NFL: New commissioner sick of trouble

Roger Goodell has a strong message for NFL players: Stay out of trouble.

Plagued by tragedy and numerous arrests, the NFL’s image took a hit this season, though the commissioner doesn’t believe it’s out of control or irreversible.

“We have to educate our players to the issues out there,” he said in his first Super Bowl news conference. “We are raised to a higher standard in the NFL. We must make sure the players are more accountable and our clubs are more accountable.”

During the past few months, nine Cincinnati Bengals players have been arrested. Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot to death on New Year’s Day outside a nightclub.

One player in Sunday’s Super Bowl, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson, still faces weapons-related charges and needed permission from an Illinois judge just to travel to the title game against the Indianapolis Colts.

“I don’t see it happening in droves. I think it’s just a few, but that’s a few too many,” said Goodell, who replaced Paul Tagliabue as commissioner in September.

Colts have more injuries

The Indianapolis Colts added defensive end Robert Mathis and cornerback Jason David (Washington State), both starters, to the injury report after their last full practice before the Super Bowl.

Mathis left practice early because of back spasms and was listed as probable. David, who has battled a nagging abdomen injury this season, sat out the entire practice and was listed as probable.

Matthews up for Hall

Bruce Matthews spent 19 seasons with the Oilers/Titans franchise, playing more games than any positional player in NFL history when he retired in 2001. He is the only first-time eligible player to make the final cut in this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame balloting.

Matthews is one of 17 finalists in a group that includes former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, former Washington Redskins wide receiver Art Monk and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Bucs sign Boston

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed David Boston to a contract, giving the former Pro Bowl receiver another chance to come back after missing most of the last three seasons because of knee injuries. Details of the current agreement weren’t available.

Foley’s career likely over

Five months after he was shot by an off-duty policeman, San Diego Chargers linebacker Steve Foley thinks his career may be over.

“I don’t want to count anything out or rule myself out, but it’s a reality that I won’t be able to play again, period,” Foley said by phone from Miami.

Shooting suspect taken in

A man police consider a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was convicted of an unrelated parole violation.

Authorities said Willie Clark, 23, had his name come up in the Williams investigation but declined to give specifics.

Vick will do more

Taking a different tact than his predecessor, Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino will let Michael Vick take a more active role in running the offense. That includes allowing Vick to call audibles.

“We’re going to put it all on him,” the new coach said while making the rounds at the Super Bowl media center in Miami. “It’s new to him, but he’s excited about the challenge. I think that’s the way you train a quarterback.”

Stadium Web site hacked

Just days before the Super Bowl, a hacker installed malicious code on the official Web site of Dolphin Stadium designed to secretly implant keystroke-logging software on visitors’ computers.

The type of software used in the attack is easy to detect and easy to protect against, the security experts said.