NFLPA Taking Steps to Discipline Agents

The NFL Players Association has taken the first step toward disciplining at least one of the agents involved in the string of high-profile contract controversies that occurred last offseason.

The union's committee on agent regulation and discipline has authorized a complaint against agent Jerome Stanley, according to Richard Berthelsen, the general counsel for the Players Association. Stanley represents Cleveland Browns wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, who lost a chance to be a free agent last offseason by missing a deadline to file paperwork to void the remainder of his contract.

Union chief Gene Upshaw said months ago that he expected the agent disciplinary committee to take action against one or more agents stemming from the cases last offseason of Northcutt; wide receiver Terrell Owens, who missed a similar deadline to void the remainder of his contract and become a free agent; and linebacker LaVar Arrington, who filed a grievance against the Washington Redskins alleging that the team shortchanged him $6.5 million in a contract extension he signed last December.

Stanley becomes the first agent to face possible sanctions for those incidents. Berthelsen, who serves as counsel to the committee, said that the group of five current and former players decided during a meeting about 2-1/2 weeks ago to authorize complaints against Stanley and fellow agent Neil Cornrich, who provided expert testimony for General Motors during a recent lawsuit by the estate of late Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas.

Agents have 30 days in which to respond to such complaints, and then the committee -- which includes Troy Vincent, Trace Armstrong, Robert Porcher, Robert Smith and Larry Izzo -- decides whether to impose disciplinary action ranging from a reprimand to a fine to a suspension to permanent decertification. An agent can appeal any sanctions to arbitrator Roger Kaplan.

The union controls the certification and discipline of agents.

Stanley and Northcutt missed a deadline to void the final three seasons of the wide receiver's contract with the Browns (with salaries totaling about $2 million). The union was unable to challenge the Northcutt case the way it challenged the Owens case, in part because a modification to the NFL calendar actually made the deadline later for Northcutt, not earlier. The union attempted to help broker a trade to Baltimore or Denver, but none ever was completed. Northcutt signed a new three-year, $9-million contract with the Browns, but he reportedly had been offered $16 million over five years by the club before missing the deadline and might have gotten even more on the free agent market.

"This mistake is going to cost him millions of dollars and his freedom," Upshaw said during the offseason. "We've had mistakes in the past where there was a disagreement over contract language. But when you're talking about millions and millions of dollars and losing a chance to be a free agent -- you might not get that chance again. The system has worked. But the agents have to do their part."

Stanley admitted a mistake during the offseason, but said he shouldn't be punished for it.

"Players need to be protected from incompetence," Stanley said then. "I share [Upshaw's] concern. But he doesn't know me that well. . . . In a business run by human beings, there are always going to be mistakes, misreadings, misunderstandings on both sides of the table, unfortunately. I'm not ready to call it a trend."

Upshaw later said that the union would not pursue disciplinary action against agent David Joseph, who represents Owens, even while continuing to maintain that Joseph made a mistake. The union, citing ambiguity in the adjusted NFL calendar controlling the deadline for enacting voidable-years clauses in players' contracts, took Owens's case before Stephen B. Burbank, the University of Pennsylvania law professor who serves as the league's special master and is in charge of settling disputes arising from the collective bargaining agreement between management and the union. Burbank apparently was prepared to declare Owens a free agent, prompting an abrupt settlement that placed Owens with his preferred team, the Philadelphia Eagles, who signed him to a new seven-year contract worth nearly $49 million.

But it's possible he could have gotten more on the open market, and Upshaw said the union bailed out Joseph. Joseph denied wrongdoing in the case.

Union officials have said they would not pursue any sanctions against Arrington's agent, Carl Poston, while the linebacker's grievance against the Redskins still is pending. Arrington has said that deadline pressure forced him and Poston to overlook the fact that $6.5 million was missing from the contract that Arrington signed. The Redskins say that Arrington signed the contract to which he and Poston agreed.

Cornrich, according to the union, was paid $1,000 per hour by General Motors to testify in a deposition that Thomas's earning capacity as an NFL player was on the decline before he died after a January 2000 accident while driving a Chevrolet Suburban. That contradicted the testimony of Thomas's agent, Leigh Steinberg, and Chiefs President Carl Peterson. Cornrich did not testify at the trial. Thomas's mother, Edith Morgan, and other family members sued General Motors, but a Jackson County (Mo.) Circuit Court jury found in August that the automaker was not at fault.

The union is basing its complaint against Cornrich on a rule that agents are required to avoid conflicts of interest, not only involving their own clients but also involving NFL players in general. A source familiar with the case said Cornrich has argued that the complaint against him is unfounded because the issue of damages in the case was made irrelevant by the jury's decision and because agents regularly engage in discussions about players' earning abilities, as with contract negotiations in which they must argue that money be given to their clients at the possible expense of other players.

Parcells Exasperated

Coach Bill Parcells is not having his usual second-year success with the Dallas Cowboys, and his frustrations are spilling over.

"This is the only team I can ever remember having that I can't get to respond in the right way, no matter how hard I try," he said during his news conference Monday, the day after a 26-3 loss at Cincinnati dropped the team to 3-5. "I feel like I'm having trouble with elementary things. Either I'm not communicating right or they're not paying enough attention. [It's] one of the two, and I assume it's me. . . . I have not been hammering them. I have been encouraging them the whole way. . . . Anyone can judge the wisdom of the decision by the result."

Each of Parcells's previous teams improved by at least three victories in his second season with the club, but the Cowboys have ensured they won't do that after going 10-6 and reaching the playoffs last season, Parcells's first in Dallas.

Owner Jerry Jones suggested after the Bengals game that personnel changes might be forthcoming, leading to speculation that rookie quarterback Drew Henson could be moved into the lineup ahead of veteran Vinny Testaverde. Parcells shot down that notion quickly.

"A guy throws for 2,000 yards in the first half of the season," Parcells said. "We obviously can throw the ball better than we could last year. Why would you, at this point in time, taken an unproven guy who has not played football in three years and throw him into this, with the adversity he has to face now? . . . Only foolish people would ask the question right now. I'm just saying don't ask me to repeat this any longer.'' . . .

The Cowboys plan to trigger a three-week window this week allowing safety Darren Woodson to return to practice. That would give them until Nov. 30 to activate Woodson, who's on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing preseason back surgery, to the 53-man roster or place him on the injured reserve list, officially ending his season. He's probably headed to IR but Parcells says he sees no need to make that decision any earlier than is required. The Cowboys plan to place center Gennaro DiNapoli, who's on the PUP list because of a stress fracture in his right leg, on the IR list. . . . Kansas City tailback Priest Holmes's status is uncertain this week because of strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. . . .

Carolina lost guard Doug Brezezinski for the rest of the season because of a broken hip. He'll be joined on the Panthers' crowded IR list by safety Travares Tillman, who has a broken arm. . . . .

Chicago activated offensive tackle Marc Colombo from the PUP list and waived guard Mike Gandy, who started five of the first six games of this season. Colombo, a first-round draft choice in 2002, hasn't played in two years because of a dislocated knee. His rehabilitation was complicated by nerve problems. He returned to practice on Oct. 20. The Bears expect him to challenge Qasim Mitchell for the starting left tackle job soon.

"Good things are supposed to happen to people who work this hard," Coach Lovie Smith said during his news briefing Monday. "It's good to see him out there. It's a feel-good story right now. But I think he can help our team. We want him to be in the mix this year.'' . . . Rookie Craig Krenzel is 2-0 as the Bears' starting quarterback and plans to remain in the lineup this week despite bruised ribs. . . .

Atlanta defensive tackle Rod Coleman practiced Monday for the first time since being hurt in a single-car accident 2-1/2 weeks ago. Coleman practiced with a brace on the left knee that he hurt in the accident. Authorities said that Coleman had been drinking before the early-morning accident but was not legally impaired, and they did not charge him with a crime. . . .

Arizona extended the contracts of safety Ifeanyi Ohalete, defensive end Peppi Zellner, tailback Troy Hambrick and long snapper Nathan Hodel. . . .

Seattle cornerback Ken Lucas was to rejoin the Seahawks late Monday after being hospitalized last Sunday night in San Francisco for a bruised lung suffered in a win over the 49ers. The Seahawks don't know if he'll be able to play this Sunday at St. Louis. . . .

Oakland veteran guard Ron Stone underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and is to be sidelined for four to six weeks. The Raiders also will be without rookie tight end Courtney Anderson for four to six weeks because of a sprained knee.

Carter's Audition Arrives

As former Dallas starter Quincy Carter takes over for injured New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, who's out two to four weeks because of a rotator-cuff strain, he's playing for a job next season. Carter signed a one-year contract with the Jets, ensuring that he would be on the free agent market next spring, after being released by the Cowboys in training camp, reportedly after failing a drug test. Carter threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to wideout Santana Moss after taking over for Pennington in last Sunday's loss at Buffalo.

"I think Quincy came in and did a good job," Jets Coach Herman Edwards said during his news conference Monday. " . . . He made a couple of plays with his legs. Obviously he has a real strong arm. That's why we brought Quincy here.'' . . . Now that they've lost starting defensive ends Michael Strahan and Keith Washington to season-ending injuries, the New York Giants likely will go with Osi Umenyiora and converted tackle Lance Legree as their starters. They are particularly high on second-year pro Umenyiora, whom they adamantly refused to surrender to San Diego in the Eli Manning-Philip Rivers trade on draft day. He was a second-round draft pick last year out of Troy State.

Strahan is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday for a torn pectoral muscle, and Washington has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Giants could activate end Lorenzo Bromell from the PUP list to add depth. . . .

Giants center Shaun O'Hara has been cleared to practice Wednesday after missing two games because of a staph infection in his leg. . . .

Few players in the league are having a better season than Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. His three touchdown catches in last Sunday's 43-17 triumph over New Orleans gave him five scoring receptions in a two-game span and led Saints Coach Jim Haslett to say at his postgame news conference: "I think he's one of the best tight ends in the league, if not the best."

The last Chargers tight end to have three touchdown catches in a game was Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. in 1983.

Gates leads the NFL with 54 catches and his eight touchdown receptions rank him second, one behind Owens. Gates had 24 catches last season as a rookie out of Kent State. He was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent after playing basketball, not football, at Kent State. He hadn't played football since his senior year of high school in Detroit but moved into the Chargers' starting lineup last November as a rookie and had 21 catches over the final nine games of last season.