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Former Browns, Patriots, and Packers offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to a release issued by his agent, Joe Linta.

Steelers offensive line coach Larry Zierlein has apologized for sending a pornographic video by e-mail to various league employees, including Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"It was 100 percent unintentional,'' Zierlein said, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I don't even know how to mass e-mail, I don't know these machines very good -- just a 100 percent unintentional thing. I hit the wrong button."

As anyone who sends e-mail messages knows, it takes more than hitting the wrong button to forward an e-mail to a distribution list. In this case, Zierlein hit the "forward" button, somehow called up the "All General Managers" distribution list, and then hit the "send" button with the words "All General Managers" next to the word "to."

Presumably, Zierlein was attempting to forward the message to a recipient with the letters "A" and "L" at the start of his name (maybe Alan Faneca?), and the auto-complete function took over from there.

"It's hard because I made an inexcusable mistake -- unintentional or intentional. It was inexcusable. It was hard for the fact, first for the organization [and] what they had to explain and go through, [and] my family -- what they're going to have to hear.

"So it was tough, but when you've been at this stuff as long as some of us have, tough things happen and you have to move on [Editor's note: or move out] and that's what we're doing. I made a mistake, unintentional."

With all that said, the "intentional" aspect of the mistake in this regard was his decision to attempt to forward the raunchy video to someone. The unintentional aspect of it was that the message went to a bunch of NFL movers and shakers. And their secretaries.

Zierlein initially received the message from pro personnnel director Doug Whaley, who had gotten the video from someone outside the organization and then forwarded it to Zierlein and others. We haven't previously mentioned it, but one of the recipients of the message sent by Whaley was Bills scout Alex Van Pelt, a former NFL quarterback and teammate of Whaley's at Pitt.

Earlier today, we took note of a statement contained in a Len Pasquarelli item on ESPN.com regarding the Mike Vick story. Quoting an unnamed ESPN.com source, Len wrote, "A figure in a shadow, with a Darth Vader-type voice, that's fine, but sooner or later someone has to put their hand on a Bible in front of a jury."

We never went to "J" school, but we're still having trouble understanding how reliance upon an unnamed co-worker is ever appropriate. Especially when the words attributed to the unnamed co-worker sound a lot like words that recently came out of the writer's mouth.

Said Len on Sunday's Outside the Lines broadcast regarding the Vick situation: "Having a confidential informant on Outside the Lines is one thing. Having someone put their hand on a Bible and say it to a grand jury is another."

Are we suggesting that Len himself is his unnamed ESPN.com source? It wouldn't surprise us if it were true. But it's more likely that Len was chatting with a like-minded colleague, and in lieu of undermining the superficial objectivity of his article by injecting his own views into it, Len opted to simply quote the other ESPN.com employee who agrees with Len on this point.

Well, if/when Mike Vick has to go to Virginia to be interviewed by police, he'll have to pay for his plane fare.

"Michael's contract expired May 8 and we decided to go in another direction," AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said.

The last straw for the rocky relationship surely was the dog-fighting investigation on his Virginia property, which first hit the fan on April 25. But only a day before that Vick and AirTran pointed fingers at each other for Vick's failure to show up at a Congressional event in Washington, D.C.

And, earlier this year, Vick was found to have a water bottle with a hidden compartment while preparing to board an AirTran flight.

Other Vick sponsors include Nike and Coca-Cola. The fact that the Vick water bottle had an Aquafina label likely did little to strengthen ties to Coke, since Aquafina is made by Pepsi.

Recent reports indicated that two informants have contacted investigators handling the Mike Vick dog-fighting situation. The AP reports that, on Thursday, prosecutor Gerald Poindexter put the total number at six.

One informant, a South Carolina prisoner, wrote in a letter that he attended dog fights where Vick was present and saw him bet large amounts of money. (The prisoner in question also likely maintains that he is completely innocent of all charges that landed him behind bars. And he asked for 162 beef sticks and 35 summer sausages.)

Another informant provided "street names" (as opposed to, we suppose, stage names) of other dog fighters in Virginia.

With a mountain of evidence suggesting that he was involved in dog fighting and a new negative development almost every day, how is Falcons quarterback Mike Vick coping?

Vick has gotten a haircut, even though he vowed in 2004 that he wouldn't cut his hair until the Falcons win the Super Bowl.

"He looks good," Petrino said. "I like it. He's got a big smile on his face and a nice haircut."

Hey, Bobby -- I thought we were only going to talk about football. Oh, wait. That only applies when you're asked questions about the whole "woof, woof" thing.

After generally ignoring the story for more than a month, ESPN is now all over the Mike Vick dog-fighting fiasco.

However, Pasquarelli claims that the sources believe, given the current evidence, that it might be difficult to successfully prosecute him.

"There is probably enough there to bring a bill [of indictment]," said one source, "but how some of [the evidence] would play out at trial, or if it even reached a trial . . . I just don't know. These kinds of prosecutions are tough. There are some holes, definitely, and that's why [investigators] are digging for more information. You want more than just smoke. You're always looking for the smoking gun.

"I mean, what you think you know and what you know you know, and what you can prove to other people you know . . . well, they aren't always the same. But this is a fluid thing, so we'll see where it goes."

Look, we use anonymous sources as much as anyone, but whenever Len weighs in on this story, we're reminded of his relationship with Vick's agent, Joel Segal. In this specific case, we can't help but wonder whether these are real quotes from real law enforcement officials having real familiarity with the investigation, or whether Len has found a meter reader who has been watching SportsCenter -- and who shares some of the same "let's not get ahead of ourselves" viewpoint that Pasquarelli has been espousing on ESPN.

The thing that really caught our attention in this regard is this excerpt: "'It would help [the case], obviously, if someone stepped up with something concrete,' one ESPN.com source said. 'A figure in a shadow, with a Darth Vader-type voice, that's fine, but sooner or later someone has to put their hand on a Bible in front of a jury.'"

So who is the "ESPN.com" source? And how often is it that a media company uses a member of its own staff as the source for anything on which it is reporting?

We suspect that the ESPN.com source on this one is Lenny Boy himself, given that he offered up a similar sentiment (specifically using the word "Bible") during an appearance on Sunday's Outside the Lines broadcast that represented ESPN's first major foray into what has become the biggest story of the 2007 offseason.

As a result, a ProFootballTalk.com source has made the following observation: "It's possible that Joel Segal and Len Pasquarelli have discussed how Len could help to focus some attention on the potential weaknesses of the case, while at the same time creating the appearance of credible reporting. One strategy might have been for Len to inject his own personal views into an otherwise objective and seemingly unbiased report by attributing those views to an unnamed source at ESPN.com."

A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders were willing to work with receiver Jerry Porter to come up with a strategy for dealing with the backlog of No. 84 jerseys that would have arisen if Porter had been permitted to change his number to 81.

Per the source, the team offered up ideas such as having Porter autograph some of the jerseys for donation to charity, and selling some of them at a reduced rate. The source said that the team never took the position that Porter had to pay anything in order to effect the change.

In fact, it would have been far easier for the team to simply tell Porter that it wasn't inclined to re-issue the number that had been last worn by Tim Brown. But we're told that the team had no problem with giving the number to Porter, and that Brown had agreed to the move.

The insurmountable hurdle, the source says, was the $130,000 that was due and payable to Reebok, which manufactured the jerseys. Apparently, the league's contract with Reebok contains specific language regarding the issue of number changes, and there were no meaningful discussions (as far as we can tell) between Reebok and Porter regarding an alternative solution.

Given those facts, then, it's not accurate to assume that the team's position is evidence that the Raiders don't want Porter to be on the team.

A league source tells us that the NFL has circulated a memo advising teams that there shall be no alcohol on team planes, in team facilities, or in team locker rooms.

It's unknown whether the memo specifically included the word "sidelines," so it still might be acceptable to spike the Gatorade.

The impact of this pronouncement will vary from team to team. Some teams already ban alcohol from the building. But plenty of guys still like to get their Busch on, and it's believed that the most recent memo was prompted by the recent DUI death of the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher whose name frankly escapes us at the moment because we pay zero attention to Major League Baseball.

In past years, there have been plenty of stories about players who paid teammates money in order to get them to give up a given jersey number. On one occasion, a transaction of this nature resulted in a lawsuit after Redskins running back Clinton Portis refused to fork over the balance due on such a deal to a guy who had since been cut from the team.

But we've never previously heard of a player being prevented from changing numbers due to inventory control issues.

Raiders receiver Jerry Porter said earlier this year that he would change from No. 84 to No. 81. He subsequently was informed that, in order to do so, he would have to reimburse the Raiders and Reebok for $210,000 in unsold jerseys bearing Porter's name and the No. 84.

Apparently, one of the issues at work here was that of notice. "The more advance notice a player can provide when requesting a number change, the less chance there is of financial ramifications," NFL Spokesman Steve Alic said.

But it's unclear how much notice is required. Porter said as early as February 21 that he planned to make the change. When exactly did Reebok begin its production run of $210,000 worth of shirts for an underachieving malcontent on a chronically crappy team?

We also think that a "you change it, you bought it" rule could lead to all sorts of strange complications. What if Porter converts to Islam in July and changes his name? Or what if he simply decides to retire? Will he be asked in either case to buy all of the jerseys that were made in reliance upon the fact that "Porter 84" would be playing for the Raiders this year?

And what if he dies as a result of an accident in which he was in some way negligent? Can the NFL, his team, and/or Reebok sue his estate for recovery of money spent making jerseys bearing his name?

We assume that the reality here is that the teams have full control over who is issued a given number. But the notion of a team handing a bill to a player who wants to make a change doesn't sit well with us, and we have a feeling that the Raiders and other teams would only raise an issue like this as to players that the franchise decides it doesn't really like.

That's the real story here. Even though Porter is trying to make nice, the relationship is obviously broken. In an era where NFL teams that truly want to be competitive would spend twice the salary cap limit or more if it meant winning a Super Bowl, the Raiders' decision not to eat the cost of a bunch of jerseys that they still could have sold for $10 bucks each tells us that they'd love to eject Porter from the "Once a Raider, Always a Raider" club.

The Philadelphia Eagles have announced that tight end L.J. Smith has undergone surgery to repair a sports hernia.

The surgery was performed on Wednesday, and was described as successful. (Has any sports team ever declared after a procedure that the player "got butchered"?)

Smith won't be able to participate in upcoming OTA sessions from June 5 through 14, but he is expected to be available when training camp opens on July 30.

Although Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has put his troubles with the law behind him by paying a $1,000 fine (which equates to 0.005 percent of the guaranteed money he'll receive under his latest contract), the legal book on Porter's cold-cocking of Bengals left tackle Levi Jones has not been fully closed.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Jones is mulling a civil suit against Porter. And when phrases like "emotional distress" creep into a story, it's pretty safe to assume that a lawsuit is coming.

Why shouldn't it? The civil justice system is intended to provide citizens who have been wronged in some way with a venue for pursuing fair treatment. Falling somewhere between the Old Testament's "eye for an eye" and the New Testament's "turn the other cheek," the civil justice system uses the transfer of money as the tool for compensating victims of wrongdoing. This provides a natural deterrent for those who might be inclined to disregard the rights of others, and it likewise gives the victims an alternative to waiting outside of the wrongdoer's house with a shotgun. Or a sock full of pennies.

In this case, Porter assaulted Jones. For any harm Jones suffered, Porter should pay. And since punitive damages are available to ensure that the defendant and others will be disinclined to engage in similar conduct in the future, Porter could end up having to fork over a lot more than 0.005 percent of the guaranteed money he'll receive under his latest contract.

An industry source tells us that the current talk among current and former Falcons teammates of quarterback Mike Vick is that multiple players are "amused" by the difficulties that Vick currently is facing.

It's one of the realities of sports teams that grant premature royalty status to one member of the locker room. Vick previously had been able to do pretty much whatever he wanted to do, with no real scrutiny or restraint from the front office. As a matter of basic human nature, other players who witnessed this dynamic will feel a certain sense of satisfaction when the man who used to be king no longer sits on the throne.

Though we're not hearing that teammates are taking malicious glee in Vick's present circumstances, there's definitely a feeling that many of them find funny the fact that the guy who used to rule the roost in Atlanta is now on the run.

Steelers RB Najeh "Dookie" Davenport is feeling more comfortable. (Maybe he's making deposits into a more familiar clothes hamper.)

Bengals WR Chad Johnson is going to race a horse. (The winner gets a giant can of Beef-a-reeno.)

Okay, we've had enough. In our (rarely) humble opinion, Surry County, Virginia prosecutor Gerald Poindexter (isn't that word supposed to conjure images of supreme intelligence?) should be removed from the Mike Vick dog-fighting investigation. Now.

The problem is that the guy has all the decisiveness of John Kerry in a checkout line trying to choose between paper and plastic. One day, Poindexter will say something indicating that he has evidence linking Michael Vick to dog fighting. The next day, Poindexter will say the opposite.

It inspires little confidence in the criminal justice system, and it gives us zero confidence in Poindexter's ability to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia against Jackie Chiles and whoever else Vick would hire to defend him in court.

The camel that broke the straw's back for us (before sending in a bunch of e-mails on this, one of our strategies for dealing with tired old sayings is to intentionally screw them up) was a Thursday morning item in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. In the article, Poindexter says that there are no informants who claim that they were present for dog fighting at Vick's Virginia property.

In contrast, WAVY-TV reported roughly twelve hours ago that Poindexter has said that he has evidence that puts Vick at dog fights.

Though a Clintonesque parsing of the words would indicate that it's possible that both statements are true, the superficial reaction to these quotes is that Poindexter is wishy-washy at best, dumb at worst. If he can't disseminate a cohesive message to the media, he needs to talk only via press conferences or (even better) he should shut up completely.

But even if Poindexter zips it right now, the damage is already done. Given that he can't articulate a clear and consistent message to the press when there isn't a high-priced advocate of the defendant poised to pounce on every misstep or hiccup, we believe that Poindexter will never be able to marshal the evidence necessary to persuade a jury to find that there is proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

A source with direct involvement in league management issues tells us that the NFL believes that Michael Vick had full knowledge of and involvement in the dog-fighting operation discovered last month at his property in Virginia.

Per the source, NFL Security has been investigating the situation actively, and the information that NFL Security has obtained has resulted in a belief at the upper reaches of the organization that Vick's past denial is untrue.

Another source with knowledge of the situation confirms that, at last week's ownership meetings in Nashville, discussions regarding conversations with NFL Security indicated the league's belief that the evidence points to a conclusion that Vick was actively involved in dogs fighting.

This disclosure explains a lot of things, in our view. It was after last week's ownership meetings that rumors percolated through the league that the Falcons are bracing for a suspension of Vick. It was also after these meetings that reports surfaced of NFL Security's offer of assistance to Surry County, Virginia investigators. And it was after these meetings that ESPN jumped into the fray with a fat-guy cannonball, airing claims from a witness with a shielded face and altered voice who says that Vick is a dog-fighting "heavyweight."

We still don't know whether Vick will ever be convicted. His wealth can purchase the best legal talent in the land, and it's not all that hard to weave reasonable doubt into any set of facts. But the irreparable damage to Vick's football career will be done the moment that charges are filed. We firmly believe that, once indicted, he promptly will be suspended, and the Falcons will eventually cut him.

Since the Raiders have drafted their quarterback of the future, the one team who might be interested in giving him a second chance would have no need for him.

Even if Vick somehow avoids an indictment, his marketability is now shot, and his image is forever tarnished. Plus, his decision to remain silent in the face of day after day of damaging revelations has put his reputation, we believe, beyond the point of no return.

In fact, Vick's best bet at this point might be to cop a plea, testify against others, enter rehab for whatever condition he says contributed to any antisocial behavior to which he admits, and then hope for redemption.

In yet another stunning turn of events, the prosecutor who on Tuesday renewed suspicions that he's dragging his feet by scuttling a search warrant now says that he has evidence placing Falcons quarterback Michael Vick at the scene of dog fighting.

Reports WAVY-TV: "When asked, 'At this moment in time, do we have any evidence that puts Vick at dog fighting?' [Gerald] Poindexter replied, 'Yes.'"

Of course, this comment is coming from a guy who said nine days ago that lawyers who try their cases in the press are despicable, and who thereafter suggested that there was insufficient evidence to link anyone to dog fighting on Vick's Virginia property.

Poindexter also provided further explanation for his decision not to proceed with a warrant that had been obtained by a member of the Sheriff's department, and approved by a magistrate.

WAVY-TV reports that a neighbor of Michael Vick's house in Surry County, Virginia initially agreed to buy the property. The land was later sold to someone else.

Pastor Earnest Hardy Sr. says that he spoke to a Vick associate, who told him that Vick would take $300,000. Hardy agreed to pay it. The "For Sale" sign came down.

A day later, it was back up. Per published reports, another buyer purchased the property for $350,000. The identity of the buyer is still unknown.

"The only thing I expect a man to do is honor his word," Hardy said. "I ain't got no written contract. We agreed on the phone."

The problem is that most if not all states refuse to recognize verbal contracts for the sale of land. And the fact that Hardy spoke not to Vick but to a Vick associate doesn't make the case any stronger.

But this is just another situation in which Vick's potential fortunes in a court of law are unrelated to his fate in the court of public opinion.

We've received several e-mails over the course of the day about the new pro football league that is being planned by a couple of rich guys of whom we previously hadn't heard, with a team to be owned by a rich guy whose face and name are instantly recognizable to even the most casual sports fan.

The New York Times reports that, as soon as 2008, the UFL will launch as an alternative football league with teams in cities that don't currently have NFL franchises.

The pros? The new league can televise games on Friday nights and Saturday nights from September through early December, and the NFL can't (without jeopardizing its antitrust exemption). The new league will employ a salary cap to prevent bidding wars with the NFL for players, focusing instead on guys who don't make the final cut at the NFL level. The teams eventually will be owned equally by the league, an individual owner, and the fans. Ticket prices will be lower. And since the NFL has teams in only 29 of the country's top 50 markets, the new league can build a following in some major American cities.

"There are quite a few good-sized non-N.F.L. cities that can support a pro team," said Mark Cuban, who has committed to purchasing a franchise.

With plenty of other really rich guys who'll never get a shot at owning an NFL team, it shouldn't be all that difficult to fill out the dance card. The key will be to have owners who are willing to let the league grow, and who won't expect an immediate financial return on their investment.

But that's something that could change over time. If the UFL is patient, and if it tries to be different and edgy (with franchises planned in cities like Las Vegas and Mexico City), it could work. Then again, success initially will come on a regional level, at best. And even with Friday nights devoid of NFL games, plenty of members of the target audience will otherwise be playing or attending high school football games.

Frankly, we think that there's a way for the leagues to coexist. We've advocated for years the creation of a true NFL minor league that plays in cities that currently don't have NFL teams, giving players who otherwise would be on the practice squad or working at Subway live game reps against quality opponents.

Then again, we see the potential for trouble, even if the UFL knows and understands that it's not on the same plane as the NFL. The guys who become stars in the UFL will surely attract the attention of the NFL. But will the UFL players be allowed to bolt for greener pastures? Or will they be forced to stay put against their will in a league that their ability and fame have outgrown?

The UFL also could become a safe haven for former NFL stars who, for whatever reason, have fallen out of favor in the senior circuit. Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, and even Michael Vick are players who could ultimately land in the new league, and they likely would use their platform to launch verbal missiles at the old league.

In balance, then, our guess is that the NFL would prefer that the UFL not come to fruition. And we think that the NFL could have easily avoided this development if the "real" pro football league league had opted to create a true minor league system in the United States that would have brought football on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights to major cities that don't currently have an NFL franchise.

Either way, we'll be paying attention, and we fully intend to cover both leagues. Though we don't care much for Canadian football or the Arena Football League, we like the idea of more American pro football in the fall. And we think there's room for both the NFL and the UFL.

Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that the decision of Surry County investigators to hold off on executing a search warrant obtained on May 25 was driven by the desire of authorities to focus on an informant who has provided information to the investigation.

Per Terpstra, the informant was to be interviewed on Wednesday. It is believed that the informant has information about persons who attended dog fights at Mike Vick's property in Virginia.

On Tuesday, Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter said that the warrant was rejected because of concerns about its language.

Though we've still got concerns about Poindexter's overall handling of this matter, if Terpstra's report is accurate it could be that Poindexter was playing his cards close to the vest so that the Vick camp wouldn't have a chance to figure out who the snitch might be. We're not suggesting that the informant might have ended up in a bunk next to Luca Brasi, but in matters like this it always make sense to get the guy's story down before there's any chance that someone can get to him and change it.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery arising from his fight earlier this year with Bengals left tackle Levi Brown.

Porter's case undoubtedly will be reviewed by the Commissioner under the revised Personal Conduct Policy. Under the old policy and practice, this kind of thing likely would have resulted in the loss of a game check. In light of the Commish's new approach to cleaning up the off-field shenanigans, we've got a feeling that Porter might actually get a one-game suspension.

If so, the Dolphins would be able under the new CBA to recover up to 25 percent of the portion of Porter's signing bonus that applies to the 2007 cap year.

UPDATE: We is stoopid. It was Levi Jones, not Levi Brown, who was on the receiving end of Joey Porter's knuckle sangwich. Brown is a rookie tackle with the Cardinals. Says a reader: "Joey would at least wait for Levi Brown to get drafted before he started kicking his ass."

Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who was the subject of pre-draft trade rumors and who reported (as we reported) for a mandatory minicamp at 384 pounds, was a no-show for team Organized Training Activities that got started on Wednesday.

But, hey, it's voluntary, right? So it's no big deal if he chooses to stay home and eat more of whatever it is that caused him to gain so much weight.

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson is under investigation in Kentucky regarding allegations that he and a local comedy club failed to deliver on promises to provide prizes to patrons.

Per WLWT-TV, Newport, Kentucky police are exploring allegations that Johnson and the Funny Bone club committed fraud by failing to follow through in connection with promotions that entailed prizes like a Lexus and trips to the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl.

The criminal investigation follows a lawsuit that has been filed against Johnson and the club.

The basic claim is that prizes were promised to promote regular appearances by Johnson at the club, and that in several instances the promises weren't honored.

We're really starting to wonder whether there even is a National Football League Players Association. Sure, there's a group that goes by that name. They collect dues, and they negotiate a labor contract once every few years. But the NFLPA has, in our view, all but disappeared when it comes to the day-in, day-out maintenance of a fair balance between the things that the teams want to do and the overall and individual rights and interests of the players.

In the offseason, contact is forbidden in Organized Training Activities and minicamps; the union has negotiated this right for the players. Yet contact is prevalent. There are photos of it. There are quotes from players. And the union only comes out of its shell when the evidence is overwhelming, as it was two years ago when the Redskins posted video of impermissible one-on-one contact drills on the team's web site.

Then there's the whole issue of whether the voluntary offseason workouts are truly voluntary. It's one of the biggest jokes in the sport, right up there next to the notion that teams don't tamper with players who are soon to become free agents.

The difference, though, is that the evidence of tampering is rarely available. As to the issue of the involuntary voluntary workouts, there's a constant stream of proof.

The latest example? LenWhale White's absence from Tennessee OTAs on Tuesday. Coach Jeff Fisher called White out for his unexcused absence from sessions that he's not required to attend. Now that Fisher has learned that White was delayed in returning from Denver, where he was spending time with an ailing family member, Fisher is offering up a surreal exercise in semantics, acknowledging in one breath that these sessions are optional but then creating the clear impression that they aren't.

"Organized team activities are voluntary, they are not mandatory. However, we have had perfect attendance with very few exceptions," Fisher said. "When there is someone who is not in attendance, they typically have been excused. In order to excuse a player there has to be some kind of communication involved, and in this particular case there was a misunderstanding in communication."

Maybe the dye from Fisher's hair and/or moustache are seeping into his brain. Or maybe he knows that he's dealing with an impotent-to-the-point-of-invisible union that won't risk making waves (or is just too lazy to take on the work) by standing up to Fisher (or any other coach) and saying that he is in clear violation of the CBA.

Per Article XXXV, Section 5(a), "No Club official shall indicate to a player that the Club's off-season workout program or classroom instruction is not voluntary."

It's not good enough, in our view, for a coach to say, "It's voluntary, but if you're not going to be here, you'd better have an excuse. And, if you don't have an excuse, I'm going to make you look bad to your teammates by calling you out in the media."

Are we crazy? Are we stoopid? Or are teams like the Titans taking unfair advantage of their players while the union is doing nothing?

We know that we'll get plenty of e-mails in response to this item reminding us that we're talking about football players and that they shouldn't be pussies and we shouldn't care about any of this anyway. We care about it because it's wrong. The union has sacrificed other player rights at the bargaining table in order to secure contact-free offseasons and truly optional practices. If the union isn't going to enforce these standards, why did they even bother to ask for these terms? They could have gotten something else for the players -- something that was real and meaningful.

Finally, we also think that there's an obligation on the part of the league to police itself in these matters. At a time when the Commissioner is cracking down (and we fully support him) when it comes to reeling in off-field misconduct, we think that the league office should be proactive if/when teams are engaged in actions that could create the impression of a real double standard.

Put simply, if players will suffer penalties for the failure to follow the rules of society, teams should be subject to discipline for failing to follow the rules of the league.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that authorities investigating evidence of dog-fighting found at property owned in Virginia by Falcons quarterback Mike Vick could have enough proof to seek an indictment.

It's not presently known, however, whether Vick is one of the persons whom authorities would attempt to indict.

The grand jury process entails a one-sided presentation of evidence by the prosecutor, and the members of the grand jury then decide based on the information that is presented whether to issue indictments.

The evidence reportedly includes information from two individuals who have contacted investigators regarding the situation -- one of the persons is located in Virginia, and the other is located in another state. On Tuesday, Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter reportedly was doing "due diligence" research on the background of the Virginia resident who has come forward. Investigators will soon be traveling to conduct similar research as to the other person.

The AJC also reports that Poindexter has not ruled out resurrecting the search warrant for dog remains that he refused to execute on Tuesday. The new warrant, issued by a magistrate and requested by an investigator from the Sheriff's office, was rejected by Poindexter and Sheriff Harold Brown because of concerns regarding its language.

"We'll go in if we have to," Poindexter said. He declined to comment on whether he believes he has enough evidence to proceed with charges absent another search of the property.

The Packers' Executive Committee will consider "a range of options" in determining how to proceed following the placement of CEO-to-be John Jones on a leave of absence. (Translation: They don't know what in the hell they're going to do.)

Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon has signed his $1.3 million RFA tender; he's serving as the first-string quarterback while Daunte Culpepper continues to heal.

Only 11 players have been on the Colts' roster for all of coach Tony Dungy's five years with the team.

Broncos OT Matt Lepsis is talking to the media, after nearly 15 months of silence.

Woody Paige looks at the two states where dog fighting is not a felony. (It's also not a felony in Colorado to write a meandering column with no overriding theme or purpose.)

Steelers first-round LB Lawrence Timmons is still nursing his groin. (He's also recovering from an injury to a muscle in his upper leg.)

Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill might have suffered a concussion while falling off of the jet ski that he and a friend were riding on Sunday night in Lake Pontchartrain. This could have caused confusion for Hill, making it more difficult for him to swim in fading light and fast currents.

An autopsy detected no drugs or alcohol in Hill's body, but there was a "pretty nasty bruise" above his right eye and a small amount of blood in his brain.

"That could have caused him some confusion," Orleans Parish (La.) coroner Frank Minyard, M.D. said. "Although we were told he talked to the woman who was with him after the accident, he could have become disoriented."

Hill's funeral will be held on Saturday. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has arranged for a chartered flight so that members of the organization can attend. The team has posted a video tribute to Hill on its web site.

Hill's teammate in New England and at LSU, Jarvis Green, is struggling to comprehend the loss. "He was 24 years old. A freak accident like that. I don't think anybody's ready for that," Green told the Boston Herald. "But I think there's a lesson in there for everyone. Like the guys who don't wear helmets when they ride motorcycles. It's the same thing. Think before you make decisions. I just wish he had that life jacket on. We all make crazy decisions sometimes."

Green intends to speak about his friend at his funeral. "I probably will say something. I have a lot to say," Green said. "I want to talk about him. I want people to remember him for the good he's done, for all the help he's given victims of Hurricane Katrina."

Another person suffering in the aftermath of the incident is Hill's fiancee, Inell Benn. She and Hill have a son, Ma'shy, who is 20 months old. "Marquise didn't have a father," Benn told the Boston Herald. "What he had with Ma'shy was so natural. Ma'shy knew who his dad was. Even if we were a long distance apart, he'd see a picture of Marquise and hug it and say, 'That's my daddy.'"

We all need to heed Jarvis Green's words and realize that, whether it's a motorcycle or a car or a jet ski, we need to take all available precautions, all the time. One of the defects in the human mind is that we're often inclined to think that the accidents will happen to someone else, not to us. Though plenty of tragedies are to a large extent unavoidable, we always need to be thinking about our own safety -- if not for our own sake, for the sake of those we'd leave behind.

When we saw video of Tank Johnson's first media appearance after being released from jail, we wondered how the 300-pounder kept his girlish figure while behind bars for 60 days.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Johnson spent more than $700 on junk food during his two-month sentence, including 162 beef sticks, 40 honey bun sweet rolls, 35 summer sausages, and 35 bags of barbeque potato chips. He also "ordered" nine tortillas, six packs of refried beans, and nine packages of jalapeno cheese spread.

We're not advocating prison life or condoning a lifestyle that could lead to incarceration, but we never realized that they had room service. We thought a guy had to trade cigarettes (or other, ahem, favors) in order to get anything other than the stuff that the guy with the hair net and the open sores on his chin slops onto your metal tray.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher is upset because running back LenWhale White didn't make it back to town for the resumption of Organized Team Activities.

"I've been on record with being disappointed with him right now. I hope to have him back on the practice field Thursday. But again, everybody else was here, he wasn't. I'm anxious to hear what kind of excuse he has."

Look, we think that it's in White's best interests to show up for practice, even if it's voluntary. He needs to get his chunky butt in shape, and he needs to make the most of his opportunity to become the starting running back. But it's not Fisher's place to make comments suggesting that White doesn't have the right to sit home and eat ham sandwiches instead, if he so chooses.

Meanwhile, the NFLPA continues to do nothing to address these blatant violations of the rules.

Only a day or so after his name was mentioned as a potential replacement for Packers COO John Jones, who was in line to replace CEO Bob Harlan, Packers V.P. of Finance and General Counsel Andrew Brandt is facing a potential smear campaign because (gasp) he currently isn't licensed to practice law in any U.S. jurisdiction.

Folks, we don't know the difference between Andrew Brandt and Gil Brandt, and we don't care whether either of them ends up running the Packers. But the idea that Brandt is in some way unfit for his current position because his District of Columbia law license lapsed in 1991 is flat-out goofy.

There's no requirement that in-house counsel be an active member of any state bar, unless in-house counsel is going to be actively serving as the mouthpiece of the company in legal matters, or (arguably) if in-house counsel will be providing specific advice about a specific aspect of the law of a specific state.

We think there's someone inside or outside the organization who doesn't want to see Brandt get in line to succeed Harlan, and that this clerical matter was leaked in order to derail Brandt's candidacy before it gets rolling.

We wrote earlier in the day about the lie detector test that was imposed (supposedly) on Broncos receiver David Kircus. We've now had a chance to eyeball some quotes from Coach Kevlar on the subject, and we're more skeptical than before about the whole thing.

"To address the situation that we had last week: We talked about David Kircus, and we talked about the scenario that existed with him," Shanahan said. "David came to me and said, 'Hey, Coach, I guarantee you that I did not take the first swing. I defended myself. I probably used poor judgment being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I said, 'Well, David, I'll give you a chance to take a lie-detector test,' and he wanted to do that, and he passed it with flying colors, so he will be on our football team.

"Obviously it was somebody that does it for a living -- an FBI agent -- who (administered) it. They're experienced in that area. He gave us the results. They asked the tough questions -- did you defend yourself, did you take the first swing, or who took the first swing. There were three or four questions that were asked different ways, and according to the person who took it, it was 100 percent.

"If he flunked the test, he would not be with us. He wanted to take the test. He said, 'Coach, if I flunk it, I won't be on this football team. If I do pass it, I'll be on this team.' I said, 'Hey, that's fair enough for me.' Anybody that wants to go in there and take a lie detector test where his career is based on whether it comes out positive or negative, I've got a good feeling."

We're not as conversant in the nuances of the laws of the State of Colorado, but we don't think that the whole concept of self-defense when a punch is thrown contemplates jacking the person who threw the punch in the face with a fist (or, as the case may be, a sock full of pennies). The guy needed surgery to repair broken bones in his face; in our view, then, the question of who threw the first punch isn't relevant to the question of whether Kircus beat the crap out of the guy.

Then again, the whole concept of self-defense is applied a little loosely in Colorado, where it's okay to shoot a guy who is sitting in his car outside your house because he might try to come back inside and hit you with a sock full of pennies.

Still, the questions that supposedly were posed to Kircus aren't in any way controlling on whether the elements of the defense are met. It's now fairly obvious that Kircus beat the guy up -- the question is whether Kircus can prove that the specific outcome was necessary under the circumstances.

The other thing that continues to trouble us is the willingness of the Broncos to use a lie-detector test on players. There's a certain federal law known as the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, and it's a violation of this law if an employee is disciplined or discharged for failing to submit to a test or based on the results of a lie-detector test.

And while the Collective Bargaining Agreement precludes most potential player lawsuits, employee rights created by statute in some cases survive the grievance process contained in a CBA. In English, the Broncos could have been sued if Kircus had failed the test, and had been cut.

Also, we think that the NFLPA has standing to do something to force the Broncos to abandon this practice, which Coach Kevlar admits that he has used with other players.

"I've done it a number of times," he said. "It's been very good for us over the years -- at least my experience with it."

Finally, why in the hell does Coach Kevlar think that passing a lie detector test means anything? There's a reason why the results of polygraph tests aren't admissible in a court of law. But in Coach Kevlar's world, passing a lie-detector test is conclusive proof of innocence.

People have asked us in the past why we don't like Coach Kevlar very much. We never had concrete proof to support our general sense of disdain for the guy. Until now.

Something stinks in Surry County, Virginia. It might be the rotting flesh of dogs buried on property that Mike Vick previously owned or still owns, depending on whether the abrupt sale of it at less than half its appraised value has been finalized.

But we won't know for sure whether that's the case, because investigators apparently will not be pushing the issue of whether a search warrant will be issued, and executed, to search for dog carcasses and other evidence of illegal dog fighting.

Updating reports from earlier in the day, Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that there are no plans to seek the re-issuance of a search warrant that was rejected by Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter. Per Terpstra, investigators believe that they already have enough evidence to proceed with charges.

But, even so, why not search the land for the bodies of dogs that either died in the pit or were killed after losing? If there was/is a problem with the warrant, a judge won't pitch the evidence that was previously obtained on that basis. The only evidence that would be barred is the stuff found the second time around. If there's already enough other evidence to proceed, there's no down side to looking for more proof.

At a minimum, we think that Poindexter and, to the extent that he truly agreed with Poindexter's position, Sheriff Harold Brown need to explain to the media in detail the reason(s) for nixing the warrant after it had been issued.

Though it still might not come for weeks, we're hearing that an increasing number of league insiders expect that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick eventually will be indicted for dog fighting.

We also suspect that the league is applying, in subtle yet real fashion, its own brand of pressure to the situation, since it will be hard for Commissioner Roger Goodell to impose punishment under the Personal Conduct Policy unless Vick is at least charged with a crime.

As an industry source reminded us on Tuesday, the revised policy states that, "[u]nless the case involves significant bodily harm, a first offense will generally not result in discipline until there has been a disposition of the proceeding."

But, as we see it, the key word is "generally," and we believe that Jeff Pash or some other legal heavy-hitter made sure to insert that word in order to preserve for Goodell the ability to make an exception where, for example, a player's alleged off-field misconduct has been extremely detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football.

Still, we think that Goodell will have a hard time securing victory in the court of public opinion if he tries to punish Vick without even an arrest.

A big part of this equation, we believe, is whether Goodell concludes that Vick lied to him when they met in New York last month. If Vick tried the "I never go there" routine with Goodell and if it later becomes clear that Vick was at the property on a routine basis, Vick's effort to cover up his actions is no different than Pacman Jones' failure to report his two arrests in early 2006 to the Titans.

In a lengthy, well-written, and balanced item regarding the still-unfolding Mike Vick dog-fighting investigation, George Dohrmann of SI.com adds another new nugget of information to the ever-growing pile of evidence connecting Vick to the "sport."

Per Dohrmann, a "source close to Vick with links to the NFL" explained Vick's connection to dog fighting. "Mike really loves dogs," the source said. "It's the country side of him coming out. He doesn't believe he's doing anything wrong. It's a cultural thing for him that got worse as he got the means to support his friends who are more into [dogfighting] than him. . . . He's heavily influenced by a dogfighting culture that travels to Baltimore, D.C., and Virginia for fights."

The source also told SI.com that, despite Vick's claim that he never went to the property he owned in Surry County, Virginia, Vick was there "frequently" in past offseasons.

The rest of the article breaks no new ground regarding Vick, but delves into some of the details of the situation in classic Sports Illustrated fashion. It is a compelling read, and it will do little to remove from Vick the burgeoning belief that this scandal already has scarred Vick's image, and could still derail his career in Atlanta.

The Nashville Tennessean reports that the NFL Players Association has asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to reduce the one-year suspension imposed last month on Titans cornerback Pacman Jones.

"Your suspension of Jones without pay for the 2007 season is clearly excessive and much greater than discipline imposed upon players for the same or similar incidents," NFLPA staff counsel Thomas DePaso wrote in a May 23 letter.

Previously, the NFLPA had little to do with the appeal of the decision. We believed that the union was keeping its head low so as to avoid criticism arising from its past agreement that the Commissioner not only would impose the initial punishment, but also would handle any appeals.

But now that Jones and his lawyers could be mulling a claim against the NFLPA for breach of the duty of fair representation that every union in the U.S. owes to each of its members, the NFLPA's belated entry into the fray might have been motivated by its desire to avoid the appearance that it sat on its hands, thumbs pointing north, throughout the process.

Updating prior reports, Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter has rejected the warrant to search the Virginia property of Mike Vick for dog remains because Poindexter "did not like the language of it."

Poindexter claims that Sheriff Harold Brown shared these concerns. And we'll believe it when Brown says so himself.

Poindexter previously has pointed to a problem with a search warrant as the reason for the failure of another dog-fighting prosecution in which he was involved. In this case, the specific reason for Poindexter's rejection of the warrant is not known. It's also not known whether Poindexter is penning alternative language that will address his concerns.

The warrant had been issued by a magistrate, at the request of an investigator from the Sheriff's office.

In our view, the resulting discrepancy is further proof of tension and disagreement between investigators and the prosecutor.

Meanwhile, any of Vick's minions who are in the area have time to get to the property and dig up any dog carcasses that might be buried there. Presumably, law enforcement officials will be monitoring the property for such activities -- unless Poindexter reassigns them to handle a high-level jaywalking investigation or the case of who stole a handful of Werther's Originals out of Grandpa's basket at the nursing home.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Broncos receiver David Kircus recently submitted to a lie detector test, at his own suggestion.

Schefter reports that the test was taken on Friday. Per Coach Kevlar, Kircus passed it with "flying colors." Schefter says that the Broncos were prepared to cut Kircus if he had failed.

Now that the "news" portion of the entry is out of the way, there's something about this story that bothers us. If the alleged victim didn't get his face rearranged in a one-on-one meeting with Kircus in a driveway after the victim had repeatedly asked Kircus to leave the victim's party, then how did it happen? Was there a second puncher on the gravelly road?

Also, we're troubled by the notion that the Broncos might have cut Kircus if he had failed. In the wake of the arrest, Coach Kevlar said that he'd dump Kircus only if he was convicted. Passing or failing a lie detector test means nothing in the eyes of the criminal justice system. The fact that many states forbid employers from directly or indirectly asking employees to submit to such testing makes us wonder how hard the hummus might have hit the fan if Kircus had failed.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we think that this was Coach Kevlar's way of poisoning the jury pool with information that jurors will never, ever hear in open court. If, after all, the Broncos' official position is that Kircus will be cut if he's convicted, the best way to ensure that the team will be able to keep him is if the team can do its part to ensure that he isn't convicted.

Frankly, we wouldn't be surprised to learn that there was no lie detector test, or that Coach Kevlar was the guy at the controls of the contraption.

Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that authorities are searching the property previously owned by Falcons quarterback Mike Vick for the remains of dogs.

According to a search warrant, seven dogs were destroyed and buried on the property on April 23, and as many as 30 dogs might be buried there.

The warrant also states that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General sought approval to enter a building on the property in order to pull up floor boards and wall boards in search of signs of blood.

After the body of Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill was recovered on Monday from Lake Pontchartrain following a Sunday night jet ski accident, Pats coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft said all the right things in statements issued by the organization.

But there was a problem with the organization's online headquarters: The entry page to the Patriots' web site made no mention of the tragedy.

The situation lingered into Tuesday morning, and we were compelled to make note of the fact after receiving several e-mails from irate readers who reminded us of the manner in which the Broncos memorialized cornerback Darrent Williams after his January 1 murder.

The situation has been rectified; the team has changed the entry page to pay tribute to Hill.

In our opinion, it was the right thing to do, and it's better that it was late than not at all.

Rams TE Randy McMichael isn't upset that the Fins cut him. (Why should he be? He's making more money this year in St. Louis than he would have earned in Miami.)

The only way that a sculpture of Jake Delhomme will ever be outside Bank of America Stadium is if some kid's mom drops this thing out of her bag from Target:

The only way the Cowboys might be close to a Super Bowl over the next several years is if they get free tickets when their new stadium hosts the thing.

We've never been accused of carrying water (or any other fluids) for the NFL because, as anyone who reads this site on a regular basis knows, we carry water (and any other fluids) for no one.

Our rare praise and frequent criticism is doled out based solely on merit. When we see something we like, we point it out. When we see something we don't like, we bleed glowing yellow ink all over it.

One of the things we like -- a lot -- is the manner in which Commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to clean up the problem of certain NFL players who think that they can do anything they want, due in large part to the fact that they are NFL players. Over the past few years, the increase in the number of off-field incidents has gone from being a wart on the league's butt to a football-shaped goiter on its neck.

But as the problem of player arrests threatens the unprecedented popularity of America's new pastime, some in the "real" media see fit to sound off about Goodell's efforts to clean up the game.

The latest bozo to give it a whirl is Clay Travis of CBSSportsline.com. (Though we previously hadn't heard of him, the name sounded vaguely familiar to us -- in a "didn't he used to be on American Idol?" sort of way.)

Travis can't use the "I'm just a journalist" excuse for not reading the CBA, because he apparently has a law degree.

If Travis had read the CBA, he would have seen that the league and the NFL Players Association jointly agreed to an exclusive procedure for handling players who engage in "conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football." Both parties to this labor contract between the NFL and its players decided to give the Commissioner the exclusive power to impose punishment.

And both sides necessarily agreed to allow the Commissioner to determine what "conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football" is. The last Commissioner articulated his interpretation of the term in the league's first formal Personal Conduct Policy. The new Commissioner has revised the policy to reflect his own views in this regard.

In light of these basic facts (all of which Travis has ignored), the notion that discipline can be imposed for something less than a conviction or a guilty plea makes sense.

Why shouldn't players who get arrested be subject to a fine, suspension, or termination of employment? Every day, people in these United States get busted for crimes that they might not have committed, and many of them lose their jobs as a result of it. In an industry like the NFL, with overall interests so closely tied to public perception and image, it's amazing to us that more players haven't previously received stiff sentences for the embarrassment to the game flowing from a news cycle consumed by reports of the latest guy who was driving drunk or beating someone up or carrying drugs or guns.

Besides, and as we've said many times in the past, pro athletes have the money to buy the best criminal defense lawyers in the land, who are experts at planting reasonable doubt in the minds of jurors -- even where the evidence of guilt is otherwise overwhelming.

In clumsily attempting to make his case (maybe we understand why he apparently never actually used that law degree), Travis seizes on the notion that the litany of players arrested in the recent past have received better treatment than the punishment imposed on Pacman Jones. There are serious flaws in this logic.

First, there's a new sheriff in town. Decisions made by the last guy, Mr. Milquetoast, no longer matter. The idea that Goodell is bound by the practices of his predecessor is like suggesting that the next U.S. president is legally required to continue to follow the current administration's policies.

Second, the sheer volume of names on the list of players arrested over the past seven years shows that the old approach wasn't working. The problem has gotten worse over the past few years, not better. Thus, it clearly was and is time to act.

Third, Travis ignores the fact that Pacman Jones' offenses include failing to report two separate arrests to his employer, which are blatant violations of the prior version of the Personal Conduct Policy -- and which none of the other NFL players on the wrong end of the "State versus" equation had done.

So Goodell is right to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty. The fact that Goodell isn't a lawyer is, in our view, a good thing. The Collective Bargaining Agreement gives him all of the legal cover that he needs, leaving him free to focus on solving the problem.

And the real test of Goodell's power, and willingness to use it, isn't the Pacman Jones case. The true challenge will be the manner in which Goodell sifts through the Mike Vick matter and imposes punishment, especially if he's never indicted for involvement in dog fighting.

Under the CBA, Goodell arguably has the power to punish Vick based solely on the fact that his ownership of land at which an apparent dog-fighting compound was discovered is, standing alone, "conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football." If the NFL has determined through its own investigation that Vick was far more than an absentee landlord, we're convinced that Goodell will take appropriate action, even if Mike never makes a perp walk.

Although folks like Clay Travis or Randy Aiken or whatever his name is will piss and moan when it happens, Goodell will be doing the right thing for the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football.

Although late Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill wasn't a household name in NFL circles, he made a significant impact in his three NFL seasons.

A member of the LSU national championship team, Hill entered the league as a second-round draft pick. But in a system that uses only three down linemen, and with a trio of down linemen named Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, and Ty Warren, a lot of guys currently starting in other NFL cities would have been on the sidelines for much of the time, too.

But Hill still had a great perspective, as evidenced by quotes contained in Tuesday's Boston Herald. "I don't worry about what other people say, because they can't play football," Hill said during the 2006 season. "You can't get down on yourself too early in your career if you’re behind some good guys. Obviously you want to play, but everything happens for a reason, so you have to sit back and wait, and when your time comes, take advantage of it."

Hill also is being remembered today as a hero. After the jet ski on which he and a female friend were riding Sunday night in Lake Pontchartrain overturned, Hill helped her to a buoy and told her to stay calm, before drifting away in another direction.

An off-duty law enforcement officer heard the woman's screams for help, and he nearly rescued Hill.

Hill is remembered as a player who helped the team in many ways other than between the lines on game days. "He worked hard and he was a funny guy," defensive lineman Jarvis Green told the Boston Globe. "It's like Coach always says: 'Even if you're not on the field, you can still do a lot to help the team.' He was out there pushing guys in practice."

"He also liked to have fun and enjoy things. He always would say, 'Life is short.' He could find anything, anywhere, and talk about it and make everybody laugh. . . . He wouldn't sit here and be miserable. He was a guy who always smiled."

Hill also found ways to help the community. In October 2005, he led a group of Patriots players to his hometown of New Orleans, where they helped an M.S. patient who had survived Hurricane Katrina by building a ramp to her home, repairing her fence, and cleaning up her yard.

We're very reluctant to suggest how folks should process grief, especially while we're still struggling to deal with the loss of a great friend last week. But we're compelled to note that the Patriots should give serious consideration to adjusting the entry page of their web site to include some type of memorial to Marquise Hill.

Several readers have expressed concern to us regarding the absence of any mention of Hill on the first page that appears after entering "patriots.com" into the browser. Currently displayed there is a picture of Vince Wilfork, an ad for a "Moving Sale" of team merchandise, and a frame from a recent practice video.

We'll give the team the benefit of the doubt on this one, since it was a three-day weekend and the apparatus likely wasn't in place on Monday to get the thing rolling. However, we're hoping to soon see that entry page replaced with something that properly honors Hill.

"The family will have to make positive identification," said Captain Ryan Clark of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department, "but the body we found was that of Mr. Marquise Hill."

"We have suffered a stunning and tragic loss today," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "Marquise will be remembered as a thoughtful and caring young man who established himself as one of the year-round daily fixtures of our team. I send my deepest condolences to the Hill family."

"We are absolutely heartbroken to learn of Marquise's death," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "Our immediate thoughts go to Marquise's mother, Sherry, and the rest of his family. He was only 24 years old and his death is hard to comprehend. Marquise was a very respectful young man who worked hard to improve and was always eager to contribute to the team, both on the field and in the community. On behalf of the entire Patriots organization, we extend our most heartfelt sympathies to Marquise's family and friends who mourn his loss."

"It's shocking," said Patriots cornerback Randall Gay, who played with Hill at Louisiana State, and who was at the scene when officials recovered Hill from the lake. "This is going to be hard for a lot of people."

Tom Curran of NBCSports.com writes that, ironically, Hill aspired to open a funeral home after his playing career ended. "I'm from the murder capital of the world, so what better business is there to be in? They're dying to see me,'' Hill told Curran. ‘"Everybody's got to go. Why not send them out the right way? I’ve seen death all my life. It's nothing to be afraid of. The ones living are the ones you have to worry about.''

Curran covered the Patriots for the Providence Journal before joining NBC. In an e-mail to us on Monday, Curran described Hill as a "really, really funny, nice kid."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Hill's family, friends, and teammates.

MONDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

The new Cowboys stadium will also host the Cotton Bowl, which hopes to join the BCS.

Here's yet another reason why football is better than baseball.

A change from Z to X receiver could mean a lot more catches for Fins WR Chris Chambers.

Charges against Broncos WR Brandon Marshall were recently dropped after he completed anger management classes.

Maybe Mike Vick should move to Samoa.

Hey, Clay Travis -- whoever you are -- shut your mouth about our man Roger Goodell.

Jeff Garcia is gay . . . in the happy way, not in the not-that-there's-anything-wrong-with-it way.

Just in time for Father's Day: a cigarette that recently dangled from the gap where Jack Lambert's front teeth used to be.

WWL Radio in New Orleans reports that Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill is missing after a Sunday night jet ski accident.

Per WWL, a man and woman fell off a jet ski last night near the Seabrook Bridge. "A good Samaritan on the bank heard yells for help," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Thomas Atkinson. "They found a woman clinging onto a piling near the shore."

Boaters thereafter spotted the man, but lost sight of him as they maneuvered to get in position to retrieve him. Further efforts to find him on Sunday night were unsuccessful. Neither Hill nor the woman had been wearing life jackets.

The story posted on WWL's web site currently does not mentionHill by name, but a scroll at the top of the page identifies him as the missing man.

Hill grew up in New Orleans, and played at Louisiana State. He was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2004 draft. He has appeared in 13 regular-season games during this three-year career.

An 81-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to trying to extort $2 million out of 73-year-old Packers quarterback Bart Starr by threatening to reveal a sexual relationship that she claims they had. (We'll be right back, after we puke.)

Titans rookie defensive back Michael Griffin says that he raises pit bulls for non-violent purposes only.

Packers would-have-been president John Jones apparently was forced to step aside not due to health concerns but because of "management issues" that have been raised by several persons, which could be code for "he's an asshole, lo dee oh dee oh."

The Titans want to have joint practices with the Dolphins. (In an unrelated story, Ricky Williams is filing an emergency appeal of the extension of his suspension.)

We've long believed, as have many in the "real" media, that new players are limited in their handling of pigskins until the sheepskins have been distributed at their respective universities.

For most NCAA institutions, it's not an issue, since graduation occurs in early May. For schools like Ohio State, however, it's a problem because the school year drags into June.

But the rule has nothing to do with graduation. As NFL spokesman Greg Aiello recently explained to us, the rule is (and has been) tied to the completion of exams.

"The rule is that rookies are permitted to attend one three-day minicamp within 15 days of the draft," Aiello explained in an e-mail message. "After that they can return on May 16 (May 15 this year) if they have completed their last class or exam. If school is still in session, they can report to their NFL team after their last class or exam. If they have dropped out of school, they can report to their NFL team after the last day of exams at their school."

So when the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that former Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn can't join the Fins "until his class graduates June 7," the more accurate statement is that Ginn can't join his NFL team until exams conclude on June 7.

This same rule applies to Colts receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who like Ginn left Ohio State early to enter the NFL draft. But when Gonzalez was unable to attend a full-squad minicamp two weeks ago, the "real" media, Colts coach Tony Dungy, and Gonzalez's agent Mike McCartney opted to blame the rookie photo card shoot in L.A. for Gonzalez's absence.

The truth is that, even if Gonzalez wasn't prevented from practicing due to the 35-player get-together in California, he wouldn't have been able to participate due to the same rule that is keeping Ted Ginn out of Florida until June 7.

UPDATE: Apparently, Gonzalez graduated early in December 2006. We're trying to confirm this; the fact that it's been virtually impossible to track this down via a Google search is a sad statement about our society's ho-hum attitude toward such an achievement.

At least once a week, sometimes more often, we're tipped off by a reader to more evidence of contact during offseason minicamps. Though the teams have done a better job, generally, this year of not posting incriminating photos or video on their web sites, there have been plenty of stoopid comments.

The most recent example? Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, in talking about presumed 2004 draft bust Robert Gallery, makes it clear that OTA workouts are, in some respects, in-season practice without pads.

"He's very powerful," Kiffin said regarding Gallery in an item on CBSSportsline.com. "He's gone in there with a nasty demeanor, got after it, and gotten guys on the ground."

"Getting guys on the ground" is a clear no-no in the offseason. But unless and until the NFL Players Association will do something about it, this kind of stuff will continue.

We're not saying that the players union has never acted against offseason contact violations. But the most recent example, in 2005, involved video evidence of contact on the Redskins' official web site. In those occasions when the proof doesn't fall into the NFLPA's lap tied with a bow, nothing happens.

A confidential source tells ESPN's Outside the Lines that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick is a "heavyweight" in the world of dog fighting, and that Vick's involvement with this "sport" predates his arrival to the National Football League.

"He's a pit bull fighter," the source said. "He's one of the ones that they call 'the big boys': that's who bets a large dollar. And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money -- $30,000 to $40,000 -- even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

The source claims to be a 30-year veteran of dog fighting, and he recalls matching one of his dogs against a dog owned by Vick "nearly seven years ago," and that Vick was waving money around and saying that he had $5,000 to bet.

(That's not a bad chunk of money to have on hand for a guy who still would play one more year of college football as an "amateur.")

The source said that Vick has come to be known in the dog-fighting community as "the man that comes with all the money" and his reputation is "[that] he brings a good dog and he's going to bet and he's going to bring a nice sum of cash."

Bizarrely, the source claims that he's outing Vick as a dog-fighter because the source wants to persuade more people to possess the same attitude about dog fighting as players like Clinton Portis.

"They'll let this other thing go -- what is it called? UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship]?" the source said. "That is every bit as bad -- you know, that's terrible. But then you have thousands of people that cheer, rah, rah, and they really love that. You see guys get their heads busted, you know, and they get their arms messed up, their legs twisted almost off. But then they fuss over this here, is wrong."

"[People] shouldn't be really upset, OK?" the source said. "Because it's only just an animal. It's just a dog that is raised up. He's put out there, you know, and he's chained up, OK. And the time he gets a certain age, this dog is going to want to fight. It is bred in him, OK? He knows what he is and he's going to fight. Just take him off the leash, let him go."

Even more bizarrely, the source explains that folks in the dog-fighting community fear that Vick will give up names if/when he faces jail for his involvement in dog-fighting. "Everybody in the dog world is worried about Michael Vick talking," the source said. "Michael Vick is making large money; he's making millions, OK? And if he has to tell on some people [to avoid prison time], I think he would tell … I don't put nothing past him."

If that's the case, we're not quite sure why the source would give up information that could only increase the chances of Vick ultimately finding himself in a position to name names.

The detailed, specific claims, as told to and then reported by ESPN, raises several important points, in our view.

First, given that the NFL has in the past muscled ESPN into dropping the well-done Playmakers series (which to our knowledge never dared to present something as far-fetched as a dog-fighting story line), and that the league reportedly squeezed ESPN's parent company, Disney, into recently dropping a new show about the lives of the wives of pro football players, it's reasonable to assume that ESPN cleared this volatile story with the league office before running it. And it's also reasonable to assume, then, that the NFL deemed the source sufficiently credible to allow the entire embarrassment that is the Mike Vick dog-fighting investigation to be turned up a notch or two with this item from one of the league's broadcast partners.

In other words -- we're starting to think that the NFL thinks Vick is guilty, and likewise wants to see him go down for this.

Second, the report puts Vick in a real bind. If he's innocent, he needs to say so, quickly. His lawyers need to send a letter to ESPN threatening suit if the story isn't retracted, and Vick needs to be ready to follow through with a civil action if ESPN does not.

In other words -- if Vick doesn't sue them pronto, we think it's reasonable to conclude that the NFL is right.

Third, where in the hell did Vick get the money to breed fighting dogs, and to bet big money on them, before he finished up his tenure at Virginia Tech?

Fourth, will the NFL separately explore the question of whether and to what extent Vick has been involved with gambling, either on dog fights or on other endeavors? More than 40 years ago, the league secretly investigated Paul Hornung's gambling activities, and ultimately suspended him for a year. Will the league do the same thing now?

Perhaps the more accurate question is, How far has such an investigation already progressed?

Excuses given by Hornung for his gambling and those being offered up now for dog fighting are eerily similar. As Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote in 2005 regarding Hornung's autobiography, Golden Boy: "Hornung says gambling was part of the culture of growing up in Louisville, Ky., and that Green Bay was like Louisville in that gambling was more or less a way of life. 'Gambling to me was just another form of fun and entertainment, sort of like chasing girls and going out on the town,' Hornung writes. 'Hell, [Vince] Lombardi himself loved the racetrack.'"

That excuse didn't work for Hornung, and it's not going to work for Vick. Whether it's because of dog fighting or the wagers he placed on dog fighting (or on other "sports"), we believe that the NFL will take harsh action against Michael Vick. Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter might be able to find a way to ignore it all, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell won't.

Indeed, if Goodell were inclined to see the whole thing get brushed under the blood-stained dog-fighting carpet, the eye-opening ESPN report never, ever would have seen the light of day.

One of the reasons we often find it hard to keep up with certain ongoing news stories, especially those with an international quality, is that if we don't pay close attention from the outset, it's hard for us to understand what any new reports mean.

The "real" media has, in our view, a bad habit of leaving plenty of readers and viewers at the train station, never finding or making the time to let folks who were late to the party get up to speed with, and thus get engaged in, the story.

Given the sheer number of developments regarding the Michael Vick dog-fighting investigation over the past month, we've decided, at the suggestion of a reader, to park all of the posts on the topic in a separate link.

Moving forward, we'll continue to post the first few paragraphs of new stories here, and we'll put the full text of the entry into the Vick Investigation link, which likely will soon expand to a "Part 2." To be followed by a "Part 3." And so on.

Though we missed the early segments of Sunday morning's Outside the Lines on ESPN, the Boys in Bristol apparently have tracked down a confidential informant who claims that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick's connection to dog fighting dates back to 2000, and that his involvement includes the betting of large sums of money on dog fights.

We admire ESPN for taking on the subject so aggressively, but we could have done without yet another appearance by Len Pasquarelli on the topic. Len continues, in very subtle fashion, to cast aspersions on the various pieces of evidence that, taken together, paint a very ugly picture for Vick. Instead, Len seems to be waiting for Jamie Dukes to show up with a cell-phone photo of Vick holding up the paw of a pit bull who's trying to yelp out "Yo, Adrian!"

We've got no problem with Len chiming in on an ESPN broadcast; the dude is on the payroll. But on the one ESPN show that makes "real" journalism its only agenda, it would have been nice to hear a disclaimer that one of Len's primary sources of information is Vick's agent, Joel Segal, and that anything Len says on the subject should be viewed through that lens.

Our eyebrows also were raised a bit when Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com (who presumably is making enough money to buy a jacket, a shirt with more than two buttons, and a tie) seemed to be saying that he doesn't think that dog-fighting is the kind of crime for which people should go to jail.

We'll record the show when it re-airs and scour it for any other nuggets that might be noteworthy. All in all, we give a deep nod to ESPN for having the sack to tackle this topic.

Jags fourth-round DE Brian Smith has signed a four-year deal with a fourth-year escalator that pushes his salary to the low RFA tender.

We're off to the baptism of the Poobah's nephew; a reader has asked us in jest (we think) whether Peter King, Chris Mortensen, Jay Glazer, and Adam Schefter should worry about getting whacked during the ceremony.

A reader has forwarded to us a copy of the complaint that Jets running back Curtis Martin has filed under two insurance policies for a total of $5 million in disability benefits. Attached to the complaint, which has been filed in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York, are the two policies in question.

Given the amount of money that hangs in the balance, the documents are fairly straightforward. And, as a league source surmised last week, the key issue appears to be whether Martin's current inability to play was the result of gradual deterioration of his knee joint, or whether it happened due to a specific incident.

Under the first policy, which has a benefit of $2.7 million (and for which Martin paid a premium of $209,250), coverage is available for total disability resulting from "bodily injury" due to an "accident." An injury is a "bodily injury" under the policy "only if it is the direct consequence of an Accident and is not the accumulation of a series of accidents or traumas and if it is not directly or indirectly caused by, contributed to by, or aggravated by any physical impairment, defect, degenerative process or infirmity existing prior to the inception of this insurance."

The term "Accident" is defined as "a single sudden and unexpected event, which occurs at an identifiable time and place during the period of insurance and which causes unexpected bodily injury at the time it occurs."

Under the other policy, with a benefit of $2.3 million (and for which Martin paid a premium of $178,250), different language is used, but the import is the same. Benefits are available in the event of disability due to "injury or sickness," and the term "injury" is defined as "bodily injury caused by an Accident." An "Accident" under the policy is "an unintentional, unforeseen, unexpected event which occurs at an identifiable time and place."

The second policy also has a specific exclusion for "any loss arising from osteoarthritis, cumulative injury or degenerative joint disease."

Given the language of the policies, the key allegation of the complaint is contained in paragraph 11: "On or about December 14, 2005, Plaintiff became permanently disabled as a result of a single sudden and unexpected event, a hit to his knee during a professional football game, which caused specific physical injury and resulted in Plaintiff's total disability."

As the reader who obtained the complaint for us has pointed out (and we have verified), this specific allegation contains several flaws.

First, the Jets didn't play a game on December 14, 2005. They played on December 4 (losing at New England), December 11 (winning at home against the Raiders), and December 18 (losing at Miami). Though it's not a fatal hole in the case, how does a disability claim based on the occurrence of a specific event not get the date right as to when the event occurred?

Second, Martin last played on December 4 at New England. He had 15 carries in the game, and ran the ball on the Jets' final drive. So at what point did his knee get suddenly and unexpected exploded?

Third, after the game at New England, Martin was listed as probable, which means that there was a virtual certainty that he'd be available for normal duty against the Raiders. (This example provides further proof that coaches are often full of crap regarding injury reporting; Martin didn't practice at all that week.)

Fourth, Martin took a pain-killing injection before the New England game on December 4 so that he could play, due to "immense pain" in his knee that he had been battling for weeks. Regarding his decision to call it quits for the year after the New England game, Martin said, "This is new for me, I'm like a fish out of water. But at the same time, I realize there's no way I can be out there. I knew I couldn't perform. I haven't been able to perform like Curtis Martin should perform."

Fifth, in an online bio, Martin's condition is described as a cartilage tear suffered early in the 2005 season, which was later aggravated. Surgery after the New England game left him with a bone-on-bone condition in his knee, making him unable to play in 2006 or beyond.

Bottom line? We think it's going to be very hard for Martin to show that he suffered the kind of specific, discrete injury that triggers coverage under the policies that are worth a total of $5 million.

Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon Journal reports that Browns tight end Kellen Winslow was on the practice field on Saturday and, although Winslow didn't take part in any drills, he's starting to look like a guy who'll be able to play in 2007.

Winslow had microfracture surgery on his knee after the 2006 season. The procedure is aimed at using scar tissue to simulate cartilage in a knee that otherwise has none.

McManamon writes that Winslow looked as "fit as ever" on Saturday, and that "[h]e barely had a limp, wore no brace or sleeve on his knee, and when he jogged about 10 yards, he did so with no limitation."

It's hardly the same thing as getting through a practice, or a regular-season game. But it's far better than the alternative at this point.

On the eve of long-time Packers president Bob Harlan's passing of the baton to John Jones, whom Harlan picked to succeed him in 1999, Jones took a leave of absence -- leaving Harlan in the job indefinitely.

"We determined that it would be mutually beneficial for John to take a leave of absence while we continue our evaluation of the situation and collectively determine next steps," said Peter Platten, on behalf of the team's Executive Committee. "John will be on leave until the Executive Committee and John conclude that process."

According to the Associated Press, the leave is being attributed, vaguely, to "management concerns."

Platten could not provide specifics, but said that the move "did not involve personal conduct or ethical problems."

"It's been a very difficult year but also a wonderful year in many respects," Jones said in a statement issued by the team. "I need to step back and recharge my batteries."

Jones had open-heart surgery last year, and it's possible that he simply hasn't returned to the level of health that will allow him to properly and effectively do the job. Publicly held via shares of stock, the Packers are the only NFL team without a specific owner. The CEO is the closest thing, and the CEO needs to be in a position to fulfill all aspects of the job.

Our guess is that Jones quietly will fade into the background, and that the team will hire a new president after the 2007 season.

Rams WR Torry Holt is sprinting at half speed as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.

Dallas QB Matt Baker is hoping to be the next Tony Romo. (So the guy wants to fumble the placement of a field goal attempt with a playoff game on the line?)

Kenton County prosecutor Garry Edmondson finally has realized that it would be wise to shut his mouth about Bengals WR Chris Henry.

Chiefs DE Jared Allen has signed his one-year RFA tender; he'll make $2.35 million -- less four game checks for a suspension he'll serve to start the season.

Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who presumably would be jettisoned if/when Trent Green is acquired from the Chiefs, apparently thinks that he'll be sticking around even after Green makes it to town.

And that Green might not be able to wrest the starting job from Culpepper, even though Culpepper currently doesn't possess it.

"For a guy, for anybody who thinks that whatever their situation is where they're at and they're coming here, and it's going to be peaches and cream, that's not the case," Culpepper said, according to the Miami Herald.

''It's not bothering me one way or the other because I know I'll be healthy,'' he said. "As long as I'm healthy, I'll be fine. I feel I'm going to be a great player in this league. . . . Nothing has changed in my mind until somebody tells me different. I'm the quarterback of this team.''

Correction, Daunte. You were the quarterback of the team. Now, you're merely a quarterback on the roster of the team. And that'll change not long after Green comes to town.

And Culpepper still isn't fully healthy. He says he's "close" to 100 percent. ''I'm getting stronger and better every day,'' he said. "I really want to do more, but I want to be smart about it.''

There's an intriguing squabble brewing between the head of the NFL Players Association and a talking head who is the resident crotchety old man on ESPN's coverage of pro football.

Mike Ditka, a Hall of Fame tight end who coached the Bears to a Super Bowl win 21 years ago, has been firing off about the manner in which the NFLPA does (or, as the case may be, doesn't) take care of its former members.

Ditka claimed on a Chicago radio station that Upshaw is breaking the law, and that the Senate will be investigating the union soon.

"There's going to be a Senate investigation of the National Football League Player's [sic] Association, believe me,'' he said, ''and we'll see what happens, that's all. They brought it on themselves."

"That is so farfetched that it's not even believable,'' he said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. ''I would not dignify those comments with a response, other than to say it shows how out of touch he is. Consider the source. This is all Mike Ditka whistling Dixie.

''Why would I take an illegal loan? And the limit is $2,000. That's stupid. Whatever I get from the players association and my salary are reported. He's nuts. We report every transaction. Ditka's not interested in the facts.''

Upshaw told the Sun-Times that he hopes to address the matter directly with Ditka. ''I'm not afraid of talking to Mike,'' he said. ''My record of what I have done is unmatched.''

Who knows what'll happen next. But Ditka is the first high-profile NFL figure to ever call out Upshaw so loudly. Even if Ditka is off the mark, the mere fact that he's throwing the darts is amazing to us.

Former Bengals linebacker A.J. Nicholson was arrested in Kentucky earlier this month on charges of domestic violence. Now, he's in jail in Florida on charges that he violated the terms of probation resulting from a guilty plea to burglary charges.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Nicholson currently is being held in Leon County, Florida, and he'll remain behind bars there until a hearing is held on the alleged probation violation, due to the Kentucky arrest.

The woman whom Nicholson allegedly punched in the eye on May 18 has since recanted, which will make it harder to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an assault occurred. But the standard of proof is typically lower when it comes to determining whether a guy violated his chance to avoid jail by staying out of trouble. And that could be enough to put Nicholson behind bars for a while.

The Bengals cut Nicholson on May 21, and could end up facing a grievance from the NFLPA for imposing such harsh discipline on the former Florida State star. Any grievance could become moot, however, if Nicholson wouldn't have otherwise been able to make it to training camp.

We're starting to have the same feeling we got about halfway through watching The Prestige:

Really, it's the only way to explain the fact that, on one day, Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter says that there presently isn't enough evidence to link anyone to dog fighting on Mike Vick's property in Virginia and that, on another day, he says that he's confident that charges will be brought.

"We're moving forward," said Poindexter No. 1, on the same day that reports surfaced that Poindexter No. 2 was referring the case to the Virginia Attorney General for a decision on who should be charged.

Poindexter needs to quit talking to the media. Didn't he say only five days ago that lawyers who try cases in the press are "despicable"?

Just because it's a holiday weekend doesn't mean that you won't be getting your PFT fix. We'll be here, every day. Just like we always are.

But, yeah, we'll be breaking away from the official PFT laptop to do some other stuff over the next three days. On Sunday morning, the Poobah's wife's brother's second son will be baptized, and the Poobah will get to spend the day talking like Marlon Brando.

We've got a couple of specific site-related projects we'll be working on over the next couple of days, too. At the suggestion of a reader, we'll be plucking all of our posts regarding the Mike Vick investigation and putting them on a separate page, and all new Vick stories will go there, too, with only a brief summary of each new story appearing in the Rumor Mill.

Also, and at the suggestion of another reader, we're going to make a list of the draft picks of each team, and whether they have signed.

If anyone else wants to further impose on our family time with any other bright ideas, let us know.

It's been a rough week here at PFT, though we've tried our best to soldier on. Cecil Jarvis, a friend, mentor, and client of mine died in a bicycling accident on May 22. He was a true pillar of the community here in the Clarksburg, West Virginia area. He practiced law for more than 30 years, and for the past several he split the days between his legal work and the local newspaper, the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram, where he served as President and Publisher.

His ability to serenely juggle two jobs, a passion for exercise, and community service, while still finding more than enough time to devote to his wife, his two daughters (both of whom are now doctors) and his son (who is entering his third year of law school) set a strong example for everyone who knew him.

I met Cecil nearly ten years ago, when he joined up with a group of us who were running increasingly long distances in increasingly bad weather. When it was mentioned that Cecil Jarvis, the local lawyer, would be coming along on a Saturday morning run, I thought, "Oh, great. Another lawyer. I deal with enough of those people from Monday through Friday."

And I can still remember sitting in my car after the first time we ran together, blown away by the fact that he was nothing like any lawyer I'd ever encountered.

The first impression of Cecil Jarvis never changed. I never once saw him get mad or upset, and I never heard him utter a negative word about anyone.

And since that wet, cold morning in the fall of 1997, Cecil ran more than 30 marathons, qualifying twice for Boston. He also completed four full Ironman triathlons.

Cecil's funeral will be held later today; the church will surely be bursting at the seams. And, going forward, I'll think of him whenever the crush of my law practice and this web site leaves me feeling stressed, frazzled, and frustrated. At that moment, I hope to be able to shrug, smile, and keep moving.

The Associated Press reports that Broncos receiver David Kircus has had a charge of "violent crime" added to the assault charge arising from allegations that he rearranged a guy's face last weekend.

Our Intergoogle research regarding the offense of "violent crime" in Colorado suggests that it is a felony, which means that the Broncos receive seven more points in our Turd Watch standings.

Per police reports, Kircus struck the alleged victim after telling him, "You don't know what I'm capable of." Kircus faces 2-6 years in prison if convicted.

Meanwhile, a judge is considering whether to lift a restraining order that limits the ability of Kircus to leave the state and an order that prevents him from drinking alcohol.

On Monday, Kenton County prosecutor Garry Edmondson told a reporter that Bengals receiver Chris Henry had tested positive for opiates, as part of a court-ordered drug-testing protocol resulting from one of his multiple past guilty pleas. The news splashed throughout the sports media.

Later that day, Edmondson was forced to back away from the remarks when conflicting reports emerged.

On Thursday, Edmondson refused to apologize. And there's more. He also called Henry a "lowlife."

Hey, Garry -- shut your damn mouth. It's not your role to editorialize on the character of the people you prosecute. Your duty is to file charges and pursue the cases through the justice system. Whether you think the defendants are "good people" or "bad people" doesn't matter; your duty is to enforce, and thus uphold, the law.

Is Henry a lowlife? Based on his behavior over the past couple of years, hell yes he is (in our opinion). But it's grossly inappropriate for an officer of the court that is still responsible for Henry's probation to develop such personal views, and it's even worse to share them publicly.

So just do your job, Garry. You're paid to identify the bad guys and bring them to justice. Leave it to others to call the bad guys bad names.

We also think it would be very wise for Edmondson to apologize for his obvious error in declaring that Henry had tested positive. Plenty of civil litigation in this country could be avoided if the folks who did something they shouldn't have done would merely say, "I did it, and I'm sorry." Here, Henry might not have previously been inclined to file suit against Edmondson. But in light of his comments from Thursday, we think he should go for it.

Especially since, instead of owning up to his mistake, Edmondson is now blaming others. Isn't it typical? Just say that you were wrong and mean it. The question of whether the victim of your conduct is otherwise a turd is irrelevant.

As a result, Edmondson's words and actions are actually managing to do that which we thought could never be accomplished. Chris Henry is actually coming off as a sympathetic figure.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is being dogged (eye roll) by questions about Clinton Portis and his recent inflammatory remarks regarding the Mike Vick situation.

Redskins RB Rock Cartwright (Cartwright!) injured an ankle on Tuesday and has developed tendinitis. (It's really not a big story -- we just wanted to type Cartwright!)

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has apologized (via a statement released by the team) for comments from Wednesday suggesting that police in the Cincinnati area are profiling Bengals players.

"Yesterday, I gave a radio interview and made some comments that did not illustrate the high regard I have for the Cincinnati Police Department," Lewis said. "I apologize that what I said did not reflect my true feelings."

Our guess? Marvin realized that accusing the cops of profiling Bengals players was the most effective way to ensure that they will.

Marvin also realized, we believe, that he was stoking racial tensions in a city that has a history of fragile relations in this regard. Of course, he's now trying to say that he wasn't.

"At no point did I say or mean to imply that these issues had anything to do with race," Lewis said. "Broadcast comments to the contrary are simply not true. When I spoke of our players being perhaps more subject to scrutiny than others, I was referring to their standing as public figures."

Bull, we say. The word "profiling" implies that decision are made based on superficial characteristics. In a city that is far bigger than the "small place" that Lewis makes it out to be, players from the local professional football team can be "profiled" only if (as a reader pointed out this afternoon) they are wearing their helmets (or, in the case of Chris Henry, their jerseys) while driving around town.

Besides, "profiling" is one of those code words that imply racially-based motives, regardless of whether the word "racial" is plopped down in front of it.

So if Lewis is now falling all over himself to say that he didn't mean what he said, why did he say it? Does he say other things that he doesn't mean? Isn't the ability to control the connection between his brain and his tongue part of the gig?

We think that Lewis meant what he said, and that we wouldn't have heard a peep about it if someone in the organization hadn't been reminded that a team that plays for free in a stadium fully funded by the public should not be criticizing the public servants who get paid far less to put their lives and limbs in jeopardy every day.

The end result? We think that Marvin is now officially on the hot seat, and he could be the former coach of the Bengals by January of 2008.

While making our daily stop at Deadspin, we noticed that Will Leitch had some of the same observations as us (although his were a bit more artful) regarding ESPN.com's new "if we build it, they will come . . . right?" effort at an NFL blog.

We also noticed that Leitch had linked to an item on the same topic from The Big Lead, so we decided to check it out.

We're speechless. Okay, if we were really speechless, we wouldn't have typed that last sentence. Or the next one. Or that one. Or that. One.

But we're conflicted. On the same day that The Big Lead has pulled off the online equivalent of showing up at our front door with two pizzas, a pan of lasagna, and a half-Pepsi/half-Diet Pepsi on the rocks in a 44 oz. cup with a long bendy straw, we've rediscovered ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd. He's the guy who singlehandedly crashed The Big Lead by encouraging his listeners to flood the server. And in lieu of jumping aboard the "Schrutebag" bandwagon, we opted to refer to him merely as "Cowturd."

On Thursday, Cowherd scored a second semi-chance with us, given his extended riff on the whole dog-fighting thing, during which he mentioned us twice in connection with our stories from Wednesday regarding rumors that the Falcons are looking for a veteran quarterback in the event that Vick gets suspended and, possibly, dumped. And Cowherd shares our belief that this Vick matter is a huge issue, and that folks who want to pooh-pooh it or condone it or continue to blindly make excuses for Vick simply don't understand the nature of our system of laws and justice.

Cowherd also spent a segment talking about a recent divorce he went through, and we're inclined to assume (for now) that the whole Big Lead thing was a product of the demons with which he was dealing while enduring a dark period in his life.

DE Darrion Scott and S Darren Sharper have been "excused" from two days of the Vikings' voluntary OTAs. (Doesn't the mere fact that they would even receive an "excuse" indicate that these things aren't really optional?)

The goal of Titans DT Albert Haynesworth is to play in all 16 games. (He needs to quit setting the bar so unrealistically high.)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that NFL Security has offered its services in connection with the current probe regarding evidence of dog fighting found last month at the property of Falcons quarterback Mike Vick.

Though NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wisely told the AJC that it is "routine protocol" to get involved in legal matters, we think that there is hardly anything routine about the protocol being used in this specific situation.

We believe (and this is our opinion only) that NFL Security already has dredged up enough evidence to convince the league's powers-that-be that Vick has been lesions deep in dog fighting, and that Commissioner Roger Goodell knows that he can't credibly suspend Vick unless Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter has at his disposal the kind of strong evidence that NFL Security has developed.

Can anyone blame Goodell for getting his in-house corps of retired FBI-types involved in the process? If, as we believe, Vick lied to Goodell last month when they talked about the situation in New York and if, as we believe, Goodell has determined via evidence discovered by NFL Security that Vick has lied, Goodell has a very good reason to see to it that Vick suffers the consequences not only for dishonesty, but also for the underlying conduct about which he was lying.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again. Goodell gets it. The available circumstantial evidence indicates that, as Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pointed out on Thursday, either Vick and/or the people living at the house were using those 60-some dogs for fighting, or they were getting ready for a run at the Iditarod.

The Vick apologists out there (if any of you are left) can carp about the presumption of innocence, but presuming that a guy is innocent does not require ignoring proof that suggests otherwise. Every prosecutor must first come to the conclusion that, in the prosecutor's belief, the guy "did it" before charges can be pursued. Prosecutor Gerald Poindexter seems to be resisting that conclusion in this case; the NFL apparently is not.

As we mentioned on Wednesday, something is prompting the Falcons to brace for a suspension of Vick and explore options for replacing him. That something very well could be the information that NFL Security already has uncovered.

The separate question is whether the investigation needs the assistance of the NFL. Though we think that the folks in Surry County (with the exception of Poindexter) are doing a great job, we (and several readers) were troubled by the notion that investigators have been unable to locate a potential witness named Tony Taylor, even though the Virginian-Pilot was able to get him on the phone.

And it remains to be seen how Vick will react to the news that the company for whom he works is offering to help gather evidence that could put him behind bars. We have a feeling that he might not like that one very much.

Bob Kent of PhiladelphiaEagles.com and Adam Schefter of NFL Network report that the Eagles have reached contract agreements with the team's two third-round draft picks -- linebacker Stewart Bradley and running back Tony Hunt.

Both players signed four-year deals, the maximum length under the CBA. Financial terms are not yet available.

The only other first-day pick under contract is running back Garrett Wolfe of the Bears.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said on Wednesday's Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio that Lewis believes police in the area are profiling his players.

"I think there's profiling, no question," Lewis said. "We're a small place -- our guys stand out, and they know that, and you've got to do things the right way. But when you are arrested for, or you are pulled over for, not putting on your turn signal, there's something wrong there."

Um, Marvin? The first time I got pulled over in my life it was because I had a tail light out. I also got pulled over once because I was driving slow, and the cop thought I was drunk. It happens to people of every race and profession. So please don't implicitly play the race card when many of the guys whom you're trying to protect already have proven, both before they joined your team and after, that they are turds.

Cops are always on the lookout for drunk drivers. And they should be. If a cop had pulled over Leonard Little, Susan Gutweiler might be alive today.

Marvin, how about taking some responsibility for your role in bringing to the "small place" where you live and work guys who might be inclined to commit crimes against the folks the police are hoping to protect? Frostee Rucker, A.J. Nicholson, Chris Henry, Odell Thurman. The list goes on and on.

Was Eric Steinbach being profiled when he was arrested for boating while drunk? Was Thurman being profiled when he was busted for DUI? Was Henry being profiled as he was puking out the window while Thurman was being arrested?

Please, Marvin. The local community already has enough reasons to rise up and demand that you be held accountable for the current state of the franchise. By trying to throw blame to those charged with keeping order, you might just spark the kind of outcry that puts you on a short leash with Mike Brown.

Should the NFL care about guys who smoke pot? (Actually, we think the NFL only cares about the guys who get caught smoking pot.)

Talks have commenced regarding a contract extension for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Here's a gem from Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "I would caution you that the presence of 55 pit bulls and a pry bar does not an organized dogfighting operation make. It's possible Vick and his house-sitting associates merely have 66 dogs around in the event they decide to enter a couple of sleds in the next Iditarod."

Cards WR Bryant Johnson has been missing OTA practices with a sore hamstring; Sean Morey has taken his place as the No. 3 wideout.

The Dallas Super Bowl bid made all sorts of promises regarding accommodations and entertainment. (Will there be dog fighting at American Airlines Arena?)

Just when it seems that, courtesy of Gerald Poindexter's Sgt. Schulz routine, no one will face prosecution in Surry County, Virginia for the dog-fighting operation found at Mike Vick's property there, along comes a nugget that makes us think that, regardless of anything Poindexter says, does, or tries to do, justice eventually will be served.

In a radio interview with our old friend Rick Ballou of 1010 XL in Jacksonville, WAVY-TV's Mary Kay Mallonee said that, based on information she's obtained in connection with her work on the Vick story, other NFL players could be involved in dog fighting.

Mallonee has been all over this story, as have other true journalists in Virginia and elsewhere. Also, she's the one who was questioning Clinton Portis last week when he let fly his now-infamous remarks condoning dog fighting.

Meanwhile, the e-mails are flowing in from readers who are upset with the manner in which Poindexter is handling this matter. And folks want to know how they can voice their displeasure.

Here's a link to the contact information for the constitutional officers of Surry County. Curiously, each officer has an e-mail address, with the exception of Mr. Poindexter.

But his office phone number is available. Since he's a public servant and the information is publicly available, we see no problem with letting PFT Planet publicly know that he can be reached at 757-294-3118.

It also might be a good idea, if you are so inclined, to give law enforcement some support, too, since by all appearances investigators believe that there's enough evidence to warrant further action. Sheriff Harold Brown can be reached at surrysheriff@ruralam.net.

UPDATE: One of our readers has deduced that Poindexter's e-mail address is gpoindexter@courts.state.va.us. We haven't given it a try. Yet.

There's talk in league circles that Raiders owner Al Davis insinuated during interviews for the personnel vacancy that arose when Mike Lombardi was dumped that Davis plans to be more involved in the football operation.

The revelation, says the source, caused some of the potential candidates to pull out of the process.

In all fairness, the rumor could be the result of sour grapes from folks who don't want to carry the "my gosh, not even the Raiders would hire you" stigma.

We'd previously heard that one of the impediments in negotiations with one or more candidates was the reluctance of Davis to commit to a contract. An industry source told us at one point that Buccaneers G.M. Bruce Allen worked for the Raiders in a high-level capacity for several years with no contract.

The absence of a contract allows the employee to leave at any time -- and it also give the employer the ability to cut the employee loose without further financial obligation.

The irony here is that former Raiders coach Mike Shanahan had a contract when he was fired in 1989, and Davis never paid him the balance due. So why is Al worried about owing someone else money? All he needs to do is not pay it.

Eventually, former Titans executive Rich Snead was hired by the Raiders. It's not known whether he signed a contract.

Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter has gone back-and-forth over the past few weeks in his comments regarding the Mike Vick dog fighting investigation.

First, Poindexter said publicly that Vick's claim that he never comes to the Virginia property he owned (until abruptly dumping it two weeks ago) is bogus. Because the ability to refute such a clearly self-serving claim could go a long way toward allowing a reasonable person to believe that Vick lied because he has something to hide, we assumed that Poindexter would aggressively comb through the evidence and, if appropriate, file charges against Vick.

But then Poindexter appeared to go soft, suggesting that he saw no evidence of dog fighting at Vick's property and disputing media reports from sources involved in the investigation.

Next, apparently in response to the perception that Poindexter was plotting to stick his head in the sand, he conceded that Vick's property hosted dog fighting.

"I'm convinced from what I saw that dog fighting has occurred down there, but who was involved in it I don't know at this point," Poindexter said last week. "We're going to find out."

Now, Poindexter is heading again in the other direction. After meeting with investigators on Monday to review the information collected to date, Poindexter says that there isn't enough evidence to link anyone to dog fighting on the Vick property.

Actually, Mr. Poindexter, that's not what we're saying. What we're saying is, "Why in the world is Poindexter so damn wishy-washy and who is in place to investigate whether he has some other motivation that is causing him to behave so erratically?"

Poindexter's only explanation for his current position is that he's being careful because he blew a dog-fighting case several years ago. "We lost that one because of an illegal search, a Fourth Amendment violation," Poindexter said.

Fine. But there's no illegal search issue here. The documents recently obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spell out in detail the steps taken by police to secure an appropriate warrant after authorities arrived at the house last month to conduct a search based only on suspicion of drug activity, and then discovered evidence of a possible dog-fighting operation.

The possibility that Vick's millions will buy him a post-O.J. dream team of lawyers who'll overrun Poindexter and his staff with motions and briefs and legal technicalities shouldn't be a factor in the determination of whether charges will be pursued. The decision should be based on the evidence.

And the evidence apparently is there. Mark Kumpf, a dog-fighting expert who is assisting the present investigation, told the Virginian-Pilot in response to Poindexter's most recent remarks: "There is more evidence there than has been used to convict several other people in Virginia."

But those "several other people" weren't represented by the latest aspiring Johnnie Cochran. Maybe Poindexter is afraid of losing, or maybe he is simply too lazy to try to win. The guy is receiving a salary, after all. He gets no bonus or overtime or other extra compensation if he takes on a case that will result in hundreds of hours of work, much of which will occur with national legal pundits scrutinizing his every move.

The "real" media would be wise to take a look at the cases Poindexter has tried as prosecutor. How many has he won? How many has he lost? Did he lose any that were particularly embarrassing to him personally? There are plenty of lawyers who get gun shy after losing their shirts in court, and thereafter become very reluctant to dive back into the fray.

So while some are speculating (key word: speculating) that Poindexter could be on the take or (even worse) possibly has been at the Vick property a time or two to partake in the entertainment, we think that a very basic aspect of human nature is at work here.

Poindexter, in our opinion, simply doesn't want the headaches that will go along with pursuing from cradle to grave criminal charges against a superstar athlete.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to announce next week his decisions regarding Titans cornerback Pacman Jones and Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson.

Jones is appealing a one-year suspension, which could be shortened to 10 games. As to Johnson, Goodell will be imposing discipline in the wake of a guilty plea to a weapons charge that triggered a probation violation, and resulted in a 120-day jail sentence that was shortened to 60 due to good behavior.

Jones argued earlier this month that his punishment was unprecedented in light of the penalties given to other players who have been in off-field trouble in the past. The argument overlooks the reality that Pacman was penalized in large part for failing to report two arrests in early 2006, which in comparison to the conduct of other players is truly unprecedented.

There was talk last week that Johnson's jail time could alleviate his NFL-imposed penalty, but we still don't think there's a connection between the two. The standard is whether the player engaged in conduct detrimental to the interests of, or public confidence in, the game of football. Spending 60 days in jail -- plus a couple of months before that wearing an ankle bracelet that also picks up AM radio stations in South Dakota -- is in and of itself detrimental to the interests of the league. Thus, there should be stiff punishment for the conduct that triggered this public embarrassment for the sport.

In Jones' case, Goodell's decision on the appeal of the decision he initially made is the last resort under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. It will be difficult, in our opinion, for Jones to sue the league in court. He could try to file suit against the NFLPA for breach of the duty of fair representation, since the union inexplicably agreed to allow Goodell to be the person to make the decision and then review the decision on appeal. But the legal standard for proving liability in such a case is very high.

As Jones has done, Johnson will be able to appeal the initial decision from Goodell back to Goodell.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Steelers chairman Dan Rooney is considering the possibility of imposing discipline on offensive line coach Larry Zierlein and pro personnel director Doug Whaley in the wake of the pornographic e-mail that Whaley forwarded to Zierlein -- and that Zierlein forwarded to a big chunk of the elite power structure in the National Football League.

"I'm terribly disappointed," Rooney told Bouchette on Wednesday. "It's not us; it's not our culture."

But, based on everything we've heard from our sources over the past few days, it apparently is a significant part of the overall NFL culture. Let's face it -- many of the people who populate NFL front offices and coaching staffs are lifelong football players who are now expected to behave like businessmen.

Though we're not suggesting that certain stereotypes regarding "dumb jocks" are at play here, there's definitely a transition that needs to be made between being the guy under the helmet or behind the whistle and the man in an office with a phone and a computer and a staff of employees who might be offended by subjects that are commonplace in a huddle, on the sidelines, or in the locker room.

The real issue, then, is whether the NFL and its teams properly train their non-playing but nevertheless testosterone-rich employees as to the dos and don'ts of life in a modern American place of business, or whether they rely on the weeding out process to see who "gets it" and who doesn't.

It appears that, in Pittsburgh, the latter approach has been applied. But we have a feeling that it will change. And that the Zierlein-Whaley example will spark much greater sensitivity to the potential problem in other NFL cities.

Although the Steelers might eventually throw offensive line coach Larry Zierlein under the bus, they're currently insulating him from the stampede of local media.

Zierlein has been off limits since Organized Training Activities launched on Tuesday.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Tim Benz of FOX Sports Radio Pittsburgh responded by asking, "Is it OK if I send him an e-mail?"

The Tribune-Review also reports that players are not saying anything to Zierlein about the situation.

"Around him, yeah, we stay clear of it," center Chukky Okobi said. "But come on, we're all human. It's a funny thing."

Okobi added this general rule of thumb: "If it's something pornographic or whatever, I mean, we've all seen it. You don't show it to your mom, and you don't send it to the commissioner."

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that receiver Keyshawn Johnson wanted a two-year deal worth $12 million from the Tennessee Titans.

Schefter says that the wideout-challenged Titans will now take a look-see at veteran Eric Moulds to help give quarterback Vince Young some alternatives to dumping it off to a back or a tight end -- or pulling it down and running.

There was confusion over the weekend regarding the absence of cornerback Charles Woodson from the Packers' mandatory minicamp.

As it turns out, Woodson was attending the 10-year reunion of Michigan's national championship team in Ann Arbor.

Per Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Woodson was excused from camp to attend the session.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Packers tight end Bubba Franks isn't only in jeopardy of losing his starting job. He's also in danger of getting cut.

Franks took only limited reps with the first team during last weekend's mandatory minicamp, with Donald Lee and Tory Humphrey getting most of the work with the starters.

Part of the problem is that Franks is due to earn a base salary of $1.4 million this year. That's too much for a backup tight end -- especially if he is No. 3 on the depth chart.

And if Franks somehow survives in 2007, he won't be back for 2008 absent a major paycut. Next season, his salary spikes to $3 million. It then goes to $5 million in 2009 and 2010, and pushes to $5.5 million in 2011.

Franks had the worst 16-game season of his career in 2006, and apparently is fading even though he is only 29. He was the 14th overall pick in the 2000 draft.

Jones Soda will be the sole provider of soft drinks at Qwest Field. (Smith Beer is keeping its fingers crossed.)

The Bidwills will apply everything they learned about how to run a highly successful football operation to a new kind of business.

The first song announced for the Madden 2008 soundtrack is the latest from Ozzy Osbourne. (Says Bucs coach Jon Gruden: "Ozzy Osbourne is f--king great." . . . Says Osbourne: "Whsso nared stiffin f--kins Jon Grrrrden?")

The NFL has pulled the plug on its effort to trademark the phrase "The Big Game."

Former NFL quarterback Neil O'Donnell will be responsible for persuading local school boards and boosters in Kentucky and Tennessee to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for fake grass, instead of buying a bad of grass seed and a hose at the local Wal-Mart.

Good news/bad news for Chris Gardocki -- it looks like he'll make it through his entire NFL career without having a punt blocked.

Michael Silver of Sports Illustrated reports that former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson was offered a deal worth $8 million over two years to play for the Tennessee Titans. And rejected it.

If that number is legitimate, it's unclear whether he's getting more than that to work for ESPN. But it's unlikely. A whopping $4 million per year is a tall price to pay for an unproven commodity for which there was no bidding war.

But the deal apparently is worth more than the standard NFL sock puppet contract. Per Silver, Johnson will be involved in non-NFL programming on ESPN and ABC, including (possibly) NBA coverage, ABC News, Dancing with the Stars (which could be renamed Dancing with the Damn Ball if Keyshawn is on the show), and Live with Regis and Whatever The Unfunny Ditz's Name Is, as a fill-in host.

So it appears that Keyshawn will be ABC/ESPN's answer to TiVi Barber, the former Giants tailback who famously pronounced his coming retirement in the middle of the 2006 football season, creating a distraction that arguably contributed to the team's disappointing year.

TiVi has already seen spot duty with the Today show, but by all accounts he was very shaky in his assignment relating to the Virginia Tech shooting.

It remains to be seen whether Keyshawn has the chops to make his mark beyond football. But he's definitely not lacking in confidence.

"I wanted to be in the entertainment business," Johnson said. "This isn't just football stuff; I'm going to be doing many different platforms, and it's a big deal."

As it turns out, the Kenton County, Kentucky prosecutor who said on Monday that Bengals receiver Chris Henry had failed a drug test was flat wrong.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the State of Kentucky said (and we didn't know it could talk): "This information did not come from the state Division of Probation & Parole. Repeated referrals to our office by the Kenton County Attorney’s office were wrong. The Kenton County Attorney’s Office has no jurisdiction in our probation supervision of Henry. Our office did, however, receive results of a drug test conducted on Henry today, and those results were negative."

So what next? Apparently, Henry's lawyer is making noise about a possible civil action against the Kenton County prosecutor for defamation, or for violation of the federal HIPAA law regarding the privacy of medical information.

The initial hurdle to any lawsuit against a prosecutor is the absolute immunity that prosecutors enjoy from civil claims. But the immunity usually applies only to actions taken in connection with the actual prosecution of a case. Here, the statements made regarding the positive drug test were unrelated to any ongoing prosecution. So, potentially, immunity would not apply.

But Henry likely would not have much to work with, even if he sued. The HIPAA law provides no private right of action; most health-care providers are obsessed with compliance due to the potential loss of Medicare dollars.

In theory, Henry could file an invasion of privacy claim under Kentucky law. But his primary damages would be for any emotional harm resulting from the disclosure. To gauge the potential emotional harm due to the conduct of the Kenton County prosecutor, the jury would be entitled to consider the potential emotional harm that Henry has suffered due to his own misconduct over the past couple of years. And the knowledge of that misconduct would make the jury less likely to feel badly for him.

A defamation claim would be even more susceptible to Henry's past misdeeds. The underlying premise of such a claim is that the false information in some way damaged the victim's pre-existing reputation. In Henry's case, his pre-existing reputation fell somewhere on the overall reputation scale between Mike Tyson and R. Kelly.

And, besides, chances are that Henry would find a way to further sully his reputation long before his lawsuit ever went to trial.

We continue to hear rumors and rumblings from league insiders regarding the current thought processes currently unfolding in the headquarters of the Atlanta Falcons.

Earlier today, we posted an item about rumors in league circles that the Falcons could be a late entry in the Trent Green sweepstakes. And we're continuing to hear more and more talk from league insiders regarding the looming possibility that Mike Vick won't be a member of the Falcons when the 2007 season begins.

Per one source, there's a growing belief that the NFL is privy to more information about the still-developing investigation into a dog-fighting ring that was uncovered at Vick's property in Virginia -- and that the information available to the league tends to support (not refute) the notion that Vick was aware of and/or involved in the activities occurring on the property he owned.

Surely, the NFL and the Falcons have been using their own security resources to get a better handle on the question of whether and to what extent there's a connection between Vick and dog fighting. And if the league and/or the team have learned that there is evidence that tends to increase the chances of a prosecution and/or a conviction, it makes sense for the league and/or the team to begin planning for all potential outcomes.

There's a school of thought that if Vick is ultimately suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell for any portion of the 2007 season, the Falcons will simply cut him. Of course, the team would then be subject to a non-injury grievance for all or part of his $6 million salary, but teams now seem to be more and more inclined to dump a guy for disciplinary purposes and then deal with the financial consequences in due course.

We also continue to hear that the Falcons are looking for a veteran quarterback. Though the source with whom we spoke this afternoon has not heard Trent Green's name as a possibility, the source says that the Falcons definitely are pondering very carefully the possibilities at the position.

We've posted a few times since Mike Vick showed his middle finger to a group of lingering home fans in November 2006 an explanation of the cap hit that would result from cutting or trading him.

In light of the rumors that the team could be planning to move on (or move out), we thought that a refresher would be in order.

If Vick is cut after June 1 (or on or before June 1 as a post-June 1 casualty), a cap charge of $7.57 million would apply in 2007. But by avoiding his $6 million salary that currently is on the books for 2007, the Falcons would suffer a net hit of only $1.57 million this year.

The bulk of the cap charge would come in 2008, when the remainder of Vick's unallocated bonus money would hit the cap. The gross hit in 2008 would be $14.68 million. But since the team also would avoid Vick's $7.5 million salary for 2008, the net hit would be $7.18 million.

Though the number seems high in isolation, it's still less than seven percent of the total cap dollars available next year.

The same cap consequences would apply if Vick were traded after June 1. But we can't imagine that anyone would take on his contract at this point, and we likewise doubt that Vick would be inclined to renegotiate it.

Of course, the cap consequences would be adjusted if Vick were to successfully argue that the Falcons cut him not due to skill but as an act of discipline. In that case, his $6 million salary for 2007 would hit the cap at some point, too.

Multiple news outlets are reporting that receiver Keyshawn Johnson has decided against continuing his NFL playing career. Instead, he'll retire from football and join the ever-growing chorus of sock puppets at ESPN.

But Johnson likely won't be a sock puppet. His arrival, months after the departure of Michael Irvin, reminds us of the admonition to Dorothy after her house fell on the Wicked Witch of the East -- the replacement could be far worse than the original.

Johnson was good during his draft-weekend work with ESPN, although the primary lingering memory for many observers is Keyshawn's "me, me, me" moment after Dwayne Jarrett was drafted by Johnson's former team, the Panthers.

Not long thereafter, Keyshawn was likely thinking: "He took the job that belonged to me."

Moving forward, the question is whether Johnson will focus on analyzing the post-Keyshawn NFL, or whether he'll go out of his way (as Irvin did) to inject himself or his team(s) into the discussion, regardless of the topic.

By the way, we think Johnson's first assignment should be a sit-down interview with Jon Gruden.

Meanwhile, we're hoping that Johnson explains the reason for his decision not to play football. Our guess? After he made it clear last week that not even $2.5 million for 2007 would be enough money to win his services, he realized that there would be no takers. So in lieu of losing face by accepting $750,000 or $1 million or $1.3 million to play football, he'll get $600,000 (if he's lucky) to work for the Boys in Bristol.

Really, we're amazed that it took ESPN so long to copy the format that has worked so well for us, and for many other sites. Sure, they've been presenting blog-style content from guys like Seth Wickersham and John Clayton, but the updates have been way too sporadic to build the kind of repeat business that we enjoy here.

There are other challenges that designated blogger Matt Mosley will face. First, unless they've changed the editorial process dramatically in the six years since yours truly worked for ESPN.com, Mosley won't be able to post real-time updates because an editor will have to read and approve (and, in order to justify his existence, revise) everything Mosley submits. It's enough to make a guy decide after six months or so to go start his own site.

Second, where are the updates? It's the freaking launch date and there's hardly anything on the blog. Since they gave the thing front-and-center placement on ESPN.com, folks will check it out today. But there's nothing there that will bring them back tomorrow. (Then again, maybe the content is limited because Mosley is also going to be practicing law full time while working on the blog.)

Third, when folks return to ESPN.com generally, they'll have to sift through all of the background noise on the ESPN.com front page or on the main NFL page to even find the NFL blog. Absent special placement on the regular basis, the new blog thing will be lost in the shuffle. Quickly.

Fourth, the name is kind of stupid. Hashmarks? As one reader has already suggested, we should refer to it as Skidmarks. Of the boxers-and/or-briefs variety.

Fifth, if Mosley is going to promote reader interaction he needs to do a much better job of sifting through the e-mails he'll receive. In the current post, Mosley writes: "I just received an e-mail from a kind gentleman telling me where to get the best rotisserie chicken in Nashville. Duly noted, sir."

Have we mentioned that we really like this new Commissioner that the NFL hired last year?

Proving yet again that he "gets it," Roger Goodell body slammed Redskins running back Clinton Portis on Tuesday for his asinine remarks to a Virginia television station regarding Michael Vick's potential involvement in dog fighting.

We agree with everything Goodell said, except the last part. We're not so sure that the remarks from Portis don't reflect that sentiments of other NFL players. Animal rights groups have repeatedly alleged that there is a dog-fighting subculture in the NFL. Nonchalant remarks from players like Portis do nothing to calm such suspicions.

Meanwhile, Portis continues to talk, and shouldn't. Per David Elfin of the Washington Times (who regards this site as one rung above -- or perhaps below -- animal fighting), Portis had a chance to apologize for his comments during a Tuesday appearance on NFL Network, but didn't.

"I wasn't condoning dogfighting," Portis said. "Hunting is legal. You've got spearing sharks and 'The World's Greatest Catch' on TV. All those are animals. What I'm saying is that I don't think that issue is as big as they made it with the jail time and the consequences he's going to end up facing if proven guilty. Wait until it's proven to jump on the bandwagon.

"What I was saying was that there are bigger issues than what Michael Vick does on his own property. Now all of a sudden, I'm getting all the negativity, and I don't even have any dogs. I think the whole situation is blown out of proportion."

Clinton, one of the reasons that it is blown out of proportion is that idiots like you are saying that, if Vick was involved in dog fighting, he shouldn't be punished. It's what Portis said last week to WAVY-TV, and if we look closely at his remarks to NFLN, he's basically still saying the same thing, only with different words: "I don't think that the issue is as big as they made it with the jail time and the consequences he's going to end up facing if proven guilty."

People go to jail for doing illegal things. Portis doesn't think Mike Vick should go to jail if he was involved in dog fighting. In other words, Portis doesn't think dog fighting should be illegal. Therefore, he condones dog fighting.

At least left tackle Chris Samuels realizes that what Portis said was inappropriate, and dumb. Samuels was laughing as Portis made his initial remarks, and he's not laughing now.

"We were kind of joking the whole time we were there," Samuels said. "Once that question came about, I was kind of caught off guard. We were wrong for joking about the whole situation. We don't agree with dogfighting. Right after we got off [camera], I said [to myself], 'This might be a mess.'"

Samuels was right. Portis was wrong. And we think that his image as a funny and engaging semi-superstar has taken a big hit in the process.

There's talk/speculation/conjecture/rumor in league circles that the Atlanta Falcons might make an eleventh-hour run at disgruntled Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, who is doing everything he can to get out of Kansas City.

The problem, of course, is that Green has his eyes set on Miami, where he most likely would be the starter for the 2007 season.

But the Falcons could provide the veteran with an opportunity to start for a couple of additional years, since there's really no one else who is in position to take the team over if a decision is made to part ways with Mike Vick.

The primary reason for the Falcons' belated interest in Green is that folks inside the building believe that there's a 50-50 chance that Vick will be suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with a still-unfolding dog-fighting investigation. Even if the suspension is just for a game or two, the stigma could be enough to make the team decide to go in a different direction, even before finding out whether Vick can succeed in new coach Bobby Petrino's offense.

And before the Falcons would ever be able to persuade Green to reduce his $7.2 million salary for 2007, the powers-that-be would have to give him (we believe) assurances that the move would be a signal of a shift away from Vick, and that Green would be penciled in as the starter for 2007.

Despite reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't expected to punish offensive line coach Larry Zierlein or pro personnel director Doug Whaley for the e-mail fiasco that sent a pornographic video to a wide swath of NFL muckety-mucks and their secretaries last Friday, Steelers chairman Dan Rooney apparently has made no final decisions.

"I don't go for that," Rooney told Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports at the ownership meetings in Nashville. Per Cole, Rooney said that he plans to deal with the matter when he returns to Pittsburgh.

"It just came up before the [past weekend]," Rooney said. "I don't know exactly what we're going to do about it at this point."

In addition to his ability to get some more info out of Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney on the e-mail fiasco even after the team said no other executives would be addressing the matter, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports offers up some other valuable nuggets from the one-day ownership meeting in Nashville.

First, Cole reports that Commissioner Roger Goodell remains concerned about Michael Vick's potential involvement with an apparent dog-fighting operation at his property in Virginia, and that Vick apparently used the "I never go there" line on Goodell when the two met in New York in conjunction with last month's draft. News accounts published since that meeting contradict Vick's position.

"If [Vick] is lying to [Goodell], it's going to be a big problem," a source told Cole.

Second, Cole reports that the owners were told that player arrests doubled from 2004 to 2006. In 2004, there were 24. In 2006, there were 48.

Since we started our Turd Watch standings on February 5, there have been 25 arrests. Over a 12-month period, that projects to more than 75.

"The only way the players are going to react is if they are taken off the field," Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga said. (The irony in that quote is that Huizenga knows all too well that taking a guy off of the field doesn't always mean that he'll clean up his act.)

Third, Cole reports that the Commissioner has won the approval of the Competition Committee regarding the Commish's proposal to reduce the allotted time in rounds one and two of the draft. Though Roger Goodell has the authority to make such changes without consultation or approval, he's sufficiently wise to recognize that those who use such power without consulting others could eventually lose it.

And the potential shrinkage clearly is a precursor to moving all or part of round one to Friday night.

"The draft has become a spectacular offseason event," Goodell said. "We had 40 million viewers for the draft, and we feel like we have a chance to grow that audience even more."

The Commish will find no complaints here. What's good for the league is, generally speaking, good for us. And vice-versa. So to the extent that any current or future NFL players will be featured in prime time on a weekend in late April, we prefer that it's Friday night on NFLN and not Saturday night on America's Most Wanted.

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