Tillman will be honored at Cardinals opening game.
The Arizona Cardinals will honor Pat Tillman with a special halftime tribute during the first home game of the 2004 season. The tribute to the former Cardinals safety who was killed April 22 in Afghanistan while serving with the U.S. Army Rangers, also will recognize other Arizonans who have died in the line of duty. Arizona plays Super Bowl champion New England in the Cardinals' home opener on Sept. 19. Tillman earlier this summer posthumously was given the Audie Murphy Patriotism Award. His family has created a foundation "to honor Pat's memory and carry forward his legacy," said Marie Tillman, Pat's wife. "Our goal is to inspire and support others that live their lives with a similar spirit and strive for positive change."
posted by Anonymous @ 2:45 PM
Eagles sign linebacker Trotter
Trotter returned to the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year contract.
Trotter's deal, believed to be worth less than $1 million, is contingent upon his passing a physical on Thursday. Trotter, 27, spent the last two seasons with the Washington Redskins after playing four years for the Eagles and making the Pro Bowl twice. He left Philadelphia following a bitter contract dispute in 2002, but never lived up to the seven-year, $35 million contract he received from the Redskins. Trotter's role is uncertain. Mark Simoneau is listed as Philadelphia's starting middle linebacker, with Dhani Jones and Nate Wayne at the other two starting spots. Trotter led Washington with 129 tackles in 16 games last season. He had 104 tackles in 12 games in 2002, before going down with a knee injury. Trotter has 774 tackles, 10 1/2 sacks and four forced fumbles in his six-year career.
posted by Anonymous @ 2:39 PM
Ex-Packers player Jamal Reynolds trade falls through
Jamal Reynolds was waived Wednesday by the Green Bay Packers, who reacquired his rights after he failed a physical, voiding his trade to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Packers had sent the fourth-year defensive end, the 10th overall pick in the 2001 draft, to the Colts for a future draft pick on July 8.
If nobody claims him off waivers, the Packers will gain $667,250 of immediate salary cap relief and will take a $1.3 million hit next year. If another team claims Reynolds, the Packers will take a hit of $633,750 this year and nothing in 2005.
Reynolds was active for just 18 of 48 games during his three seasons in Green Bay, where he recorded just 17 tackles and three sacks total.
posted by Anonymous @ 2:25 PM
LIFE AFTER NFL
Robert Smith was the NFC's top rusher in 2000 with more than 1,500 yards. The Minnesota Vikings came within a game of the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. He was 28, a free agent-to-be at the height of his earning power. And just like that, Smith walked away from professional football.
Smith was rarely seen or heard from since he quit, but he has resurfaced this summer to talk about his soon-to-be-available autobiography, "The Rest of the Iceberg: An Insider's View on the World of Sport and Celebrity."
Smith's interests and intellect certainly stood out in the macho world of pro sports. Fascinating to some, condescending to others, Smith was undeniably unique.
"Our society needs to stop focusing on athletes as role models or as being heroes."
"They'd rather take the shortcut and take what you hear and believe at face value," Smith said. "It's easy to do, but it can be very misleading."
Smith learned that the shortcut wasn't the best way in life and has now written a book expressing how he feels about his professional football life and what he has done in life after the NFL.
posted by Anonymous @ 2:07 PM
In drug case 2 ex-Raider teammates punished
Raiders linemen Chris Cooper and Barret Robbins and former teammate Dana Stubblefield were fined three game checks and face ``reasonable-cause'' drug testing for the rest of their careers in a settlement arising from the players' positive tests for a designer steroid. The settlement, announced Wednesday, was reached before a disciplinary hearing scheduled this week and after months of discussions between the league and the NFL Players Association. The three players also would be subject to an eight-game suspension for any future violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, the league said in a prepared statement. Robbins' fine amounts to $234,375, and Cooper must pay $187,500. The levies are based on their salaries for this season. The amount for Stubblefield, a free-agent defensive tackle, won't be determined until he signs with a team. Still unresolved is the appeal of former Raider Bill Romanowski, who also tested positive for THG. The drug has been a focal point of the investigation into Balco, the Burlingame nutritional supplement laboratory that is suspected of distributing performance-enhancing drugs to some of the nation's top athletes.
``This should be a confidential matter between the NFL and the player,'' Raiders spokesman Mike Taylor said."
posted by Anonymous @ 2:05 PM
NFL Coach won't run for U.S. Senate
U.S. pro football great Mike Ditka will not run for the U.S. Senate after all.
A spokeswoman for the Republican Party in Illinois says Ditka told party leaders he will not enter this year's U.S. Senate race.
Republicans in Illinois are looking for a new Senate candidate after party primary winner Jack Ryan announced last month he was dropping out.
Ditka, the first tight end elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, caught 427 passes in 12 National Football League seasons. As a coach, he led the Chicago Bears to victory in Super Bowl 20 in 1986.
posted by Anonymous @ 1:58 PM
