NFL Capsules: Source: Vick, Goodell met Wednesday in New Jersey
RICHMOND, Va. — Michael Vick might soon discover just who’s interested in giving him a second chance.
Two people familiar with the meeting confirmed the NFL commissioner, Vick, agent Joel Segal and two other members of the suspended quarterback’s team met Wednesday at a security firm in New Jersey. The two people requested anonymity because the league has not acknowledged the meeting.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to confirm the meeting when contacted by The Associated Press on Thursday and insisted no decisions on Vick’s future have been made.
"This is a serious matter," Aiello said in an e-mail. "We are engaging in a careful and thoughtful process."
Roger Goodell told the AP on Tuesday, a day after Vick was released from federal custody, that he hoped to make a decision "in the near future."
Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted bankrolling the "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting operation. Goodell has said Vick must show remorse and signs that he has changed before he would consider reinstating him.
SI.com first reported the meeting at Buckley Petersen Global Inc. in Allendale.
Earlier Thursday, Vick’s Virginia-based attorney Lawrence Woodward denied reports that Vick spent his first night of freedom at a Virginia Beach strip club.
"It is absolutely, categorically false," Woodward told the AP.
An Internet blogger reported Vick was seen at the strip club Atlantis on Monday night, hours after the electronic monitoring device he wore for two months under home confinement was removed. Woodward said Vick was not in Virginia Beach that night and was not at any strip club.
"He has been spending time with his family and friends and working with his advisers on legal matters and trying to get back to playing football," Woodward said.
Vick also denied the reports in an interview with the Daily Press of Newport News.
"That’s crazy," he told his hometown newspaper. "That is the last place on my mind. I was out of town. I guess it’s just someone trying to be hurtful."
Two dancers arriving at the club Thursday, who identified themselves as Tropical and Tara, said they did see Vick and NBA free agent Allen Iverson there Monday night.
Leon Rose, Iverson’s agent, said the basketball star hasn’t seen Vick since his release from prison.
Roethlisberger says he’ll fight rape allegations
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger vowed Thursday to fight a Lake Tahoe casino hostess’ rape allegations against him, calling them "false and vicious."
Roethlisberger was served with a civil lawsuit last weekend when he returned to Lake Tahoe, where a 31-year-old Nevada woman alleges the quarterback raped her in a hotel penthouse in July 2008. Roethlisberger was in Nevada on both occasions to compete in a celebrity golf event.
The woman did not file a criminal complaint.
"Saturday was the first I heard of her accusations," Roethlisberger said. "Her false and vicious allegations are an attack on my family and on me. I would never, ever force myself on a woman."
In his first public comments on the matter, Roethlisberger read a statement at the Steelers practice complex in Pittsburgh. Dressed in a brown pinstriped suit with no tie, Roethlisberger spoke for less than two minutes and did not respond to questions.
Roethlisberger was accompanied by Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin; his agent, Ryan Tollner; and his attorney, David Cornwell. They all left immediately after the statement was read.
Roethlisberger, who is not married, said he would fight what he called "outrageous allegations," but said he would not discuss his private life or the lawsuit in the media.
"The allegations against me are reckless and false," Roethlisberger said. "As much as I’d like to answer everyone’s questions, I’m going to respect the legal process and I’m confident that the truth will prevail."
The woman alleges she was working as a VIP casino host at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, and claims the rape took place in Roethlisberger’s room after he called her on a bogus complaint about the television.
According to the lawsuit, Harrah’s executives have been aware of the allegations for months. It says the woman’s lawyer, Cal Dunlap, sent a letter to Harrah’s executives on April 2 "informing them of the assault that had taken place on July 11, 2008." It also says Harrah’s lawyers responded on April 13 to "dissuade plaintiff from pressing claims against Roethlisberger... and Harrah’s."
Cornwell did not immediately return a telephone call or e-mail seeking comment.
Roethlisberger said he would remain focused on the upcoming season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Steelers begin their training camp on July 31 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, a town about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh.
Minutes after Roethlisberger finished his statement, NBA star Shaquille O’Neal walked into the media room in the Steelers’ headquarters. Roethlisberger is participating in O’Neal’s new reality TV series.
Roethlisberger canceled a news conference to promote the show, but ABC spokesman Edwin Escobar said in an e-mail Wednesday that filming is set for Friday. In the show "Shaq Vs." debuting Aug. 18, Roethlisberger is one of the athletes O’Neal will challenge in their respective sports.
Law enforcement officials in Nevada said Wednesday they do not plan to open a criminal investigation into the alleged incident. Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Teresa Duffy said the accuser would have to file a criminal complaint to trigger an investigation.
"The victim is the only one who can do that," Duffy told The Associated Press. "Unless there was a third party that actually witnessed the incident which, according to the civil case, was not the case here."
The lawsuit seeks a minimum of $440,000 in damages from the quarterback, at least $50,000 in damages from the Harrah’s officials and an unspecified amount of punitive damages.
The lawsuit says the woman didn’t file a criminal complaint because she feared Harrah’s would side with Roethlisberger and she would be fired. The suit doesn’t say whether the woman is still working for Harrah’s.
The suit also alleges hotel officials for Harrah’s Lake Tahoe went to great lengths to cover up the incident.
The lawsuit says the woman required hospitalization for treatment for depression after the alleged attack.
Earlier this week, Cornwell issued a statement on Roethlisberger’s behalf saying, "Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone. The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct."
Roethlisberger’s touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds to play lifted the Steelers to a 27-23 Super Bowl victory over the Arizona Cardinals in February. Roethlisberger is one of only two quarterbacks in NFL history, along with the Patriots’ Tom Brady, to win two Super Bowls by the age of 26.
-- Ramit Plushnick-Masti
NFL to start draft on Thursday in prime time
NEW YORK — The NFL is making its already popular draft even more television-friendly, moving the first round to Thursday night.
Next year’s draft will switch from a two-day, weekend format to a three-day event with the opening round in prime time for the first time.
The NFL said Thursday that the first round will begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT on April 22. The second and third rounds will start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, with the last four rounds beginning Saturday morning.
"Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a release.
The draft will continue to be televised by ESPN and NFL Network and held at Radio City Music Hall.
Over the years, it has evolved from a mostly unnoticed affair to a major TV event. The draft took place on Saturday-Sunday from 1995-2009 and Sunday-Monday from 1988-94. Before that, it was held on one or two weekdays.
A total of 39 million viewers watched the draft this year.
The NFL said the first round lasted just under 3½ hours in 2009, which would fit in neatly into a prime-time slot.
Vikings sign Winfield to 5-year extension
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Antoine Winfield watched last season as veterans Darren Sharper and Matt Birk played out the final year of their contracts and then left Minnesota without extensions. He wondered if he was next.
The Vikings answered emphatically on Thursday, signing the Pro Bowl cornerback to a five-year deal that includes $16 million in guaranteed money.
"It feels great," Winfield said. "I’ve got no worries. I’m excited."
Winfield was heading into the final year of his contract and the sometimes contentious negotiations broke off at one point during the summer. It was starting to look a lot like the experiences of Sharper, who left to sign with the New Orleans Saints, and Birk, who declined an offer from the Vikings to head to Baltimore.
Winfield skipped the team’s optional workouts this summer. He also missed a mandatory minicamp in June.
The problem, according to Winfield’s agent, was the uniqueness of this deal. Winfield is 32 years old and heading into his 11th season in the NFL, which is typically the beginning of the end of a career for a cornerback.
"We just had a tough time putting this thing together because we didn’t have anything to go by," Ashanti Webb said.
Webb looked all the way back to negotiations between the Washington Redskins and Darrell Green, the ageless defensive back who played at a high level for 20 seasons. He used that to build a framework for the deal.
"It was never a situation where they didn’t want to do it or we didn’t want to do it," Webb said. "It really was unprecedented."
Winfield is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. He had 95 tackles, four forced fumbles, two interceptions and two sacks last season to help the Vikings to the NFC North title and earn his first Pro Bowl nomination.
Despite putting his body through plenty of punishment as one of the hardest hitting cornerbacks in the NFL, the 5-foot-9 Winfield says he has plenty of football left in him with training camp beginning next week.
"I feel great," Winfield said. "I’ve been working out down in Houston the last six weeks. I have no injuries, a clear mind. I’ve been playing this game a long time and I have a lot left in me."
Winfield already is a rarity in one respect. The Vikings signed him away from Buffalo in 2004, and he has been more productive with each successive season.
The new deal allows the Vikings to keep a valued leader in the locker room and one of the most physical cornerbacks in the league while also allowing Winfield to stay in a place, and a defense, where he has flourished.
"That was the goal," Winfield said. "I’ve been here since ‘04. I’m very comfortable with my teammates, the coaches, the city. It gives me an opportunity to win a championship."
If Winfield completes the new deal, which runs through 2013, he could earn as much as $36 million if he retains his starting position and reaches certain incentives.
With the deal done, Winfield can concentrate on going after the title that has eluded him for 10 years. The Vikings lost in the first round of the playoffs to Philadelphia last season, but Winfield said they expect to contend for the NFC crown this year.
"We have all the pieces in place," Winfield said. "We have no excuses."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Childress has no expectations on Favre
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — When it comes to Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress knows not to take anything for granted.
A week before training camp opens, Childress is still waiting to hear if Favre will join the Vikings as their quarterback. With Favre still working out in Mississippi and reports coming daily on his intended announcement date, the health of his arm and even his state of mind, Childress said he really doesn't know what Favre will decide to do.
"I don't have any allusions as to whether it's 'I'm in' or 'I'm out,'" Childress told The Associated Press on Thursday. "You guys would probably say it's not a matter of if, it's when. But I've always said he's not going to do it unless he can do it at the level he wants to be able to do it at. We'll see."
With such a potentially season-changing decision still hanging in the balance, one would think the coach would be on pins and needles waiting for an answer. Will he have a three-time MVP under center next season or have to decide between unproven veterans Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson?
But during a 30-minute interview, Childress appeared relaxed, at ease and somewhat bemused by the hysteria surrounding Favre's second dalliance with unretirement.
"We'll be a good football team either way," Childress said.
Jackson and Rosenfels both have inconsistent resumes, leading many to say the Vikings are a quarterback away from being a legitimate contender in the wide-open NFC.
Shortly after the New York Jets released Favre, the Vikings started talking to him about the possibility of coming out of retirement for a second straight season to help a team with a stingy, veteran defense and star running back Adrian Peterson take a run at the Super Bowl.
There is plenty of incentive for the former Packer, who spent 16 seasons in Green Bay as public enemy No. 1 with the NFC North-rival Vikings. After an acrimonious split with the Packers, joining the Vikings would give Favre two chances to exact direct revenge on Green Bay for moving ahead with Aaron Rodgers and trading him to the Jets.
But Favre had surgery in May to alleviate a torn biceps tendon and is still trying to decide if that famous rocket arm of his, which will turn 40 in October, can withstand a 19th season in the NFL.
All the will-he-or-won't-he drama has created a circus-like atmosphere around Childress, who prides himself on what he calls a "flat-line" temperament.
He said he is not concerned about the story line being a distraction to his players or the coaches and said he is fully prepared to open camp with Favre or without him.
When asked if the uncertainty is hard on the players, Childress said he thought that was "overrated."
"Let's be honest. One position it's hard on," he said, referring to the quarterbacks. "Is it any harder on them than it is on the receivers when you drafted Percy Harvin?"
It would be hard to imagine that it is not.
While Harvin's arrival from Florida has brought some attention to the receiving corps, Favre is an altogether different animal.
Whatever he does, or doesn't do, on a daily basis constitutes news these days. Jackson and Rosenfels were hounded through offseason workouts by questions about Favre's possible arrival and still don't know their standing on the team seven days before they report for camp.
That, Childress says, is "the nature of the beast." Be it at the conclusion of the season in February, shortly before the draft in April or a week before training camp in July, the roster will continue to be evaluated and moves will be contemplated.
"Things are fluid," the coach said. "We look at (our roster) every day. That doesn't change now."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Current, former Saints sue movie studio
NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans Saints linebacker and two former players sued a film studio Thursday to try to get their money back from investments they say were never made.
Current Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, former punter Mitch Berger and recently cut Saints long snapper Kevin Houser are seeking the return of $468,750 invested with the studio’s head, Wayne H. Read. Read was not named personally in the petition. They filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against Louisiana Film Studios LLC, located in a New Orleans suburb.
Coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning were among 27 people who bought what they thought were state film industry tax credits that promised a projected return of $1.33 for each dollar invested. A state official, however, said the studio never applied for them. The investments, which totaled $1.9 million, were due to be paid on March 31.
Also joining the lawsuit was a construction company half-owned by Houser’s wife, claiming that the studio owes it $681,418 for work done on a renovated grocery warehouse that Louisiana Film Studios leases. Two other investors in the tax credits made claims totaling $134,000.
Under bankruptcy law, anyone with a claim against the studio can join the lawsuit. Under involuntary bankruptcy, creditors will try to obtain a court ruling that the studio is unable to pay its debts. After that, the case would be handled under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy law, which would require reorganization of the studio’s debt and payment to its creditors.
Neither Read, who does not have a listed telephone number, nor his spokesman, Alan Katz, could be reached by telephone for comment late Thursday. A message was left with Katz. Read earlier said he intended to repay the investors after he finds other investors for his project or through tax credits purchased from a broker.
Read said money became tight because of higher-than-expected expenses and lower-than-expected revenue during the project’s startup.
The head of the state office that promotes film industry development in Louisiana and administers the program, Sherri McConnell, earlier said the studio didn’t have the credits to offer in the first place — because it never applied for them.
Read has other financial problems from his venture into the movie business.
In addition to a lawsuit filed in state court by the construction company, St. John the Baptist Parish alleges that Read owes $100,000 for the use of its community center for a movie in 2007. Read has said he also intends to repay that money and settle with the construction company.
Manning earlier told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans that he had been contacted by the FBI. Houser said he had talked with a law enforcement agency that he refused to identify. Both the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have refused to confirm or deny an investigation.
-- Alan Sayre
Redskins sign 3rd-round pick Barnes, cut 2
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Redskins signed third-round draft pick Kevin Barnes to a four-year deal with a $782,500 bonus.
Barnes is a cornerback who played at Maryland and was the 80th overall pick in April.
Also Thursday, the Redskins cut two rookie free agents: defensive end Derek Walker of Illinois, and wide receiver Jaison Williams of Oregon.
Barnes started all 20 games he played over the last two seasons at Maryland.
He posted the highest score (41) on the Wonderlic logic-thinking test given to prospects at this year’s NFL Combine and is also well-known for a big hit that became an Internet sensation. Barnes leveled California’s Jahvid Best last season, leaving Best on the ground several minutes before the running back vomited.
Broncos sign draft picks Quinn, McKinley
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos have signed second-round draft pick Richard Quinn and fifth-round pick Kenny McKinley.
Terms of the deals announced Thursday were not disclosed.
Quinn was highly regarded for his blocking skills at North Carolina, where the tight end had 12 receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns in 34 games.
McKinley is a wide receiver who set records with 207 receptions and 2,781 receiving yards at South Carolina. He played in 47 games and had 19 touchdowns.
Patriots sign 6 draft picks
FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots have signed six draft picks, including defensive lineman Ron Brace and offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer, two of the team’s four second-round selections.
The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Brace, from Boston College, could provide insurance if the Pats do not re-sign nose tackle Vince Wilfork, whose contract expires after the season.
Vollmer (6-8, 315) grew up in Germany and didn’t play football until he was 14.
The Patriots also announced the signings of third-round pick Brandon Tate, a receiver from North Carolina; fifth-round pick offensive lineman George Bussey; sixth-round pick defensive lineman Myron Pryor; and seventh-round pick Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State but will move to receiver.
Son of ex-Miami Dolphins owner pleads not guilty
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The attorney for the son of former Miami Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga says his client has pleaded not guilty to boating under the influence and refusing to take a sobriety test in South Florida.
Attorney J. David Bogenschutz says 47-year-old Robert Ray Huizenga was in court Thursday.
Officers responding to a burglary call in Fort Lauderdale on Monday night found Huizenga aboard a boat at the scene. Police noted that his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol.
Bogenschutz says he will probably make a request that Huizenga be released on bond before his next court date.
Huizenga was on probation for a 2003 DUI that left a man injured and for failure to submit to a sobriety test. Bogenschutz says his client denied that he violated his probation.
NFLPA joins Obama public service call
WASHINGTON — The NFL players’ union is joining President Barack Obama’s national service initiative.
The president says NFL players have a unique opportunity as role models and he applauds them for answering the call to service through the "United We Serve" program. The program is aimed at getting people to tackle a variety of problems.
The NFLPA released a video Thursday featuring players and their service. Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he is rebuilding his community. Texans offensive lineman Chester Pitts is assisting single fathers and Rams linebacker Chris Draft is helping families lead healthy lifestyles.
Obama said their example shows that the "toughest of athletes or the youngest of fans" can make a difference in communities.
