Thursday, September 11, 2014
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NFL roundup: Goodell takes heat

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[September 11, 2014]  The Sports Xchange
 
 NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has come under nationwide criticism for his handling of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee, said he doesn't believe his job is in jeopardy.

"I'm used to criticism. I'm used to that. Every day, I have to earn my stripes," he said in a portion of an interview that aired Wednesday on "CBS This Morning."

The Ravens terminated Rice's contract and the running back subsequently was suspended indefinitely by the NFL, with the team and league admitting they saw the second video from inside the elevator for the first time Monday.

Goodell's letter stated that the league never saw a copy of the video from inside the elevator that showed Rice knocking out his then-fiance Janay Palmer. The second video posted by TMZ on Monday set off a nationwide social media firestorm even more vocal than when the first video outside the elevator was released in February.

An Associated Press report on Wednesday appeared to contradict Goodell's assertion that the league did not see the full video of the incident. A law enforcement official said he confirmed that the video arrived at the NFL offices and played a voicemail with a woman's voice saying "You're right. It's terrible." The law enforcement official also said he included his contact information with the DVD but never heard back from the league.

---San Diego Chargers center Nick Hardwick is out for the season with a neck injury.
 


Hardwick was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. He left Monday's loss at Arizona, and the 18-17 defeat turned when the Pro Bowl pivot left the game.

Ohrnberger's premature shotgun snap in the fourth quarter forced the Chargers to punt with a 17-12 lead, squandering a potential field goal attempt by botching the third-and-6 play. The ball bounced off quarterback Philip Rivers' hands and the Chargers, who led 17-6, lost 18-17.

---Arizona Cardinals linebacker John Abraham, who sustained another in a series of concussions Monday night against the San Diego Chargers, has left the team, perhaps for good according to media sources.

One report said Abraham, 36, has been suffering from severe memory loss for more than a year because of concussions he has sustained over course of his 15-year career.

---St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery, ESPN.com reported Wednesday.

Long suffered the ankle injury in the third quarter of Sunday's 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He was originally listed as questionable to return but he was later downgraded to doubtful and he did not come back into the game.

---Running back Ben Tate waited three seasons to be a featured back in the NFL, but in his first game with the Cleveland Browns he went down with a knee injury that could keep him on the sideline for one month.

Tate, a backup to Arian Foster for three seasons with the Houston Texans, signed a two-year, $6.2 million contract with the Browns in free agency.

---Defensive tackle Devon Still, who has been caring for his 4-year-old daughter as she battles cancer, was added to the Cincinnati Bengals' 53-man roster Wednesday.

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The Bengals also placed tight end Tyler Eifert on injured reserve, designated for possible return to the roster this season. Eifert suffered an elbow injury this past Sunday at Baltimore.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pound Still is a third-year NFL player. He played in 18 games for Cincinnati over 2012-13 and opened this season on the practice squad after being with the team in preseason. Still, 25, learned in June that his daughter, Leah, has stage-4 pediatric cancer.

---The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed starting cornerback Mike Jenkins on injured reserve Wednesday and he will miss the remainder of the season with a pectoral injury.

Jenkins, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, will likely be replaced by second-year pro Johnthan Banks.

The Bucs made several other roster moves, including the release of defensive end Scott Solomon. To fill the spots of Jenkins and Solomon, the Bucs claimed defensive end Jacquies Smith off waivers from Buffalo and signed free-agent cornerback Crezdon Butler.

---Tennessee Titans linebacker Zach Brown suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the season opener and will miss the rest of the season.

Zaviar Gooden replaced Brown against the Kansas City Chiefs at weak-side inside linebacker and will enter the starting lineup beginning Sunday when the Titans host the Dallas Cowboys.

Brown suffered the injury just four plays into the opener while trying to make a tackle, and spent the remainder of the game watching from the sideline with his arm in a sling.

---Tight end Julius Thomas of the Denver Broncos, defensive end Cameron Wake of the Miami Dolphins and kicker Dan Carpenter of the Buffalo Bills were named the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week on Wednesday for the season-opening games.



For the NFC, quarterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, linebacker DeAndre Levy of the Detroit Lions and kicker Matt Bryant of the Falcons took the first-week honors.

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