Carolina Panthers 04/22/2008 9:43 AMThe Charlotte Observer reports former Panthers DE Mike Rucker, an unrestricted free agent who has not signed with the team, will announce his retirement at a 1 p.m. news conference at Bank of America Stadium, according to a source close to the situation. Rucker became an unrestricted free agent on Feb. 29 and initially said he planned to play again next season. He had hoped the team would re-sign him. He remains unsigned, however, and Carolina apparently made the difficult decision to move forward without him.Read more
Indianapolis Colts 04/21/2008 5:06 PMAP reports Colts RB Kenton Keith was out of jail Monday after being arrested for refusing to leave a nightclub parking lot and yelling at officers that he was a Colts player who had done nothing wrong, police said. Officers working security tried to clear a crowd from the parking lot of the Cloud 9 club after it closed at 3 a.m. Sunday. The 27-year-old Keith and several others refused to leave and were laughing, dancing and joking, police said. Police eventually ordered them to put their hands on a vehicle, but Keith refused and took out a cell phone to record the incident, according to an Indianapolis police report.Read more
Cincinnati Bengals 04/21/2008 5:02 PMNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed the Bengals today that LB Odell Thurman has been reinstated from a league-imposed suspension. “Odell has met the NFL’s conditions for reinstatement and has been added to our offseason roster,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “It is now up to Odell to continue to meet all NFL guidelines, and to maintain a standard of personal responsibility that will allow him the chance to compete for a spot on our team.” Thurman was not on the Bengals roster in 2006 or 2007, due to a suspension for violations of the league’s Substance Abuse Policy. He was cleared by the NFL in January of this year to train and work out at Bengals facilities while awaiting word on his status. Thurman, from the University of Georgia, was Cincinnati’s second-round choice in the 2005 NFL Draft. He played in every Bengals game in 2005, starting 16 of 17 games (including postseason), and he led the team in the regular season with 148 tackles. He also led the team in forced fumbles (four), and his five interceptions led NFL rookies while tying the Bengals rookie INT record.Read more
Dallas Cowboys 04/21/2008 8:37 AMThe Star-Telegram reports everybody at Valley Ranch was prepared for the day when a certain key player demanded to be paid like the very best at his position. The Dallas Cowboys just expected that player to be DE DeMarcus Ware, not RB Marion Barber. Has anybody who has done so little ever asked for so much? And let's quantify much, because Barber and his agent have, seeking somewhere between L.T. and Clinton Portis money. Not coincidentally, the only two people confusing Barber with L.T. and Portis at the moment are, in order, (a) his agent and (b) Barber. It should be pretty clear by now that his agent is Drew Rosenhaus, Mr. "Next Question" himself who often resides in never-never-land with regard to his clients. And his mistake is confusing popular with great. No running back in the league benefits from style points more than Barber.Read more
