title: Najd

text: The Ghassānids, Lakhmids and Kindites were all Kahlānī and Qaḥṭānī kingdoms which thrived in Najd. In the 5th and 6th centuries AD, the Kindites made the first real concerted effort to unite all the tribes of Central Arabia through alliances, and focused on wars with the Lakhmids. Al-Ḥārith ibn 'Amr, the most famous of their kings, finally succeeded in capturing the Lakhmid capital of al-Ḥirah in southern modern-day Iraq. Later however in about 529, al-Mundhir recaptured the city and put King Ḥārith and about fifty members of his family to death.


title: Najd

text: In 525, the Aksumites invaded Ḥimyar, and this had a knock-on effect with the Kindites, who lost the support of the Ḥimyarites. Within three years the Kindite kingdom had split into four groups: Asad, Taghlib, Qays and Kinānah, each led by a prince of Kindah. These small principalities were then overthrown in the 530s and 540s in a series of uprisings of the ‘Adnānī tribes of Najd and Ḥijāz. In 540, the Lakhmids destroyed all the Kindite settlements in Nejd, forcing the majority of them to move to Yemen. The Kindites and most of the Arab tribes switched their alliances to the Lakhmids.


title: Najd

text: During the Islamic prophet Muhammad's era, Muhammad carried out military expeditions in the area. The first was the Nejd Caravan Raid against the Quraysh, which took place in 624. The Meccans led by Safwan ibn Umayyah, who lived on trade, left in summer for Syria for their seasonal trade business. After Muhammad received intelligence about the Caravan's route, Muhammad ordered Zayd ibn Haritha to go after the Caravan, and they successfully raided it and captured 100,000 dirhams worth of booty.


title: Najd

text: The Invasion of Nejd happened in Rabi‘ Ath-Thani or Jumada Al-Ula, 4 AH (i.e. in October, 625 AD). Muhammad led his fighters to Nejd to scare off some tribes he believed had suspicious intentions. Some scholars say the Expedition of Dhat al-Riqa took place in Nejd as part of this invasion.


title: Najd

text: The most authentic opinion according to "Saifur Rahman al Mubararakpuri", however, is that the Dhat Ar-Riqa' campaign took place after the fall of Khaibar (and not as part of the Invasion of Nejd). This is supported by the fact that Abu Hurairah and Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari witnessed the battle. Abu Hurairah embraced Islam only some days before Khaibar, and Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari came back from Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and joined Muhammad at Khaibar. The rules relating to the prayer of fear, which Muhammad observed at the Dhat Ar-Riqa' campaign, were revealed at the Asfan Invasion and these scholars say, took place after Al-Khandaq (the Battle of the Trench).


title: Najd

text: The Expedition of Qatan also took place in Nejd. The Banu Asad ibn Khuzaymah tribe (not to be confused with the Banu Asad tribe) was a powerful tribe connected with the Quraysh. They resided near the hill of Katan, in the vicinity of Fayd, in Nejd. Muhammad received intelligence reports that they were planning a raid on Medina, so he dispatched a force of 150 men under the leadership of Abu Salama 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Asad to make a sudden attack on this tribe.


title: Najd

text: After Muhammad's death, previously dormant tensions between the Meccan immigrants, the Muhajirun, and the Medinan converts, the Ansar, threatened to split the Ummah. Other Arabic tribes also wished to revert from Islam to local leadership and split from Medina's control; in some places, people such as Al-Aswad Al-Ansi and Musaylima claimed prophethood and started to establish leaderships in opposition to Medina.


title: Najd

text: The Ansar, the leaders of the tribes of Medina, met in a hall or house called saqifah, to discuss whom they would support as their new leader. When Abu Bakr was informed of the meeting, he, Umar, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and a few others rushed to prevent the Ansar from making a premature decision. During the meeting Umar declared that Abu Bakr should be the new leader, and declared his allegiance to Abu Bakr, followed by Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, and thus Abu Bakr became the first caliph.


title: Najd

text: Apostasy and rebellion in central Arabia were led by Musaylima in the fertile region of Yamamah. He was mainly supported by the powerful tribe of Banu Hanifa. At Buzakha in north central Arabia, another claimed prophet, Tulayha, a tribal chief of Banu Asad, led the rebellion against Medina, aided by the allied tribes of Banu Ghatafan, the Hawazin, and the Tayy. At Najd, Malik ibn Nuweira led the tribes of Banu Tamim against the authority of Medina.


title: Najd

text: On receiving intelligence of the Muslims' preparations, Tulayha too prepared for a battle, and was further reinforced by the contingents of the allied tribes. Before launching Khalid against Tulayha, Abu Bakr sought ways and means of reducing the latter's strength, so that the battle could be fought with the maximum prospects of victory. Nothing could be done about the tribes of Banu Asad and Banu Ghatafan, which stood solidly behind Tulayha, but the Tayy were not so staunch in their support of Tulayha, and their chief, Adi ibn Hatim, was a devout Muslim. Adi was appointed by Abu Bakr to negotiate with the tribal elders to withdraw their contingent from Tulayha's army. The negotiations were a success, and Adi brought with him 500 horsemen of his tribe to reinforce Khalid's army.


title: Najd

text: Khalid next marched against another apostate tribe, Jadila. Here again, Adi ibn Hatim offered his services to persuade the tribe to submit without bloodshed. Bani Jadila submitted, and their 1000 warriors joined Khalid's army. Khalid, now much stronger than when he had left Zhu Qissa, marched for Buzakha. There, in mid-September 632, he defeated Tulayha in the Battle of Buzakha. The remaining army of Tulayha retreated to Ghamra, 20 miles from Buzakha, and was defeated in the Battle of Ghamra in the third week of September.


title: Najd

text: Several tribes submitted to the Caliph after Khalid's decisive victories. Moving south from Buzakha, Khalid reached Naqra in October, with an army now 6000 strong, and defeated the rebel tribe of Banu Saleem in the Battle of Naqra. In the third week of October, Khalid defeated a tribal chieftess, Salma, in the battle of Zafar.


title: Najd

text: Afterwards, he moved to Najd against the rebel tribe of Banu Tamim and their Sheikh Malik ibn Nuwayrah. At Najd, getting the news of Khalid's decisive victories against apostates in Buzakha, many clans of Banu Tamim hastened to visit Khalid, but the Banu Yarbu', a branch of Banu Tamim, under their chief, Malik ibn Nuwayrah, hung back. Malik was a chief of some distinction: a warrior, noted for his generosity, and a famous poet. Bravery, generosity, and poetry were the three qualities most admired among the Arabs. At the time of Muhammad, he had been appointed as a tax collector for the tribe of Banu Tamim. As soon as Malik heard of the death of Muhammad, he gave back all the tax to his tribespeople, saying, "Now you are the owner of your wealth." Moreover, he was to be charged because he signed a pact with the prophet Sajjah. This agreement stated that first, they would deal with local enemy tribes together, and then they would confront the state of Madinah.


title: Najd

text: His riders were stopped by Khalid's army at the town of Buttah. Khalid asked them about the signing of pact with Sajjah; they said it was just because they wanted revenge against their terrible enemies. When Khalid reached Najd he found no opposing army. He sent his cavalry to nearby villages and ordered them to call the Azaan (call to prayer) to each party they meet.


title: Najd

text: Zirrar bin Azwar, a squadron leader, arrested the family of Malik, claiming they did not answer the call to prayer. Malik avoided direct contact with Khalid's army and ordered his followers to scatter, and he and his family apparently moved away across the desert. He refused to give zakat, hence differentiating between prayer and zakat. Nevertheless, Malik was accused of rebellion against the state of Medina. He was also to be charged for his entering in an anti-Caliphate alliance with the prophetess Sajjah. Malik was arrested along with his clan men,


title: Najd

text: Malik was asked by Khalid about his crimes. Malik's response was "your master said this, your master said that," referring to Abu Bakr. Khalid declared Malik a rebel apostate and ordered his execution. Khalid bin Walid killed Malik ibn Nuwayra.


title: Najd

text: Ikrimah ibn Abi-Jahl, one of the corps commanders, was instructed to make contact with Musaylima at Yamamah, but not to engage in fighting until Khalid joined him. Abu Bakr's intention in giving Ikrimah this mission was to tie Musaylima down at Yamamah. With Ikrimah on the horizon, Musaylima would remain in expectation of a Muslim attack, and thus not be able to leave his base. With Musaylima so committed, Khalid would be free to deal with the apostate tribes of north-central Arabia without interference from Yamamah. Meanwhile, Abu Bakr sent Shurhabil's corps to reinforce Ikrama at Yamamah.


title: Najd

text: However, Ikrimah attacked Musaylima's forces in early September 632 and was defeated. He wrote the details of his actions to Abu Bakr, who, both pained and angered by the rashness of Ikrimah and his disobedience, ordered him to proceed with his force to Oman to assist Hudaifa; once Hudaifa had completed his task, to march to Mahra to help Arfaja, and thereafter go to Yemen to help Muhajir.


title: Najd

text: Meanwhile, Abu Bakr sent orders to Khalid to march against Musaylima. Shurhabil's corps, that was stationed at Yamamah, was to reinforce Khalid's corps. In addition to this Abu Bakr assembled a fresh army of Ansar and Muhajireen in Medina that joined Khalid's corps at Butah. From Butah Khalid marched to Yamamah to join with Shurhabil's corps. Though Abu Bakr had instructed Shurhabil not to engage Musaylima's forces until the arrival of Khalid, shortly before the arrival of Khalid, Shurhabil engaged Musaylima's forces and was defeated too.


title: Najd

text: Khalid joined with the corps of Shurhabil early in December 632. The combined force of Muslims, now 13,000 strong, defeated Musaylima's army in the Battle of Yamama, which was fought in the third week of December. The fortified city of Yamamah surrendered peacefully later that week. Khalid established his headquarters at Yamamah, from where he despatched columns to all over the plain of Aqraba to subdue the region around Yamamah and to kill or capture all who resisted. Thereafter all of central Arabia submitted to Medina. What remained of the apostasy in the less vital areas of Arabia was rooted out by the Muslims in a series of well-planned campaigns within five months.


title: Najd

text: Muhammad's followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia, conquering huge swathes of territory from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to modern day Pakistan in the east in a matter of decades. The bulk of the tribes that helped the Caliphate's expansion into Persia and the Levant were composed of Nejdi tribes such as Banu Tamim. The Caliphate's use of these once-rebellious tribes allowed Abu Bakr and Umar to quickly deploy battle hardened men and experienced generals such as Al-Qa'qa' ibn Amr al-Tamimi into the front-lines against the Persians and Byzantines.


title: Najd

text: Najd soon became a politically peripheral region of the Muslim world as the focus shifted to the more developed conquered lands. The conquering tribes of Nejd soon shifted into the Levant, Persia and North Africa, playing a role in future conflicts in the caliphate, becoming governors and even birthing emirates such as the Aghlabids.


title: Najd

text: In the 16th century, the Ottomans added the Red Sea and Persian Gulf coast (the Hejaz, Asir and al-Ahsa) to the Empire and claimed suzerainty over the interior. One reason was to thwart Portuguese attempts to attack the Red Sea (hence the Hejaz) and the Indian Ocean.


title: Najd

text: Ottoman control over these lands varied over the next four centuries with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority. The emergence of what was to become the Saudi royal family, known as the Al Saud, began in Nejd in central Arabia in 1744, when Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, founder of the Wahhabi movement, a strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam.


title: Najd

text: This alliance formed in the 18th century provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion and remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today. The first "Saudi state" established in 1744 in the area around Riyadh rapidly expanded and briefly controlled most of the present-day territory of Saudi Arabia, but was destroyed by 1818 by the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt, Mohammed Ali Pasha.


title: Najd

text: A much smaller second "Saudi state", located mainly in Nejd, was established in 1824 by Turki. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the Al Saud contested control of the interior of what was to become Saudi Arabia with another Arabian ruling family, the Al Rashid. By 1891, the Al Rashid were victorious and the Al Saud were driven into exile in Kuwait.


title: Najd

text: At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire continued to control or have suzerainty over most of the peninsula. Subject to this suzerainty, Arabia was ruled by a patchwork of tribal rulers, with the Sharif of Mecca having pre-eminence and ruling the Hejaz.


title: Najd

text: In 1902, Abdul Rahman's son, Abdul Aziz—later to be known as Ibn Saud—recaptured control of Riyadh, bringing the Al Saud back to Nejd. Ibn Saud gained the support of the Ikhwan, a tribal army inspired by Wahhabism, and which had grown quickly after its foundation in 1912. With the aid of the Ikhwan, Ibn Saud captured al-Ahsa from the Ottomans in 1913.


title: Najd

text: In 1916, with the encouragement and support of Britain (which was fighting the Ottomans in World War I), the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali, led a pan-Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire to create a united Arab state. Although the Arab Revolt of 1916 to 1918 failed in its objective, the Allied victory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman suzerainty and control in Arabia.


title: Najd

text: Ibn Saud avoided involvement in the Arab Revolt and instead continued his struggle with the Al Rashid. Following the latter's final defeat, he took the title Sultan of Nejd in 1921. With the help of the Ikhwan, the Hejaz was conquered in 1924–25 and on 10 January 1926, Ibn Saud declared himself King of the Hejaz. A year later, he added the title of King of Nejd. For the next five years, he administered the two parts of his dual kingdom as separate units.


title: Najd

text: After the conquest of the Hejaz, the Ikhwan leadership turned to expansion of the Wahhabist realm into the British protectorates of Transjordan, Iraq and Kuwait, and began raiding those territories. This met with Ibn Saud's opposition, as he recognized the danger of a direct conflict with the British. At the same time, the Ikhwan became disenchanted with Ibn Saud's domestic policies, which appeared to favor modernization and the increase in the number of non-Muslim foreigners in the country. As a result, they turned against Ibn Saud and, after a two-year struggle, were defeated in 1930 at the Battle of Sabilla, where their leaders were massacred. In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".


title: Najd

text: The Arabic word "najd" literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula. However, the most famous of these in recent times was the central region of the Peninsula roughly bounded on the west by the mountains of the Hejaz and Yemen and to the east by the historical region of Eastern Arabia and the north by Iraq and Syria.


title: Najd

text: Medieval Muslim geographers spent a great amount of time debating the exact boundaries between Hejaz and Najd in particular, but generally set the western boundaries of Najd to be wherever the western mountain ranges and lava beds began to slope eastwards, and set the eastern boundaries of Najd at the narrow strip of red sand dunes known as the Ad-Dahna Desert, some east of modern-day Riyadh. The southern border of Najd has always been set at the large sea of sand dunes known today as Rub' al Khali (the Empty Quarter), while the southwestern boundaries are marked by the valleys of Wadi Ranyah, Wadi Bisha, and Wadi Tathlith.


title: Najd

text: The northern boundaries of Najd have fluctuated greatly over time and received far less attention from the medieval geographers. In the early Islamic centuries, Najd was considered to extend as far north as the River Euphrates, or more specifically, the "Walls of Khosrau", constructed by the Sassanid Empire as a barrier between Arabia and Iraq immediately prior to the advent of Islam. The modern usage of the term encompasses the region of Al-Yamama, which was not always considered part of Najd historically, and became incorporated into the larger definition of Nejd in the past centuries.


title: Najd

text: Najd is a plateau ranging from in height and sloping downwards from west to east. The eastern sections (historically better known as Al-Yamama) are marked by oasis settlements with much farming and trading activities, while the rest has traditionally been sparsely occupied by nomadic Bedouins. The main topographical features include the twin mountains of Aja and Salma in the north near Ha'il, the high land of Jabal Shammar and the Tuwaiq mountain range running through its center from north to south. Also important are the various dry river-beds ("wadis") such as Wadi Hanifa near Riyadh, Wadi Na'am in the south, Wadi Al-Rumah in the Al-Qassim Province in the north, and Wadi ad-Dawasir at the southernmost tip of Najd on the border with Najran. Most Najdi villages and settlements are located along these wadis, due to ability of these wadis to preserve precious rainwater in the arid desert climate, while others are located near oases.


title: Najd

text: Historically, Najd itself has been divided into small provinces made up of constellations of small towns, villages and settlements, with each one usually centered on one "capital". These subdivisions are still recognized by Najdis today, as each province retains its own variation of the Najdi dialect and Najdi customs. The most prominent among these provinces are Al-'Aridh, which includes Riyadh and the historical Saudi capital of Diriyah; Al-Qassim, with its capital in Buraidah; Sudair, centered on Al Majma'ah; Al-Washm, centered on Shaqraa; and Jebel Shammar, with its capital, Ha'il. Under modern-day Saudi Arabia, however, Najd is divided into three administrative regions: Ha'il, Al-Qassim, and Riyadh, comprising a combined area of .


title: Najd

text: Riyadh is the largest city in Najd, as well as the largest city in the country as a whole, with a population of more than 7,676,654 as of 2018. Other cities include Ḥaʼil (936,465 in 2021), Buraidah (745,353 in 2021), Unaizah (163,729 in 2010) and Ar Rass (133,000 in 2010). Smaller towns and villages include Sudair, Al-Kharj, Dawadmi, 'Afif, Al-Zilfi, Al Majma'ah, Shaqraa, Tharmada'a, Dhurma, Al-Gway'iyyah, Al-Hareeq, Hotat Bani Tamim, Layla, As Sulayyil, and Wadi ad-Dawasir, the southernmost settlement in Najd.


title: Najd

text: Prior to the formation of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the native population was largely made up of Arabian tribes, who were either nomads ("bedouins"), who were a minority of inhabitants, or part of the majority class of sedentary farmers and merchants who lived in villages and towns dotted around central Arabia. The rest of the population consisted mainly of Arabs who were, for various reasons, unaffiliated with any tribes, and who mostly lived in the towns and villages of Najd working in various trades such as carpentry or as "Sonnaa"' (craftsmen). There was also a small segment of the population made up of African as well as some East and South Eastern European slaves and freedmen.


title: Najd

text: Most of the Najdi tribes are of Adnanite origin and emigrated from Tihamah and Hijaz to Najd in ancient times. The most famous Najdi tribes in the pre-Islamic era were Banu Hanifa, who occupied the area around modern-day Riyadh, Banu Tamim, who occupied areas further north, the tribe of Banu Abs who were centered in Al-Qassim, the tribe of Tayy, centered on modern-day Ha'il, and the tribe of Banu 'Amir in southern Najd.


title: Najd

text: In the 15th through 18th centuries, there was considerable tribal influx from the west, increasing both the nomadic and settled population of the area and providing fertile soil for the Wahhabi movement. By the 20th century, many of the ancient tribes had morphed into new confederations or emigrated from other areas of the Middle East, and many tribes from other regions of the Peninsula had moved into Najd. However, the largest proportion of native Najdis today still belong to these ancient Najdi tribes or to their newer incarnations.


title: Najd

text: Many of the Najdi tribes even in ancient times were not nomadic or bedouin but rather very well settled farmers and merchants. The royal family of Saudi Arabia, Al Saud, for example, trace their lineage to Banu Hanifa. On the eve of the formation of Saudi Arabia, the major nomadic tribes of Najd included Dawasir, Mutayr, 'Utaybah, Shammar (historically known as Tayy) Subay', Suhool, Harb, and the Qahtanites in southern Najd. In addition to those tribes, many of the sedentary population belonged to Anizzah, Banu Tamim, Banu Hanifa, Banu Khalid, and Banu Zayd.


title: Najd

text: Most of the minority nomadic tribes are now settled either in cities such as Riyadh, or in special settlements, known as hijras, that were established in the early part of the 20th century as part of a country-wide policy undertaken by King Abdul-Aziz to put an end to nomadic life. Nomads still exist in the Kingdom, however, in very small numbers – a far cry from the days when they made up the majority of the people of the Arabian Peninsula.


title: Najd

text: Since the formation of modern Saudi Arabia, Najd, and particularly Riyadh, has seen an influx of immigrants from all regions of the country and from virtually every social class. The native Najdi population has also largely moved away from its native towns and villages to the capital, Riyadh. However, most of these villages still retain a small number of their native inhabitants.


title: Najd

text: About a quarter of the population of Najd, including about a third of the population of Riyadh, are non-Saudi expatriates, including both skilled professionals and unskilled laborers. Slavery was abolished in Saudi Arabia by King Faisal in 1962. Some of those freed slaves chose to continue working for their former slave-owners, particularly those whose former owners were members of the royal family.


title: Najd

text: Unlike the Hejaz and Tihamah, Najd is remote and stayed outside of the reign of important Islamic empires such as the Abbasids and the Ottoman Empire. This fact largely shaped its current dissimilarity to Hejaz.


title: Najd

text: The region is traditionally known as a Hanbali stronghold, and after the 18th century became known for its strict interpretation of Islam and is generally considered a bastion of religious conservatism. The founder of the interpretation of Sunni Islam called Wahhabism, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, was born in 'Uyayna, a village in the Najd.


title: Najd

text: The majority of people in the region consider themselves as Salafi Muslims. The name derives from advocating a return to the traditions of the "ancestors" (salaf), the first three generations of Muslims said to know the unadulterated, pure form of Islam. Those generations include the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions (the Sahabah), their successors (the Tabi‘un), and the successors of the successors (the Taba al-Tabi‘in). Practically, Salafis maintain that Muslims ought to rely on the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the 'Ijma (consensus) of the salaf, giving them precedence over later Islamic hermeneutic teachings.


title: Najd

text: The people of Najd have spoken Arabic, in one form or another, for practically all of recorded history. As in other regions of the Peninsula, there is a divergence between the dialect of the nomadic Bedouins and the dialect of the sedentary townspeople. The variation, however, is far less pronounced in Najd than it is elsewhere in the country, and the Najdi sedentary dialect seems to be descended from the Bedouin dialect, just as many sedentary Najdis are descendants of nomadic Bedouins themselves. The Najdi dialect is seen by some to be the least foreign-influenced of all modern Arabic dialects, due to the isolated location and harsh climate of the Najdi plateau, as well as the apparent absence of any substratum from a previous language. Indeed, not even the ancient South Arabian language appears to have been widely spoken in Najd in ancient times, unlike southern Saudi Arabia, for example.


title: Najd

text: Within Najd itself, the different regions and towns have their own distinctive accents and sub-dialects. However, these have largely merged in recent times and have become heavily influenced by Arabic dialects from other regions and countries. This is particularly the case in Riyadh.


title: Najd

text: In the early 20th century, Najd produced coarse wool cloth and a wide range of agricultural products.


title: Najd

text: Bahiyyih Nakhjavani's first novel "The Saddlebag – A Fable for Doubters and Seekers" describes events set in the Najd plateau along the pilgrimage route between Mecca and Medina in 1844–1845.


title: Najd

text: A contest held in the Middle East brought light to a new character in famed SNK Playmore video game, "The King of Fighters XIV". This character goes under the name Najd.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Levski Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 by a group of high school students, and is named after Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian revolutionary renowned as the national hero of the country.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Levski has won a total of 74 trophies, including 26 national titles, 26 national cups and 3 supercups, as well as 13 domestic Doubles and 1 Treble. It is also the only Bulgarian football club to have never been relegated from the top division since the establishment of the league system in 1937. Levski has reached the quarter-finals of UEFA competitions for five times, was runner-up of the Balkans Cup twice, and in 2006, it became the first Bulgarian club to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: The team's regular kit colour is all-blue. Levskis home ground is the Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov in Sofia, which has a capacity of 25,000 spectators. The club's biggest rivals are CSKA Sofia, and matches between the two capital sides are commonly referred to as the Eternal derby of Bulgaria. Levski also contests the Oldest capital derby with Slavia Sofia. The club is a regular member of the European Club Association and the European Multisport Club Association.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Sports Club Levski was founded in 1911 by a group of students from the in Sofia. The club's name was chosen in honour of the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski, and the club was officially registered on 24 May 1914.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In 1914, Levski lost its first official match against FK 13 Sofia with the score of 2–0. Between 1914 and 1920, football wasn't a popular sport in Bulgaria, and no additional information about the club exists. In the summer of 1921, the Sofia Sports League was established, which united ten clubs from Sofia and marked the beginning of organized football competitions in the city. Levski won the first match in the championship in the 1921–22 season, held on 18 September 1921, against Atletik Sofia with the score of 3–1. The team captured first place in the league in 1923 after a 3–2 win over bitter rivals Slavia Sofia, and successfully defended the title the following season.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: The first National Championship was held in 1924 with Levski representing Sofia. The team went on to win the title in 1933, 1937 and 1942, and established itself as the most popular football club in Bulgaria. In 1929, Levski became the first semi-professional football club in Bulgaria, after twelve players staged a boycott of the team in demand of financial remuneration and insurance benefits. The same year Levski met its first international opponents, losing to Gallipoli Istanbul 1–0 and winning against Kuban Istanbul 6–0. Between 1930 and 1932, Levski won the Ulpia Serdica Cup for three consecutive years and was permanently awarded the trophy as a result.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: After World War II, Levski became one of the two top clubs in Bulgaria. After winning the championship in 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950 and 1953, Levski would not capture the domestic title again until the mid-1960s. In 1949, the authorities changed the club's name to Dinamo following the Soviet traditions, but after the de-Stalinization of Bulgaria, it was reverted in 1957. The 1960s were marked with return to success both on the domestic and on the international stage. Levski's academy would become the most successful in national youth competitions for the years to come, and the results were first seen in the likes of Georgi Asparuhov, Georgi Sokolov, Biser Mihaylov, Kiril Ivkov, Ivan Vutsov, Stefan Aladzhov and Aleksandar Kostov, assisted by experienced veterans like Stefan Abadzhiev, Dimo Pechenikov and Hristo Iliev, which resulted in winning the championship in 1965, 1968 and 1970, including the 7–2 triumph over new bitter rivals CSKA Sofia in 1968. In the 1965–66 European Cup, Levski was eliminated in the first round by Benfica with 5–4 on aggregate.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In January 1969, Levski was forcibly merged with Spartak Sofia by the Bulgarian Communist Party, and put under the auspice of the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The name of the club was once again changed, this time to Levski-Spartak.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: A new crop of youngsters in the likes of Kiril Milanov, Dobromir Zhechev, Pavel Panov, Stefan Pavlov, Yordan Yordanov, Stefan Staykov, Tomas Lafchis, Todor Barzov, Voyn Voynov, Georgi Tsvetkov, Plamen Nikolov, and Rusi Gochev not only found their place in the first team, but brought new league titles in 1974, 1977, 1979, 1984 and 1985. On the international stage, the team reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1969–70 and 1976–77, and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1975–76. In the latter, Levski defeated Barcelona 5–4 in the second leg, becoming one of the two European teams (alongside Bayern Munich) to have scored five or more goals in one match against Barcelona in official UEFA competitions. Additionally, Levski became the only Bulgarian club to eliminate a German champion after defeating VfB Stuttgart in the first round of the 1984–85 European Cup. They also eliminated Stuttgart a year earlier in the first round of the 1983–84 UEFA Cup.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: The name of the team was changed to Vitosha by the authorities following the disruptions during and after the Bulgarian Cup final in 1985. The game ran on high emotions fuelled by the streak of consecutive victories of Levski over CSKA in the two years prior to the game. During the game, which CSKA won 2–1, there were confrontations both on the field and on the stands. By decree of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, some of the leading players of both clubs were suspended from the sport for life. The championship title of the club for 1985 was suspended. However, the suspensions were lifted shortly after. Levski won another cup and league titles in 1986 and 1988, respectively. The fourth European quarter-final came in 1986–87, when Levski knocked out the 1985–86 Danish Cup winners Boldklubben 1903 and the 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup holders Velež Mostar, before losing to the 1985–86 Copa del Rey winners Real Zaragoza.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: After the 1989–90 season, the club regained its original name. The team was made up of players such as Plamen Nikolov, Petar Hubchev, Tsanko Tsvetanov, Emil Kremenliev, Zlatko Yankov, Georgi Slavchev, Ilian Iliev, Daniel Borimirov, Stanimir Stoilov, Velko Yotov, Plamen Getov, Nikolay Todorov and Nasko Sirakov, and won three consecutive domestic national championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Levski contributed seven players (Tsvetanov, Kremenliev, Yankov, Sirakov, Nikolov, Petar Aleksandrov, and Borimirov), more than any other Bulgarian team, to the Bulgaria national football team that finished in fourth place at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In 2005–06, Levski reached the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup after knocking out the 2004–05 Coupe de France winners Auxerre in the first round, finishing above SC Heerenveen, Dinamo București and the reigning title holders CSKA Moscow in the group stage, triumphing over Champions League participants Artmedia Bratislava and Udinese in the knockout stages, before being eliminated by Schalke 04.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Levski, as the champions of Bulgaria, started their 2006–07 UEFA Champions League participation in the second qualifying round, where they eliminated Georgian champions Sioni Bolnisi, defeating them 2–0 both home and away. In the third round, Levski faced the Italian team Chievo Verona, which took part in the tournament because of other clubs' sanctions as part of the 2006 Serie A matchfixing scandal. Levski eliminated Chievo after a decisive 2–0 win in Sofia and a 2–2 draw in Verona, and thus became the first Bulgarian club to ever reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. There, they faced the title holders Barcelona, Premier League champions Chelsea, and Werder Bremen. They lost all six games and scored only one goal, in the second round against Chelsea.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Levski's 2005–06 UEFA Cup run and the participation in the Champions League group stage were considered the club's greatest European successes in the 21st century, hence the period in which this happened (2005–2007) was informally called the "Blue Tale".


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Levski earned a place in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League after the Bulgarian league champions CSKA Sofia failed to obtain a UEFA license. Levski lost to BATE Borisov of Belarus in the third qualifying round.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: During the 2009–10 season, Levski's team started their European campaign with a 9–0 (on aggregate) win against UE Sant Julià in the second qualifying round of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. In the next round, Levski Sofia faced FK Baku, eliminating the team from Azerbaijan with 2–0 on aggregate. In the play-off round, Levski was eliminated by Debrecen with 4–1 on aggregate. As one of the play-off losers, Levski qualified for the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. In the group stage, Levski faced Villarreal, Lazio and Red Bull Salzburg. Levski achieved only one win and five defeats. Levski won against Lazio in Italy, after Hristo Yovov scored the winning goal in the match.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Levski started the 2010–11 season with a match against Dundalk, in a second qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. Levski won the first match . In the return leg at Oriel Park, Levski defeated Dundalk 2–0 with two first half goals from Garra Dembélé. In the next round Levski played against Kalmar FF. The first match ended 1–1 in Sweden. In the return leg in Sofia, Levski won 5–2. In between, The Blues defeated their archrival CSKA Sofia in the Eternal derby with 1–0. Their next match in the Europa League saw them play against AIK Fotboll from Stockholm, Sweden. The first match ended in a goalless draw, and after the game, AIK hooligans attacked the Levski players and staff. The second match ended in a 2–1 home win for Levski. Goals scored by Daniel Mladenov and Garra Dembélé put Levski in the Europa League group stage. Levski was drawn in Group C, facing Gent, Lille and Sporting CP. The first match was played against Gent at home, which Levski won 3–2 with the winning goal scored by Serginho Greene. With this win, Levski recorded eight consecutive games without a defeat in European competitions. After that, Levski lost to Sporting CP with 5–0, followed by another defeat against Lille. In Sofia, Levski played well against Lille and was leading 2–1 until Ivo Ivanov scored an own goal to make it 2–2. In the last match of the Group C, Levski took a win against Sporting CP with 1–0, with the winning goal scored by Daniel Mladenov.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In the following 2011–12 season, in the third qualifying round of the Europa League, Levski were eliminated by Spartak Trnava of Slovakia, following a late game 2–1 win in Sofia, and a loss of the same scoreline in Trnava. The penalty shoot-out costed Levski a place in the play-off round. This caused an upset with the fans and players, and the team barely clinched the fourth place at the winter break in the Bulgarian league. Albeit only three points from the leaders Ludogoretz Razgrad, the acting manager Georgi Ivanov was sacked from the position, but remained at the club as a sporting director. Nikolay Kostov was appointed the new manager of the club, giving the supporters a sense of optimism, which, however, faded after a cup knock-out in the hands of Lokomotiv Plovdiv and a home defeat to Minyor Pernik. Kostov handed in his resignation, leaving the managerial post once again vacant. Sporting director Georgi Ivanov once again stepped in to help the club, and accepted being the manager until the summer break, when a new one would be appointed.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: During the summer of 2012, former player Ilian Iliev was appointed the new manager of the club. Under his management, Levski was knocked out from the Europa League by Bosnian side FK Sarajevo. Iliev led the team to 13 league victories and to the semi-finals of the Bulgarian Cup after eliminating Cherno More Varna and Litex Lovech on the away goals rule. Iliev however was sacked after a 1–1 away draw against Pirin Gotse Delchev. Assistant manager Nikolay Mitov took over the team until the end of the season. Under his management Levski won the derby clashes against Litex, CSKA and Ludogorets but failed to win the title after a 1–1 home draw against Slavia Sofia. Levski also reached their first Bulgarian Cup final since 2007, but lost on penalties against Beroe Stara Zagora. Despite the missed opportunity of winning a trophy, Mitov's contract was renewed for the 2013–14 season. However, the team made another disappointing performance in Europa League, being eliminated by the Kazakh side Irtysh Pavlodar. As a result, Nikolay Mitov resigned as manager.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In July 2013 Slaviša Jokanović was appointed as the new manager of the team. Despite losing only two matches in twelve games, Jokanović was released in October 2013. Ivaylo Petev was announced as his successor but during his introduction a few Levski supporters interrupted it, stating that they would not accept his appointment. The next day, Petev refused to take charge of the team and Antoni Zdravkov was named as the new manager. Under his reign the team suffered a heavy 3–0 loss against rivals CSKA, but managed to knock them out in the Bulgarian Cup in December 2013 after penalties. Due to the difficult financial situation, a few key players, such as Antonio Vutov and Garry Rodrigues, were sold to Udinese and Elche, respectively, during the winter break. This reflected on the team's performance and Levski finished fifth and got knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Bulgarian Cup by Botev Plovdiv. Antoni Zdravkov was sacked in March 2014, and Levski legend Elin Topuzakov took charge as a caretaker until the end of the 2013–14 season. The club did not participate in European competitions for the first time since 1990–91.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: On 23 May 2014, the club supporters organized a friendly game against Lazio, marking the 100th anniversary of the club. Club icons like Georgi Ivanov, Dimitar Ivankov, Aleksandar Aleksandrov, Hristo Yovov, Elin Topuzakov and many other former players and celebrities took participation by playing in the game, as well as donating money for the event's organization. The next day, Levski marked 100 years since its founding.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: The following years were arguably the darkest in the club's history. League-wise, Levski managed to finish higher than third place only once (runners-up in 2015–16), and achieved its lowest ever ranking (seventh place in 2014–15 and eighth in 2020–21). On the stage of the Bulgarian Cup, the club lost two more finals, in 2015 to Cherno More and in 2018 to Slavia Sofia. In European competitions, Levski faced some of its most embarrassing eliminations – against Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz and Cypriot AEK Larnaca, the latter inflicting the largest ever European defeat on aggregate for Levski .


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: These years were turbulent not only on the football pitch, but at the higher hierarchy of the club. In June 2015, the long-time president Todor Batkov stepped down and the club was taken over by Ivo Tonev, Aleksandar Angelov and Nikolay Ivanov. From this point onwards, Levski began to experience financial problems. Tonev, Angelov and Ivanov's reign was short-lived and in August 2016, they transferred their shares to businessman Spas Rusev. Under his governance, Levski signed players like Gabriel Obertan and Jordi Gómez, as well as coach Delio Rossi, in an attempt to return the club's glory. However, Rusev's financing was dubious, and there were complaints for delayed wages. In February 2017, Rusev admitted the club was "practically bankrupt". On 9 February 2019, Rusev stepped down as owner of Levski, leaving the club with more than 30 million BGN in debt. Four days later, businessman and former owner of archrivals CSKA Vasil Bozhkov took over the club. He attempted to stabilize Levski's financial situation by immediately covering the most urgent obligations and selling or releasing the players with the highest wages, investing around 25 million BGN in total throughout his tenure. In February 2020, Bozhkov stepped down as his main business, 7777.bg (National Lottery), had its license withdrawn by the Bulgarian government. The club being left with no financing whatsoever and in a full-scale financial crisis, sparkled an unprecedented support campaign amongst the fans, who engaged in various donation initiatives, raising 2.6 million BGN in the span of five months.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In 2021, former owner Vasil Bozhkov admitted that he was forced to take over Levski under the threat of business closure by prime minister Boyko Borisov. Bozhkov's confession was somewhat of a confirmation of the insinuation that the reason behind Levski's financial problems and occasional ownership changes was Borisov's idea of using the club as an instrument for political influence.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In the summer of 2020, club legend Nasko Sirakov took charge of the majority of shares and the club made some financial cuts, forcing a big part of the players (mainly foreigners) to leave. Levski also changed its transfer policy, signing mainly Bulgarian and homegrown players with lower salaries, allowing the club to start paying off some of the debt accumulated throughout the years. Sirakov set a target for the club to clear most of the debt by 2023, mostly through sponsorship deals, outgoing transfers, television rights and the fans' financial support.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: On 1 September 2021, Sirakov announced the return of the club's most successful manager in the 21st century, also known as the "author" of the "Blue Tale", Stanimir Stoilov. At that time, Levski was in 10th place in the league standings with 4 defeats and 2 wins in the first 6 games. With his arrival, Stoilov released three players – Simeon Slavchev, Valeri Bojinov and Hristofor Hubchev, and signed José Córdoba from Etar and Dimitar Kostadinov from Septemvri Sofia. Under his management, the team managed to improve promptly, earning 20 points by the end of the half-season with 5 wins, 5 draws, and 3 defeats.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: On 15 May 2022, Levski won the Bulgarian Cup by defeating its biggest rivals CSKA 1–0 in the final, thus ending the club's longest ever trophyless period (13 years). It was a record 26th cup for the Blues. By winning the cup, the team earned a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifications. In the second qualifying round, they faced PAOK, who reached the quarter-finals of the same competition the previous season. Despite being considered underdogs, Levski managed to eliminate the Greek team 3–1 on aggregate. However, Levski crashed out of the tournament in the third qualifying round after an upsetting home defeat on penalties at the hands of Maltese side Ħamrun Spartans.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: The first club crest was designed by Mircho Kachulev in 1922. Initially in the size of a square with a blue background, it was intentionally written in a stylized letter "Л" (Bulgarian letter "L"; shortened for Levski). The inner space of the letter was filled vertically equally in yellow and red colours. In a later period of time, the Cyrillic letters "С" (Sport) and "К" (club) were added at the top of the square, while the bottom side was inscribed with the name "Sofia". This badge was used by the club until 1949, when it was renamed to Dinamo.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: From 1949 to 1956, the emblem of the club was an irregular hexagon filled with vertical red, white, blue and yellow colours, with an inscribed handwritten Cyrillic letter "Д", alongside a five-pointed red star above it and the word "Sofia" underneath.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: From 1957 to 1968 the original logo of the club was restored, however the letters C" and "К" were replaced with "Ф" (Athletic) and "Д" (union).


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: After the merger with Spartak Sofia in 1969, the club crest has been a shield in blue and white with a horizontal red bar above. The shield spawned the letters "Л" and "C", an abbreviation of the new name Levski-Spartak. The football club used this crest until 1985, when it was renamed Vitosha. Vitosha's crest was in the form of a stylized letter "C" surrounding the football in the upper curve of the letter, coloured in blue and white.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: In January 1990, the club restored its original name and original logo, and the letters "C" and "K" in the upper corner of the blue square were replaced with the initials "Ф" (football) and "K" (club). However, due to legal issues with the ownership of the rights to the historic crest, the club was forced to change it in 1998, when a brand new shield logo was introduced, entirely in blue. At its centre, an inscription of the letter "Л" was introduced, alongside the year of establishment – 1914. The dome of the shield was labelled "PFC Levski".


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: After winning the legal dispute for the rights to the historic emblem in 2006, the club decided to use the two different crests simultaneously for a brief period of time. Later that year, the shield crest was replaced by the classic square emblem.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: The first anthem of Levski was written by renowned Bulgarian poet Dimcho Debelyanov and composed by Lyubomir Pipkov. Since 1999, the club anthem is "Само Левски шампион" ("Only Levski, the champion"), composed by .


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First League, however only five non-EU/EEA nationals can be used during a match day. Those non-EU/EEA nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If players are not of European origin, they can claim Bulgarian citizenship after five years of playing in Bulgaria.


title: PFC Levski Sofia

text: "Foreign players with at least 30 games for the club or that were internationally capped. Players who were internationally capped for their country are listed in bold."


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: Kenyon Lee "KJ" Martin Jr. (born January 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended IMG Academy for his postgraduate year in Bradenton, Florida.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: Kenyon Martin Jr attended Oaks Christian High School as a freshman but did not play basketball that year. Early in the school year, Kenyon Martin Jr was pulled out of Oaks Christian to be homeschooled. After his freshman year, he was enrolled in Chaminade College Preparatory where he started playing basketball as a sophomore.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: A three-star recruit from Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, Martin played alongside Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cassius Stanley. Martin averaged 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the back-to-back California Open Division champions.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: Martin originally committed to play collegiately for Vanderbilt before opting for a postgraduate year at IMG Academy.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: He averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game at IMG Academy, drawing praise for his athleticism. Martin scored 37 points at the National Prep Showcase and demonstrated an improved jump shot. Martin declared for the 2020 NBA draft on March 24, 2020.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: On November 18, 2020, Martin was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 52nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. On November 25, 2020, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations and a future second-round pick. Martin signed a four-year contract with the Rockets on November 30. The Rockets organization put him on their G League affiliate team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: Martin was activated by the Houston Rockets for the January 4, 2021 game against the Dallas Mavericks, then was inactive for one game before making his on-court NBA debut on January 8, 2021 vs. the Orlando Magic, scoring 7 points on 3-3 shooting (including a three-pointer)


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: On May 8, 2021, Martin scored a career-high 27 points against the Utah Jazz. He had a then-career high 10 rebounds in three different games, all in May 2021.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: On November 25, 2022, Martin scored 21 points along with a career-high 15 rebounds in a 128–122 win against the Atlanta Hawks.


title: Kenyon Martin Jr.

text: Martin is the son of Kenyon Martin, who was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA draft and played in the NBA for 15 years, and Heather Martin.


title: PlayStation Store

text: The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network.


title: PlayStation Store

text: The store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games, add-on content, playable demos, themes and game/movie trailers.


title: PlayStation Store

text: Following feedback from many PlayStation Network users, a redesigned version of the PlayStation Store was launched on April 15, 2008, via a firmware update. The new design was OS based rather than the previous Store's web based design enabling the Store to process information more quickly.


title: PlayStation Store

text: A minor update to the store was released during Sony's E3 2009 press conference. This update makes the top page rotate pictures (including their links) regularly, and changes the navigation sounds.


title: PlayStation Store

text: A major redesign of the PlayStation Store was announced in September 2012, bringing with it a revised navigation structure and new search system. The new store has been developed to bring game and video content together and make it easier for users to find what they are looking for. Content will be integrated into each game's listing, rather than separate categories for items like add-ons, themes, and other downloadable content. The latest design is much less focused on text, and incorporates high-resolution artwork and smooth animations for featured content. The new redesign launched in Europe on October 22, 2012. Shortly after it was launched in the United Kingdom, the Store interface was reverted to the old design due to issues such as long load times and slow navigation, while other countries in Europe retained the new interface despite these issues. The redesign was released in North America on November 2, 2012.


title: PlayStation Store

text: In May 2020, the PlayStation Store has been indefinitely suspended in China due to security reasons. On March 2, 2021, Sony announced that it would discontinue offering movie and TV show purchases and rentals through the PlayStation Store on August 31, 2021.


title: PlayStation Store

text: Later that month, Sony also announced that it would be closing down the storefronts for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita games in July and August 2021. Sony's decision to make many of its older games inaccessible for purchase drew criticism from many, with concerns highlighting the publisher's approach towards game preservation, as well as the limitations of digital-only media, and its potential anti-consumer implications. Several small developers who had been producing titles for the PS Vita were not forewarned by Sony of the PlayStation Store's closure, requiring some to crunch to meet the deadline, while others whose games would not be ready made the decision to cancel them. As a result of the negative feedback, Sony announced on April 19, 2021, that they had reversed their decision to close the PS3 and Vita stores, leaving these available for the foreseeable future, though the PSP store will still close as originally planned on July 2, 2021. The day prior to the planned closure of the PSP store, Sony altered their plans again, and instead chose to simply disable the PlayStation Store app on the system, allowing PSP digital games to remain available for purchase on other systems.


title: PlayStation Store

text: On March 9, 2022, PlayStation announced that it suspended operations of the PlayStation Store in Russia in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.


title: PlayStation Store

text: The store is accessible through an icon on the XrossMediaBar on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, via the Dynamic Menu on the PlayStation 4, and an icon on the LiveArea on the PlayStation Vita. The service is also available online through the Sony Entertainment Network website.


title: PlayStation Store

text: A master account is required to access the "PlayStation Store". A log of all previously purchased items, known as "Download List", records each "PlayStation Store" account's complete download activity. A guest user can use their master account's Download List to download free content or to purchase content on another console; however, a single account can only be used on up to two consoles. This was previously five, but as of November 2011, Sony reduced this to two. The most recent firmware must be installed on the console to access the "PlayStation Store". Each master account is associated with an online virtual "wallet" to which funds can be added. This wallet is then debited when a purchase is made from the store. Money can be added to the wallet through different systems of payment, although some of these are not available in all countries.


title: PlayStation Store

text: All purchases on the "PlayStation Store" are made in the user's local currency using a 'wallet' system whereby funds are added to the wallet—either in set denominations or an amount dictated by the price of the current transaction—then debited from the account's wallet when the user makes a purchase, funds added to the PS Store are non-refundable.


title: PlayStation Store

text: The user can add funds to their wallet in a number of ways, the most common of which is by credit or debit card. Users in many regions can also purchase PlayStation Network Cards or Tickets in set denominations from retailers including supermarkets or video game stores. These funds are redeemed on the "PlayStation Store" when the user enters the unique 12-digit code found on the card into the "PlayStation Store". Nintendo themselves later adopted this currency system for their succeeding eShop. The Store's account, however, is region-locked and generally only accepts credit card that is billed in and PlayStation Network Cards purchased from the same country selected during the registration process, which cannot be changed afterwards.


title: PlayStation Store

text: "PlayStation Store" was launched within the PlayStation 3 on November 11, 2006. There are four different versions of the store on the platform: Asia, Europe (including Oceania and the Middle East), Japan and North America (including South America).


title: PlayStation Store

text: "PlayStation Store" was supported on PlayStation Portable starting by October 2008 with 5.00 firmware update. The native "PlayStation Store" front on PSP was closed on March 31, 2016, while in-app purchases remained available after the store closed. PS Store functionality on PSP was fully closed on July 2, 2021.


title: PlayStation Store

text: "PlayStation Store" was launched on the PlayStation Vita on December 17, 2011, and is accessible via an icon on the LiveArea. As of December 2016, all Vita games were also made available to be downloaded digitally on the PlayStation Network via the storefront, although not all games are released physically. There are four different versions of the "PlayStation Store": Asia, Europe (including Oceania and the Middle East), Japan and North America. There is no Vita's "PlayStation Store" localization in China and South America.


title: PlayStation Store

text: PlayStation 4 version of the "PlayStation Store" was released on November 15, 2013, along with the console in North America, and on November 29 in most of Europe with the console two weeks following the North American launch. The PS4 version of the PS Store uses the same overall design and interface to its predecessor, the PlayStation 3's storefront; however, the color scheme has been altered to match that of the console's theme, changing from black to blue.


title: PlayStation Store

text: In January 2013, the "PlayStation Store" was made available via Internet browser. Users can purchase content for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation Portable via the online store, then download it (or put it in a download queue) via their respective devices. In October 2015, a "Wishlist" option was added. On October 15, 2020, in anticipation of the launch of the PlayStation 5, Sony announced that users would no longer be able to browse and purchase PS3, PSP and PS Vita games and applications via the desktop and mobile versions of the PlayStation Store.


title: PlayStation Store

text: PlayStation 5 version of "PlayStation Store" was released on November 12, 2020, along with the console in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, and on November 19, 2020, in rest of the world (excluding China) with the console seven days following the North American and Japan launch.


title: PlayStation Store

text: Prior to 2019, Sony had allowed third-party vendors such as Amazon and Wal-Mart to sell video game redemption codes for the PlayStation Store. Sony removed this feature in April 2019, so third-party vendors can only sell virtual currency for the PlayStation Store. In May 2021, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that because Sony maintains a monopoly on the PlayStation Store, the removal of third-party sales violated antitrust laws. A second class-action lawsuit was filed the same month alleging that Sony's decision to eliminate third-party sales has led to overcharging consumers by billions of dollars.


title: Harve Presnell

text: George Harvey Presnell (September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States.


title: Harve Presnell

text: His career reoriented away from classical music to musical theatre in 1960 after Meredith Willson cast him in the lead role of his new Broadway musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". His portrayal of "Leadville Johnny" was a resounding success and he reprised the role in the 1964 film version of the musical, winning a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal.


title: Harve Presnell

text: Presnell went on to star in a few more films during the 1960s, but by the early 1970s that aspect of his career came to a standstill. From 1970 to 1995 he mostly worked as a musical theatre performer on Broadway, the West End, and in touring productions out of New York. In his early 60s, Presnell saw a resurgence in his movie career which lasted until his death. He played character roles in films like "Fargo" (1996), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), and "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006). He also appeared on television as Mr. Parker in "The Pretender" and Lew Staziak in "Andy Barker, P.I.". He had recurring roles on "" and "Dawson's Creek".


title: Harve Presnell

text: Presnell was born in 1933, in Modesto, California. He made his professional stage debut performing in an opera at the young age of sixteen. He attended the University of Southern California, earning a bachelor's degree in vocal performance.


title: Harve Presnell

text: He then pursued further vocal studies in Europe and at the Music Academy of the West. He appeared with a number of opera companies and orchestras during the 1950s. In 1957 he made his debut with the San Francisco Opera as the Officer in Richard Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos".


title: Harve Presnell

text: He went on to sing several more comprimario roles with the company that year, including the Jailer in the United States premiere of Francis Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites". During the late 1950s he made several appearances and recordings with both the Roger Wagner Chorale and the Philadelphia Orchestra, the latter under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.


title: Harve Presnell

text: In 1956, Presnell co-starred with Herva Nelli in the American premiere of Darius Milhaud's opera "David" at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1960, he was a featured soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in another concert at the Bowl. In attendance at the concert was musical theater composer Meredith Willson who was at that time in the midst of creating his musical on the life of Molly Brown, "Titanic" survivor. Willson contacted him after the concert and asked him to audition for him. Presnell complied and Willson ended up offering him the role of "Leadville Johnny." At this point the musical was not completed and Wilson went on to compose much of the music for Leadville Johnny with Presnell's voice in mind.


title: Harve Presnell

text: On November 3, 1960, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre to a resounding success. Presnell stayed with the show for its entire 532 performance run, which ended on February 10, 1962. He reprised the role in the 1964 film "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" for which he won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.


title: Harve Presnell

text: He starred in two films in 1965: portraying Sol Rogers, a cavalry scout, in "The Glory Guys" and Danny Churchill, the romantic lead, in the musical film "When the Boys Meet the Girls". He had one more sizable film role in the 1960s, the role of "Rotten Luck Willie" in Paramount's 1969 musical Western film "Paint Your Wagon", singing "They Call the Wind Maria". "The New York Times" critic opined that Presnell's role "delivered the golden opportunity to sing the unforgettable ballad." Theater reviewer Thomas Hischak wrote "in one of the film's few pleasing moments, Harve Presnell gave full voice to "They Call the Wind Mariah" and it was lovely to hear". Referring to Eastwood and Marvin, film reviewer Brian W. Fairbanks wrote that "Harve Presnell steals both stars' thunder with a knockout version of the best song"


title: Harve Presnell

text: Presnell did some other film and television work in the 1960s and early 1970s, but for the next couple of decades concentrated primarily on stage work, playing Rhett Butler in the West End production of "Scarlett" and touring the United States as Daddy Warbucks in "Annie" and its sequel, "Annie Warbucks", among other productions. In 1966, Presnell played the role of Sir Lancelot in "Camelot" in the Regional Equity production at The Houston Music Theatre.


title: Harve Presnell

text: In 1984, Presnell appeared as Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha" in Darien, Connecticut, an appearance well received by "The New York Times" critic Alvin Klein, who wrote that Presnell was "a winning leading man", and wrote:As an actor, Mr. Presnell promises much, and as a singer, he delivers. Here is one of the shiniest vocal accounts of the role yet. The actor is on the verge of suggesting that in his implausible way, the Don can bring a measure of grace to the world and fulfill that old impossible dream.


title: Harve Presnell

text: His film career was revived when he played William H. Macy's testy father-in-law in "Fargo" (1996). Subsequent films included "The Whole Wide World" (1996), "Larger than Life" (1996), "The Chamber" (1996), "Face/Off" (1997), "Julian Po" (1997), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998, as General George Marshall), "Patch Adams" (1998), "Walking Across Egypt" (1999), "The Legend of Bagger Vance" (2000), "The Family Man" (2000), "Escanaba in da Moonlight" (2001), "Mr. Deeds" (2002), "Super Sucker" (2003), "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006), and "Evan Almighty" (2007).


title: Harve Presnell

text: On television, he appeared, in among other roles, as Mr. Parker on "The Pretender", Dr. Sam Lane on "", and as A.I. Brooks on "Dawson's Creek".


title: Harve Presnell

text: Presnell sang the baritone role in Eugene Ormandy's 1960 recording of "Carmina Burana", released by Columbia/Sony on LP and CD. His earliest recordings were as a soloist with the Roger Wagner Chorale (Capitol) in the 1950s with the Chorale in the background particularly in the LP "Joy to the World" where he sang in "O Holy Night" and the LPs "Folk Songs of the New World" [Capitol P8324 (1955)] and "Folk Songs of the Frontier" [Capitol P8332 (1956)], where he sang, among other songs, "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" and "Streets of Laredo".


title: Harve Presnell

text: Presnell died on June 30, 2009, aged 75, from pancreatic cancer at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: LeGarrette Montez Blount (; born December 5, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Community College. Not selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, he began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount achieved his greatest success during his four nonconsecutive seasons with the New England Patriots, where he won two Super Bowl titles and led the league in rushing touchdowns during the 2016 season. Following his victories for New England in Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LI, Blount was part of the Philadelphia Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII, making him one of six players to have consecutive Super Bowl titles for different franchises. He scored 11 playoff rushing touchdowns, which are tied for the sixth-most in NFL history.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount was born December 5, 1986, in Madison, Florida, to Gary and Barbara Blount. He has two siblings. Blount attended Taylor County High School in the small town of Perry, Florida, where he was a two-sport star in both football and track & field. In high school football, he was a four-year starter and three-time 1,000-yard rusher. He first reached the milestone as a sophomore and equaled the feat the following season despite playing with a thigh bruise for most of the year. He was accorded second-team All-state player honors as a prep senior. In track and field, Blount competed in events such as the 100-meter dash (11.34 s), the long jump (22–1 or 6.75m), and the shot put (53–2 or 16.22m). He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m squad.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Considered only a two-star recruit by both "Rivals.com" and "Scout.com", Blount was not ranked among the best running back prospects in the nation in the Class of 2005. Barely recruited out of high school, he attended camp at Auburn University but was not offered an athletic scholarship. He nonetheless intended to go to Auburn but did not qualify academically, so he headed for junior college at East Mississippi Community College.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: While at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi, Blount rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons, accumulating 367 carries for 2,292 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Among his career highlights was a 273-yard performance with three touchdowns in a win over Northeast Mississippi Community College during his freshman year; he led the state of Mississippi in rushing yards with 1,106 as early as October 2006. Blount was rated as the top-ranked junior college prospect by "The Clarion-Ledger" and received Junior College All-American honors.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: By the end of his sophomore year, Blount had become one of the highest ranked junior college prospects. He was named the nation's top junior college running back and the No. 12 overall prospect in the Rivals.com Junior College Top 100. Blount was heavily recruited by several high-major schools, including Florida State and West Virginia. He committed to Oregon in December 2007. Oregon coaches said Blount reminded them of former Oregon and NFL running back Reuben Droughns.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount entered his junior year at Oregon sharing the running back role with senior Jeremiah Johnson. The two backs lived together, and the talkative Johnson advised Blount in his first Pac-10 season. For Blount, it was the first season in which he split time with another running back, and his reaction was mixed. The two backs each contributed nearly 100 yards and three touchdowns in an early 63–14 win over the Washington State Cougars, and both again performed well in a late season victory over the Oregon State Beavers in the Civil War. However, Blount would record lackluster performances in games against USC and Cal. Overall, Blount rushed for 17 touchdowns, setting a single-season school record, and 1,002 yards. Blount and Johnson became only the second duo in team history to both clear 1,000 rushing yards in the same season; Johnson led the team with 1,201 yards.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: He clashed several times during the season with veteran head coach Mike Bellotti, earning a suspension for the first quarter of a November loss to the California Golden Bears for "not following team rules."


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: After the end of the season, he missed a number of workouts. Bellotti suspended him indefinitely on February 10 for "failure to fulfill team obligations."


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount responded fairly well to the suspension, improving his attendance in both academic and athletic pursuits. He was reinstated by newly appointed head coach Chip Kelly in March. He attended some, but not all, voluntary workouts during the off-season, but was praised for an improved attitude by fellow members of the football program. He arrived at training camp in better physical shape than in 2008. At , he was somewhat above his optimal weight, but was slimming down, and aiming for a 2,000 yard season. Blount was named to the watchlists for the Walter Camp Award and the Doak Walker Award for the 2009 season.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: The Ducks opened their 2009 season with a 19–8 loss to the Boise State Broncos. Blount ended the game with negative yardage (−5) on eight carries. Blount had been interviewed by a "Sports Illustrated" reporter earlier in the summer and was asked about the excessive late hits in the 2008 game in Eugene between Oregon and Boise State. He had been quoted that because of the way Boise State beat Oregon in Eugene, they, "owed them an ass-whoopin'." In the 2008 game, Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was forced to leave the game after taking a helmet to the chin on a late hit by a Boise State defender. Oregon lost that game, but the late hits were a topic of discussion as the teams prepared for the season opener against each other. Shortly after the game's end, Boise State defensive player Byron Hout came up to Blount, slapped Blount's shoulder pad and said, "How's that for an ass-whoopin'?" Blount punched Hout, knocking him to the ground. Blount then hit teammate Garrett Embry, who was attempting to restrain him, in the helmet.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: As he was escorted to the locker room, Blount confronted Boise State fans who were jeering at him after seeing the video replay. Blount says that one Boise State fan brandished a chair at him and another punched him. Two police officers and Oregon assistant coach Scott Frost restrained Blount and escorted him into the locker room. Video of the incident spread rapidly on the Internet.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount apologized after the incident saying, "I just apologize to everybody that was watching this — ESPN, national TV — I just apologize to all of our fans, all the Boise fans. It was just something that I shouldn't have done. I lost my head, and I shouldn't have taken it that far."


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Oregon coach Chip Kelly suspended Blount for the rest of the 2009 season. According to the Associated Press, "On Friday [Kelly] told a sobbing Blount of his decision: That punch would cost Blount the season, and ultimately his career with the Ducks. 'He understands that his actions are unacceptable. We will not put up with that.' Kelly said." Blount was not dismissed from the team, however, and would be permitted to attend practice and retain his scholarship.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Chip Kelly consulted with Oregon officials in advance of Blount's suspension. Afterward, the Pac-10 expressed support for the suspension. Kelly stated that he made his judgment based on the entire event and had not theorized how it would have changed had only certain parts of the incident occurred.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Following the announcement of Blount's punishment, a number of sports writers and analysts questioned whether or not suspension for the entire season was excessive. Wrote analyst Tom Dienhart: "But did Blount's punishment (banned from games the rest of the season) fit the crime? Blount should have been benched for three to five games, giving him a break for being in an emotional spot after being provoked by Hout."


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount called Hout and Boise State coach Chris Petersen to apologize on September 5. Kelly participated in the calls. Hout was not suspended for his taunting, though Petersen stated that he did receive disciplinary action. Petersen accepted the apology as sincere, and expressed the wish that Blount would be able to go on playing football, and that many parties would learn from the experience.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount was given the opportunity to continue practicing with the team but was not at the first practice due to unspecified obligations. However, Blount was on the sidelines at practice the following day and began practice with the scout team a week later.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On October 1, an apology letter from Blount was published in the Oregon school newspaper the "Oregon Daily Emerald". Later that day, the Oregon Athletic Department released a statement indicating that a plan that could reinstate Blount to the team was under consideration. The next day, head coach Chip Kelly announced that if Blount meets certain guidelines, he could return for the November 7 game against the Stanford Cardinal. Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott responded that the conference alone had the power to reinstate Blount and would take Oregon's appeal under consideration if it occurred.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount was not reinstated in time for the Stanford game, but two days after the Ducks' loss to Stanford, the Ducks requested, and the Pac-10 approved, Blount's reinstatement for the Ducks' November 14 game against Arizona State. Blount released a statement thanking head coach Kelly for showing that he "cares enough to offer me this second chance" and that it was up to Blount to "prove to people that their lasting impressions of me are not what they saw in Boise." Blount suited up for the Arizona State and Arizona games, but since his replacement, LaMichael James, was playing so well, Blount did not see any playing time in those games.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: In their final game of the season, the Civil War against rival Oregon State, the Ducks trailed by nine points in the third quarter. Blount came into the game for James and several plays later, scored on a 12-yard run to bring the Ducks within two points. Blount ended up rushing for 51 yards in the game and the Ducks would go on to win the game by a score of 37–33 and earn a berth in the 2010 Rose Bowl against Ohio State.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount was undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, but agreed in principle to a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers following the draft. However, after a meeting with Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, Blount decided to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Titans instead. In August 2010, Blount was involved in another incident in which he threw a punch, this time at teammate defensive end Eric Bakhtiari, a few moments after having his own helmet ripped off in practice. Blount quickly talked to Titans head coach Jeff Fisher before leaving the field. "He apologized, and I said he didn't have to apologize," Fisher said. "It's football. It's training camp. . . . His past is his past. Is that the first punch you've seen in camp this year? No. I'm not disappointed whatsoever. I have great confidence in the young man that he learned from his mistake, and he's very competitive. That's why we brought him in here is to watch him run the football like that." Blount survived the final roster cut and was placed on the Titans' 53-man roster. Blount was then waived by the team on September 5, 2010, to make room for veteran linebackers Tim Shaw (Chicago Bears) and Patrick Bailey (Pittsburgh Steelers). Titans sources indicated that Blount would be signed to the rookie practice squad if he cleared waivers, which he did not.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On September 6, 2010, Blount was claimed off of waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played in his first regular-season NFL game in a Week 3 home loss, 38–13, to the Pittsburgh Steelers, gaining 27 yards on six rushes and scoring one touchdown. On October 31, 2010, Blount recorded his breakout game as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. He accumulated 120 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 22 carries, and nine receiving yards in the Buccaneers' 38–35 victory against the Arizona Cardinals. Highlighting the performance was a late game 43-yard run in which Blount hurdled approaching safety Kerry Rhodes. In Week 16, against the Seattle Seahawks, he rushed for a then career-high 164 yards in the 38–15 victory. At the end of his rookie season, Blount had played in 13 games and accumulated 1,007 rushing yards, which was the most by a rookie in the 2010 NFL season. Blount became the second undrafted running back in NFL history to accumulate 1,000 yards in his rookie year, joining Dominic Rhodes, who accomplished the feat for the Indianapolis Colts in 2001. He earned a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount started off the 2011 season with only five carries for 15 rushing yards against the Detroit Lions. The next week, Blount reestablished his strong running ability with 13 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. This includes the game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds left to play. In a Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers, Blount injured his knee after accumulating only 15 yards rushing and was forced to miss Weeks 6 and 7. Blount would ultimately return for the matchup with the New Orleans Saints. On November 20, 2011, Blount broke free from eight Green Bay Packers tacklers and scored on a 54-yard touchdown run.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount remained on the Buccaneers for the 2012 season. His best game of the season came against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 14 with 58 rushing yards and a touchdown. He did not have much as action with 41 carries for 151 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 2012 season.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On April 27, 2013, Blount was traded to the New England Patriots for running back Jeff Demps and a seventh-round selection (229th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On September 8, Blount made his Patriots debut against the Buffalo Bills in the season opener. In Week 4, against the Atlanta Falcons, he had 64 rushing yards and his first touchdown as a Patriot. In Week 15, against the Baltimore Ravens, he had 76 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 41–7 victory. On December 29, he led the Patriots to a playoff bye with a win over the Buffalo Bills in their second divisional matchup by rushing for a career-high 189 yards on 24 carries scoring two touchdowns and returning two kickoffs for 145 yards with a long of 83 yards. Blount set a franchise record for all-purpose yards with 334 yards. His performance earned him NFL Ground Player of the Week honors. Blount finished the season with 772 rushing yards and a career-high seven touchdowns. The Patriots made the playoffs and had a first round bye. In the against the Indianapolis Colts, he had 166 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the 43–22 victory. In the against the Denver Broncos, he was limited to six yards on five carries in the 26–16 loss.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On August 20, 2014, Blount and fellow Steeler running back Le'Veon Bell were out cruising in Bell's Camaro with a female passenger, when traffic officer Sean Stafiej pulled over the Camaro operated by Bell around 1:30 p.m. after Stafiej, who was on a motorcycle, noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Stafiej found a 20 gram bag of marijuana inside the car. Bell, Blount, and a female passenger all claimed ownership of the marijuana according to police. Bell, 22, was taken to a hospital to have blood drawn Both Blount and Bell were arrested for marijuana possession. In addition, Bell also received a DUI.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On September 7, 2014, Blount scored his first touchdown as a Steeler against the Cleveland Browns. On September 21, 2014, Blount ran for 118 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. This game was the only game of the season with 100-plus yards. On November 9, 2014, Blount returned a kick-off for 21 yards and had three carries for 8 yards when he was brought on the field to punch it in on first-&-goal from the one-yard-line, down 20–6 against the New York Jets, halfway through the fourth quarter. On first down, Blount was sent to carry the ball off the left guard for no gain. The Steelers ran the very same play on second down, but the Jets were expecting it and already in the backfield before Blount even got the ball, with Blount's attempt to shake loose going terribly wrong (losing 8 yards) and leaving the Steelers facing third-&-goal from the nine-yard-line. That play marked the final time Blount would touch the ball as a Steeler. On November 17, 2014, Blount left the game against the Tennessee Titans, after not getting a single touch all day for the first time all season, leaving the field before the game ended (while Pittsburgh was in the "victory formation"). Blount was subsequently released by the Steelers and finished his short-term Steelers tenure with 266 yards and two touchdowns.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On November 23, 2014, Blount's first game back with New England concluded in 78 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns in a 34–9 victory over the Detroit Lions. In his second season with Patriots, Blount rushed 60 times for 281 yards and three touchdowns in five games.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: The Patriots made the playoffs and had a first round bye. Blount had a limited role in the victory over the Baltimore Ravens. In the , Blount had 30 carries for 148 rushing yards and three touchdowns, as New England routed the Indianapolis Colts 45–7. In doing so, he became the New England Patriots' franchise leader in postseason rushing touchdowns with seven. In Super Bowl XLIX, Blount rushed 14 times for 40 yards as the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On April 7, 2015, it was announced that Blount had been suspended for the first game of the 2015 season due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy during his stint with the Steelers.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On September 27, 2015, Blount scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns on 18 carries for 78 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On October 18, 2015, Blount ran for 93 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown, as well as catching his first career receiving touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts. On November 8, 2015, Blount ran for a season-high 129 yards on 29 carries and a touchdown against the Washington Redskins.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On December 15, 2015, it was reported that Blount was added to the Patriots' injured/reserved list for the remainder of the season after suffering a left hip injury during the previous game against the Houston Texans. He ended the 2015 season having recorded 165 carries, 703 rushing yards, and six rushing touchdowns in 12 games.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: In the Patriots' season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on "NBC Sunday Night Football", Blount recorded 70 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in the 23–21 victory. The following week, he compiled 123 rushing yards on 29 carries and a touchdown in a 31–24 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Blount led the league with 298 rushing yards in the first three games and he would later be named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On October 23, Blount ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, en route to a 27–16 Patriots win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was his eighth rushing touchdown of the season and his first time returning to Pittsburgh since being released by the Steelers in 2014 The following game, Blount ran for his ninth touchdown of the season against the Buffalo Bills. He led the league with nine rushing touchdowns in Week 8. On November 13, 2016, Blount ran for 69 yards on 21 carries and a season-high and career-high tying three touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks. This brought his total of rushing touchdowns to 12. On December 12, 2016, Blount ran for 72 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens. Blount scored his 14th touchdown and eclipsed 1000 rushing yards on the season during the game. In doing so, Blount tied Ricky Williams's NFL record of longest time span (six years) between seasons with at least 1000 rushing yards (2010–2016). Blount surpassed Curtis Martin's franchise record for rushing touchdowns by scoring his 15th touchdown against the Denver Broncos. In Week 16 and 17, he added three more touchdowns—two against the New York Jets and one against the Miami Dolphins—to extend his record to 18 touchdowns.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: Blount finished the season with 1,161 rushing yards, the eighth highest total in the league, and the most for a Patriots running back since Stevan Ridley's 1,263 rushing yards in 2012. His 18 touchdowns were a league high, making him the first Patriot in franchise history to lead the league in rushing touchdowns. His 18 total touchdowns for the season is tied for second with tight end Rob Gronkowski in Patriots history, and second only to Randy Moss's 23 receiving touchdowns in 2007. The Patriots finished the season 14–2 and earned a first round bye. In the against the Houston Texans, he had 31 rushing yards in the 34–16 victory. In the against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he finished with 47 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 36–17 victory to reach Super Bowl LI. Blount fumbled in Falcons' territory in the second quarter when game was scoreless. The Patriots trailed 28–3 in the third quarter, but rallied all the way back to win the game by a score of 34–28 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Super Bowl featured the first overtime game in Super Bowl history and the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Blount had 11 carries for a team-high 31 rushing yards. He was ranked 80th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On May 17, 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Blount to a one-year, $1.25 million contract with $400,000 guaranteed. With incentives, Blount could have earned up to $2.80 million in 2017.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On September 10, 2017, Blount made his Eagles debut in the season-opening 30–17 victory over the Washington Redskins. On the day, he had 14 carries for 46 yards and a one-yard receiving touchdown from quarterback Carson Wentz. The touchdown was the second receiving touchdown of Blount's career. In Week 4, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he recorded 136 rushing yards and a 20-yard reception in the 26–24 victory. The Eagles had a 13–3 record on the season and Blount finished the season with 766 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In the playoffs, Blount had a rushing touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the . The Eagles won 15–10 and advanced to the NFC Championship. He added another touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in the , as the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl for the third time in Blount's career.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: In Super Bowl LII, Blount rushed for 90 yards, which included a 21-yard touchdown run. The Eagles won against his former team, the New England Patriots, by a score of 41–33, giving Blount his third Super Bowl championship and the Eagles' first in franchise history. Blount is one of only six players to win back-to-back Super Bowls with different teams along with Ken Norton, Jr., Deion Sanders, LeSean McCoy, former teammate Brandon Browner, and then teammate Chris Long. The latter three, along with Blount, won their second Super Bowl of the pair against the team with which they won their first.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: On March 16, 2018, Blount signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract which includes a $1 million signing bonus and $2.5 million in incentives with the Detroit Lions.


title: LeGarrette Blount

text: During Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers, Blount shoved an opposing 49ers player while on the sidelines and was ejected for the first time in his NFL career. In Week 5, against the Green Bay Packers, he recorded his first multi-touchdown game with the Lions in the 31–23 victory. In a Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears, he had his best output of the season with 88 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Overall, Blount finished the 2018 season with 418 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also "Pieter" and "Petrus" Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672) was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was split into New York and New Jersey with lesser territory becoming parts of other colonies, and later, states. He was a major figure in the early history of New York City and his name has been given to various landmarks and points of interest throughout the city (e.g. Stuyvesant High School, Stuyvesant Town, Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood, etc.).


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: Stuyvesant's accomplishments as director-general included a great expansion for the settlement of New Amsterdam beyond the southern tip of Manhattan. Among the projects built by Stuyvesant's administration were the protective wall on Wall Street, the canal that became Broad Street, and Broadway. Stuyvesant, himself a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, opposed religious pluralism and came into conflict with Lutherans, Jews, Roman Catholics, and Quakers as they attempted to build places of worship in the city and practice their faiths. However, Stuyvesant particularly supported antisemitism, and loathed Jews not merely through religion, but also through race.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: Peter Stuyvesant was born around 1610 in Peperga or Scherpenzeel, Friesland, in the Netherlands, to Balthasar Stuyvesant, a Reformed Calvinist minister, and Margaretha Hardenstein. He grew up in Peperga, Scherpenzeel, and Berlikum.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: At the age of 20, Stuyvesant went to the University of Franeker, where he studied languages and philosophy, but several years later he was expelled from the school after he seduced the daughter of his landlord. He was then sent to Amsterdam by his father, where Stuyvesant – now using the Latinized version of his first name, "Petrus", to indicate that he had university schooling – joined the Dutch West India Company. In 1630, the company assigned him to be their commercial agent on a small island just off of Brazil, Fernando de Noronha, and then five years later transferred him to the nearby Brazilian state of Pernambuco. In 1638, he was moved again, this time to the colony of Curaçao, the main Dutch naval base in the West Indies, where, just four years later, aged 30, he became the acting governor of that colony, as well as Aruba and Bonaire, a position he held until 1644.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: In April 1644, he coordinated and led an attack on the island of Saint Martin—which the Spanish had taken from the Dutch. Peter thought they had few men. When Peter raised the Dutch flag the Spanish fired. A cannonball hit Peter. They lost the battle and Peter had his leg amputated.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: Stuyvesant returned to the Netherlands for convalescence, where his right leg was replaced with a wooden peg. Stuyvesant was given the nicknames "Peg Leg Pete" and "Old Silver Nails" because he used a wooden stick studded with silver nails as a prosthesis. The West India Company saw the loss of Stuyvesant's leg as a "Roman" sacrifice, while Stuyvesant himself saw the fact that he did not die from his injury as a sign that God was saving him to do great things. A year later, in May 1645, he was selected by the company to replace Willem Kieft as Director-General of the New Netherland colony, including New Amsterdam, the site of present-day New York City.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: Stuyvesant had to wait for his appointment to be confirmed by the Dutch States-General. During that time he married Judith Bayard, who was the daughter of a Huguenot minister, and hailed from Breda. Together, they left Amsterdam in December 1646, and, after stopping at Curaçao, arrived in New Amsterdam by May.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: Kieft's administration of the colony had left the colony in terrible condition. Only a small number of villages remained after Kieft's wars, and many of the inhabitants had been driven away to return home, leaving only 250 to 300 men able to carry arms. Kieft himself had accumulated over 4,000 guilders during his term in office, and had become an alcoholic.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: With certainty that putting New Netherland to rights was the work which God had saved him for, Stuyvesant began the task of rebuilding the physical and moral state of the colony, returning it to being the kind of well-run place that the Dutch preferred. He told the people "I shall govern you as a father his children."


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: In September 1647, Stuyvesant appointed an advisory council of nine men as representatives of the colonists.


title: Peter Stuyvesant

text: In 1648, a conflict started between him and Brant Aertzsz van Slechtenhorst, the commissary of the patroonship Rensselaerwijck, which surrounded Fort Orange (present-day Albany). Stuyvesant claimed he had power over Rensselaerwijck, despite special privileges granted to Kiliaen van Rensselaer in the patroonship regulations of 1629. When Van Slechtenhorst refused, Stuyvesant sent a group of soldiers to enforce his orders. The controversy that followed resulted in the founding of the new settlement, Beverwijck.