National Football League roundup

[March 23, 2015]  March 22 (The Sports Xchange) - For Michael Sam, the first openly gay player who has competed to play in the league, the Veteran Combine held at the Arizona Cardinals training facility in Tempe on Sunday was an opportunity to show he still cares and has a passion for the game.

It did not matter that Sam will travel back to Los Angeles for his second appearance on Dancing With The Stars Monday night. He was on the field with 18 other defensive line hopefuls, running the 40-yard dash and other typical drills that are part of the usual combines for rookies.

"I did the best I can," Sam said. "I did just as good if not better than the other guys here. So I'm pretty confident about that."

When asked if the Canadian Football League was an option, he said, "I am very confident that I will be playing football this year somewhere. So we'll leave that at that."

Asked about the CFL, he said, "If that's an opportunity, then I will take it."

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The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed outside linebacker James Harrison to a two-year contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.
 

Harrison, who turns 37 in May, will enter his 13th season in the NFL in 2015 and the 12th in Pittsburgh.

In 2014, Harrison contributed 45 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 11 regular-season games (four starts) with the Steelers, and had two tackles in the team's postseason contest.

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St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is designing his proposed Los Angeles-area NFL stadium for two teams.

The Los Angeles Times saw plans drawn by Kroenke's firm HKS for the $1.86 billion, privately financed stadium in Inglewood, California. The stadium would be complete with two home locker rooms, identical sets of office space and two owners' suites.

Kroenke's stadium plan competes with one by the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, who want to share a stadium near Los Angeles in Carson, California.

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Georgia has agreed to give the Atlanta Falcons and Braves an exemption from paying sales tax on construction materials for building their new stadiums.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the tax break will save each team millions of dollars in addition to the hefty public subsidies they already are receiving.

According to the report, the disclosures have infuriated critics who are against the use of public funds to help wealthy corporate owners build new facilities they could afford on their own -- and the new stadiums will increase the value of the franchises.

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Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, who abruptly retired from the NFL last week after one season due to worries about head trauma, is giving back part of his signing bonus.

Borland, 24, told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday he will return three-fourths of his signing bonus to the team.

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Teddy Bridgewater expects more out of his play in his second season and Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer wants to see more pounds added to the quarterback's frame.

Bridgewater did not start last season for the Vikings until after Matt Cassel broke his foot in week three.

Zimmer told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the best thing Bridgewater can do this offseason is to get bigger.

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LSU junior cornerback Jalen Collins, who is expected to be taken within the first two rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft, reportedly underwent foot surgery last week and will not participate in LSU's Pro Day workout March 27. (Editing by Gene Cherry)

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