The federal government said Tuesday it won’t pull the plug on AT&T’s $48.5 billion deal to buy DirecTV, clearing the way for the merger of the No. 2 wireless carrier and the No. 1 satellite TV service, NBC News reported. The Justice Department’s antitrust division OK’d the deal after the Federal Communications Commission circulated a proposed order, with certain conditions, earlier Tuesday that would allow it to go ahead. The merger could allow AT&T to improve its Internet service by pushing its U-verse TV subscribers into video-over-satellite service. “If the conditions are approved by my colleagues, 12.5 million customer locations will have access to a competitive high-speed fiber connection,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said.
The Dolphins decision to fire head coach Tony Sparano was not a surprise, considering the team's 4-9 record and third straight losing season.
However, Sparano's players were disappointed by the news and defended him as they gathered at Jason Taylor's charity Ping Pong tournament at Hard Rock Live Tuesday night, hours after the news broke.
"We kind of failed Tony a little bit," Taylor said. "You feel bad, you feel responsible in a way."
"It's a tough situation, we didn't have an opportunity to meet with coach before he got fired, so it's definitely tough," Linebacker Karlos Dansby added. " The team is sad, unfortunately, we couldn't win enough games to save his job."
The Dolphins were given the day off on Monday, following a 26-10 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Fins owner Stephen Ross announced he's firing Sparano the day after the game, replacing him on an interim basis with Assistant Head Coach Todd Bowles.
Ross noted that all the speculation about Sparano's future was a distraction for the team and that played into his decision to cut ties with Sparano before the season ended.
"People have a lot of opinions, and you hear a lot of spiteful things sometimes," Taylor said. "But this organization and this city lost a good coach and a better person."
