Associated Press
The NFL notebook …
NEW ORLEANS (AP) ó Reggie Bush insists he was only joking when he stirred up fans with posts on his Twitter account about enjoying free time during the NFL lockout.
Bush drew critical responses from a number of his nearly 1.7 million Twitter followers when he posted: ěEverybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot Iím making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! Iím good!î
Bush then added in a second post moments later: ěRight about now we would be slaving in 100 degree heat, practicing twice a day, while putting our bodies at risk for nothing.î
The timing of the posts heightened criticism of Bush because the flashy running back has been absent from workouts organized by quarterback Drew Brees, which have drawn several dozen Saints players to Tulaneís football facilities.
GOODELL UPDATE
CINCINNATI ó Commissioner Roger Goodell told Cincinnati Bengals season tickets holders on Wednesday that “not enough negotiation is going on.”
Goodell is convinced the owners and players can settle their differences if they can get out of the courtroom.
The NFL’s labor dispute was the most popular topic Wednesday during a conference call that lasted more than a half-hour. Goodell has done similar question-and-answer sessions with ticket holders of other teams.
The league has locked out the players as part of their dispute over a collective bargaining agreement. A federal appeals court has scheduled a June 3 hearing on whether the lockout should be allowed to continue.
“It’s more litigation right now and I think that’s unfortunate,” Goodell said. “I think we need to get back to negotiations because that’s how this will get settled.”
RETIRED FOR GOOD
HACKLEBURG, Ala. ó Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre says he has no intention of coming out of retirement.
Favre said he was “done with football” when asked Wednesday if he might attempt another comeback. Favre, a spokesman for Wrangler jeans, met with employees at a Wrangler plant that was destroyed by recent tornadoes that devastated the region.
Favre signed autographs for members of the Hackleburg High School football team and Wrangler employees.
Favre, who last played in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, couldn’t escape talking football. When he first stepped out of his vehicle, he was greeted by Marion County Commission President Don Barnwell, who asked him if he was going to play football this year.
As for the NFL lockout, Favre says he doesn’t know if there “would be any football” this year.
HAYNESWORTH
WASHINGTON ó Washington Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth did not grope a waitress at a hotel bar and intends to fight the accusations, his lawyer said Tuesday in entering a not guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of sexual abuse.
Haynesworth, who was not at his arraignment in D.C. Superior Court, is accused of sliding his credit card into the bra of a waitress and touching her breast during a birthday party at a Washington hotel in February.
RETIRING
PHOENIX ó Alan Faneca made no secret in the final weeks of the 2010 season that it could well be his last in the rugged trenches of the NFL.
The eight-time All-Pro guard announced his retirement after 13 years in the league.
ARRESTED
ATLANTA ó Authorities say former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Kordell Stewart has been charged with driving with a suspended license and speeding.
Stewart was booked into jail in the Atlanta suburb and freed on $3,000 bond.