Seattle Cuts Tofflemire Of Post Falls

Reserve center Joe Tofflemire, Seattle’s secondround draft choice in 1989 and a Post Falls native, was waived by the Seahawks Friday, one day after the team signed starting guard Jeff Blackshear.

The Seahawks made the move to get their payroll under the NFL salary cap of $37.2 million.

Tofflemire, 30, had a one-year contract to play for $325,000 this season. Blackshear, who started all 16 games at left guard for the Seahawks last season, signed a two-year, $785,000 contract Thursday, ending a 14-day training-camp holdout.

Tofflemire was released after refusing to take a pay cut to $190,000 in order to allow the Seahawks to get under the salary cap. After first accepting the reduction on Thursday, Tofflemire marched into the Seahawks front office Friday morning and told them to release him. They did.

Tofflemire, from the University of Arizona, played only one play last season, although he was not injured. In his career, he played in 33 games and made 16 starts. All his starts were in 1992.

During the off-season, the Seahawks lost starting center Ray Donaldson as a free agent to the Dallas Cowboys, but signed free-agent Jim Sweeney from the New York Jets as their new starting center.

With Tofflemire’s release, Matt Joyce, who was on the Cowboys’ practice squad last season, is expected to become Sweeney’s new backup.

Manley gets four years

Former Redskins defensive lineman Dexter Manley pleaded guilty to two counts of cocaine possession and was sentenced to four years in prison. As a part of a plea bargain, two other drug possession charges pending against Manley were dropped.

Manley, 37, admitted to possessing a controlled substance last Nov. 13 and on July 26.

This latest drug arrest was the fourth in eight months for Manley, who had just completed a four-month drug-treatment program.

Davis to make move official

Raiders boss Al Davis is expected to make it official Monday: In a brief ceremony at the Oakland Coliseum, he is slated to sign a 16-year lease to return the team to the scene of its glory days. Davis plans to meet with East Bay officials at 1 p.m. in the Raiders’ new locker room to sign the voluminous documents.

Raiders center Don Mosebar was hospitalized in fair condition, one day after undergoing emergency surgery to repair his damaged left eye.

Mosebar was injured when he got tangled up with Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Chad Hennings in a goal-line running drill.

Mosebar suffered a ruptured globe in his left eye, which required more than 3 hours of surgery to repair. Doctors at the University of Texas Medical Center believe they saved Mosebar’s vision, but won’t know for at least two weeks.

Mosebar, 33, will be replaced by journeyman Dan Turk, who has been the Raiders’ special teams captain and long snapper in recent years.

Mosebar has been a starter, first at tackle and then at center, for the Raiders since he was a first-round draft pick in 1983 after playing at USC.

Bettis ends holdout

St. Louis Rams running back Jerome Bettis ended his 14-day holdout after the team agreed to discuss a contract extension after the season.

Bettis is in the third year of a five-year, $4.65 million deal. He denied that the holdout was entirely about money, however, citing the physical pounding he’s taken with 319 carries last season, and the fact the Rams billed him as a star during the courtship with St. Louis.

In the short term, Bettis definitely comes out the loser in the impasse, having accumulated $56,000 in fines during the holdout that began July 21. He and the Rams said in a statement that the money will go to various St. Louis charities.

Around the league

Cardinals wide receiver Chuck Levy has acknowledged that the NFL is considering action against him under the league’s substance-abuse policy. … Chargers running back Natrone Means still hadn’t reported to training camp by Friday evening and was on the verge of losing a year’s seniority under the collective bargaining agreement. … The Eagles are interested in signing veteran free agent Guy McIntyre, who played 10 seasons in San Francisco with new Philadelphia head coach Ray Rhodes, to provide depth on the offensive line. … Oilers owner Bud Adams is renewing his push for the city to build a new football stadium, threatening to leave town if it doesn’t. And Houston mayor Bob Lanier is repeating his answer that the city can’t pay for a $235 million stadium. … Quarterback Steve Stenstrom, a fourth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, is dissatisfied with contract offers said he might hold out his first season.