BEREA, Ohio — With as much purpose as any tackle he’s ever made, Scott Fujita delivered a shot to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Angered by Goodell’s handling of the New Orleans Saints’ bounties scandal, Fujita accused the commissioner of misusing his power and questioned Goodell’s record on player safety. The Browns linebacker vowed to keep fighting to clear his name.
“The commissioner says he is disappointed in me,” Fujita said. “The truth is, I’m disappointed in him.”
One day after Goodell reduced his three-game suspension to one for alleged involvement in the Saints’ pay-for-hits program and ruled on the penalties for three other players, Fujita took on the commissioner in a strongly worded statement.
Fujita charged Goodell with “abuse of power” and expressed his displeasure with the way his suspension was lessened. On Tuesday, Goodell sent Fujita a letter in which he chastised the 10-year veteran and member of the NFL Players Association’s executive committee for not doing more to stop his former teammates in New Orleans from taking part in the “bounty” program.
Goodell wrote to Fujita that he was “surprised and disappointed by the fact that you, a former defensive captain and a passionate advocate for player safety, ignored such a program and permitted it to continue. … If you had spoken up, perhaps other players would have refused to participate and the consequences with which we are now dealing could have been avoided.”
Fujita was angered by the “condescending tone” in Goodell’s letter — and most of its content.
“For him to come out and say he was disappointed in me for not standing up to my coach,” Fujita said after practice Wednesday. “I haven’t had someone tell me they were disappointed in me since I was 12 years old, and that was my father.”
Fujita was pleased Goodell all but exonerated him from any involvement in the Saints’ mess, but was incensed the commissioner felt it necessary to chastise him for not stepping in and trying to stop the rogue program.
“I thought it was uncalled for and inappropriate,” Fujita said.
Fujita will appeal his one-game suspension and intends to play Sunday when the winless Browns (0-5) host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Fujita has maintained his innocence in the scandal since it first broke in March. Seven months later, Fujita hasn’t changed his stance and felt a recent Sept. 28 meeting with Goodell was “respectful and productive,” which is why he’s puzzled the commissioner would come down so hard.
“I went in and no punches were thrown,” Fujita said of meeting Goodell in New York. “Everybody was kind. So, yeah, I was a little bit taken aback by it. It didn’t have to go there at all. It just felt like one more personal jab.”
On Tuesday, Goodell upheld the suspensions of Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith, and reduced penalties for Fujita and Anthony Hargrove.
Vilma will sit out the entire season and Smith’s punishment stands at four games. Hargrove, a free agent defensive lineman, will face a two-game suspension once he signs with a team. He originally was hit with eight games, but that was reduced to seven with five games already served.
Packers’ Benson placed on injured reserve
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers are dealing with yet another loss.
Running back Cedric Benson, who has had 71 of the team’s 111 carries, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday because of a sprained left foot but was designated to return. He must sit out eight games before he can play again, though he will be eligible to practice after six weeks.
“We feel that he can come back,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “A foot sprain is definitely a tough injury to come back from, but within that time frame we feel that he definitely has a chance. … He’s a true pro. He’s been excellent. He spends a lot of time in the weight room. I could see him being one of those guys that comes back and plays the last four weeks of the season.”
But Benson’s injury is another blow for the struggling Packers (2-3). Since opening last season with 13 straight wins, Green Bay has dropped five of its past nine games, including a 30-27 loss in Indianapolis on Sunday on a last-minute touchdown by rookie Andrew Luck. The defense, which gave up the most yardage in the NFL last season, again ranks in the bottom half of the NFC.
RGIII returns to Redskins practice
ASHBURN, Va. — Robert Griffin III has been cleared to play and is practicing with his Washington Redskins teammates after suffering a mild concussion.
Griffin went through the NFL’s concussion protocol after being knocked out of Sunday’s game against Atlanta and was cleared to return to Wednesday’s practice. The second overall pick in last April’s draft is set to start Sunday against Minnesota.
The rookie quarterback left the game against Atlanta with a mild concussion after being hit by the Falcons’ Sean Weatherspoon while scrambling on third and goal in the third quarter.
The 22-year-old Heisman Trophy winner is the NFC’s third-leading passer and the NFL’s leading quarterback rusher.
Ryan: Sanchez is starting QB ‘this week’
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets coach Rex Ryan says Mark Sanchez is the team’s starting quarterback “this week” — and wouldn’t make a long-term commitment.
Ryan has been asked about his quarterback situation several times during the past few weeks and has insisted that no switch to Tim Tebow is coming. When he was pressed Wednesday about his qualifier, Ryan got slightly testy, saying: “What do you want me to say? He’s our starter. He’s our starter this week.”
The comments come hours after owner Woody Johnson told CNBC that Tebow will “be with us for three years.”
Sanchez says he’s not fearful of losing his job, and Tebow says he’s happy with any opportunities he gets.
Texans cut Holliday, sign linebacker Ruud
HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have cut return specialist Trindon Holliday and signed linebacker Barrett Rudd in the wake of Brian Cushing’s season-ending injury.
Cushing tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in Monday night’s 23-17 win over the New York Jets. The 6-foot-2, 242-pound Ruud was a second-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2005. He was cut by New Orleans on Monday.
The Texans (5-0) play Green Bay (2-3) on Sunday.
The 5-foot-5 Holliday won a roster spot after returning three kicks for touchdowns in the preseason. But Houston ranks last in kickoff return average (17.6 yards) and 16th in punt return average (9.2 yards). Coach Gary Kubiak says rookie Keshawn Martin will return punts and kickoffs, an area where he excelled at Michigan State.
