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Jets cleared of tampering charge in Branch case

NEW YORK (AP) — The Jets were cleared by the NFL on Thursday of tampering charges filed by the New England Patriots in connection with New York's talks with holdout wide receiver Deion Branch.

The Patriots had given Branch permission to discuss only terms of a contract and not what a team would offer them in a trade. According to several reports, New England contended New York told Branch what it would offer, and the Patriots filed a grievance with the league and commissioner Roger Goodell. The former Super Bowl MVP was eventually traded to Seattle.

“We are pleased Commissioner Goodell determined that the Patriots' tampering allegations were completely unfounded, that the Jets' conduct did not violate league policy, and consequently, the Patriots had no basis to claim an injury,” New York said in a statement Thursday night. “With this issue now behind us, the Patriots and the Jets remain competitors on the field and partners off the field, working together to advance the interests of the league and its fans.”

A call Thursday night to league spokesman Greg Aiello wasn't immediately returned.

The Jets, who offered a second-round pick, were among the teams Branch or his representatives spoke with after the Patriots gave the former Super Bowl MVP permission on Aug. 25 to seek a trade and negotiate a contract with other clubs until Sept. 1.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Ted Johnson blames football injuries for depression, addiction

Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson, who is just 34 years old, says he is addicted to ampehetamines, has become terrified of the outside world and sometimes cannot get himself out of bed for days at a time -- conditions that he and his neurologist blame on concussions he suffered in the NFL.

And Johnson blames Bill Belichick for triggering the events that led to his physical and psychological decline. He says Belichick went against the recommendation of the team's trainer by throwing Johnson into full-contact practice in August 2002, just four days after Johnson had suffered a concussion in a preseason game. He sustained another concussion in that practice, and more of varying severity over the next three seasons.

Johnson details his struggles today in a front-page story in The New York Times and in another piece written by The Boston Globe's Jackie McMullen.

"There's something wrong with me," Johnson tells the Times' Alan Schwarz. "There's something wrong with my brain."

In The Globe piece, two former teammates are quoted backing Johnson's account of how Belichick handled the situation. Belichick, for his part, says that Johnson should have told him if he was unable to return to full-contact practice.

Johnson says he was motivated to go public by the recent suicide of Andre Waters, a former Philadelphia defensive back who suffered significant brain injury as a result of repeated concussions.

According to the Times' piece, half of all NFL players who suffer concussions return to play in the same game.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments 2