HEAV
03-31-2005, 06:13 AM
The top-ranking Democrat on the congressional panel looking into steroids in baseball wants to expand the inquiry to the NFL. In light of a report that three Carolina Panthers players filled prescriptions for banned steroids, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the House Committee on Government Reform should move on to pro football. "The reports that football players have used steroids raise important issues about the effectiveness of the NFL drug-testing policy," Waxman said in a statement Wednesday. "The committee should examine the new allegations as part of its investigation into steroid use in sports."
The 49ers had free-agent wide receiver David Boston in for an interview Tuesday. Mike Nolan said he wanted to get to know the oft-injured, oft-troubled but talented pass catcher. He also said he is in no hurry to make a move on Boston until after the draft -- if at all. "We had a very good meeting,'' Nolan said. "We talked in depth and in detail about a lot of things. When he's performed, he's performed well. But there's also a bigger picture about how I want our team to look. We don't want individuals. David expressed to me he would not be an individual if he were to come here.''
The Bucs still could use another veteran receiver in the rotation and have turned their attention to free agent Curtis Conway. Conway, a veteran of 13 seasons, is due to visit with the Bucs today. It is unclear how long he will be at One Buc Place. Known as a down-field threat, Conway played for the 49ers in 2004. He caught 38 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns, but was used in a limited role as the team began focussing on younger receivers.
The Dolphins are expected to entertain their first wide receiver on a free-agent visit this offseason when Tampa Bay's Charles Lee meets Monday with team officials. A five-year NFL veteran, Lee has started eight games the past two seasons with the Buccaneers and finished with a combined total of 48 catches for 639 yards and two touchdowns. Lee, who also has drawn interest from Cleveland, could fill the roster spot created when wide receiver David Boston was released earlier this month. The Dolphins had expressed some interest earlier this offseason in ex-New York Giants wide receiver Ike Hilliard, but no free-agent visit was scheduled.
Pats coach Bill Belichick took questions from students, and it wasn't long before he was asked about Tedy Bruschi. ``He comes in regularly, he's there every day,'' Belichick said. ``It was a serious situation and he's getting better. The comments he's made on it, I wouldn't have anything else to add. Tedy is Tedy. He's an upbeat guy. He has a smile on his face like he always does.''
The trade of Reuben Droughns is another indication that Tatum Bell will get the opportunity to be the next 1,000- yard rusher for the Broncos. One of the reasons the Broncos granted Droughns' request - and why he asked for it in the first place - is because they had decided Bell will get first crack at being the team's primary tailback in 2005.
Former Tennessee Titans tackle Matt Martin will visit the New York Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday. Martin was not tendered by the Titans at the beginning of free agency, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Giants are looking for depth at tackle, and Martin can play both the left and right sides. The former Kansas State tackle spent the 2004 season rehabbing a shoulder injury that required surgery and landed him on the waived/injured list. He says that now he is ready for the next phase of his NFL career.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said that the NFL began testing for steroids 16 years ago; 54 players have been suspended for a minimum of four games for testing positive, forfeiting a quarter of their yearly salary. Another 57 players over the same span also tested positive for steroids, but they were either cut by their teams or retired and never were in the league long enough after the positive test to be suspended. No player who has tested positive once for steroid use was ever tested positive a second time, he said.
A jury selected after three days of questioning can expect to hear today an audiotape of the arrest of Rams defensive end Leonard Little last year in Ladue on charges of drunken driving and speeding. According to court records, the arresting officer, Gregory Stork, turned on a microphone after he stopped Little's car and recorded briefly the events that led to Little's arrest. Stork was in the hallway of the Clayton courthouse most of the afternoon waiting for prosecutor Mark Bishop to call him as the key witness in the trial. Jury selection took longer than expected, and Stork was told to return today, with opening statements in the trial scheduled for 9 a.m. Based upon questions he posed to potential jurors, defense attorney Scott Rosenblum apparently will ask Stork at length about the methodology and procedures that Stork, a 13-year police veteran, used to
The chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has thrown his support behind the Jets' $720 million bid for the rights to build a stadium over its railyards on the West Side of Manhattan, all but assuring that the authority's board will approve a sale to the team at its meeting this morning, according to two people who spoke yesterday with the chairman, Peter S. Kalikow. The team's proposal has been championed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who sees the stadium as the centerpiece of the city's effort to lure the 2012 Olympics.
Bills president Tom Donahoe discounted Travis Henry’s threat to sit out if he’s not traded, saying the running back would seriously hurt his career if he missed next season. “I have heard every threat that there is,” Donahoe told Sirius NFL Radio. “It’s just that time of year where people posture. But to take the year off and not play football, that is professional suicide.”
With the National Football League draft a little more than three weeks away, the Vikings are not favoring any particular position with their No. 7 overall pick, coach Mike Tice said Wednesday. "We're wide open. We could draft any position with our No. 7 pick except quarterback," Tice said. "Really, we are truly wide open. We plan to draft the best player we can find, regardless of position."
As he tries to decide whether to return to the Chiefs for a 13th season or retire, guard Will Shields has plenty of factors pulling him in either direction. Shields is still playing well, as last year's selection to a 10th straight Pro Bowl shows. Since he won't turn 34 until September, Shields is relatively young. He hasn't missed a game since joining the NFL with the Chiefs in 1993 — and that streak of 192 games means more to Shields than he lets on publicly. But what else does Shields have left to prove? The only thing, perhaps, is that he can be a part of a championship team. The Chiefs haven't won a playoff game since Shields' rookie season, and that prospect for this year doesn't look promising in light of their 2004 record of 7-9.
Pats coach Bill Belichick talked of a breakthrough moment from the 2004 season. ``It was the dog days of camp, everyone was tired, sore, and the players were sick of me,'' he said. ``I was walking out to practice with Matt Light [news], and you know, as an offensive tackle Matt Light never touches the ball. Well, he was trying to butter me up and he told me, `You know coach, if we get a day off, you'll probably get a better effort out of us.' ``So I said to Matt, `That may be true, but it doesn't work that way. You have to earn it. Nothing is given to you.' So he then asked how the team could earn it, and I told him we'd kick him one legitimate punt and if he catches it, they'll have the night off and no practice in the morning. But if he didn't, it would be 20 extra sprints and we'd be right on schedule. ``There was an eruption and togetherness that came from that moment (when he caught it). We had some great celebrations, some great moments - the Pittsburgh game, Indianapolis - but there was no team-building moment that was close to that.''
Toward the end of his speech - which included several behind-the-scenes stories from his five-year tenure with the Patriots - Bill Belichick explained the P-A-T in Patriots stands for preparation, attitude and teamwork. It's that philosophy, he said, that has helped the Patriots win three of the last four Super Bowls.
Defensive end Rodney Bailey is back there this week, getting a head start on the Pats' offseason conditioning program, which begins Monday for all players. Bailey was the Pats' prize restricted free agent signing last April, but when he tore his Achilles while making a pass-rushing move during training camp, his spot in the defensive line rotation was lost. Now the former Steeler is starting over, and he sees himself as part of a unit still very much on the way up. ``We have a lot of youth, a lot of good youth, but the thing is we can still get better,'' Bailey said. ``That's the best part.''
Dolphins DE Jay Williams, a member of the Rams' Super Bowl XXXIV championship squad, signed a three-year, $2.65 million deal, including a $300,000 signing bonus, to return to St. Louis. "I always wanted to come back," Williams said Wednesday. "I wanted to come back here when (Carolina) was thinking about trading me down to Miami. Either KC or here, with Dickie V or coach Mike Martz. Both guys I've played for, and it's two great organizations."
The Jaguars have looked at one other player this week, wide receiver Alex Bannister, a four-year veteran who was drafted in the fifth round out of Eastern Kentucky in 2001. Bannister, 25, is noted as a good special teams player who played for Seattle's last two special teams coaches, Pete Rodriguez and Mark Michaels, who are now both with the Jaguars.
The 49ers had free-agent wide receiver David Boston in for an interview Tuesday. Mike Nolan said he wanted to get to know the oft-injured, oft-troubled but talented pass catcher. He also said he is in no hurry to make a move on Boston until after the draft -- if at all. "We had a very good meeting,'' Nolan said. "We talked in depth and in detail about a lot of things. When he's performed, he's performed well. But there's also a bigger picture about how I want our team to look. We don't want individuals. David expressed to me he would not be an individual if he were to come here.''
The Bucs still could use another veteran receiver in the rotation and have turned their attention to free agent Curtis Conway. Conway, a veteran of 13 seasons, is due to visit with the Bucs today. It is unclear how long he will be at One Buc Place. Known as a down-field threat, Conway played for the 49ers in 2004. He caught 38 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns, but was used in a limited role as the team began focussing on younger receivers.
The Dolphins are expected to entertain their first wide receiver on a free-agent visit this offseason when Tampa Bay's Charles Lee meets Monday with team officials. A five-year NFL veteran, Lee has started eight games the past two seasons with the Buccaneers and finished with a combined total of 48 catches for 639 yards and two touchdowns. Lee, who also has drawn interest from Cleveland, could fill the roster spot created when wide receiver David Boston was released earlier this month. The Dolphins had expressed some interest earlier this offseason in ex-New York Giants wide receiver Ike Hilliard, but no free-agent visit was scheduled.
Pats coach Bill Belichick took questions from students, and it wasn't long before he was asked about Tedy Bruschi. ``He comes in regularly, he's there every day,'' Belichick said. ``It was a serious situation and he's getting better. The comments he's made on it, I wouldn't have anything else to add. Tedy is Tedy. He's an upbeat guy. He has a smile on his face like he always does.''
The trade of Reuben Droughns is another indication that Tatum Bell will get the opportunity to be the next 1,000- yard rusher for the Broncos. One of the reasons the Broncos granted Droughns' request - and why he asked for it in the first place - is because they had decided Bell will get first crack at being the team's primary tailback in 2005.
Former Tennessee Titans tackle Matt Martin will visit the New York Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday. Martin was not tendered by the Titans at the beginning of free agency, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Giants are looking for depth at tackle, and Martin can play both the left and right sides. The former Kansas State tackle spent the 2004 season rehabbing a shoulder injury that required surgery and landed him on the waived/injured list. He says that now he is ready for the next phase of his NFL career.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said that the NFL began testing for steroids 16 years ago; 54 players have been suspended for a minimum of four games for testing positive, forfeiting a quarter of their yearly salary. Another 57 players over the same span also tested positive for steroids, but they were either cut by their teams or retired and never were in the league long enough after the positive test to be suspended. No player who has tested positive once for steroid use was ever tested positive a second time, he said.
A jury selected after three days of questioning can expect to hear today an audiotape of the arrest of Rams defensive end Leonard Little last year in Ladue on charges of drunken driving and speeding. According to court records, the arresting officer, Gregory Stork, turned on a microphone after he stopped Little's car and recorded briefly the events that led to Little's arrest. Stork was in the hallway of the Clayton courthouse most of the afternoon waiting for prosecutor Mark Bishop to call him as the key witness in the trial. Jury selection took longer than expected, and Stork was told to return today, with opening statements in the trial scheduled for 9 a.m. Based upon questions he posed to potential jurors, defense attorney Scott Rosenblum apparently will ask Stork at length about the methodology and procedures that Stork, a 13-year police veteran, used to
The chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has thrown his support behind the Jets' $720 million bid for the rights to build a stadium over its railyards on the West Side of Manhattan, all but assuring that the authority's board will approve a sale to the team at its meeting this morning, according to two people who spoke yesterday with the chairman, Peter S. Kalikow. The team's proposal has been championed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who sees the stadium as the centerpiece of the city's effort to lure the 2012 Olympics.
Bills president Tom Donahoe discounted Travis Henry’s threat to sit out if he’s not traded, saying the running back would seriously hurt his career if he missed next season. “I have heard every threat that there is,” Donahoe told Sirius NFL Radio. “It’s just that time of year where people posture. But to take the year off and not play football, that is professional suicide.”
With the National Football League draft a little more than three weeks away, the Vikings are not favoring any particular position with their No. 7 overall pick, coach Mike Tice said Wednesday. "We're wide open. We could draft any position with our No. 7 pick except quarterback," Tice said. "Really, we are truly wide open. We plan to draft the best player we can find, regardless of position."
As he tries to decide whether to return to the Chiefs for a 13th season or retire, guard Will Shields has plenty of factors pulling him in either direction. Shields is still playing well, as last year's selection to a 10th straight Pro Bowl shows. Since he won't turn 34 until September, Shields is relatively young. He hasn't missed a game since joining the NFL with the Chiefs in 1993 — and that streak of 192 games means more to Shields than he lets on publicly. But what else does Shields have left to prove? The only thing, perhaps, is that he can be a part of a championship team. The Chiefs haven't won a playoff game since Shields' rookie season, and that prospect for this year doesn't look promising in light of their 2004 record of 7-9.
Pats coach Bill Belichick talked of a breakthrough moment from the 2004 season. ``It was the dog days of camp, everyone was tired, sore, and the players were sick of me,'' he said. ``I was walking out to practice with Matt Light [news], and you know, as an offensive tackle Matt Light never touches the ball. Well, he was trying to butter me up and he told me, `You know coach, if we get a day off, you'll probably get a better effort out of us.' ``So I said to Matt, `That may be true, but it doesn't work that way. You have to earn it. Nothing is given to you.' So he then asked how the team could earn it, and I told him we'd kick him one legitimate punt and if he catches it, they'll have the night off and no practice in the morning. But if he didn't, it would be 20 extra sprints and we'd be right on schedule. ``There was an eruption and togetherness that came from that moment (when he caught it). We had some great celebrations, some great moments - the Pittsburgh game, Indianapolis - but there was no team-building moment that was close to that.''
Toward the end of his speech - which included several behind-the-scenes stories from his five-year tenure with the Patriots - Bill Belichick explained the P-A-T in Patriots stands for preparation, attitude and teamwork. It's that philosophy, he said, that has helped the Patriots win three of the last four Super Bowls.
Defensive end Rodney Bailey is back there this week, getting a head start on the Pats' offseason conditioning program, which begins Monday for all players. Bailey was the Pats' prize restricted free agent signing last April, but when he tore his Achilles while making a pass-rushing move during training camp, his spot in the defensive line rotation was lost. Now the former Steeler is starting over, and he sees himself as part of a unit still very much on the way up. ``We have a lot of youth, a lot of good youth, but the thing is we can still get better,'' Bailey said. ``That's the best part.''
Dolphins DE Jay Williams, a member of the Rams' Super Bowl XXXIV championship squad, signed a three-year, $2.65 million deal, including a $300,000 signing bonus, to return to St. Louis. "I always wanted to come back," Williams said Wednesday. "I wanted to come back here when (Carolina) was thinking about trading me down to Miami. Either KC or here, with Dickie V or coach Mike Martz. Both guys I've played for, and it's two great organizations."
The Jaguars have looked at one other player this week, wide receiver Alex Bannister, a four-year veteran who was drafted in the fifth round out of Eastern Kentucky in 2001. Bannister, 25, is noted as a good special teams player who played for Seattle's last two special teams coaches, Pete Rodriguez and Mark Michaels, who are now both with the Jaguars.