Williams Signs 5-Year Extension, With A Catch
Erik Williams has 5 million new reasons to stay healthy this season.
The Cowboys’ Pro Bowl offensive tackle, who on Monday is scheduled to play in his first NFL game since an October automobile accident, signed a five-year, $13 million contract extension Friday.
The contract, and the $5.1 million signing bonus that accompanies it, are dependent on Williams remaining on the team’s 53-man roster this season. He is returning from reconstructive surgery on his right knee.
If Williams is on the roster for all 16 regular-season games, he would receive his signing bonus in mid-February, and the contract extension would be added to the remaining year of his contract.
The Cowboys had no comment about an investigation into allegations of fraudulent American Airlines tickets worth $85,000 going to current and former players.
An American Airlines ticket agent is alleged to have made 116 fraudulent tickets between October 1994 and August 1995 for people including Michael Irvin, Charles Haley, Alfredo Roberts, Ron Springs and Everson Walls, among others, a police spokesman said.
Cowboys receiver Cory Fleming, 24, was released from a Dallas County jail early Friday after he was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, records show.
“We’ll handle it internally,” Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said.
Switzer said former University of Washington star Eric Bjornson is among the players to be placed on the inactive list for the game against the Giants on Monday.
The tight end has a bruised left shoulder.
Barton doubtful
Offensive tackle Harris Barton was downgraded from questionable to doubtful, increasing the likelihood he will miss San Francisco’s season opener in New Orleans.
Barton, who aggravated a pulled left calf during practice Wednesday, was scheduled to make the trip. But Kirk Scrafford probably will start in his spot at right tackle.
Raiders: We’ll bloody them again
The Oakland Raiders reacted angrily to a lawsuit filed by the NFL a day earlier to collect money it says the team owes as part of the league’s revenue-sharing agreement.
“To file this malicious action on the eve of the season is totally destructive,” the Raiders said in a statement. “The NFL does not care about the season and the NFL wants to play football in the courts, where we’ll bloody them again. The brains behind this sneaky, stupid move are sick and demented and corrupted by power.”
The Raiders won the right in court to move to Los Angeles from Oakland before the 1982 season. They recently returned to Oakland.
The Raiders decided on rookie kicker Cole Ford for Sunday’s opener against San Diego. Ford replaces the injured Jeff Jaeger.
Pastorini sues Oilers
Former NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini has accused the Houston Oilers and team owner Bud Adams with lying about medical treatments that extended his career but have left him with health problems.
In a civil fraud suit filed Thursday, Pastorini said he was injected with “drugs and/or steroids and/or other substances” many times while playing for the Oilers between 1971-80.
Filed in state district court, the suit seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages.
Seahawks blackout
The Seahawks’ season opener at the Kingdome on Sunday against Kansas City will be blacked out on Seattle-area television.
It will be the first home opener in the Seahawks’ 20-year history to be blacked out. Just 51,000 tickets had been sold as of the deadline, 13,000 short of a sellout.