Linval Joseph.

The Bills currently hold seven more selections through Rounds 4-7 on Saturday, and are next scheduled to pick at 128.

The Bills had been on the clock for some 17 hours after trading their way out of the first round with a pair of deals.

The first trade with the Chiefs led to Buffalo moving back from 28th to 32nd, and drew criticism from the fanbase. Beane was questioned for helping a conference rival in Kansas City that has eliminated Buffalo in three of the past four playoffs.

Worse still in the eyes of Bills Mafia was the Chiefs using the pick to select Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, who some believed would be a fit with the receiver-needy Bills.

Buffalo then traded back a spot to No. 33 in a deal with the Panthers, a deal in which the Bills moved up 59 spots in the order, swapping their 200th pick for Carolina’s 141st.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - Florida State's Keon Coleman (4) runs on a punt return against Syracuse during the first half of an NCAA college football game Oct. 14, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. The Buffalo Bills elected not to trade back in the NFL draft order for a third time, and addressed their most significant need by selecting receiver Keon Coleman to open the second round Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - Florida State's Keon Coleman (4) runs on a punt return against Syracuse during the first half of an NCAA college football game Oct. 14, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. The Buffalo Bills elected not to trade back in the NFL draft order for a third time, and addressed their most significant need by selecting receiver Keon Coleman to open the second round Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) catches a pass for a touchdown while covered by Clemson cornerback Jeadyn Lukus (10) during overtime in an NCAA college football game Sept. 23, 2023, in Clemson, S.C. The Buffalo Bills elected not to trade back in the NFL draft order for a third time, and addressed their most significant need by selecting Coleman to open the second round Friday. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File)

FILE - Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) catches a pass for a touchdown while covered by Clemson cornerback Jeadyn Lukus (10) during overtime in an NCAA college football game Sept. 23, 2023, in Clemson, S.C. The Buffalo Bills elected not to trade back in the NFL draft order for a third time, and addressed their most significant need by selecting Coleman to open the second round Friday. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File)

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Steward Health Care says it is selling the 30+ hospitals it operates nationwide

2024-05-09 03:08 Last Updated At:03:10

Steward Health Care said it plans to sell off all its hospitals after announcing this week that it filed for bankruptcy protection.

The Dallas-based company, which operates more than 30 hospitals nationwide, said it does not expect any interruptions in its hospitals’ day-to-day operations, which the company said will continue in the ordinary course throughout the Chapter 11 process.

In court filings, the company said that beginning in late January, Steward initiated what it described as a “phased marketing process” for the sale of its hospital facilities.

“Presently, the company is marketing all of its hospitals,” the company said a filing Tuesday.

Steward filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday. In a news release, company officials said Steward took the step to let it continue to provide needed care to patients.

“Steward’s hospitals, medical centers and physician’s offices are open and continuing to serve patients and the broader community and our commitment to our employees will not change," the company said in a written statement.

Steward’s eight hospitals in Massachusetts include St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Carney Hospital, both in Boston. It filed for protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said Wednesday that she is pushing for the creation of a Patient Care Ombudsman to advocate for patients and employees throughout the bankruptcy process. She also said she has the authority to review any proposed sale under her office's antitrust powers.

“The office has authority to review any proposed sale, and we would do so in order to best protect access to a competitive and affordable healthcare marketplace,” she said in a written statement. “If we find violations of the law, we will address them.”

Steward’s troubles in Massachusetts have drawn the ire of political figures including U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, who have said the company’s previous private equity owners “sold (Steward) for parts” and “walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said Monday that the state had been preparing for a possible bankruptcy filing. Despite the filing, she said, Steward hospitals will remain open and patients should keep their appointments.

“This situation stems from and is rooted in greed, mismanagement and lack of transparency on the part of Steward leadership in Dallas, Texas,” Healey said Monday. “It’s a situation that should never have happened and we’ll be working together to take steps to make sure this never happens again.”

Steward said it is finalizing the terms of “debtor-in-possession financing” from its landlord Medical Properties Trust for initial funding of $75 million and “up to an additional $225 million upon the satisfaction of certain conditions.”

“Steward Health Care has done everything in its power to operate successfully in a highly challenging health care environment,” Dr. Ralph de la Torre, CEO of Steward said in a news release.

He pointed in part to what he described as insufficient reimbursement by government payers as a result of decreasing rates at a time of skyrocketing costs.

Torre said that by seeking bankruptcy protections, Steward will be better positioned to “responsibly transition ownership of its Massachusetts-based hospitals.”

In March, the company announced it had struck a deal to sell its nationwide physician network to Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, as it works to stabilize its finances.

FILE - The Texas Capitol is viewed from its south side on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, in Austin, Texas. Financially embattled hospital operator Steward Health Care filed for bankrupcy protection early Monday, May 6, 2024, morning in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)

FILE - The Texas Capitol is viewed from its south side on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, in Austin, Texas. Financially embattled hospital operator Steward Health Care filed for bankrupcy protection early Monday, May 6, 2024, morning in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)

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