The NFL notebook…
PITTSBURGH – Mike Wallace sat in his usual spot in the corner of the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room and decided it was time to hold court.
Hey, it’d been awhile for the leader of the self-proclaimed “Young Money Family.”
The Pro Bowl wide receiver posed for the cameras alongside teammates Antonio Brown, Chris Rainey, Jerricho Cotchery and Ike Taylor while flashing a smile and cracking jokes, business as usual for one of the NFL’s fastest playmakers.
It was almost as if Wallace’s lengthy holdout – one that finally came to an end on Tuesday – never happened. Maybe because that’s the way Wallace prefers it.
“I’m not dwelling on the past,” Wallace said. “I have no regrets.”
REDSKINS
ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Redskins have released tight end Chris Cooley.
The 30-year-old Cooley has spent his entire eight-season NFL career with Washington. He has 428 career receptions, including three seasons of at least 70.
Injuries limited him to five games and eight receptions last season. The Redskins plan to use Fred Davis as their starting tight end.
PANTHERS KICKER
CHARLOTTE – Justin Medlock was a little apprehensive when the Panthers called in March and asked him to come in for a tryout.
After all, he had a three-year offer on the table to return and kick for the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a job with some measure of short-term security. In Carolina, he knew he’d have to fight an uphill battle to unseat 15-year veteran Olindo Mare to secure a roster spot.
He decided to give the NFL one more chance.
And he’s glad he did.
Medlock won the kicking job after the Panthers (No. 20 in the AP Pro32) released Mare on Monday.
A bit more mature and polished, Medlock is back in the NFL for the first time since 2007 and hoping to make the most of a second opportunity he thought might never come.
“It was a little bit of a gamble,” Medlock said of signing with the Panthers. “At the same time I would have always looked back and said, `What if?’ It’s everybody’s dream to play in the NFL. I really always wanted to kick again in the NFL.”

His first chance didn’t go so well five years ago.
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in the fifth round and Medlock stumbled through the preseason, struggling with his consistency. The Chiefs told him he’d get a one-game tryout to start the regular season. And when Medlock missed a field goal in week one the Chiefs wasted no time cutting him.
At the time he figured he’d be back in the NFL pretty quick.