NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A judge on Wednesday kept former New York Jets first-round draft pick Darron Lee in jail without bond as he faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of his girlfriend in Tennessee.

The ruling by Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tori Smith came after Lee was arrested and charged late last week. He also faces a charge of tampering with or fabricating evidence.

Lee, a Big Ten star out of Ohio State, is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 9.

Authorities identified the victim in the case as Gabriella Perpetuo. The couple had been living in a home they rented where the incident occurred for about 10 days, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified Wednesday.

Lockhart said he was present during the autopsy and learned the potential manner of death is blunt force trauma homicide, though an autopsy report has not been released yet.

The former 20th overall pick in the first round in 2016 by the Jets was the defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl. According to an arrest affidavit, first responders on Feb. 5 went to a home in the Chattanooga suburb of Ooltewah for a call of CPR in progress, where they found the woman already deceased.

Lee told deputies that the woman may have fallen in the shower, but according to the affidavit, there were extensive amounts of blood in different areas of the residence that were inconsistent with Lee’s statement.

Authorities carrying out a search warrant found multiple kinds of trauma to the woman’s body, including a stab wound to her abdomen, an apparent human bite mark on her shoulder, a large bruise on her head, black eyes with heavy swelling, and dried blood on her face and neck, the affidavit said.

Prosecutors said the case is eligible for capital punishment, but they have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

The 31-year-old Lee played 58 games with the Jets, Kansas City and Buffalo from 2016 through the 2020 seasons.

Super time at ESPN

ESPN is planning on making the Super Bowl a year-around experience instead of just one day.

The network — which will carry the Super Bowl for the first time ever next season — on Wednesday unveiled its plans leading up to the NFL title game in Los Angeles.

At the forefront of the promotion is “Year of the Super Bowl,” which will see extensive promotion and programming across ESPN, ABC and Disney stations.

The cross-company initiatives throughout ESPN and the Walt Disney Company began with “The Handoff,” as Chris Berman anchored the coverage from Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California, before going to Scott Van Pelt, who did a 90-minute Super Bowl wrap-up from SoFi Stadium, which will host its second Super Bowl on Feb. 14, 2027.

ESPN, ABC and other Disney networks also have aired “We’re Going,” a 60-second spot featuring Disney characters along with personalities from ESPN and ABC.

Other content includes “I Scored a Touchdown,” which will spotlight 61 players who have scored in the biggest game of the year. The series kicked off Sunday and featured New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree.

“The Biggest Game” podcast hosted by Jeremy Schaap also premiered this week.

Super in Seattle

SEATTLE — Ernest Jones IV dropped a few choice words while praising his defensive teammates, his offensive line, his quarterback and the city of Seattle ahead of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory parade on Wednesday.

Like the rest of the Seahawks, the leader of Seattle’s vaunted “Dark Side” defense had an excuse for using the occasional profanity during a morning trophy presentation at Lumen Field. A keg of Bud Light sat on the stage to provide some refreshment for players, and Jones — like many who spoke before him — sipped from a cup of beer as he addressed a crowd that the team estimated at 50,000.

The hard-hitting linebacker stated what became abundantly clear to everyone who watched Seattle’s 29-13 dismantling of the New England Patriots on Sunday in Santa Clara, California.

“Not only do we have the best defense in the world,” Jones said, “we have the best team in the world.”

The architect of that defense, president of football operations John Schneider, was also in a jovial mood with a red plastic cup in hand ahead of the second Super Bowl victory parade in the Seahawks’ 50-year history. Seattle won its first championship 12 years ago.

In addition to praising second-year coach Mike Macdonald, Schneider gave a toast to late owner Paul Allen.

Two weeks ago, ESPN reported the Seahawks would go up for sale after the Super Bowl. But Wednesday was about celebrating what Seattle accomplished under Jody Allen, who has owned the team since her brother, a co-founder of Microsoft, died in 2018 at age 65.

“Jody,” Schneider said. “Paul would be so proud of you, the way you led this organization and allowed us to be where we are. To Jody Allen.”

Sam Darnold also gave credit to Allen, Schneider and Macdonald during his brief speech.

Jones vehemently defended Darnold after his four-interception game in mid-November, which turned out to be the Seahawks’ last loss of the season. The Super Bowl was their 10th straight victory.

“A lot of people didn’t believe in me,” Darnold said, “but it didn’t matter because the ones that are close believed in me, including y’all.”

Darnold had plenty of doubters even while leading the Seahawks to 14 regular-season victories and helping Jaxon Smith-Njigba set franchise records for yards receiving (1,793) and receptions (119).

Smith-Njigba, the AP Offensive Player of the Year, credited his teammates and coaches with his success Wednesday, as he did all season.

“We’re the best in the world. Best in the world,” Smith-Njigba said. “Sam Darnold, Mike Macdonald, it don’t matter. Best defense in the world. We had one goal, and that was to bring this home. And that’s what we did. To the best fans in the world, this is for y’all.”

During the parade, tight end AJ Barner, wearing a tank top and a cowboy hat, danced down the middle of 4th Avenue and high-fived fans. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams showered fans with beer from the top of a sightseeing bus.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson rode around on a vintage metro bus. The Seattle Police Department said it made no arrests during the parade.

City officials estimated that up to 1 million fans would line the 2-mile parade route, which ultimately had to be extended because of the massive turnout. Some kids climbed trees to get a better look at their beloved team — even after the Seattle Public Schools District announced its schools would remain open and that parade attendance would not be considered an excused absence.

Championship parades have been a rare occurrence in Seattle since the SuperSonics became the city’s first major professional franchise in 1967.

The SuperSonics — who have since left Seattle — commemorated their 1979 championship with a parade. The WNBA’s Seattle Storm had parades after three of their four titles. Neither the Mariners (MLB) nor the NHL’s expansion Kraken has won a championship.

Williams said there will be more celebrations to come for the Seahawks.

“We’re not done,” Williams said. “We’re coming back next year.”

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