Sharpe Talk In Atlanta Indicates Full Return To Nfl By ‘96 Or Earlier

Sterling Sharpe, the star receiver waived by the Green Bay Packers earlier this month, said he will play in the NFL in 1996 and could play later this year if he chose to.

Sharpe made those comments Wednesday during a news conference. Sharpe, with defensive end Richard Dent, released by the San Francisco 49ers, discussed injury grievances filed against the Packers and 49ers through the NFL Players Association.

Sharpe, recovering from spinal-fusion neck surgery on Feb. 3, filed a grievance against the Packers on March 8 seeking his full 1995 salary of $3.2 million.

Dent was released Feb. 14, two weeks after undergoing a second operation on his damaged knee. He tore knee ligaments in the second game of the season, underwent surgery in September and appeared briefly in San Francisco’s playoff victory over the Chicago Bears.

“I could clearly play this year,” said Sharpe, who played seven years for the Packers. The team decided it was too risky for Sharpe to play again and cut him.

“But to be on the safe side, every specialist we talked to said you really want to give a fusion at least a year to heal,” Sharpe said.

The San Diego Chargers filled half their safety vacancies when free agent Shaun Gayle agreed to a two-year contract. Gayle played the previous 11 years with the Chicago Bears.

Alexander Wright, who helped give the Los Angeles Raiders the fastest receivers in the NFL last season, signed a three-year, $3 million deal with the Rams.

The NFL’s salary cap for 1995 has been readjusted to $37.1 million per team, which will allow each team to spend $2.5 million more on players than last season, the cap’s first.