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Dolphins in Serious Negotiations With Michigan's Jake Long
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008; Page E08
The Miami Dolphins are in serious contract negotiations with representatives for Jake Long as a possible precursor to using the top overall selection in the NFL draft Saturday on the Michigan tackle, sources familiar with the deliberations said yesterday.
One source, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the talks were at a sensitive stage and Dolphins front office chief Bill Parcells has not publicly disclosed which player he is targeting, said a deal could be completed within the next few days. Another said he didn't know if or when there would be an agreement but that negotiations had progressed to the point at which the two sides were discussing complex contract language dealing with the possibility of a league-wide lockout of the players in three years.
Previous reports have indicated that the Dolphins could be considering defensive ends Vernon Gholston of Ohio State and Chris Long of Virginia as well. But officials apparently are focusing their negotiating efforts on Jake Long, believing that a reliable left tackle is a good place to begin rebuilding a team that went 1-15 last season. It wasn't clear how far negotiations between the Dolphins and any other player had progressed.
Completing a contract before the draft, as NFL rules permit the team with the top choice to do, would enable the Dolphins to avoid the sort of lengthy negotiations deep into the summer that plagued the Oakland Raiders and last year's top overall selection, quarterback JaMarcus Russell. It took until early September for Russell to agree to a six-year contract worth as much as $68 million, including $29 million in guaranteed money.
Extortion Claimed
Court documents allege that a 29-year-old man arrested for a Las Vegas strip club shooting extorted hush money from suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones. Police said Arvin Kenti Edwards, of Renton, Wash., used go-betweens to reach Jones, who paid $15,000 over several installments to various people after the shooting.
Three people were shot, including a man who wound up paralyzed -- after a melee during the NBA All-Star Weekend in February 2007.
