NEW YORK — Will Smith and Anthony Hargrove met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday about the Saints bounty scandal and Scott Fujita’s meeting was postponed.
Fujita, now with the Cleveland Browns, is undergoing treatment for an injured left knee which he hurt during the preseason and couldn’t come to New York, the NFLPA said.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the players left the NFL offices around 4 p.m. EDT, about three hours after they arrived. Smith and Hargrove did not make themselves available to reporters.
Fujita requested a video conference but the league rejected that idea. NFL officials wanted face-to-face meetings and plan to reschedule a session with the linebacker.
Fujita did not play in the season opener against Philadelphia because his suspension was only lifted two days before the game, and he wasn’t able to practice on his knee, which he injured during an exhibition game against Detroit.
The 33-year-old made his season debut for Cleveland on Sunday. He started at strongside linebacker and was credited with four tackles in 36 plays during the Browns’ 34-27 loss to the Bengals.
The players had to meet with Goodell after the suspensions he placed on them were lifted by an appeals panel. Fujita, Smith, Hargrove and Jonathan Vilma were penalized by Goodell for their roles in the New Orleans bounty program, which ran from 2009-11.
The NFL says coaches and players offered cash rewards for big hits during that time frame, though the players deny they were attempting to injure opponents.
The commissioner met Monday with Vilma, still a New Orleans linebacker. He and his attorney were given a sworn statement from former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams saying the linebacker placed a $10,000 bounty on then-Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.
Vilma’s attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said they were given an affidavit at the meeting.
Redskins put Orakpo, Carriker on IR, sign 2
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Redskins have placed linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive end Adam Carriker on injured reserve.
The team replaced the two players Tuesday by promoting defensive end Doug Worthington from the practice squad and signing linebacker Markus White from Tampa Bay’s practice squad.
Orakpo injured his left shoulder and Carriker hurt his right knee in Sunday’s 31-28 loss to the St. Louis Rams.
Worthington was drafted in the seventh round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010 and spent most of last season on the Redskins’ practice squad.
White was a seventh-round pick by the Redskins last year and played in two games as a rookie. He was cut at the end of preseason last month.
The Redskins also signed defensive lineman Dominique Hamilton to the practice squad.
Falcons RB Turner
arrested for DUI
ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner was jailed on charges of drunken driving and speeding early Tuesday, just hours after he scored a touchdown in the team’s win over the Denver Broncos.
Turner, 30, of Suwanee, Ga., was booked into the Gwinnett County jail in metro Atlanta just after 5 a.m. Turner spent barely two hours behind bars before he was released on $2,179 bond, jail records showed.
A Gwinnett County police officer pulled over Turner’s black Audi R8 on Interstate 85 northeast of Atlanta after clocking the car at 97 mph — 32 mph over the speed limit, said Cpl. Edwin Ritter, a police spokesman.
Packers WR Jones shrugs off scolding
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones says he deserved the recent scolding he got from Aaron Rodgers.
Jones acknowledges that his play in Thursday’s victory over the Chicago Bears deserved scrutiny and is shrugging off any temporary tension as a sign of two players showing their competitive nature.
Cutler says he was wrong to shove Webb
CHICAGO — Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler acknowledged Tuesday that he was wrong to shove teammate J’Marcus Webb on the sideline during the loss at Green Bay last week.
He has no second thoughts about yelling at him, however.
“I probably shouldn’t have bumped him, I’ll go with that,” Cutler told WMVP-AM in Chicago. “As far as me yelling at him and trying to get him going in the game, I don’t regret that. I shouldn’t have bumped him, I’ll stick to that.”
Harrison, Polamalu
still questionable
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking a wait and see approach with injured defensive stars James Harrison and Troy Polamalu.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday both players will go through informal workouts early in the week before any decision is made on whether they can return to practice. Harrison hasn’t played in either game this season while recovering from minor surgery on his right knee. Polamalu sat out Sunday’s 27-10 win over the New York Jets with a strained right calf.
Eagles center
Kelce out for year
PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles have placed center Jason Kelce on injured reserve, ending his season.
Kelce had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Once that heals, he will have surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Center Steve Vallos was signed to take his spot. Dallas Reynolds will be the starter.
Vallos spent training camp with Philadelphia before he was released as part of the team’s final roster cut down. Vallos has started eight games in four seasons with Seattle and Cleveland.
