‘Omaha!’ calls earn $24,800 for charity

Peyton Manning’s foundation for at-risk youth will receive a $24,800 donation for all the times he shouted “Omaha!” during the AFC championship game Sunday.

The donations were organized by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce after Manning’s 44 pre-snap “Omaha!” calls during the Denver Broncos win over San Diego received national attention.

Eight Omaha, Neb., companies combined to donate $800 to Manning’s “Peyback Foundation” for every time he yelled the city’s name during the Broncos’ victory over the New England Patriots.

Davis, Feely, Tillman Payton Award finalists

Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis, Arizona kicker Jay Feely and Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman have been selected as finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

The award, named in honor of the late Hall of Fame running back, recognizes a player’s community service and performance on the field. The winner, who’ll receive a $20,000 donation in his name to his favorite charity, will be announced during the NFL Honors show on Feb. 1, the night before the Super Bowl.

98 underclassmen in draft a record

A record 98 underclassmen, including Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney, have made themselves eligible for the NFL draft in May.

The league released the list of early entrants Sunday and said the number has risen six straight seasons. The deadline for underclassmen to apply was Wednesday.

Last year, 73 underclassmen entered the draft. The year before it was 65 and in 2011 it was 56.

Also, four players who recently graduated and still have eligibility left are joining the draft class but aren’t included in the number. Most notable among those is Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The draft is May 8-10.

Networks interested in Thursday night package

All four of the NFL’s network partners have bid on the Thursday night television package, a person with knowledge of the bidding process told the Associated Press.

The league has used its NFL Network to televise the games, but recently put up the 13-game series for bids and received them from NBC, Fox, CBS and ESPN. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the bidders are not being made public.

NFL Network began airing an eight-game package in 2006, which increased to 13 in 2012.