Though it has been nine years since the Patriots nearly achieved an undefeated season, the team just now has gotten around to trademarking “Perfect Season” and “19-0.”

The Patriots have gone through the process with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and, in December, trademarked the two slogans through their parent company, The Kraft Group, online records show.

It was nine years ago this week that New England’s bid for the first 19-0 season in NFL history ended with a loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

On Jan. 17, 2008, three days before the Patriots beat the Chargers to go to 18-0 and advance to the Super Bowl, The Kraft Group filed for trademarks in preparation for merchandising the Patriots’ perfect season subject to winning the Super Bowl. The company filed to trademark “Road To Perfection,” “19-0” and “Perfect Season.”

Despite the team’s loss to the Giants, The Kraft Group still went through and trademarked “Road To Perfection” in the “sports and entertainment information” category in November 2012.

More thought was apparently given to the other two trademarks — “Perfect Season” and “19-0” — as The Kraft Group filed for the maximum of five extensions to provide the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with the necessary documentation over the next eight years.

The one complication with those two filings is that, while thousands of T-shirts were printed commemorating a perfect Patriots season, none of them were ever sold. Emblazoned with an event that didn’t occur, they instead were shipped to other countries.

Having to prove that they deserved the right to the phrase, the Patriots apparently licensed “Perfect Season” to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, which produced a DVD of the 2015 state football championship game between Xaverian Brothers and Central Catholic high schools. Xaverian prevailed, winning its 24th straight game (spanning two seasons).

The championship games were hosted at Gillette Stadium, home of the Pats.

The Patriots have a deeper connection to Xaverian. Hall of Famer Andre Tippett’s son Cody played on that 2015 team and was presented with the award for the best player in Massachusetts high school football by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Former Patriots Vince Wilfork and Steve Grogan also sent their sons to Xaverian.

HOUSTON — Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is apologizing for remarks he made decades ago about concussions in football.

In an interview with the Talk of Fame Network that airs nationwide Wednesday night, Tagliabue admitted he erred in 1994 in saying concussions were “one of those pack-journalism issues.” He also claimed then that the number of concussions “is relatively small; the problem is the journalist issue.”

Up for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Tagliabue spoke out Wednesday about a major blemish on a record highlighted by labor peace throughout his 17-year tenure.

“Obviously,” he said, “I do regret those remarks. Looking back, it was not sensible language to use to express my thoughts at the time. My language was intemperate, and it led to serious misunderstanding. I overreacted on issues which we were already working on. But that doesn’t excuse the overreaction and intemperate language.

Manchester United could have a new No. 7 on its books next season.

The Red Devils have an agreement in principle to nab Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid at the end of the season, according to The Telegraph’s James Ducker, with discussions already conducted on a £15-million-a-year contract and the striker indicating enthusiasm over a move to England.

Although Atletico manager Diego Simeone said he wouldn’t stand in Griezmann’s way if he wanted to leave, club president Enrique Cerezo has vowed to fight to retain the services of the France international.

If United was to trigger Griezmann’s reported £85-million (€100-million) release clause, however, the Atletico brass would be powerless to prevent the departure of its star striker, who’s a close friend of United midfielder Paul Pogba.

Not only will linking up with Pogba and the prospect of wearing a shirt number previously donned by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham appeal to Griezmann, he may be encouraged to move due to how things are going in the Spanish capital.

Simeone could leave Los Colchoneros next summer after making the peculiar decision to shorten his deal by two years in September, and Griezmann has previously stated: “I would only leave if Simeone was to go.”

On-pitch matters may also encourage the 25-year-old’s exit. Griezmann continues to be a ruthless finisher and display sublime vision – crafting eight goals and four assists in 19 La Liga appearances – but, despite being supplemented by Kevin Gameiro and Nico Gaitan in attack this season, Atleti is 10 points adrift of La Liga topper Real Madrid.

A 2-1 semi-final first-leg home defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday also has its Copa del Rey hunt at risk, while Bayer Leverkusen’s exciting wide-play – featuring Hakan Calhanoglu, Julian Brandt, and new boy Leon Bailey – poses a tougher challenge in the Champions League Round of 16 than many pundits are anticipating.

And, despite Cerezo’s sentiments suggesting otherwise, the club’s boardroom may sanction a transfer under Griezmann’s minimum fee release clause to free up funds after the expensive move to the Wanda Metropolitano, a 67,000-capacity stadium, set for the summer.

Griezmann joined Atletico Madrid from Real Sociedad in 2014, and is contracted until 2021.

The anticipation of an awkward moment between NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and key members of the New England Patriots, should they win Super Bowl LI, is one of the dumbest and most irrelevant NFL storylines in history. It takes two willing parties to create such a circumstance, one aggrieved and one guilt-ridden, and we simply don’t have that here and never will.

The Patriots and their fans might well be angry, perhaps incurably so, about the Deflategate investigation that took four games from quarterback Tom Brady while docking the franchise $1 million and a first-round draft pick. Goodell? He made clear Wednesday that he feels not an ounce of guilt for what many objective observers would agree was a conclusion that overshot the verified facts.

Goodell views himself as the winner in a fight for justice and league integrity. As ESPN’s Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham have reported, he was supported by some NFL owners for standing up to the Patriots monolith during the nearly two-year affair. Goodell, in fact, is more likely to feel proud than awkward if he finds himself standing on a stage with Brady, owner Bob Kraft or coach Bill Belichick on Sunday night.

“We had a violation,” Goodell said. “We went through a process. We applied the discipline in accordance with our process. It was litigated, as you know, extensively and validated by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. We’re moving on from that. It’s part of our history, but it’s something we’re comfortable with the process and the decision.”

The Patriots might take umbrage at that otherwise innocuous response, of course. The appeal court upheld Goodell’s authority to draw conclusions about Deflategate, but not the conclusions themselves.

But there is no shaking Roger Goodell on this issue. As frustrating as it might be, the Patriots won’t be sticking it to him or to the league or to anyone else if they win Super Bowl LI. Those arrows will bounce off the armor of a man convinced he did what was right.

“We do our job when there is a violation,” he said. “We apply the process and the discipline and we came to the conclusion that was supported by the facts and by the courts. So from our standpoint, we understand when fans who are loyal and passionate for a team object and don’t like the outcome. I totally understand that. That’s not an issue for me.”