Smith suspended for 2005 season
Troubled Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith has been suspended by the NFL for the entire 2005 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, the league announced Tuesday.
The announcement had been expected for several weeks, since Vikings head coach Mike Tice suspended Smith indefinitely following an embarrassing run-in at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on April 21, when Smith was stopped after his bag set off a screening device. A search found several vials of dried urine and “The Original Whizzinator,” which is marketed as a way to beat drug tests.
Smith told police the gear was for his cousin. He wasn’t charged, and the NFL has said possession of the device alone isn’t enough to violate league drug policies.
The NFL’s statement did not give a specific reason for Smith’s suspension.
Giants willing to work with Jets on stadium
The New York Giants are willing to work out an agreement with the Jets to share ownership of a new $750 million stadium at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., if the Jets’ plans to build a stadium on the New York City’s West Side fall apart.
“Our preference all along has been to play in a building with the Jets,” Giants chief operating officer John K. Mara said. “This is not a risk-free proposition, coming up with $750 million and financing the stadium.”
The advantage of having the Jets share in the ownership and play in the same stadium would be that the teams would not compete for money from advertisers and suite owners.
Pasadena says no to NFL stadium
A bid to lure an NFL team to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., has ended, leaving the Los Angeles Coliseum and a parking lot in Anaheim as the lone remaining candidates interested in landing a team.
The city council voted 5-1 to pursue a plan for the Rose Bowl that doesn’t involve the NFL.
Opponents of the NFL project, including Mayor Bill Bogaard, argued that a proposed $500 million renovation of the Rose Bowl would bring too much traffic and threaten the historic status of the 83-year-old stadium.
Around the league
Former Pittsburgh lineman Terry Long, who was indicted earlier this year on federal fraud and arson charges stemming from a chicken-processing business he owned, has died. Long, 45, died at UPMC Passavant Hospital just north of Pittsburgh. An autopsy is scheduled today. … Cleveland signed 11-year veteran left tackle Marcus Spears to a one-year contract. Spears played for Houston last season. … Charles Rogers has taken a step in his comeback with Detroit in minicamp sessions by shedding a red jersey that protects players from being hit. Rogers, the second pick in 2003, played five games as a rookie before breaking his collarbone. He broke it again in the season opener last year.