Charlotte.com: Football / NFL

Favre must get reinstatement

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:58 EDT

If Brett Favre plans to show for the Green Bay Packers' training camp, he'll need permission from the NFL. And as of Friday afternoon there was no sign he had petitioned the league for reinstatement.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the letter, which must be filed with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, had not been received as of late Friday afternoon. The person requested anonymity because league and team officials were withholding comment until Favre filed his letter.

The step is considered a formality, but an important one: Favre can't return until Goodell receives and approves the request.

Around the league

ARIZONA: The Cardinals have agreed to a six-year contract with cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, their top draft pick.

BUFFALO: The Bills could begin fining Jason Peters up to $15,000 a day after the Pro Bowl left tackle failed to report for the start of training camp because of a contract dispute.

CHICAGO: Kick return star Devin Hester reported to training camp, ending his holdout while negotiations on a new contract continued.

CINCINNATI: The Bengals waived running back Kenny Irons after he failed a physical examination.

DALLAS: The Cowboys will waive veteran receiver Terry Glenn after weeks of a dispute over whether the 34-year-old would sign an injury waiver.

DENVER: The Broncos signed first-round draft pick Ryan Clady, who is projected to start at left tackle.

The deal is believed to be $20 million over six years.

HOUSTON: The Texans signed first-round draft pick Duane Brown, an offensive lineman from Virginia Tech.

JACKSONVILLE: The Jaguars signed defensive end Quentin Groves, the team's second-round draft pick, to a four-year, $3.3 million contract.

NEW ORLEANS: The Saints signed second-round pick Tracy Porter to a four-year contract, then released tight end Eric Johnson, whose starting job was in jeopardy after the Saints traded for Jeremy Shockey earlier in the week.

NEW YORK GIANTS: Plaxico Burress missed the first camp practice with an ankle injury while his agent spoke with the Super Bowl champions about renegotiating his contract.

“There is no connection,” agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

NEW YORK JETS: No.6 overall pick Vernon Gholston signed a multiyear deal.

OAKLAND: The Raiders released running back LaMont Jordan after being unable to trade him to another team.

PHILADELPHIA: Two-time Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews was a no-show at camp for a second day. He is absent for personal reasons, and the team placed him on the reserve/did not report list.

“He's not here and he wasn't excused, and that's as far as I'm going with it,” coach Andy Reid said.

PITTSBURGH: The Steelers signed running back Rashard Mendenhall, agreeing to a five-year contract with their first-round draft pick two days before training camp opens.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on its Web site that Mendenhall's contract is worth about $12.6 million.

ST. LOUIS: Running back Steven Jackson, entering the final year of his contract, was a no-show for the opening meeting of training camp.

SEATTLE: Lawrence Jackson agreed to an $11.2million, five-year contract.

TENNESSEE: Albert Haynesworth agreed to terms and signed his $7.25million tender.

Observer news services

Jason Taylor to be a Redskin

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:55 EDT

Jason Taylor is leaving the only NFL team he's known, going from the Miami Dolphins to the Washington Redskins in a trade Sunday.

The Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round choice in 2010.

The six-time Pro Bowl defensive end fell out of favor in Miami after spending his offseason on “Dancing With the Stars” rather than working out with teammates.

The deal came about nine hours after starting defensive end Phillip Daniels suffered a season-ending left knee injury on Day 1 of training camp.

Cerrato said Taylor is expected to report to training camp on Monday.

“We're fortunate there was a guy that caliber on the market when somebody got hurt,” Cerrato said. “Normally, in most years, there's not a guy of that caliber on the market.”

The 33-year-old Taylor has played 11 NFL seasons and he's started every game for the past eight years.

He had 11 sacks during the 2007 season, giving him 117 over his career.

“His play speaks for itself.…He's got statistics and everything else to back up everything that he's done,” Cerrato said.

Taylor has said he planned to play only one more season.

But Cerrato said Taylor has two years left on his contract.

Taylor's agent, Gary Wichard, said it's possible Taylor will play beyond the coming season.

“The Dolphins got real good value for Jason,” Wichard said. “And he's excited about going to Washington — he wanted an opportunity to compete in the playoffs in 2008.

At the same time, this is the end of his years with the Dolphins, so it's kind of bittersweet.”

Favre returns to Lambeau Field

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:54 EDT

Brett Favre stuck to the script, declining to address his public rift with the Green Bay Packers during an appearance at Lambeau Field on Saturday.

In town to present former teammate Frank Winters for induction into the Packers' Hall of Fame at a banquet Saturday night, Favre briefly spoke with reporters about his former center's career before abruptly stepping off the stage and ducking out a side door.

But Favre did pause to praise the place where he used to play – and now is trying to play his way out of.

“That's the thing about Green Bay,” said Favre, who spoke for about three minutes. “It's a special place. There's a lot of tradition. You think of the Packers, you think of all these great names, and to be a part of that – and I know Frank feels honored – is a special thing. I'm thankful that he asked me to be here”

PHILADELPHIA: Brian Westbrook is in the third season of a five-year deal he signed in 2005. He is scheduled to make a $3million base salary and receive a $1.5million roster bonus this season. He will be paid $3.5million in 2009 and $4.5million in 2010.

A new contract, accompanied by a lucrative signing bonus, is what Westbrook said he and his former agent sought from the Eagles this entire offseason.

“I tried to get this thing done in the middle of last year,” he said. “I tried to get it done from January until now. It still hasn't gotten done.”

The Eagles said they made a fair offer to Westbrook , and according to a source, agreed they would attempt to rework the running back's current contract.

Packers hold firm on Favre

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:24 EDT

Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy restated his support for general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy on Friday in the standoff with Brett Favre.

Murphy attended a meeting of the team's executive committee Friday. He was not available for comment afterward, but team spokesman Aaron Popkey said Murphy has “full confidence” in how Thompson and McCarthy are handling this matter.

Favre is having second thoughts about football after retiring in March. But the Packers have since committed to moving on without the three-time most valuable player, causing a public rift between the team and one of its greatest players.

KANSAS CITY: Safety DaJuan Morgan has agreed to a three-year contract.

The signing means the Chiefs have signed six of their 12 draft picks.

Details of Morgan's contract were not announced. The third-round draft pick played college ball at N.C. State.

NEW YORK JETS: The Jets signed tight end Dustin Keller, the 30th overall pick in the draft, to a multiyear contract.

The signing leaves defensive end/linebacker Vernon Gholston, taken sixth overall, as the Jets' only unsigned draft pick. New York will open training camp Thursday.

WASHINGTON: Second-round draft pick Devin Thomas of Michigan State signed a $4.83million, four-year contract, two days before training camp.

The deal includes a signing bonus of about $2.7million for the receiver, who was Washington's top selection in April's NFL draft. The 6-foot-2, 218-pound Thomas was taken 34th overall and was the second wideout drafted.

Giants getting little respect

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:35 EDT

The NFL is back. What, you never thought it left?

Seems that way, with all the offseason headlines. As training camps get set to open, Brett Favre says he might come back after announcing his retirement. Or he might be traded. Or he may stay retired. And on and on.

Everyone from Roger Goodell on down will keep an eye on Bill Belichick to make sure he's not cheating.

And the Dallas Cowboys, with their 33 1 / 2 Pro Bowlers (the half being the newly self-christened “Adam” Jones) have been conceded the NFC's Super Bowl spot. Jerry Jones says so and so do the “experts.”

The team that shocked the Patriots and won the Super Bowl last season?

If you pay attention to the jibber-jabber, the New York Giants will be lucky to make the playoffs.

In fact, when the Giants were discussed at all during the offseason, it was to write off their upset over the Patriots as a fluke and dismiss them for 2008. A few folks were nice enough to “rank” them sixth or so among 32 teams in May and another had them 10th. ESPN's “official” televised preview dismissed them as the third-best team in the NFC East behind Dallas and Philadelphia.

That's enough incentive in itself for the Giants.

“I don't feel that respect. Talking to guys throughout the league, a lot of them said: ‘You guys played a hell of a game,“' Antonio Pierce, New York's middle linebacker, said last month after the Giants ended their minicamp.

“A hell of a game? So the other 16 games in the regular season and the three playoff games really didn't do anything for us. You hear that among players. We played a good game at the right time. Your quarterback got hot at the right time, your defense started playing ball at the right time.”

The Giants have their own history to contend with.

The first two times they won the Super Bowl, after the 1986 and 1990 seasons, they failed to make the playoffs the next year. But there are asterisks: 1987 was a strike year and the Giants' strike replacement team was 0-3. In 1991, Ray Handley, one of the worst NFL coaches of the last quarter-century, was thrown in after Bill Parcells resigned in May — and after the likes of Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin already left for head coaching jobs elsewhere.

Coughlin, of course, is now Giants coach and, of course, is spouting the usual clichDes to ensure his team will only look ahead. “It's a new season,” he says. “We go to camp and start fresh and don't look back.”

Naturally, his quarterback says the same thing.

“We played four good games at the end of the season. That's kind of the way I looked at it,” Eli Manning says. “But you look earlier, we played five or six games that were not good at all. I've made a lot of bad throws.”

Nonetheless, this remains a good team, and a young one.

Six rookies played major roles in the Super Bowl and the remarkable string of road playoff wins in Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay that preceded it.

That group includes starting CB Aaron Ross; WR Steve Smith, who had five catches in the Super Bowl; DT Jay Alford, who had a last-minute sack of Tom Brady after the Giants had taken a 17-14 lead with 35 seconds left; TE Kevin Boss, who had a 45-yard reception replacing the injured Jeremy Shockey; and RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who led the team in rushing in the postseason.

Barring injury, all are likely to improve.

Yes, the Giants lost some good players: four defensive starters from the Super Bowl, including Michael Strahan, who retired after 15 seasons ranked fifth on the NFL's career list. But general manager Jerry Reese and his predecessor, Ernie Accorsi, knew that was coming and drafted accordingly. They took Matthias Kiwanuka, who missed the Super Bowl with an injury, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. They still give New York one of the league's best pass-rushing trios.

Of the other defectors, only safety Gibril Wilson was a longtime starter and the Giants weren't about to match the $39 million deal, $16 million guaranteed, he got from Oakland. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who signed with Buffalo, was a one-year fill-in who will be replaced by promising third-year-man Gerris Wilkinson, and Reggie Torbor, who went to Miami, was a special teamer who started because Kiwanuka was hurt.

Then there are the “distractions.”

They include Shockey's discontent at being asked to block in addition to catch, and his apparent unhappiness because much was made of the Giants winning with Boss in his place. Still, New York turned down an offer from New Orleans of second- and fifth-round draft choices for the multi-time Pro Bowler.

There's WR Plaxico Burress' unhappiness with his contract, which is being renegotiated — justifiably. He is three years through a six-year, $26 million deal that was signed after he left Pittsburgh with a reputation as an underachiever; the Giants were really the only bidder.

Last year, playing on a bad ankle that prevented him from practicing, Burress caught 70 passes for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns; caught the winning TD pass with 35 seconds left in the Super Bowl; and burned Pro Bowl CB Al Harris for 151 yards on 11 receptions in the NFC championship game in Green Bay.

He sat out minicamp but no longer seems unhappy, telling folks while promoting his book that he's near a deal and that his pal Shockey will also be happy. In fact, while Shockey's discontent seems genuine and is hardly unprecedented, there a catch: Shockey and Burress are clients of Drew Rosenhaus, an agent who goes into withdrawal whenever he and his clients are out of the limelight.

In any event, the Giants enter camp as a very solid team.

The offensive line has no superstar. But David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie have been together three years and are one of the NFL's most cohesive groups, a must for an OL.

The receiving corps, led by Burress, veteran Amani Toomer and Smith, is so deep the Giants might be forced to cut currently injured Super Bowl hero David Tyree. The retirement before last season of Tiki Barber turned the running back position into an efficient committee of huge Brandon Jacobs, slashing Derrick Ward and the elusive Bradshaw. It's so deep the Giants traded Ryan Grant to Green Bay, where he became the Packers' leading rusher.

This year's rookies can't be expected to produce like last year's, one of the best classes ever in New York.

But first-rounder Kenny Phillips could replace Wilson at safety without a blip, and if he doesn't, veteran Sammy Knight was signed as a stopgap.

And, of course, the final piece of the puzzle is Manning. He often was mediocre after being acquired in a complicated draft day deal in 2004 — San Diego took him with the first pick, then dealt him to the Giants — but was a revelation at the end of last season.

Beginning with the final regular-season game, a three-point loss that allowed the Patriots to finish the regular season unbeaten, Manning went from inconsistency to stardom. In his last five games, he had 10 TD passes and just two interceptions (6-1 in the playoffs) and orchestrated a late Super Bowl-winning drive, the kind that gives any QB a pedigree that never should go away.

Unlike brother Peyton, Eli rarely lets his real thoughts get out.

“Our goal is to get better,” he says. “We are not talking about Super Bowls. We are just saying we have to get better because we have to become a better team this season. And so that is what we are working on.”

Few teams repeat as Super Bowl champions, so don't write the Giants in, which is what everyone is doing with the Cowboys.

But don't write them off either.

Favre talk? Not for Vikings

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:07 EDT

The Minnesota Vikings took a different stance on Thursday in what has become the story of the summer: They decided not to talk about Brett Favre.

The Vikings said they would not comment on allegations by the Green Bay Packers that they made inappropriate contact with Favre before or during the three-time most valuable player's effort to un-retire.

“The Vikings are not commenting on the issue. These types of matters are handled by the league,” said a statement read by a team spokesman.

The Favre saga has overridden everything else going on in the NFL. Another chapter was added Wednesday night when a person familiar with the Packers' complaint told The Associated Press that Green Bay has filed tampering charges against the Vikings.

The person, who requested anonymity, said Packers officials believe Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had discussions with Favre that would violate league rules.

Presumably, such discussions would include the possibility of Favre leaving the Packers for their NFC North rivals in Minnesota.

Favre and Bevell are friends going back to Bevell's days as an assistant in Green Bay. Favre retired in March, but has since said he wants to return.

The Packers told the AP they were ready to welcome Favre back to the team later in March when Favre expressed reservations about his decision to retire, only to be assured by the quarterback he was finished.

Favre has said he felt pressured by the Packers to retire and now has been told if he returns to Green Bay, he wouldn't necessarily get the starting job back.

San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson said he thinks Favre was forced to retire prematurely.

“Brett Favre should have the opportunity to control his own destiny,” Tomlinson, the 2006 NFL MVP, told Bloomberg Television. “If he wants to come back and play football, then let him come back. I think that he was forced to retire prematurely. He finally realized that's not what he wants to do.”

Favre's agent, Bus Cook, told ESPN on Wednesday the next move belongs to the Packers. bloomberg news

BALTIMORE: Quarterback Joe Flacco has agreed in principle to a five-year deal that could earn him up to $30million and includes $8.75million in guaranteed money.

CAROLINA: Third-round linebacker Dan Connor and seventh-round defensive end Hilee Taylor were signed.

Connor was a first-team all-Big Ten selection last season at Penn State and Taylor was second-team all-ACC at North Carolina.

The Panthers, whose training camp will start July 26 in Spartanburg, have signed five of their draft choices. Still unsigned are first-rounders Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah, third-rounder Charles Godfrey and seventh-rounder Geoff Schwartz. David Scott

Favre sets his position

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:34 EDT

Quarterback Brett Favre finally is speaking for himself: He wants to play but doesn't feel welcome in Green Bay, so he's asking to be released.

His first substantial comments on his latest retirement decision reversal came Monday in an interview with Fox News on “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.”

“OK, you guys have a different path, fine,” Favre said, recalling a June20 conversation with Packers coach Mike McCarthy. “What does that mean for me? So that means either you give me my helmet, welcome back, or release me, or attempt to trade me. We all know that's a possibility, but a way-out-there possibility.

“And he says, ‘Well, playing here is not an option, but we can't envision you playing with another team, you know, either.' And I thought, so basically, I'm not playing for anyone if I choose to come back.”

According to Van Susteren, who spoke to the AP by telephone, Favre said he was “never fully committed” to retiring and felt pressured by the Packers to make a decision, a notion general manager Ted Thompson and McCarthy tried to dispel in an interview with the AP on Saturday.

“Ted always wanted Brett back,” McCarthy said. “We always wanted Brett back.”

The team had no immediate reaction to Favre's interview Monday.

Favre told Fox he understands that the Packers want to move on – but if they're doing so, they should let him go.

“Them moving on does not bother me,” Favre said. “It doesn't. I totally understand that. By me retiring March 3, I knew that could possibly happen. All I was saying is, you know, I'm thinking about playing again.”

Elsewhere

CINCINNATI: Prosecutors dropped an assault charge against former Bengals receiver Chris Henry, clearing the way for him to apply for reinstatement by the NFL.

INDIANAPOLIS: Quarterback Peyton Manning had an infected bursa sac removed from his left knee. Team President Bill Polian said the Colts' medical staff expects Manning to have “a full and complete return to action” in four to six weeks. Training camp will begin July25.

WASHINGTON: The Redskins agreed to terms with sixth-round draft pick Colt Brennan, a Heisman Trophy finalist from Hawaii who will compete for the No.3 quarterback job. Observer News Services

P. Manning wants to chase Favre's mark

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:08 EDT

Peyton Manning said he'd like one day to challenge Brett Favre's record streak of 253 consecutive starts in the NFL, but then smiled and noted that can't happen unless Favre stops playing.

"I'd like to gain some ground on Favre if I could, but it looks like that might not happen. I can't gain on him if he never stops playing," Manning said Friday, referring to reports that Favre is considering coming back to play despite announcing his retirement last winter.

Manning did not say whether he thought Favre should come back and that he empathized with how tough a decision that might be.

"I hope I know the right time to retire. I really don't like talking about it a whole lot right now. I hope I have a number of years left to play," Manning said while working with his brothers and father at the Manning Passing Academy, a weekend-long instructional camp for high school players.

"I'm going into my 11th year. I'm 32, but I really feel I'm in a younger body than that. I feel I'm in a 28-year-old body because I've had great protection from my offensive line. I feel that's hopefully going to allow me to play a number of more years," he said.

Manning has started 160 straight games dating back to the first game of his rookie season.

"I have high expectations of my teammates to be there for me every Sunday. That's probably the thing I'm most proud of, not missing a start since my rookie year," he said.

Manning went on to call Favre's record "the most impressive" in all sporting categories, even more so than Cal Ripken's streak of 2,632 games in baseball.

"What Favre has done, the way that he's played, to answer the bell every Sunday for his teammates is something that's impressive," Manning said. "It would be a nice thing to shoot for because it would mean I'm still playing and hopefully playing at a high level."

Green Bay rules out any release for Favre

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:08 EDT

The Green Bay Packers' general manager and coach don't plan to grant Brett Favre's request for his release. If he does rejoin the team, they told The Associated Press, it won't be as the starting quarterback.

And Favre is unlikely to accept a backup role, GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged Saturday in their first public comments since Favre, 38, demanded his release.

A trade might be the best resolution, but Thompson and McCarthy declined to discuss that possibility. Thompson said he had not received any inquiries from other teams as of Saturday morning.

“We've communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward,” Thompson said. “At the same time, we've never said that there couldn't be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play.”

When asked whether that role might be as a backup or coach, Thompson said: “not a coach.”

Added McCarthy: “He did ask about that, though.”

Favre, a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player who led the Packers to a Super Bowl title after the 1996 season, held a tearful news conference to announce his retirement March6. The Packers planned to begin the season with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback.

McCarthy said he and Thompson were in constant communication with Favre throughout the offseason.

“Quite frankly, it's a little gut-wrenching as an organization to go through it, and certainly for Mike and myself,” Thompson said. “This stuff hurts a lot of people. I mean, it hurts. I'm not talking about physically hurting, but the sensitivity. We understand where the fans are coming from. This is a hot-button issue that surpasses anything I've ever gone through.”

Almost immediately after retired following a 17-year career, he began dropping hints he was having second thoughts.

The most recent and intense round came Friday, when ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported sources close to Favre and the team told him agent James Cook asked for Favre's release in a letter because the Packers were not receptive to the idea of Favre wanting to play again.

Favre wants release from Packers

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:28 EDT

Brett Favre asked the Green Bay Packers to release him so he can return to the NFL with another team after apparently being told his latest retirement reversal wasn't welcome news in Green Bay.

The team said it would do “what's right” in response to Favre's request, which was first reported by ESPN on Friday.

Favre, 38, retired March6 after a 17-year Hall of Fame career at quarterback, openly sobbing as he contemplated a future without football. But almost immediately, he began dropping hints that he was having second thoughts.

The most recent and intense round came Friday, when ESPN reported that sources close to Favre and the team told him agent James “Bus” Cook asked the Packers for Favre's release.

Elsewhere

Panthers sign 6th round pick

Carolina signed sixth-round draft pick Nick Hayden to a four-year contract, general manager Marty Hurney said. Hurney wouldn't release financial details of the deal with the defensive tackle from Wisconsin.

Hurney also said the team is “close” to deals with tight end Gary Barnidge, a fifth-rounder from Louisville, and offensive guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, a seventh-round choice from Bentley (Mass.), and should have them signed early next week. David Scott

EX-KICKER ARRESTED: Former Los Angeles Rams kicker Tony Zendejas was arrested early Thursday on charges of drugging and raping a female customer of his San Dimas, Calif., sports bar in January.

DALLAS: Suspended cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones appeared before a grand jury investigating a Las Vegas strip club shooting that left a man paralyzed and two others wounded.

DENVER: Free agent running back Travis Henry faces a one-year suspension after the NFL ruled he again tested positive for marijuana, The Denver Post and (Denver) Rocky Mountain News reported, citing unnamed NFL sources.

Observer News Services

Jags owner: Team not for sale

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:53 EDT

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver is refinancing debt, considering taking on a financial partner, and struggling to sell tickets and secure a stadium naming rights deal.

Despite the problems, he wants to make one thing clear: His team is not for sale and is not going anywhere.

“I just wanted to clarify that I'm not selling the Jaguars,” Weaver said Thursday in response to a newspaper report. “The team is not moving to L.A. I don't know how I can say that any more clearly than that. Everybody wants me to sit here and speculate on the future. I'm not going to speculate on the future.

“At some point, maybe I would sell the team, but not now. Whatever happens in the future, I can assure you one thing: The Jaguars are going to be the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

Jaguars receiver Matt Jones faces a felony drug charge in Fayetteville, Ark., his former college town, after police say he was inside a car cutting up cocaine with a credit card.

Elsewhere

PANTHERS: Two players who were with the team during this spring's minicamp and last month's organized training activities were released. Quarterback Taylor Tharp and punter Dan Zeidman were let go. The Panthers have 79 players under contract, which they'll have to cut to 53 by the time the season begins. David Scott

Make 7 figures playing fantasy football

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:33 EDT

News Makers

Make 7 figures playing fantasy football

The winner of this fantasy football game will have some serious bragging rights.

Organizers of a new online contest called the Fantasy Football Open Championship say they'll hand out $1million and the title of “world champion” to the winner of the tournament that could include several thousands players.

The game will be operated through Fanball.com, and officials say it's the first to offer a guaranteed seven-figure prize for fantasy football.

Players pay a $125 entry fee to join 10-team leagues that hold online drafts and use fairly standard fantasy rules.

After nine weeks of head-to-head games, the top players square off in the playoffs until only 15 remain. Those players will be flown to Las Vegas for the finals on Week 16 of the NFL season.

Besides the big payday, the winner gets the “Millionaire Jacket” at a ceremony in Vegas. The second place finisher gets $350,000, the third $150,000. The total prize money is about $1.7million, according to Fanball. -- Associated Press

Surfer gets a close look at volcano

A professional surfer said his up-close encounter with volcano lava was thrilling but he wouldn't recommend it.

C.J. Kanuha paddled within 20 feet of the lava that meets the boiling water crashing on shore. Photos taken from a helicopter were recently published in Outside Magazine.

Kanuha, 24, of Kailua-Kona, said he was culturally respectful, saying a prayer to volcano goddess Pele when he got onto the black sand shore.

-- AP

NFL commissioner not big on big contracts for rookies

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:21 EDT

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said it's “ridiculous” to reward untested rookies with lucrative contracts, and wants the issue addressed in contract talks.

“There's something wrong about the system,” Goodell said Friday. “The money should go to people who perform.”

He referred to Michigan tackle Jake Long's five-year, $57.75 million contract – with $30million guaranteed. Long was the first overall draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in April.

Goodell said he favors lowering salaries offered to rookies, but allowing a provision for those players to renegotiate after proving themselves on the field. associated press

A man charged with kidnapping, beating and robbing Oakland receiver Javon Walker this month in Las Vegas after Walker spent a night club-hopping was held on bail totaling $86,000. Arfat Fadel's lawyer, public defender Shane Emerick, said outside court he doubted Fadel could make bail. He said Fadel intended to plead not guilty to charges that he and an unidentified second man followed Walker from club to club before enticing him into their vehicle and robbing him.

Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo set bail at $73,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing for July16 on four felony charges: first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and battery causing substantial bodily harm. Fadel, 30, of Las Vegas, told another judge Wednesday he couldn't raise $13,000 bail in a separate kidnapping and domestic battery case.

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch had his driver's license revoked in traffic court after saying he didn't know he hit someone while driving on a Buffalo street last month.

Defensive end Paul Spicer signed a two-year, $8million contract extension with Jacksonville, giving him a chance to end his career with the team.

The 15,000 tickets available in the second general admission sale for the NFL regular-season game at Wembley Stadium in London sold out in 30 minutes. Last month, the first 40,000 tickets for the Oct.26 game between the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints were sold in 90 minutes.

NHL

The Anaheim Ducks placed Todd Bertuzzi on unconditional waivers and intend to buy out the final year of his contract. The forward was due to earn $4million in the second and last year of his contract. The Ducks will buy out that final season for $2.6million.

The Toronto Maple Leafs put goaltender Andrew Raycroft on unconditional waivers and will buy out the final year of his contract. He was due to earn $2.2million next season.

COLLEGES

Former Virginia Tech running back Devin Radford of Fayetteville has transferred to Appalachian State. He did not play in two seasons with the Hokies and will be eligible to play immediately under the NCAA's transfer rules. Radford has three years of eligibility remaining.

Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton dismissed starting guard Billy Humphrey from the team after his third arrest in less than a year. Humphrey was charged with DUI, failure to maintain his lane and the underage purchase of alcohol and taken to the Gwinnett County jail early Tuesday. A rising senior, he was the team's second-leading scorer last season.

Incoming Charlotte 49ers women's basketball freshman Rachelle Coward has been invited to try out for a spot on the 2008 Canadian junior women's national team in Barrie, Ontario on July 11-12. The team will compete in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 23-27. JIM UTTER

HORSE RACING

Trainer Steve Asmussen faces what could be a long suspension after one of his winning horses tested positive for lidocaine, an illegal race-day drug. Timber Tick won the third race at Lone Star Park in Texas on May10. Asmussen trains 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin and leads the nation's trainers in wins (320) and earnings ($15.2 million).

Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. has taken responsibility for a positive drug test on another horse he trains, saying it “is not my fault but it is my responsibility.” He is still appealing his 15-day suspension.

SOCCER

Nikki Lyons scored the only goal as the Charlotte Lady Eagles (9-1-1) defeated the Carolina Railhawks 1-0 at Charlotte Christian. The Railhawks are 4-4-1.

BASKETBALL

Asjha Jones scored eight of her team-high 30 points in overtime to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 109-101 WNBA home win against Atlanta (0-14). Betty Lennox scored a career-high 44 for the Dream, an expansion team.

MOTORSPORTS

In Norwalk, Ohio, water seeping through the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park track forced NHRA officials to delay the professional racing portion of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

Andretti Green Racing teammates Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti will start on the front row in the SunTrust Indy Challenge tonight at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. observer news services

Titans' Kearse charged with DUI

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:25 EDT

Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence after a traffic stop near the Vanderbilt University campus.

Vanderbilt spokesman Jim Patterson said Kearse took a field sobriety test, but refused a breathalyzer early Sunday. He was arrested and charged with DUI and violation of Tennessee's implied consent law for failing to take the breathalyzer test.

A call to the Titans was not immediately returned. A spokesman for Kearse's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Kearse had no comment. Kearse, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Titans, re-signed with the club in the offseason after spending the past four years with the Philadelphia Eagles.

-- Associated Press

CYCLING

In Bern, Switzerland, Roman Kreuziger, 22, held off Andreas Kloeden to win the Tour de Suisse for the biggest victory of his career. The Czech cyclist held a 49-second lead over Kloeden going into the final stage, and was never threatened during the 104-mile ride from Altdorf to the Swiss capital. He is the youngest winner in the event's 72 years.

HOCKEY

Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin has no intention of returning home to play in Russia, and the threat of a newly revamped Russian professional league using lucrative offers to poach talent is being dismissed by NHL officials.

“At this point, it's not a major concern,” said Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner. “We understand there's going to be a league. We'll see what impact it has. So far, it hasn't really had a major effect on us.”

Daly's comments came after The Toronto Star reported last week that several teams from the newly formed Continental Hockey League intended to offer Malkin a multiyear contract worth at least $12.5 million per season. That's far more than the Penguins or any NHL club could afford under the league's salary-cap system.

OBITUARY

Harry Aleo, a horse owner whose colt Lost in the Fog was the 2005 Eclipse Award sprint winner, has died of cancer. He was 88.

WNBA

In New York, Tiffany Jackson scored a career-high 21 points and the Liberty (6-5) set a franchise scoring record with a 105-72 victory against the Phoenix Mercury (4-7).

In Atlanta, Cheryl Ford had 20 points and 12 rebounds to help Detroit hand the expansion Dream its 13th straight loss to begin the season.

Atlanta's Ivory Latta, a York Comprehensive (S.C.) High and North Carolina grad, had a career-high 26 points and 10 assists.

Desperate teams will take a risk

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:47 EDT

You might think that after his last bad experience with the bubbly, Javon Walker would not have been out spraying bottles of Dom Perignon on people partying in a Las Vegas nightclub.

You might.

You might think the Oakland Raiders would have figured out Walker could be bad news at any price, much less the $16 million he was guaranteed to play wide receiver for them.

You might.

Unlike the Raiders, Walker has an excuse of sorts. Like many athletes, he's young, dumb and so flush with money that he can't wait to buy $900 bottles of champagne just to shower people with.

Just how dumb really comes into focus when you think about what happened with Walker just 18 months ago when police believe champagne spraying by a teammate touched off a fight in a Denver nightclub. When it was over, Walker was in a limousine cradling a dying Darrent Williams in his arms.

Al Davis isn't that dumb, just increasingly desperate. The architect of the great Raider teams of old isn't getting any younger and he badly needs someone to catch the balls thrown by JaMarcus Russell if the Raiders are going to have a chance to win again.

Davis rolled the dice on Walker not because the Raiders have a reputation of taking the NFL's trash and turning it into treasure. He did it for the same reason he took Randy Moss a few years back and the same reason Jerry Jones takes every misfit who can find his way to Dallas.

They want to win so badly they can't help themselves.

In Walker's case, the Raiders knew they were getting someone who had antagonized Brett Favre in Green Bay, was with Williams when he was shot after a night out in Denver, and had a history of bickering with teams. But when the Broncos unceremoniously cut him, he got a $55 million deal from the Raiders.

Walker has yet to play a down for the Raiders, but he rewarded that faith earlier this week when he was found unconscious, beaten and robbed, on a Las Vegas street corner, hours after being seen spraying champagne on fellow clubbers at a nightclub. Technically he's a victim, guilty only of random champagne madness.

Down in Texas, meanwhile, former bad boy Michael Irvin is helping baby-sit various Cowboys in hopes they'll all be ready to play opening day. So far, Terrrell Owens has kept his mouth shut, Tank Johnson has kept his guns home and Pacman Jones has kept out of strip clubs.

Most of the talk you hear by teams about employing good citizens is just talk. Given a chance to pick up a star with a checkered past, most will without a second thought.

Like the Raiders, they're usually so desperate they can't help themselves.