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Offseason rumblings TE Chmura's return looming on the horizon
NFL teams looking to get a rugged, refreshed and rededicated 32-year-old tight end with Super Bowl experience will get some very good news in the next two weeks: Mark Chmura will be available for a full 16-game season this fall. Look for Chmura to not be suspended by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue for any training camp or regular-season time after his acquittal on sex-related charges in Wisconsin earlier this month. Chmura met with Tagliabue on Tuesday to tell his side of the story, and he evidently was persuasive. Tagliabue may yet fine Chmura for conduct detrimental to the NFL under the players' personal conduct policy, but no suspension will be issued. Simple reason: Chmura pleaded not guilty, and was found not guilty by a Wisconsin jury, for illicit sexual conduct with his former baby-sitter. Tagliabue has no basis to suspend Chmura. Though a small fine may be forthcoming, this should not deter any of the teams truly interested in Chmura -- Oakland leads the pack, followed by San Francisco and Philadelphia. What may stand in the way of a quick signing, however, is the neck injury Chmura suffered in 1999 while with the Packers, one that could make it difficult for him to pass a mandatory NFL physical.
Sanders' deal may become headache for SkinsIn Washington, the Redskins are paying dearly for a bad contract they signed with Deion Sanders in June. And their salary cap will be a nightmare this year or next because of it. The Redskins -- greedily and unnecessarily -- gave into an injury-plagued Sanders' demands for an $8 million signing bonus when there was no serious competition for the aging cornerback's services at that price level. Now Sanders is rekindling his baseball career at the Reds' training camp, saying he hopes to be Cincinnati's Opening Day right fielder. That's a long shot, but there are two frightening things for the Redskins to consider. One, Sanders could never play another down of football and not pay Washington a dime of that $8 million bonus back. There are no clauses in the contract for Sanders to pay back a percentage of the bonus if he plays only one or two seasons. And, two, there is no clause in the contract mandating that Sanders leave a baseball team and report to football training camp on time. In fact, there is no clause pertaining to baseball participation at all. Bad oversight on the Skins' part, and in the unlikely event that Sanders, who turns 34 in August, makes it with the Reds, Washington could be at the mercy of Sanders the way the Cowboys used to be -- not knowing whether he'll join the team in July or November.
QB Brees a rarity for Combine workoutsIn Indianapolis, the annual NFL Scouting Combine will get a rare treat this weekend: A highly rated quarterback will run the gamut of workouts to try to raise his draft stock even higher. Purdue's Drew Brees, rated somewhere in the middle of the first round by most NFL observers, wants to jump into the top 10. Most top prospects will only go through the physical exams and individual team interviews this weekend, saving their strength, conditional and workout tests for private campus trials. Brees will do the campus workouts next month, but he feels, wisely, that he wants to show off tools as many times, and to as many NFL scouts, as possible. Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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