Seahawks’ Smith Gets Jail Term

Seattle Seahawks running back Lamar Smith was sentenced on Friday to four months in jail for the 1994 car accident that broke teammate Mike Frier’s neck and left him paralyzed below the waist.

Smith, 27, also was sentenced to 30 days of community service, which will be deducted from his jail term, by King County Superior Court Judge Linda Lau at the Regional Justice Center in this south Seattle suburb.

Smith’s trial in February 1996 ended in a mistrial when jurors deadlocked 11-1 for conviction. He pleaded guilty last month to vehicular assault, averting a second trial, which had been set for March 2.

Smith’s attorney, Allen Ressler, said he had asked for an extraordinary sentence of 30 days in jail with at least 10 days converted to community service.

Prosecutors, however, said the attorney wanted at least 20 days of community service as part of the sentence.

“He lives with and continues to live with what he’s done to a friend and a teammate,” Ressler told the judge during the sentencing hearing.

Jail time would only prevent Smith - who at midnight Thursday became a free agent - from doing his job as a football player and earn money to help make Frier’s life easier, Ressler said.

“Whatever he makes, Frier gets a piece of it,” he said. “(Being in jail) is going to have a devastating impact on his marketability. It’s going to have a devastating impact on his free agency.”

The Seahawks have indicated they are interested in re-signing Smith, but spokesman Dave Neubert declined to comment on how the sentence will affect Smith’s chances.

Redskins re-sign linebacker Harvey

The Washington Redskins re-signed linebacker Ken Harvey to a five-year, $18.5 million contract, his agent said.

The contract includes a $4 million signing bonus and $500,000 in performance incentives each season, said Harvey’s agent, Steve Baker.

The package, which could total $20 million with the incentives, makes Harvey the second-highest paid linebacker in the NFL behind the San Diego Chargers’ Junior Seau, Baker said.

Jags trade Johnson to Bills

The Buffalo Bills acquired Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Brad Johnson for a first- and fourth-round draft pick.

Buffalo believes Johnson is ready to become a reliable starter.

“We started forward with a new era,” Bills coach Wade Phillips said. “This isn’t the Marv Levy-Jim Kelly era. Hopefully, this is the Wade Phillips-Rob Johnson era.”

Buffalo now has four quarterbacks: Johnson, Todd Collins, Alex Van Pelt and Doug Flutie.

Puff Daddy wants to be agent

Rap performer, songwriter and producer Sean “Puffy” Combs is pondering a career as a sports agent, a spokesman for the NFL Players Association said.

Combs, nicknamed “Puff Daddy,” last week contacted the NFL Players Association about its requirements for becoming a certified contract adviser, said Carl Francis, spokesman for the union.