NFL Capsules: Saints lose money in tax credit investment

NEW ORLEANS - At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million.

Kevin Houser, cut Monday as the team's long snapper after eight years, said Thursday he and at least 26 others bought what they thought were state film industry tax credits from Louisiana Film Studios in suburban New Orleans. A state official, however, said the studio that offered the credits never applied for them.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of one of the proposals Thursday from a person whose client was approached with the offer. The person requested anonymity because the client had not given approval to discuss it. The proposal, titled Investment/Tax Credit Purchase Agreement, said the studio would repay the investors in the form of "state infrastructure tax credits" no later than March 31.

A list of investors accompanied the proposal - including their investment totals - and identified 27 people. The document put the total amount of investments at just under $1.9 million.

Among them are defensive lineman Charles Grant, with a $425,000 investment; Brees, $100,000; Payton, $144,000; former punter Mitch Berger, $250,000; and tight end Jeremy Shockey, $80,000.

Manning, Payton and Tom Condon, the agent for Brees, did not return calls or e-mails seeking comment.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said the team would have no comment.

The news was first reported by The Times-Picayune of New Orleans.

Houser, who said he invested $125,000, said investors were told if the credits were not delivered by March 31, "the money would be returned" to them. Houser said the money hasn't been returned by studio chief executive Wayne Read and demands for repayment have gone unanswered.

Read could not be reached for comment Thursday. His office said he was out of town. The studio chief told The Times-Picayune, in a story published Thursday, that the company was not selling tax credits but was taking money with a pledge to provide a return in the form of tax credits.

But the head of the state office that promotes film industry development in Louisiana and administers the program told the AP the studio didn't have the credits to offer in the first place - because it never applied for them.

"They never submitted the required documents to receive tax credits," said Sherri McConnell, director of the Office of Entertainment Industry Development.

Read told the newspaper he is talking to other potential investors, and money raised from them would be used to return at least the original investments associated with the tax credits deal.

Houser said he "absolutely" felt he had been defrauded. But his involvement with Read and the film studio went beyond the investments, court documents show.

According to a lawsuit filed in state court in suburban Jefferson Parish, where both the studio and the Saints are based, 47 Construction Co., owned by Houser's wife, Kristen, and a partner, Toni Wendel, claims Read has not paid the company $681,418 for renovation work done on the studio.

Houser said the company's operations were managed by his wife and her partner. "I was considered to be the intern there," he said.

Asked if he felt Read had used him as a promoter of the credits, Houser said: "We have done tax credits, both myself and my wife and other people around the state of Louisiana."

Despite involving other Saints in the deal, Houser said no one from the team had confronted him about the potential losses.

"Everyone I spoke with that was involved was very supportive and very disappointed, but understood that my wife and myself were in the same position," he said.

When he was cut, Payton said "they wanted to upgrade the position," Houser said.

Houser said law enforcement officials had contacted him about the investments, but he refused to identify the agency. McConnell said her office had not been contacted by investigators. Both the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans refused to confirm or deny any investigation Thursday.

Houser's attorney, Rob Couhig, said he and Houser were discussing legal options.

"He thought there was no question that there were tax credits out there, and they only had to go through certain formalities," Couhig said.

The plan for Louisiana Film Studios was to provide more than 500,000 square feet of space for movie sets, soundstages and other film production work, studio president Daniel Forman said during a March interview. Forman said plans called for six soundstages and work space for wardrobe, among other functions.

A person who answered the telephone at the studio Thursday said Forman was no longer employed by the company. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.

'Fridge' improving with help from family, friends

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Michael Dean Perry knows the day is coming when his good-natured, gap-toothed older brother nicknamed "The Fridge" will be back to his old, affable self.

But that will take some time and William Perry understands that, Michael Dean said. William, the former NFL defensive lineman famous for his smile and 360-pound size, spent more than a month at Aiken Regional Medical Center this spring, suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease where the body's immune system attacks its peripheral nerves.

Now each day Michael Dean visits William at the North Carolina rehab center - sometimes to encourage him and sometimes to participate in his lengthy recovery.

"Baby steps I call them," he said Wednesday, adding that William still was not up to granting interviews. "But we can see improvement."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, Guillain-Barre syndrome causes "...the loss of reflexes ... and paralysis of respiratory muscles also can occur. A small proportion of patients die, and 20 percent of hospitalized patients can have prolonged disability."

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says on its Web site that there's no known cure for Guillain-Barre.

Perry's Chicago Bears coach, Mike Ditka, saw something wrong in February when his former lineman showed up for an autograph session at Rosemont, Ill. Perry needed a wheelchair to get around and was 150 pounds lighter than when Ditka last saw him, said Ken Valdiserri, the Bears spokesman during Perry's time in Chicago and now president of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund.

Perry "did not look very good," Valdiserri said.

Charlie Timmerman, Perry's friend from Aiken, says Perry had been hospitalized before. This time, though, doctors thought it was much more serious.

In April, one of Perry's brothers, Daryl, stopped in to check on him and found his famous sibling weak and dehydrated. William was listed in serious condition when he was taken to the hospital, where he remained.

Michael Dean says his brother, always outgoing and friendly, was reticent to complain or ask for help. As a former athlete, Michael Dean said it's difficult to give in to the idea you are no longer invincible and perhaps that's what kept the 46-year-old William from seeking treatment sooner.

Perry, a rookie lineman, rose to stardom during the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl run. Perry was on TV screens everywhere, a smiling, gap-toothed pitchman for McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. He made a guest appearance on the hit television show, "The A-Team."

Perry played 10 NFL seasons before retiring.

"Someone of his stature, you always think of your vitality," said Michael Dean, who followed William to the NFL and became a six-time Pro Bowler with 61 sacks for Cleveland and Denver. "This opens your eyes."

Perry's doctors in Aiken saw his condition improve enough to release him in late May.

Valdiserri said Ditka and others in the Gridiron Greats organization attempted to bring Perry to Northwestern University's Memorial Hospital. However, it would've cost Perry about $350,000 for 8-to-12 weeks of necessary therapy.

Valdiserri says Northwestern helped secure a place for Perry at Carolinas Rehabilitation near Charlotte - at no cost, Valdiserri says - where Michael Dean and sister Patsy can monitor their brother and cajole him into sticking with his rehab.

William must undergo six to seven hours of speech and physical therapy each day to improve his deteriorated motor skills, Michael Dean says.

Once frail-looking at 200 pounds, "The Fridge" has found his appetite and is back up around 275, his brother said. "I don't know if that's a good thing," Michael Dean said with a laugh.

William will need another two to three weeks at the rehab center, then move to a nearby assisted living facility - Michael Dean declined to identify the location because of William's popularity - to continue his recovery. Michael Dean also wasn't sure when William might return to his life in Aiken.

Gridiron Greats has continued to monitor Perry's progress and used its medical assistance fund to help the Perrys with incidentals, Valdiserri said.

Timmerman, an Aiken veterinarian who grew up playing sports with the Perrys, began The Fridge Fund where well-wishers and fans could drop a note or donate to defray medical costs.

Valdiserri says people can also donate to the fund through Gridiron Greats.

Michael Dean vows his brother won't be left alone in making it back. "We're going to keep a good eye on him," he said.

-- Pete Iacobelli

Fla. judge won't release Stallworth crash video

MIAMI - A judge refused Thursday to release surveillance video depicting the moment a car driven by Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in a drunk-driving crash.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy said the privacy interests of the family of victim Mario Reyes outweighed the public's right to view the video. Several news organizations, including The Associated Press, made public records requests seeking release of the video.

"This is akin to autopsy photographs," Murphy said at a hearing, adding that the video would remain sealed "for the foreseeable future as far as I'm concerned."

Prosecutors said the video, recorded by a Florida Power & Light camera, shows Reyes running across MacArthur Causeway on March 14 and being struck by Stallworth's 2005 Bentley luxury car. On a recorded 911 call, Stallworth said that Reyes "came out of nowhere" before the crash.

A police report said Reyes, a construction crane operator just leaving his job, was rushing to catch a bus home when the crash occurred.

Tests later showed that Stallworth, who had been drinking that night at a swank Miami Beach nightclub, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.126, well above Florida's 0.08 legal limit. Stallworth's attorneys also have confirmed that blood tests showed traces of marijuana as well.

Stallworth, 29, is serving a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter, which will be followed by two years of house arrest, probation and other restrictions. Stallworth reached an undisclosed financial settlement with the Reyes family but has also been suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Stallworth attorney Christopher Lyons received permission from Murphy to view the video in the future. Because the video apparently shows that Reyes darted out into traffic, it could have a bearing on the ultimate punishment imposed on Stallworth by the NFL.

"If I do need to view the video, I would abide by any court order that there be no duplication," Lyons told the judge.

Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns before last season but was injured for much of the year. He has also played for New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans and was a college star at Tennessee.

-- Curt Anderson

Steelers owner Dan Rooney sworn as ambassador

PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney is making his first official trip as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, one day after being sworn in by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The State Department says Rooney is traveling to Dublin on Thursday and is to meet with Ireland President Mary McAleese on Friday.

By presenting his credentials to the Irish president, Rooney is officially recognized as the Irish ambassador. His first duty as ambassador will be to attend a Friday luncheon at the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland.

Rooney was a lifelong Republican who backed President Barack Obama during Pennsylvania's presidential primary last year. He campaigned for Obama in the western part of the state and helped him win Pennsylvania in November.

Jets LB Pace suspended by NFL for 4 games

NEW YORK - The NFL has suspended Jets linebacker Calvin Pace for four games without pay for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Pace will miss New York's first four games of the season and will be eligible to return for the Jets' Monday night game at Miami on Oct. 12.

In a statement issued by the team Thursday, Pace said the suspension is a result of taking an over-the-counter dietary supplement that he was unaware violated the NFL's policy.

Pace, in his second season with the Jets, is eligible to participate in preseason practices and games.

-- Dennis Waszak Jr.

Wash. state Ryan Leaf case dismissed

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A lawyer for former NFL and Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf says a fugitive action filed against Leaf in Whatcom County Superior Court in Washington state has been dismissed.

The Whatcom County prosecutor had filed an interstate fugitive case against Leaf after the former quarterback was arrested by federal Customs agents as he crossed the border from Canada in mid-June on his way to face drug and burglary charges in Texas.

Leaf posted bond in Bellingham, Wash., and continued on to Texas, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges there, posted bond and was given permission to return to his Vancouver, British Columbia, home.

Leaf had been ordered to return to Bellingham for a July 16 hearing, but his lawyer Jeffrey Lustick said Thursday that hearing has been canceled.

Lustick says Thursday's court action marks the end of Washington's involvement in the Leaf case.

CFL

CFL fines player for TD tribute to Michael Jackson

TORONTO - The Canadian Football League fined Toronto Argonauts receiver Arland Bruce for "excessive actions" during his tribute to Michael Jackson after scoring a touchdown.

Bruce was fined an undisclosed amount, the CFL announced Thursday.

After scoring on a 21-yard pass that put Toronto ahead 6-0, Bruce removed his helmet, shoulder pads and uniform top, then laid down in the end zone. Bruce said he was honoring the memory of Jackson by pretending to be buried.

Referees gave Bruce two objectionable conduct penalties for his actions in the game, which the Argonauts won 30-17 on Wednesday night.

"It's not always easy to draw that line, but when you remove your equipment to lay down and delay the game, like he did, that's where we draw the line," the CFL said.

Toronto coach Bart Andrus said "next time around he will celebrate in an appropriate manner."