Associated Press
The NFL roundup…
LONDON ó The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Chicago Bears at Londonís Wembley Stadium in October if the NFL season isnít altered by a labor dispute.
With the league and its locked-out players still mired in negotiations over a new labor agreement, the NFL on Monday announced its plans for what it hopes will be the fifth regular-season game played in the British capital.
The Bucs are set to return to London for the second time in three years, having lost to the New England Patriots at Wembley in 2009. For the Bears, the game on Oct. 23 will mark the 25th anniversary of having played a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at the stadium in 1986.
ěOur past four games in London have demonstrated the tremendous passion for NFL football that exists in the UK,î NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
This would be the fifth consecutive year that the NFL has staged a regular-season game in London as the league tries to win over new fans and increase its marketing appeal overseas.
The full 2011 NFL schedule will be released Tuesday.
GRAPEVINE, Texas ó The Dallas Cowboys and their coaches were back together for one night.
The team held their seventh annual Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party on Sunday night, and several coaches and players attended the event.
Contact between NFL coaches and players is prohibited because of the lockout, but the league made an exception for long-standing charity events.
The event has provided funds for 3 million meals for needy children in North Texas through the North Texas Food Bank. Chefs from some of the top restaurants in the area had 19 eating stations, as well as a silent and live auction.
Linebacker DeMarcus Ware hosted the event at the Glass Cactus at the Gaylord Texan Resort, and never thought of locking himself out of it.
DeMaurice Smith, the NFL Players Association executive director, is expected to miss Tuesdayís court-ordered labor negotiations to attend to a ěfamily medical emergency.î
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah posted Monday on his Twitter account that Smith would miss the third session of talks in Minneapolis.
ěDeMaurice Smith will not attend tomorrowís sessions due to a family medical emergency. Thanks for respecting his personal privacy,î Atallah posted.
RENTON, Wash. ó Donít expect general manager John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks to stand pat with the 25th pick in the first round of the NFL draft next week.
Itís the direction that might be a bit surprising.
Despite uncertainty about Seattleís quarterback situation, Schneider said Monday he would prefer to trade down from No. 25 in an attempt to acquire more middle-round picks.
ěPersonally, Iíd like to move back,î he said. ěBecause I have confidence in our ability in those middle rounds to do some good stuff, and have a coaching staff that a) theyíre good teachers and b) theyíre excited to have these guys.î
Seattle is without a third-round pick and with plenty of holes to fill. The Seahawks need depth on both the offensive and defensive lines and could use additional bodies in the secondary ó specifically at cornerback.
LOS ANGELES ó Five retired players are suing the NFL Players Association in federal court, claiming the organization denied them and other former athletes lucrative royalties from licensing deals that used their images.
The class-action lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles and was first reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duty by the players association and its for-profit Players Inc. subsidiary.
An email message left for NFLPA spokesman George Atallah was not immediately returned Monday.
Among those suing the players association are former Washington Redskins receiver Walter Roberts III, former Baltimore Colts linebacker Bob Grant and former Cincinnati Bengals safety Marvin Cobb.
More than 2,000 ex-players agreed to a $26 million settlement two years ago over similar allegations. However, the new suit claims thousands of other players are entitled to royalties from video games, trading cards and other products that used their voices and photos.
The Associated Press
04/18/11 20:17