POSTED 11:51
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:58 p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007
CORNRICH CONNECTION PAYS OFF
FOR GRANTHAM?
A league source tells us that the
contract extension signed
by Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham with the Cleveland Browns will
pay him $1 million per year.
That's not a bad chunk of change
for a guy who works under a head coach who is a defensive specialist, and who
presides over a generally crappy defense.
The move also is causing raised
eyebrows among league insiders because Grantham is represented by Neil Cornrich,
who also happens to represent Browns General Manager Phil Savage. So, to
the extent that Savage was the person in charge of the deal, an agent was
negotiating with one of his clients about another client. So Cornrich had
a duty to get the best possible deal for one of his clients -- even if it meant
creating the perception that his other client got raked over the coals.
So, in other words, it's another
example of the kind of conflict of interest that the NFL needs to eliminate.
LARON GETS SHOT IN LA DONG
From the "Okay, Now We've Really
Heard Everything" file, Redskins first-round rookie LaRon Landry missed the
first day of a full squad minicamp because he recently was shot by a paintball.
In the groin.
On the bright side, he can now
sing like Mariah Carey.
The injury happened after coach
Joe Gibbs ended OTA workouts prematurely on Wednesday. Some of the players
decided to play paintball.
"I didn't know paintball was that
dangerous," linebacker Marcus Washington said. "I hope it wasn't friendly
fire."
POSTED 7:19
p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007
RAIDERS GET KNUCKLES RAPPED FOR
OFFSEASON CONTACT
Finally, the NFL Players
Association has taken action against one of the league's 32 teams for violating
the rules regarding offseason workouts.
And, ironically, the franchise on
the wrong end of the ruling is the same team for which NFLPA executive director
Gene Upshaw once played.
Per a league source, the Oakland
Raiders have been disciplined for violating the prohibition against offseason
contact found in Article XXXV of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
According to the source, the problem arose from the intensity and tempo of the
team's offseason practices.
But the penalty is minimal.
Since all so-called Organized Training Activities have been completed in
Oakland, the team will lose only one week of player workout time.
Specifically, players will be prohibited from lifting weights or conducting any
conditioning work at the club's facility during the week of June 18.
Players otherwise would have been allowed to spend up to four days at the
facility.
Despite language in the CBA
indicating that coaches can be fined for violations of the offseason workout
rules, we're told that no fine will be imposed on first-year coach Lane Kiffin.
It's unclear whether the issue
arose because of a player complaint or because the NFLPA decided to act on its
own. If a player complains, the union must investigate; the NFLPA
otherwise has discretion as to whether an inquiry may be launched.
We're told that the process began
with a letter from the union requesting video of certain practices. On
Friday, the ruling was issued.
Moving forward, the question is
whether this was an isolated incident, or whether the NFLPA will begin to do
something about blatant violations of the no-contact rules. Just this
week, there was clear evidence in the media that the Seahawks have been engaging
in bump-and-run pass defense during offseason workouts. (The bump-and-run
technique is listed in the CBA as one of the banned practices.) Also,
Browns rookie tackle Joe Thomas said that the contact during offseason workouts
in Cleveland has been more intense than the in-season practices with pads that
he attended at Wisconsin. On Thursday, the Giants placed fullback Jim Finn
on injured reserve after suffering a torn labrum while delivering a block during
a practice in which there should have been no blocking.
As a matter of basic fairness,
then, the union should start investigations in any city where there is
reason to believe that the rules have been violated. We've got a feeling,
quite frankly, that violations likely have occurred in every city.
POSTED 4:14
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 5:19 p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007
NO CHARGES FOR HENRY
WLWT-TV reports that Bengals
receiver Chris
Henry will not be charged with assault arising from allegations made earlier
this week by a 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old witness.
The alleged victim and his family
reportedly have stopped cooperating with police. Also, two other suspects
have been identified in the assault.
Florence, Kentucky police told the
station that Henry is no longer considered a suspect. Teammate Reggie
McNeal likewise has been exonerated.
Henry currently is on probation
resulting from two prior incidents. An arrest likely would have sparked
efforts to revoke probation and put him in jail.
He also has been suspended for the
first eight games of the 2007 season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. It
is believed that any further incidents from Henry will result in his banishment
from the league.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS
The Steelers have fired the team
doctor who was
linked to HGH. (Offensive line coach Larry Zierlein sent us an e-mail
about it.)
Lord Favre
has
a sore shoulder.
Packers WR Robert Ferguson is
practicing
at all of the receiver positions: X, Y, and Z (not to be confused with
the initials of W, T, and F, which usually are uttered whenever Ferguson drops a
pass).
Fins QB Daunte Culpepper got
rear-ended.
(If you're expecting a smart-ass remark, it ain't happening. But feel free
to insert your own. . . . Remark, that is.)
Rams WR
Torry
Holt is on schedule after offseason knee surgery.
The Colts are
talking
to DE Dwight Freeney about a long-term extension; after July 15, he can only
sign a one-year deal.
Jets G Pete Kendall wants to be
traded
or released.
RB Chris Brown
will
sign with the Bears or the Titans.
Five
people have inquired about the gig of president of the Packers; four of them
currently work in pro football.
Giants DE Michael Strahan says
that
he's
the best at what he does. (If that's the case, there's no way he's
happy about making only $4 million this year.)
POSTED 4:02
p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007
TITANS LOOKING INTERNALLY,
EXTERNALLY TO REPLACE SNEAD
A league source tells us that the
pool of finalists to replace former Titans director of player personnel Rich
Snead is down to five. Two are from outside the organization, and three
come from within.
The external candidates are John
Schneider of the Packers and 49ers scout Trent Baalke (Bartokomous). The
in-house guys are National Coordinator of College Scouting C.O. Brocato,
Director of Pro Personnel Lake Dawson, and Director of College Scouting Mike
Ackerley.
There also are rumblings that
Baalke has withdrawn his name from consideration.
Snead left after his contract was
not renewed. He accepted a position with the Raiders, presumably as the
replacement for Mike Lombardi.
In the end, Snead might not be the
only front-office guy who needs to be replaced. Rumors persist that G.M.
Mike Reinfeldt is a potential candidate to become the next president of the
Packers. It's unclear whether Reinfeldt could make the move to Green Bay
without the consent of the Titans. If, however, the president of the
Packers has the authority to hire and fire the G.M. there, it could be enough to
constitute the kind of vertical front-office move that cannot be blocked,
regardless of the number of years remaining on Reinfeldt's contract.
POSTED 10:33
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 12:09 p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007
WINSLOW MAKES AGENT CHANGE
Multiple league sources have
informed us that Browns tight end Kellen Winslow has hired agent Drew
Rosenhaus. Winslow previously was represented by Carl and Kevin
Poston.
Carl Poston was summarily
suspended by the NFLPA in 2006 due to alleged delays in the resolution of
Poston's appeal of a two-year suspension resulting from his admitted failure to
read the final draft of a new contract for then-Redskins linebacker LaVar
Arrington. The contract allegedly was supposed to pay two separate $6.5
million roster bonuses in 2006, and Poston claimed that the team pulled one of
the roster bonuses from the last version of the deal. He said that he
didn't notice the omission because he didn't read the contract. A league
source tells us that the hearing on the original suspension will be conducted in
September.
It's unclear whether Winslow made
the change because of Carl Poston's status, or whether there were other
factors. We've previously pointed out that Winslow's rookie deal contained
a multi-million-dollar bonus tied to minimum playing time, but that it applied
to his rookie season only. Most contracts of this nature allow for the
payment to be triggered by reaching the 35-percent threshold in any year of the
deal. Because Winslow broke a leg while playing special teams in 2004 and
did not qualify for the payment, it was forever lost.
The hiring of Rosenhaus could be a
sign that Winslow wants a new contract. However, it was only a year ago
that the Browns and Winslow resolved the unfortunate "vroom-vroom,
smash" incident by taking back some bonus money, adding a year to the deal,
and giving him the opportunity to earn back the lost bonus money via incentives.
He currently is signed through
2010, and is due to earn a salary of $2 million in 2007. Rosenhaus will be
eligible for no fee unless and until a new contract is negotiated.
But Winslow has bigger issues than
his contract. He is recovering from microfracture surgery, and there are
indications that he will be limited at the start of training camp. Still,
he played well in 2006 and, if his knee allows him to play, he likely will
continue to perform at a high level.
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER NEW
SPRINT PHONE
It's never hard for us to come up
with something to share with PFT Planet regarding our official
telecommunications sponsors, Sprint and Nextel, because there's always something
good to talk about.
Last week, we took a closer look
at the UpStage, a two-sided phone/music player combination that could end up
being better than a certain product that won't even be on the market for two
weeks, and that likely will be hard to come by until, coincidentally, the
Christmas shopping season.
This time around, there's a new
phone that combines the best of the Sprint services with the Nextel
walkie-talkie features. It's the Motorola Deluxe ic902, and it has full
access to Sprint TV, the Sprint Music Store, and the rest of the Power Vision
network. Meanwhile, the ic902 also offers Nextel's Direct Talk, Group
Connect, and Direct Send features.
A full description of the
capabilities of the ic902 can be seen
right
here. Put simply, it's the
perfect combination of the push-to-talk concept and all of the entertainment
capabilities available exclusively to Sprint customers.
So if you don't have a Sprint
phone, consider the ic902. Or the UpStage. Or one of the other in a
broad range of devices that can be purchased by clicking the links on this
page.
You know the drill. Sprint
supports us. We provide free content. Everyone has a mobile
phone. Thus, if you like the content on this site, you can support us by
supporting Sprint.
POSTED 9:22
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:52 a.m. EDT, June 15, 2007
VILMA FUMBLES FOR A MULLIGAN
Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma has
tried to clarify (i.e., make go away) his recent remarks comparing dog
fighting to horse racing.
Said Vilma on Thursday:
"I
was definitely not comparing the two, dog fighting to horse racing."
Said Vilma on Wednesday:
"Of course, dog fighting is much more extreme, but you can
equate it to horse racing."
We agree, Jon. You weren't
comparing dog fighting to horse racing. You were equating it to horse
racing. Thanks for the clearing that
up.
FEDS WISELY AREN'T SHARING INFO
WITH POINDEXTER
There has been an eerie silence
for the past week or so regarding the Mike Vick dog-fighting
investigation. A big part of the reason, in our view, is that the federal
authorities are smart enough to realize that nothing positive flows from talking
to the media about the inner workings of the case.
So it should surprise no one that
the first update in the past several days comes not from the feds, but from
Surry County, Virginia prosecutor Gerald Poindexter, who has shown no restraint
when it comes to talking to the media (often out of both sides of his mouth)
regarding the investigation.
Per the Virginian-Pilot,
Poindexter says that the federal officials have recently been in touch with
him. But Poindexter said that the feds didn't say whether they had found
dead dogs on the property during a June 7 search.
"I
don't know if they found the carcasses or not," Poindexter said.
"They didn't tell me."
Why would they? So that
Poindexter could call a press conference to announce it?
Frankly, we're surprised that the
feds are having any contact with Poindexter. Our guess is that
their goal is to keep an eye on his "work" without telling him
anything about the federal investigation that he then could blab to the press.
As to the investigation being
conducted by Surry County authorities, Sheriff Harold Brown says that he still
has three or four persons to interview.
The fact that the flow of
information has died down doesn't mean that the case is languishing. If
anything, this period fairly could be characterized as the calm before the
coming storm.
RETURN OF THE PODCAST
Back by popular demand (if
"popular" is broad enough to cover three e-mails in six months), it's
the
PFT Podcast.
We've resurrected the thing after
a temporary (if "temporary" is broad enough to mean six months)
hiatus, and we've got big plans for this technology that we've neglected (i.e.,
completely ignored) since the end of the 2006 season.
First, the PFT Podcast will be the
new platform for our "E-Mails We Like" feature. Instead of
updating the "E-Mails We Like" thing once every couple of weeks, we'll
do a short PFT Podcast every couple of days focusing on our favorite e-mails,
and (at times) offering up our responses.
Also, we'll be doing some of the
traditional Podcasts in our more traditional format, with the Poobah and Michael
David Smith debating the issues of the day.
Where's Dante, you ask?
We're not sure. It's quite possible that he was finally shot and killed by
one of the many random strangers he routinely insulted at the grocery store, the
mall, in restaurants, and/or in church.
Finally, we plan to bring back the
Fantasy Podcast when the season begins, hopefully with Gregg Rosenthal of
Rotoworld.com, our new fantasy partner. Rotoworld.com is exclusively
powering our Fantasy Mill, which features real-time news updates and player
information. It should be a regular stop for everyone who visits the Rumor
Mill.
So
let
us know what you think of the new Podcast, and
keep
the e-mails coming.
And if you see Dante, try not to
shoot him if/when he tells you to "move your fat ass" in the communion
line.
POSTED 10:49
p.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
FOR CONCUSSIONS, THREE APPEARS
TO BE THE MAGIC NUMBER by Mike Florio and Larry Mazza
One of the concepts that will be
discussed at the June 19 concussion summit in Chicago is the clearer-than-ever
link between multiple concussions and chronic changes in the brain that can cause
depression and other problems for former athletes.
And the magic number, one leading
expert in the field believes, is three.
On June 13,
Dr. Julian Bailes,
the Chair of the West Virginia University Department of Neurosurgery, explained
to us new findings linking multiple concussions to significant changes in the
brain. Dr. Bailes, the only physician from a non-NFL city who has been
invited by the NFL to provide expertise regarding the issue of traumatic brain
injuries, explained that autopsies performed on former pro football players like
Steelers center Mike Webster revealed apparently normal brain tissue.
After applying a certain type of test, however, changes that could cause serious
cognitive problems were discovered.
Three concussions is the
threshold, Dr. Bailes explained, for problems like depression and dementia after
retirement from the game. "They've got really strive to not get that third
concussion, because based on our data, which is the only thing out there, that's
where the threshold is."
Per one of the studies in which
Dr. Bailes was involved, it was found that a player who has sustained three or more
concussions is five times more likely to have "MCI," or mild cognitive
impairment. Thirty percent of all persons who develop MCI are later
diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Per another study, three or more
concussions resulted in a triple incidence of depression.
Dr. Bailes will be sharing his
opinions and findings at the meeting in Chicago. "I want to make a
contribution. Hopefully, I will still be optimistic when I leave [Chicago]
on Tuesday night.
"For the first time, the new
Commissioner has invited outside experts to meet with the committee," Dr. Bailes
said. "Under Commissioner [Paul] Tagliabue it was rather closed. So
what our reception is going to be in Chicago, I'm not certain. I hope they
have the best motives. But this is troubling, troubling evidence.
And there's more to come."
As to the notion that the NFL
might eventually conduct its own study of retired players in order to show that
there is no long-term consequence of concussions, Dr. Bailes said, "Well, I hope
they do, and I hope they prove us wrong for the sake of the sport. But I'm
not optimistic that real research will do that. . . . If they do their own
study, it's going to take them two to three years to do it, another year to get
published. Who suffers in the interim if we're right?"
A big part of the problem is the
common failure of players and teams to acknowledge that a concussion has
occurred. "There's a lot of concussions that go unrecognized," Dr. Bailes
said. "Players don't quite still understand. If you're seeing stars,
if you don't quite feel right, if your memory's a little off or if you're
confused about your assignment, that can be a concussion. Only five to ten
percent of the athletes who get a concussion get knocked out, so 90 to 95
percent of the time they're walking around talking. So I think education
[is important], and that will trickle down to the 1.3 million playing high
school football."
Dr. Bailes also advocates a more
conservative game day approach, along with a strong effort to ensure that a
player doesn't get that third concussion.
Better helmets aren't the answer.
"Helmets cannot prevent this," Dr. Bailes said. "They can mitigate it
some. . . . This is what we call an acceleration/deceleration injury.
The brain floats in a bath of cerebral spinal fluid. It has about a
centimeter or a centimeter-and-a-half of play. And so it's going to
continue to go forward. It doesn't matter if there's a lot of padding.
It's going at a certain speed and it suddenly stops."
And regardless of any changes to
the equipment or the rules, the reality is that "as the cliche goes, players are
getting bigger, stronger, and faster," Dr. Bailes said, "as that occurs, there's
just going to be higher velocity injuries."
It remains to be seen where this
all leads. But if the NFL ultimately agrees that players can't afford to
have a third concussion, there could eventually be rules changes aimed at
reducing head impacts.
Though we've heard nothing
specific in this regard, we could envision an elimination of all low blocks and
tackles, which would limit the number of times that a player might be kicked or
kneed in the head. A more radical possibility would be the elimination of
the three-point stance, which would take out of the game the collisions between
helmets that occur as the linemen strike each other.
Regardless of the specific changes
that are imposed, some type of change will be necessary if/when the NFL accepts
as valid the findings of folks like Dr. Bailes.
POSTED 5:35
p.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
FINE PRINT SHOWS UPSHAW MADE
MORE THAN $6.6 MILLION
Earlier this month, we reported
that the NFLPA's federal LM-2 filing reveals a salary to executive director Gene
Upshaw of more than $4.2 million for the year ending February 28, 2007.
Thanks to a tipster who studied
the thing more carefully than we (or is it us?), it appears that Upshaw's total
compensation for the year ending February 28, 2007 exceeded $6.6 million.
The extra $2.4 million appears in
one of the notes to the report, at the bottom of the LM-2 document. The
relevant excerpt is as follows:
"During the year ended
February 28, 2007, the NFLPA and Players Inc entered into a new employment
contracts [sic] with the Executive Director and Chairman, respectively, that employs
him for the period of January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2010. The employment
agreements stipulate bonuses of $3,600,000 and $2,400,000 from the NFLPA to the
Executive Director and from Players Inc to the Grantor Trust, respectively,
described below during the year ended February 28, 2007. The bonus amount paid
during the year ended February 28, 2007 from the NFLPA is included in Schedule
11, Column (D). The employment contract with Players Inc established a Grantor
Trust, which will be funded on an annual basis with the Players Inc salary and
bonus amounts. The Grantor Trust assets are included in investments on Schedule
5 and the liability is included in deferred compensation on Schedule 10, Other
Liabilities."
In English, this means that a
separate payment of $2.4 million has been paid into a trust for Upshaw, and that
the trust will be funded by bonuses and salaries from Players Inc.
Upshaw's salary from Players Inc isn't revealed in the NFLPA's LM-2.
Hey, we never fault a guy for
getting paid. But $6.6 million per year?
We've got a new suggestion for how
the NFLPA can take better care of the former players. Cut the total
compensation of the executive director to $1 million a year and give the other
$5.6 million to those who need it a lot more than Upshaw.
POSTED 4:04
p.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
FALSE RUMORS CIRCULATE OF
WESTBROOK CRASH
Several readers have advised us of
rampant rumors that Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has badly injured his
leg in a motorcycle accident.
Fear not, Eagles fans. A
league source tells us that there was no accident, and that Westbrook is fine.
It's amazing how quickly these
things can spread (e.g., Terry Bradshaw is dead) in this age of
instantaneous digital information. This time around, we're glad that we
checked with someone who knows what's happening before we posted the rumor.
Then again, this is a rumor
mill. . . .
POSTED 1:58
p.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
DAUNTE SAYS "I AM FINE"
Dolphins quarterback Daunte
Culpepper has informed the Associated Press via e-mail that
he sustained no
serious injuries in a Wednesday night auto accident.
"I am fine," he said. "The
real problem is that the guy damaged my 1975 convertible Caprice Classic."
Culpepper suffered a bruise to the
top of his left hand, and precautionary X-rays were negative. He throws a
football with his right hand.
POSTED 12:31
p.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
CULPEPPER INJURES HAND IN CAR
CRASH
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
reports that Dolphins quarterback
Daunte Culpepper suffered a hand injury in a Wednesday night automobile
accident. The crash occurred on the Sawgrass Expressway, and it involved
two vehicles. Both cars rolled off of the road.
Culpepper complained of a hand
injury to paramedics. It's not known whether he injured his left hand or
his right hand. More details are expected to become available later in the
day.
The Dolphins have been trying to
trade Culpepper, but the quarterback has asked to be released. The NFL
Players Association filed a grievance on his behalf earlier this week, due to
the refusal of the Dolphins to allow him to participate in team drills during a
recent minicamp.
If the hand injury prevents
Culpepper from playing football, the team can cut him with no financial
obligation or the team could put him on the non-football injury/illness list,
and pay him nothing.
POSTED 11:07
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:54 a.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
JAGS JETTISON DARIUS
The Jacksonville Jaguars have
released veteran
safety Donovin Darius, according to the team's official web site.
The Syracuse product was the
team's first-round draft choice (25th overall) in 1998, and he has spent his
entire career with the Jaguars. The latter years of his tenure were marred
by contract squabbles and franchise tags and, at one point, a media campaign by
Darius to get the Vikings or the Dolphins to trade for him.
Darius had been under contract
through 2008, at base salaries of $3.5 million and $4 million, respectively,
over the next two seasons. The extra cap money could come in handy,
if/when the Jags try to add quarterback Daunte Culpepper to the team.
Darius had not participated in
offseason workouts while he was rehabilitating a broken leg suffered during the
2006 season.
Recently, Darius was appointed to
a committee of veteran players who have been consulting with NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell. Darius likely will continue in that role -- if he can find
a landing spot.
THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
Jags QB Byron Leftwich isn't
intimidated by the possible arrival of Daunte Culpepper: "I plan on
playing every snap.
I'm not a bum. I can play."
Pacman's lawyer is mad enough to bite someone.
Giants WR Plaxico Burress thinks
he'll be a better player this year after ankle surgery.
Maybe we shouldn't care about the financial problems of former football
players.
Redskins G Randy Thomas
underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday; he is expected to be ready
for training camp.
Hall of Famers like Paul Hornung
and Deacon Jones plan to use
the annual
induction ceremony in Canton as a way to get the word out for their former
NFL brethren.
Steelers veterans are
removing the sticks
from their asses.
Fins DE Jason Taylor is
heading to London
next week to help promote the regular-season game that will be played there.
Though he'll be attending a
mandatory minicamp, Jets G Pete Kendall
still might be a training-camp holdout.
Former Giants LT Luke Petitgout
needs to move on. (Or,
you know.)
Pats first-rounder Brandon
Meriweather is
still nursing a hamstring injury. (Doctors think it'll be 6-8 weeks
until he can stomp
on someone's head.)
A decision as to
whether Lions DL Shaun Rogers should be charged for sexual assault won't be
made soon.
We didn't know that Rams CB Tye
Hill
used to play for the Browns.
Rumors of Tom Donahoe joining the
Rams
are apparently untrue.
POSTED 9:44
a.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
POLICE THINK HENRY ACCUSERS ARE
TELLING THE TRUTH
The latest situation involving
Bengals receiver Chris Henry and the laws that govern an otherwise free society
is getting weirder all the time.
In the wake of Wednesday's story
that
two yutes accused Henry and teammate Reggie McNeal of assaulting one of them
on Friday night, reports emerged suggesting that the allegations were false.
But it now appears that police
believe that claims to be anything but false.
Per WCPO-TV, Florence, Kentucky
police think that the 16-year-old who was assaulted and his 18-year-old witness
are telling the truth.
Henry and McNeal claim that they
were in a different part of the city at the time, but it's not yet known whether
they admit that they were together.
The investigation is ongoing.
If Henry is prosecuted for assault, he likely will face revocation of probation
on a Kentucky charge of giving alcohol to a minor and on a Florida weapons
charge.
Oh, and his NFL career likely
hangs in the balance on this one. He has been suspended for the first
eight games of the 2007 season based on past transgressions, and if he screws up
again he could be banished permanently from the league.
POSTED 8:55
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:30 a.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
KALU WEIGHS IN ON RETIRED
PLAYERS
In a Tuesday appearance on
SportsRadio 610 in Houston, Texans defensive end N.D. Kalu
shared his views regarding the current controversy between retired players
and the NFL Players Association.
Kalu says that more needs to be
done to help the players who paved the way for today's six-figure and
seven-figure salaries.
He also suggested that he would be
willing to give up $10,000 per year in salary to help the former players, and
that other players should be asked to do the same in the hopes of creating a
fund that would take care of former players who need help. (Hey, if the
requisite amount is $10,000, Mike Vick already has cut the check.)
Kalu also made the possible
mistake of calling out NFLPA leadership for not pushing something like this to
its members.
"It's a shame, and it's actually
scary, because I'm gonna be one of these former players," Kalu said. "But
I feel with a billion-dollar industry the guys in the '50s, '60s who made it for
guys like myself to make the money we make now, you have to take care of them.
"I've never been a big-money guy,
but I'll even take a pay cut if it means putting some money to a fund to take
care of these guys who made it possible for us to make six, seven digits a year.
I just think it's a shame that you got guys who played in the NFL 10, 12 years
and they can barely walk or they're suffering depression and they don't have the
billion-dollar industry they helped build help them. . . ."
So would other players be willing
to give up some money, too?
"I couldn't imagine guys on my
teams that I played with, played for who wouldn't. If every player just
put $10,000 into a fund I'm sure that would help immensely, and I don't think
guys would shy away from doing that . . . . It's a shame that [NFLPA
president] Troy Vincent or [NFLPA executive director] Gene Upshaw didn't come to
the table and suggest such a thing."
(Uh-oh. Somebody's gonna get
his neck broken.)
Kalu's point is a good one.
Plenty of guys might be willing to kick in some cash, but someone has to take a
position of leadership on the issue before a fund for retired players can ever
be created. Such leadership should come, in our view, from the leadership
of the union. If it doesn't, someone from the rank-and-file should show
some leadership and seek out a change in the leadership. Of the
leadership.
POSTED 7:19
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:20 a.m. EDT, June 14, 2007
MORTON TESTS POSITIVE FOR
STEROIDS
The Los Angeles Times reports that a pee sample given by former NFL receiver Johnnie Morton on the day
before he got the poop knocked out of him in an MMA fight
tested positive for steroids.
Per the report, the levels of the
steroid epitestosterone in Morton's system was 10 times higher than the average
person.
If Morton doesn't explain his
actions by June 19, he faces a revocation of his license, which would be
effective in 61 U.S. athletic commissions. Currently, he faces a one-year
suspension for the positive result.
Morton also refused to supply a
urine sample after the fight, and his $100,000 purse has been withheld.
The Times also points out
that, if Morton were to get a spot on an NFL roster in the future, he most
likely would be subject to "reasonable cause" testing on a frequent basis.
Of course, there's no reasonable cause to believe that any NFL team would be
interested in Morton, especially after this latest career development.
OUR DAILY (HOURLY) EXAMPLE OF
OFFSEASON CONTACT
We somehow missed this one, which
was buried in the bottom of a Wednesday item from Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon Journal.
After a minicamp fight between
first-round rookie offensive lineman Joe Thomas and sixth-round defensive end
Chase Pittman, which presumably resulted from tensions escalated by the players
banging on each other in the trenches, Thomas was told that contact in offseason
workouts is supposedly verboten.
Said Thomas, laughing: "I
think we hit more probably now than we did with pads at Wisconsin during the
season."
At a time when retired players are
rising up because of the cumulative effects of a career of football contact,
none of the current players are complaining about additional contact (without
the benefit of padding) to which they are not supposed to be subjected.
So why do we have a feeling that,
10 years from now, some of the retired players from today who currently are
saying nothing about these blatant violations of the CBA will be pointing to
contact during the offseason as one of the causes of their chronic physical
infirmities?
HOW ABOUT STRIKE FUND REBATES?
We've previously argued that the
NFLPA could funnel more money to retired players by instituting a rookie wage
scale that removes from incoming (and unproven) players the kind of
multi-million-dollar windfalls that they might never earn. Guys like Ryan
Leaf and Akili Smith and Courtney Brown and Peter Warrick and David Terrell and
the list goes on and on reel in truckloads of cash without ever playing a down,
and then don't do nearly enough to deserve it.
But since we recognize that the
agents who feed off of the fees generated by these lottery prizes will never
allow them to go away, another strategy is needed.
One league source has suggested
that the strike fund, which supposedly is up to $50 million or more and
constantly growing, should start paying rebates to retired players, as current
players pay their fair share into the money that will be available in the event
of a work stoppage.
We agree. That money was put
in place in past years to protect the guys who are playing football if/when
there's a strike. But there's something fundamentally unfair about players
from past years financing the lifestyles of future players who might someday end
up in a fight with the owners over the distribution of the billions of dollars
that are being generated, if those future players aren't likewise committed to
helping out the guys who built up the strike fund.
As to how the fund can be finagled
to help former players, we'll leave the details to folks far smarter than us.
But we suspect that there's an easy way to give some of that strike money back
to retired players while replacing the cash with contributions from players who
would be far more likely to use it than the guys who don't, you know, play
anymore.
Really, how big does the strike
fund have to be? There's suspicion that NFLPA executive director Gene
Upshaw would like to grow the thing to nine figures, and then use its size as
partial justification for his own eight-figure golden parachute.
It makes far more sense, in our
view, to find a way to use the pool of money aimed at protecting future players
from the possibility of financial hard times to help out past players who
currently are experiencing such tribulations.
POSTED 10:29
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
RETIRED PLAYERS' POSTER BOY HAS
ANOTHER WART
The folks who are hoping to compel
the NFL Players Association to take better care of retired players have wrapped
their arms around former NFL lineman Brian DeMarco, a 35-year-old man who
allegedly is financially destitute, and who walks with a cane.
The NFLPA recently explained that
it has been providing financial assistance to DeMarco, and ESPN reported that
former teammates have questioned whether DeMarco really needs a cane.
There's another problem with using
DeMarco as the face of the cause: His face could be on a wanted poster.
A law enforcement source in Ohio
has tipped us off to the existence of a warrant for DeMarco's arrest. The
warrant was issued in September 2006, after DeMarco failed to appear at a
contempt hearing in connection with child support obligations.
The online court docket for the
Lorain County Court of Common Pleas shows that DeMarco's current address is in
Austin, Texas. DeMarco has been identified in recent media reports as a
resident of Austin, Texas.
The docket can be viewed at
this address, after inserting case number 01NU059151.
POSTED 9:04
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
KENDALL FIXIN' TO PULL A FANECA
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that Jets offensive lineman Pete Kendall plans to go postal on Thursday
when he reports for a mandatory minicamp.
The scene will be reminiscent of
comments last month from Steelers guard Alan Faneca, who launched into an
emotional tirade regarding the team's failure to give him a bunch of money with
one year left on his deal.
Kendall is unhappy that the Jets
won't give him a raise, especially since a year ago Kendall agreed to cut his
2007 salary by $3.3 million. The problem is that Kendall had a strong
performance in 2006, and the free-agent market went even more bonkos in March
2007.
Kendall surely is trying to force
a trade or a release. But the Jets can hold firm if they so choose.
Kendall is signed through 2009.
POSTED 8:34
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
GARRARD ADMITS CULPEPPER TALK
On Tuesday, Adam Schefter of NFL
Network reported that the Jaguars recently brought in backup quarterback David
Garrard to tell him that any interest the team has in Dolphins quarterback
Daunte Culpepper isn't a reflection on the team's attitude toward Garrard.
On Wednesday, Garrard admitted it.
"I was told [by Jaguars
management]
we have to bring him in to look at him," Garrard said after practice on
Wednesday. "He has a good relationship with [Jaguars assistant head coach]
Mike Tice from their days together in Minnesota. If I'm the owner and I
can get somebody cheap like that, it'd be dumb [not to consider it].
"The Jaguars said it's not
anything directed at me or toward my performance. If [Culpepper] can get
back to his Pro Bowl level, that's a top-five quarterback in this league."
Still, Garrard recognizes that the
arrival of Culpepper could have an adverse impact on Garrard's career in
Jacksonville.
"If my [practice] snaps are
diminished, then I have to make business moves myself," said Garrard. "It
not like if I was released, I just wither away."
We doubt that Garrard would be
released. At a minimum, we think that the Jags could pick up a
sixth-rounder or a seventh-rounder by sending Garrard to a team that needs a
backup with playing experience.
Culpepper is still under contract
to the Dolphins, who are trying to trade him. Culpepper has asked to be
released.
POSTED 8:19
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
VILMA ALMOST PULLS A PORTIS
In a Wednesday appearance on WFAN
in New York, Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma shared his thoughts about the rash of off-field problems in the NFL.
Initially, Vilma blamed the media
(and, specifically, the Internet) for blowing the Pacman Jones situation "out of
proportion" and essentially forcing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to come down
hard on him.
Yeah, Jon. It's all our
fault. We threw the $81,000 in the air at the strip club in Vegas.
We bit the cop's hand in Georgia. We waved a gun around with our game
jersey on. We gave alcohol to a minor.
Then, Vilma shared his views
regarding the Mike Vick woof-woof situation.
Asked about his personal feelings
regarding dog fighting, Vilma said: "I never looked at it one way or
another. . . . Of course, dog fighting is much more extreme, but you can
equate it to horse racing. You have animal activists that don't
condone horse racing. They feel that the horses are being tested brutally
or whatever the situation is. For me, I'm not an animal activist and it's
to each his own."
Which sounds a lot like Vilma
doesn't have a problem with horse racing. Or dog fighting.
With all that said, Vilma
recognizes that Vick needs to take responsibility for the things that were
happening at his house in Virginia, regardless of whether he was directly
involved.
POSTED 7:33
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
NOLAN GETS TO WEAR SUITS FOR
HOME GAMES
The National Football League and
Reebok have relented; 49ers coach
Mike Nolan will
be permitted to wear a suit and tie for each of the team's eight
regular-season home games in 2007.
Nolan wanted to wear the suit
every week, but offered the home-games-only option as a compromise.
"Commissioner [Roger] Goodell took
a harder look at it and he supported the issue," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy
said, according to Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat .
"In recognition of Nolan's desire to salute and honor his father, we expanded
[the policy] to meet his request."
Nolan's father, Dick, wore a coat
and tie when coaching in the NFL.
Last year, Nolan was allowed to
wear a suit for two games. Jags coach Jack Del Rio did so, too. With
the rule being expanded, it remains to be seen whether Del Rio makes the same
request.
And, ultimately, we're hoping to
see a starched collar and a navy blue tie peeking out from the top of the neck
of Bill Belichick's hoodie.
POSTED 7:20
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
FINN FELLED BY NON-CONTACT
DRILL
We know, we know. A bunch of
you are sick of hearing us talk about the extent to which teams are ignoring
the rules against contact drills during offseason workouts.
But until the rules are changed to
permit contact, we'll continue to point out the fact that the union that is
supposed to be policing these practices is doing nothing.
Also, the thing about rules is
that, if some of the rules are ignored, it's hard to know which rules are really
important.
Today, Giants fullback Jim Finn
might think that the rule against contact during offseason practices is fairly
important. Finn, you see, is done for the season after suffering a torn
labrum due to delivering a block during a non-contact OTA practice session.
As of Wednesday,
Finn has been placed on injured reserve, which ends very prematurely his
last shot at convincing the team to stick with him beyond 2007.
Of course, the fact that the
Giants now don't have a veteran fullback for 2007 might be punishment enough for
the transgression. But that won't help Finn, who faces a long rehab, a
season with no football, and an uncertain future in the NFL.
POSTED 6:46
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:06 p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
CONDON SHOULD QUIT DISABILITY
BOARD
League and media sources with whom
we have spoken agree -- agent Tom Condon should resign his position as one of
the six members of the committee that makes rulings as to whether former players
are entitled to disability benefits.
A recent item in the Chicago
Tribune identified Condon as one of the three representatives from the ranks
for former players. But because Condon currently makes his living
representing guys who will all eventually be former players, Condon has no
business being in position to make determinations as to the question of whether
any player (regardless of whether the guy was represented by Condon or one of
his partners) should receive benefits.
This isn't an effort to pick a
fight with Condon; we think that no agent should be serving on the committee.
But Condon specifically should not be a part of it, given that he is also the
agent for NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw. With Upshaw and the NFLPA
under increasing criticism for the plight of former players whose claims for
disability benefits are being denied, Condon's future decisions potentially will
be affected by his desire to help Upshaw continue to reel in his $4.2 million
salary, of which Condon presumably receives a piece.
And because, as we understand it,
Condon doesn't get paid to serve on the committee, he's not losing anything by
giving it up. So we hope that he'll do the right thing and resign from the
position. At a time when foes of the union are looking (albeit clumsily)
for ammunition, it would be wise for Condon to step aside from a conflict of
interest that eventually will be raised as part of the attack on Upshaw.
GRIDIRON GREATS RESPOND TO
NFLPA ATTACK
The group of former players who
are leading the charge to improve the fate of the guys who helped lay the
foundation for the current success that the NFL is enjoying has responded to
recent claims from the NFLPA regarding money paid to Brian DeMarco, the
35-year-old retired player who is financially destitute and walks with a cane.
In a press release, Hall of Famer
Mike Ditka sounded off regarding the NFLPA's position that it has given DeMarco
$10,000 in financial assistance: "This is a joke. If they think that
$10,000 over the last seven years is meeting this kid's needs, the problems at
the NFLPA are worse than we ever imagined. Have you seen this kid?
He can't walk, he can't hold a telephone, he can't shave his own face. He
certainly cannot work and support his family. I don’t call $10,000 meeting
Brian DeMarco's needs. This is about disability. This is about
taking responsibility for what happened to this kid while playing the game.
This is about doing the right thing."
Added DeMarco: "We need to
refocus everyone's attention on the issue at hand. I came to Chicago to
raise awareness of what the Gridiron Greats are doing, to kick-off their
fundraising drive, and to express my frustration about my attempts to gain
disability benefits from the NFLPA. Our press conference was not intended
to take issue with the Player's Assistance Trust. . . . But the P.A.T. is
only a band-aid. The real issue is disability and the problem is far
greater than random bills being paid. I am a broken man who has been
dealing with a broken system that needs to be fixed."
With all that said, we continue to
have concerns as to whether DeMarco is the right guy to be in a front-and-center
position in connection with this otherwise worthy cause. We've talked to
several league insiders who believe that the cane DeMarco is using is an
embellishment at best, and that he has more responsibility for any financial
problems he is experiencing than DeMarco or Ditka will acknowledge.
Our advice to the Gridiron Greats?
Get yourself a P.R. expert who can get the message out clearly and concisely.
Despite any substantive flaws that the NFLPA might have, Gene Upshaw is very
effective at communicating his positions in a manner that seems reasonable to
the objective observer. In contrast, Ditka comes off primarily as a grumpy
old man who doesn't fully grasp the issues.
In our view, any effort to effect
real change won't be successful until the Gridiron Greats develop a strong media
strategy that relies on something more than a guy who might not need a cane and
a former coach/player who not long ago was pimping boner pills.
POSTED 2:57
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
NO DNA EVIDENCE LINKING
PACMAN TO BITE
by Michael David Smith
One of the many accusations
against Titans cornerback Pacman Jones took a hit today when it was revealed
that Jones' DNA was not found on the sock of a Minxx strip club employee whom
Jones was accused of biting on the ankle.
The Nashville Tennessean
cites "a person familiar with the developments" in reporting today that
officials visited Jones in Atlanta to get a saliva sample, and that
Jones' DNA did not match the DNA from the strip club employee's sock.
Michael Huyghue, Jones' agent,
also told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that
there's no DNA
match.
Still, Las Vegas Police have
requested that the district attorney file criminal charges against Jones for his
part in a fight at the strip club during NBA All-Star weekend in February.
Shortly after the fight inside the club, three people were shot outside the
club. Jones is not accused of the shooting.
Multiple media reports have said the district attorney and the police will meet
to discuss the case against Jones today, although Jones is not expected to be
charged today. Mortensen quoted a source close to Jones saying this would
"actually be the third time the police take this thing to the DA. He's rejected
them twice."
POSTED 2:28
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
CHRIS HENRY NOT OUT OF THE
WOODS by Michael David
Smith
Early this morning, it looked like
Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was on the verge of having his eight-game
suspension made even longer when the television station WCPO reported that Henry
is under investigation for assault of a 16-year-old boy. But then it looked
like Henry was in the clear, as another station, WLWT, said that the accusation
is unfounded.
But despite that second report,
Henry might not want to break out the champagne just yet.
WLWT has updated its
report, and although the station is not backing away
from the unnamed source who said the accusation was unfounded, the station also
reports that Florence Police Capt.
Linny Cloyd said police have not reached any conclusions and the case remains
under investigation.
The Bengals' web site says
Henry was at the
team's voluntary practice session this morning. It's not clear whether the
"league source" cited by WLWT, who said police found that the Henry claims were
unfounded, had any contact with Henry at the Bengals' team facility.
If Henry really was falsely
accused, it would be the second time this offseason: Last month a
prosecutor said he had failed a drug test, but it turned out that he hadn't.
POSTED 2:02
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
BEARS STILL STICKING BY
GROSSMAN
by Michael David Smith
With competent quarterback play,
the Chicago Bears could have beaten the Indianapolis Colts and won the Super
Bowl four months ago. But the Bears didn't have a competent quarterback. They
had Rex Grossman.
It's a testament to the talent on
the rest of the roster (and to the lack of talent in the rest of the NFC) that
the Bears even got to the Super Bowl with Grossman under center. And it's
surprising how little talk there is in Chicago about the Bears replacing
Grossman. The Bears have made no effort to trade for a veteran quarterback, sign
a free agent, or draft a potential successor to Grossman, and all the signals
out of Chicago suggest that the coaching staff has complete confidence in
Grossman and no interest in replacing him with backups Brian Griese or Kyle
Orton.
The latest signal comes from the
Bears' official web site, where senior writer Larry Mayer gives this answer to a
fan question about Grossman's work in minicamp:
"Rex
Grossman has looked very sharp the past few weeks in OTA practices," Mayer
writes. "I thought Tuesday was one of his best days. He threw the ball with
accuracy and authority and made good decisions. He especially impressed me in
leading the offense to a touchdown against the first-team defense in a
two-minute drill."
The team's official web site isn't
the best place to go for a candid assessment of Grossman's performance. But it
is the best place to go to find out what the team wants its fans to think of
Grossman. And when the team is telling the fans how sharp Grossman looks, that
means the fans had better be ready for another year with Grossman at the helm.
Maybe this year he'll actually look sharp when he's facing a real, live pass
rush, but Bears fans shouldn't hold their breath.
POSTED 12:04
p.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
McCRAY TO SIGN
TENDER
A league source
tells us that Jaguars defensive end Bobby McCray will sign on Wednesday his
restricted free agent tender.
Since he was
tendered at the first-round level, McCray will make $1.85 million in base salary
in 2007. Unlike the franchise tender, however, the amount is not
guaranteed.
McCray's window of
opportunity for signing with another team closed on April 21. Any team
that signed him to an offer sheet would have been required to pony up a
first-round draft pick as compensation, if the Jags had opted not to match the
deal.
By rule, the Jags
could have significantly reduced the tender after June 15. The Dolphins
employed such a tactic several years ago with defensive end Adewale Ogunleye.
McCray will be
eligible for unrestricted free agency in March 2008. Unless, of course,
the Jags apply the franchise tag to him.
POSTED 11:56
a.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
HENRY DODGES
ANOTHER BULLET
A few weeks back,
a prosecutor in Kenton County, Kentucky announced that Bengals receiver Chris
Henry had failed a court-ordered drug test.
The only
catch? He hadn't.
This time around,
a 16-year-old boy claimed that Henry and teammate Reggie McNeal assaulted him on
Friday night in Florence, Kentucky.
It now appears
that the claim is false.
WLWT-TV, citing an
unnamed source, says
that the accusation is unfounded. So, unless the unnamed source is
named Marvin Lewis, it looks like Henry won't be facing any further trouble.
But these two
situations highlight the trouble with players making themselves into
targets.
POSTED 10:00
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:19 a.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
SEAHAWKS CLEARLY VIOLATING
"NO CONTACT" RULES
Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer has provided arguably the most obvious proof this year of
a team violating the offseason ban on contact in OTAs and minicamps.
The best evidence? The title
of the article: "Seahawks
work on bump-and-run in minicamp."
The problem? Article XXXV,
Section 5(a) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement specifically lists
"bump-and-run" as a prohibited activity during non-contact offseason
workouts.
Why is bump-and-run a no-no?
The "bump" part is, by definition, contact. Consider the first
two paragraphs from Farnsworth's item:
"Marcus Trufant used his
right forearm to jostle D.J. Hackett as he broke off the line of scrimmage,
disrupting Hackett's route and depriving quarterback Matt Hasselbeck of his
primary receiver.
"A few plays later, Pete
Hunter missed his jam on Deion Branch, allowing Branch to run past him and take
a deep pass from Seneca Wallace."
Though none of the players are
complaining, it's clearly a banned technique in the offseason. But the
union is, to our knowledge, doing nothing to put it to an end -- even though the
Seahawks apparently have spent most if not all of the offseason working on it.
And that's the real problem with
the NFLPA's failure to zealously enforce the offseason workout rules. It
would have been better for the union to offer to allow contact, and then to ask
for something else from the owners. Something that would have been
meaningful.
As it stands, the union has
negotiated for its members a protection that the union largely ignores.
It's no different than getting for the players 60 percent of the gross football
revenues and then not complaining when the owners only cough up 55.
WINSLOW WILL BE LIMITED AT
START OF CAMP
Browns tight end Kellen Winslow,
who is still recovering from offseason microfracture surgery in the knee that
was mangled two years ago in a motorcycle accident,
most
likely will be limited when training camp opens, according to Mary Kay Cabot
of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Winslow previously said that he'd
be available to fully participate in this week's minicamp. As it turns
out, he won't be practicing at all.
If he can't practice at the start
of training camp, he'll likely land on the "Physically Unable to
Perform" list. This allows the team to use his roster spot on another
player, until Winslow is ready to go.
We reported several months back
that the Browns aren't counting on Winslow to make much of a contribution in
2007, given the recovery from the microfracture surgery. Winslow
repeatedly played in 2006 despite being questionable almost every week due to
his knee.
WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
Our buddy Jerry McDonald looks at
contact
during non-contact practices in Raiders camp.
Jets OL Pete Kendall is
expected
to show up for a mandatory minicamp that opens on Thursday, despite his
extreme displeasure with his contract.
Four quarterbacks are
sharing
the snaps in Cleveland.
The Texans are
hoping
to get more out of their defensive line.
The Eagles are
expecting
a big season from DE Darren Howard.
From the "Not That There's
Anything Wrong With It" file, the Soup Nazi says that he doesn't want WR
Amani Toomer "to
be in any bumping and grinding."
New Giants OL Zach Piller
could
bump (and grind) Rich Seubert out of the starting lineup.
Andy McCollum
appears
poised to push Brett Romberg for the starting center job in St. Louis.
Former Rams starters Joe
Klopfenstein (gesundheit) and Victor Adeyanju (ditto)
have
slid to the second team.
The Colts are
considering
a reunion with RB James Mungro.
The Jags
canceled
Tuesday's OTA practice due to rain. (What are they practicing?
Baseball?)
35-year-old TE Marcus Pollard
will
likely be the starter in Seattle.
Says Hall of Famer Jim Brown
regarding Browns RB Jamal Lewis: "The
[expletive] will run over you." (Since when is "ex-con"
a bad word?)
Bills LB John DiGiorgio
could
be taking the spot vacated by London Fletcher Baker Robbins Oppenheim and
Taft.
POSTED 8:47
a.m. EDT, June 13, 2007
CHRIS HENRY TO THE RESCUE?
As the "days without an
arrest" counter continues to creep toward 25, relief could be on the way
from one of our old friends.
Bengals receiver Chris Henry.
Per media reports, Henry
currently
is under investigation for assault of a 16-year-old boy. Henry,
teammate Reggie McNeal, and others allegedly beat the juvenile to the point that
he needed hospital care.
(Coincidentally, Henry and McNeal
were passengers in an SUV driven by linebacker Odell Thurman last year, when
Thurman was pulled over for DUI. Thurman claimed he was driving because,
of the three, he was the closest to sober. Henry corroborated Thurman's
explanation by puking out of the window of the vehicle.)
"It's very obvious,"
Captain Linny Cloyd of the Florence, Kentucky police department told WCPO-TV.
"I've seen the young man. There's no doubt he was assaulted. At this
point we're still trying to figure out who is who -– where they were."
The boy claims that he and an
18-year-old friend were walking along Wetherington Boulevard on Friday night at
11:00 p.m., when a black Navigator or Escalade pulled up beside them. A
white male jumped out and began beating the 16-year-old.
"From that, the victim tells
us another gentleman got out of the vehicle . . . and in their attempt to get
away, was shoved to the ground by this African American gentleman," said
Cloyd.
Henry and McNeal deny knowing the
boy or being in the area at the time of the assault.
Unless there's evidence that Henry
and the boy already knew each other, or that Henry was doing something really
stupid like wearing his Bengals jersey at the time, this one could be hard to
prove without some serious investigative work. Then again, it's not just
the 16-year-old's word against that of Henry, McNeal, and whoever might have
been with them; the boy had a friend who was there. If the pair tell a
convincing story, it might be enough to get the police to act.
And if it turns out that Henry was
involved, we won't be surprised. As we've said before, the fact that Henry
couldn't stay out of trouble when he had a job will make it even harder
for him to keep himself clean during his eight-game suspension for multiple
violations of the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy.
Finally, don't forget that Henry
currently is on probation for gun charges in Orlando (where he was wearing his
Bengals jersey at the time) and in Kentucky for pleading guilty to giving
alcohol to a minor. So while the standard of proof beyond a reasonable
doubt would apply to any new charges filed, a much lower standard will apply if
he faces revocation of his probation. In Kentucky alone, that could mean
88 days in jail.
POSTED 11:21
p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:57 p.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
JAGS BRACE GARRARD FOR POSSIBLE
CULPEPPER ACQUISITION
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Jacksonville Jaguars recently called backup quarterback David
Garrard into the team's offices to explain that any interest that they might be
showing in Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper is not a reflection on
Garrard's abilities.
So what is it then? An
acknowledgement that the Jags plan to have four quarterbacks on the roster this
year? A proclamation that Garrard will be the starter if Byron Leftwich
leaves after 2007 as a free agent?
Actually, we see the Jaguars'
interest in Culpepper as a no-confidence vote in the top three
quarterbacks on the team, since each of them has had a chance to show that he
can be "they guy," but none has delivered.
If Culpepper comes to
Jacksonville, we think that the team would entertain trade offers for Garrard,
Byron Leftwich, and Quinn Gray. It'd be hard to deal Leftwich after spending
most of the offseason praising him, so we think either Garrard or Gray would be
available for a second-day draft pick.
DARWIN LIKELY WILL EVOLVE BACK
INTO AN EAGLE
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that Bills defensive tackle Darwin Walker is likely to revert back to
the Eagles as of August 5, the deadline for Walker reporting to the Bills.
Walker wants more money on his
current contract, and the Bills want him to show up before they'll consider
giving him a raise. Under the deal that in part sent linebacker Takeo
Spikes to the Eagles, Philly will send a sixth-round pick to Buffalo and reclaim
Walker if Walker doesn't show in Buffalo by August 5.
Whether that means that the Eagles
will re-embrace him remains to be seen.
As to the Bills, the most they're
willing to do is chop off the last of two years remaining on Walker's contract,
which would make him eligible for free agency in March 2008.
TUESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS
The Packers have a
couple of guys who have had some weed issues.
The Panthers have
five quarterbacks on the roster.
49ers WR Ashley Lelie
hasn't been
able to make it through practice due to a leg injury.
Niners fans
plan to wear suits to
the team's home opener.
Formal charges in Las Vegas
against Pacman Jones could still be coming.
The Ditka-Duerson feud
is escalating.
The Bears have a
pair of Ayanbadejos. (Does that beat a pair of aces?)
Former NFL QB Doug Flutie
bought a $2.1 million home in Florida.
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald
says that Daunte Culpepper is
getting a raw deal.
Man, that lawyer they interviewed
for
this item on Mike Vick sure sounds like he knows what he's talking about.
LB Jessie Armstead will do a
sign-and-retire with the Giants on Wednesday.
Panthers DT Jordan Carstens is
fighting a nasty kidney disease.
POSTED 5:21
p.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
SIMMS IS STRUGGLING WITH HIS
THROWING
In an interview with
PewterReport.com, Bucs quarterback Chris Simms explains that the emergency
splenectomy he underwent last September has made it difficult for him to learn
how to throw a football again.
Simms was unable to throw at all
until December, and it has taken him time to get back his ability to do so
effectively.
"I am 100 percent healthy," Simms
said, "but I'm not
where I want to be from a throwing standpoint. It's not that I feel so
bad throwing the football right now, but I have to get my body used to it.
You always hear a lot about quarterbacks and timing, and for whatever reason
that seems to be taking me more time to get back than anything else. . . .
"It's frustrating. It really
is, and on a lot of levels, because not only was my abdomen tight from the
injury and surgery, but my arm was tight as well because I hadn't thrown a
football in so long."
So what's the problem?
"I think I probably developed some
bad habits at first because I was trying to protect my stomach when I was
throwing," Simms said. "Right now I’m really more or less trying to get
rid of those bad habits so I can get back into my good ones. You know,
just throw the ball the way I know how."
So maybe that's why coach Jon
Gruden recently declared that newcomer Jeff Garcia is the clubhouse leader in
the race to be the starter. It's not that Garcia is blowing anyone way --
it's that Simms simply isn't ready.
POSTED 4:17
p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 4:52 p.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
NEXT UP? FROSTEE AND J.
PEEZY
With Titans cornerback Pacman
Jones caving on the appeal of the one-year suspension imposed against him in
April by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the next guys who'll likely spend some
time on Park Avenue for violation of the
league's Personal Conduct Policyare Bengals defensive end Frostee Rucker and Dolphins
linebacker Joey Porter.
Rucker pleaded guilty on May 4 to
misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment and vandalism. Porter pleaded
guilty to misdemeanor battery charges on May 30. Our guess is that both
will end up getting suspended for one game.
And Goodell's new approach is
working. It has been a whopping 22 days since a player has been arrested.
Though Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers might break the string soon, the
thing was sputtering not long ago in its efforts to crack two digits.
As to Jones, the decision to drop
the appeal seems odd, given that there was no way that the punishment could end
up being any worse -- and that there was a report from Adam Schefter of NFL
Network that Goodell might shrink the penalty a bit if Jones wiggles out of
pending criminal charges in Georgia. All of the effort was done; it was
merely a matter of Goodell issuing his ruling.
So we agree with the assessment of
our own MDS that Jones is trying to curry favor with the Commish. In fact,
we wouldn't be surprised to learn that the league asked him to back off in
exchange for future considerations.
Still, it would have been better
for Jones to come to this conclusion a couple of months ago. He wasted a
lot of time and effort (and money, of his own) in putting together the
presentation based on the argument that he has received disproportionate
treatment in comparison to guys who have been arrested over the past seven
years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE PLATES IN
BIG BEN'S FACE
It's hard to believe that a full
year has passed since Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drove his head
into a Chrysler New Yorker. (Nod to ESPN's NFL Live for reminding
us of it.) Roethlisberger was seriously injured, and underwent
surgery to place multiple titanium plates in his face.
The event marred a protracted
celebration in the Steel City following the franchise's long-awaited "One for
the Thumb," and set the stage for a disappointing season in Pittsburgh.
But the younger-than-he-seems
Roethlisberger still has only three full seasons in the NFL, and Ben still has
plenty of years left. As long as he leaves the motorcycle at home -- or
brings the motorcycle helmet with him.
GIL BRANDT COMES CLEAN, KIND OF
NFL.com's Gil Brandt finally has
admitted (technically, "clarified") that he "failed to properly attribute"
(technically, "failed to attribute at all") information he had borrowed
(technically, "lifted") from the Pro Football Prospectus 2006, published
by our friends at FootballOutsiders.com.
Brandt gives no reason for the
delay in acknowledging that which was obvious to most folks with reasonable
intelligence and/or common sense. And he doesn't address at all the fact
that
he initially denied knowledge of the research to Gregg Easterbrook of
ESPN.com's Page 2.
Now, Brandt is singing a different
song. "I listed the number of college starts for several current and
former NFL quarterbacks to illustrate the point. While these numbers are
public domain, I had actually
seen this information in another source and failed to properly attribute
that source."
Though we're not in favor of
anyone getting fired (except that bastard who used to scarf up all of the Dolly
Madison chocolate pies from the machine in the break room), how does Brandt not
get run out the door for what amounts to plagiarism chased by a
bald-faced lie?
Looking at this a bit more
broadly, why would Brandt even use that information without attribution?
And why did he think no one would connect the dots -- especially since the
career at the Boston Globe of Ron Borges was derailed by something like
this earlier in the year?
Look, Brandt has a long history of
service to the NFL. But certain infractions seem to require certain
action, even if the guy who committed the violation has been around the business
longer than we've been on the planet.
POSTED 3:22
p.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
ANDRE RISON FACES BANKRUPTCY
OVER CHILD SUPPORT by
Michael David Smith
Former NFL receiver
Andre Rison is facing a court-ordered Chapter 11 bankruptcy to pay more than
$105,000 in back child support and other claims, the Associated Press
reports.
The 40-year-old Rison was a 1989 first-round draft pick who
played 12
years for the Colts, Falcons, Browns, Packers, Jaguars, Chiefs, and Raiders
and made five Pro Bowls, but his personal life usually overshadowed his on-field
success. He is probably best known for having his mansion torched by his
then-girlfriend, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of the musical group TLC.
The AP reports that a bankruptcy court petition shows that Rison owes child
support, attorney fees, and court administrative costs. His ex-wife, Tonja Rison,
is listed as one of the creditors, with a claim for more than $58,000 in child
support. An Atlanta law office is claiming $46,000 in unpaid legal fees for
seeking child support from Rison for two children by a girlfriend. Even the
Genesee County friend of the court is getting in on the action, requesting $400
in administrative fees.
Rison made several million dollars
in his NFL career, including a
$5 million signing bonus from the Browns in 1995. Neither Rison nor his
attorney have commented publicly on the bankruptcy order.
POSTED 1:09
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:38 p.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
PACMAN JONES DROPS APPEAL, WILL
SERVE SUSPENSION by
Michael David Smith
The agent for Titans cornerback
Adam "Pacman" Jones said today that Jones will drop his appeal and serve the
one-year suspension imposed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his repeated
off-field misconduct.
Agent Michael Huyghue released the
following
statement from Jones to the
Nashville City Paper:
"Last week I asked for an opportunity to speak privately with Commissioner
Goodell. I met with him earlier today to tell him about the steps I have taken
to change my life since being suspended from the National Football League.
"I accept the discipline that has been imposed on me, and I told the
Commissioner today that I am withdrawing my appeal. I understand my
responsibilities to my teammates, the Tennessee Titans, and our fans, and I am
committed to turning my life around and being a positive member of the NFL going
forward."
It sounds as
though Jones' decision to drop his appeal is an attempt to curry favor with Goodell,
who has already said he would consider reducing Jones' suspension to 10 games if
Jones shows that he is taking positive steps with his life. Perhaps Jones
calculated that an appeal was unlikely to be successful and that dropping the
appeal would convince Goodell that he was taking responsibility for his actions.
POSTED 12:45 p.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
WILL ODELL THURMAN GET ANOTHER
CHANCE? by Michael David
Smith
For a brief time last week, it
looked like Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was in trouble again. Two men
initially claimed Thurman had committed acts of criminal trespass, aggravated
assault and pointing a gun, but
then they quickly withdrew their complaint.
If those allegations had held up,
it probably would have been the final nail in Thurman's coffin, as far as NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell was concerned. Thurman was already serving a one-year
suspension, and if we've learned anything about Goodell since he became
Commissioner, it's that he's not going to put up with players who continually
make the league look bad with their off-field behavior.
But now that Thurman is in the
clear as far as those allegations are concerned, he's looking to get back into
the league. And Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that
Thurman has applied for
reinstatement.
Schefter reports that the league
usually takes four to six weeks to decide whether to reinstate a player, and
that the soonest Thurman could come off suspension is July 11. That means
Thurman and the Bengals should know before training camp whether he'll be part
of the team in 2007.
Even if the league lets Thurman
back in for training camp, though, that doesn't mean he'll make the Bengals'
roster in September. Although Thurman had a very good rookie year in 2005, he
hasn't played football in a year and a half, and during his long layoff, he has
presumably had higher priorities than staying in shape, like dealing with drunk
driving charges in February.
That means Thurman is no sure
thing to be wearing an NFL uniform in three months. But given the raw talent
Thurman showed as a rookie before his personal problems got the better of him,
it's hard to imagine that some NFL team won't give him a second chance -- as
long as Goodell allows it.
POSTED 11:47
a.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
APPARENTLY USA TODAY FORGOT THE
NFL EXISTS by Michael David
Smith
The NFL is by far America's most
popular sports league, and it has been for at least the last quarter-century. So
you'd think that when USA Today decided (as part of the paper's own 25th
anniversary) to list the
Top 25 sports
moments of the last 25 years, the NFL would be heavily represented.
Well, it isn't. USA Today's
Top 25 list includes not a single story that is directly related to the NFL, and
only one (the O.J. Simpson murder trial) that is even tangentially related to
the NFL.
Lists like this should never be
taken too seriously, but this list is particularly ridiculous. It includes nine
entries from Major League Baseball, including four of the top six. The biggest
story in sports in the last 25 years, according to USA Today? The Boston
Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series.
USA Today
could have listed the way the NFL has changed the television landscape, with
huge rights contracts, the establishment of the satellite television Sunday
Ticket package, or the emergence of NFL Network. It could have mentioned the way
the NFL took the lead in putting the sports world aside after 9/11, or the death
of former Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman. It could have mentioned teams moving
from city to city, the owners hiring replacement players when the union went on
strike, the NFL's emergence as the victor in a struggle with the USFL, or, if it
wanted something on the field, the dynasties in San Francisco, Dallas, and New
England.
The paper mentioned none of those
things. But at least it found room for the 1999 Women's World Cup.
POSTED 8:43
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:34 a.m. EDT, June 12, 2007
DEMARCO IS THE WRONG POSTER BOY
The name Brian DeMarco recently
has surfaced as one of the former NFL players whose on-field injuries have left
him disabled and destitute. The folks targeting the NFLPA and executive
director Gene Upshaw needed a compelling poster boy to give life to the cause,
especially since none of the current NFL players are going to stand up and ask
tough questions. And DeMarco seemed on the surface to be as good of a
candidate as anyone.
The problem, however, is that a
scratch or two at the surface reveals some potential flaws.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports
that the NFLPA produced on Monday night checks reflecting
contributions
of almost $10,000 that have been made to DeMarco over the past 12 months for
rent, utilities, and child support.
Earlier in the da