NFL: Bettis claims he faked injury

Jerome Bettis, the No. 5 rusher in NFL history, claims in a new book that he faked a knee injury during training camp in 2000 so the Pittsburgh Steelers wouldn’t cut him and install Richard Huntley as the starter.

Bettis was worried offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride favored Huntley over him and the Steelers were ready to let Bettis go, partly so they wouldn’t have to give him a new contract. Huntley had just signed a $4 million, three-year contract.

“Man, did I do a nice job of acting,” Bettis wrote in the book, “The Bus: My Life in and Out of a Helmet.”

“The thing is, I wasn’t faking that I had an injury. I was just faking that the injury happened on that short-yardage play. I had to fool the coaches and the team’s medical department into thinking the injury had occurred on that play. Otherwise, the Steelers would have had their reason to cut me and my salary.”

Teams cannot cut an injured player during camp unless they reach an injury settlement with him.

“I effectively negated any funny business they were trying to pull on me,” Bettis wrote in the book. “I took the pressure off a head coach (Bill Cowher) who was probably trying to get rid of me.”

Bettis’ recollection may be more anecdotal than based on fact.

While Bettis was held out early in that 2000 camp because of a hip injury, his knee injury – the one Bettis said he faked – was not revealed until later in camp.

Huntley had a hamstring injury at the time and played in only one preseason game, gaining 13 yards.

Johnson expects to take time

A 25-day holdout helped make Larry Johnson the most highly paid player in Kansas City Chiefs history.

The downside is the Pro Bowl running back doesn’t think he’ll be ready for a full role in the season opener.

Asked if he thought he’d be 100 percent ready by Sept. 9 when the Chiefs open at Houston, Johnson said, “No, it’ll take a little bit more than that.

“Obviously, coaches are going to do a great job trying to get me on track to where week two or week three of the season I can hit my full stride. I’m going to try pick up as fast as I can.”

The 27-year-old Johnson signed a five-year contract extension Tuesday, taking him through 2012. The deal includes a guaranteed $19 million and he will receive $27.7 million in the first three years of the extension.

Around the league

Actress Bridget Moynahan and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady are parents of a boy, born Wednesday in Los Angeles. … San Francisco receiver C.J. Brewer is expected to miss this season after tearing a ligament in his right knee. Brewer, a second-year pro, said he’ll have surgery Friday.