Pending ratification by owners and players, NFL labor peace is assured through at least 2002 under the same free agency-salary cap system that began in 1993.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, announced an extension that will increase five-year veteran minimum salaries from $275,000 to $400,000 by 1999 and rookie minimums from $131,000 to $175,000.
Owners wanted a cap on signing bonuses prorated over the length of contracts, but players prevailed in keeping the sport’s primary form of guaranteed salary. The 2003 season would be uncapped if the agreement isn’t extended again.
On a case-by-case basis, there is undetailed agreement to divert some defined gross revenue into stadium construction and renovation. Players normally divide 63 percent of revenue.
Don Pierson.
Dan joins Dana: Three days after signing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield to a $36 million deal, the Washington Redskins acquired free agent defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Wilkinson, who was the first pick in the 1994 draft, signed a five-year contract with the Redskins worth $21.4 million, including a $5 million signing bonus.
Since Wilkinson was designated as a franchise player by the Bengals, Cincinnati was automatically entitled to a first- and third-round pick as compensation.
In other deals, the St. Louis Rams have signed Ray Agnew, a defensive tackle who spent the last three seasons with the New York Giants, and the Green Bay Packers signed 36-year-old punter Sean Landeta, who spent last year with Tampa Bay.
Jail term for Bennett: Atlanta Falcons linebacker Cornelius Bennett was sentenced to two months in jail and three years’ probation for sexual misconduct stemming from a meeting with a woman in a Buffalo hotel room last May. Bennett, who played 10 seasons for the Bills before going to Atlanta two years ago, pleaded guilty in September.
Bennett, who signed a four-year, $13.6 million deal with Atlanta in 1996, could face sanctions from the NFL.
Just a massage: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice says he had no idea the spa he was visiting Wednesday had a history of prostitution. Rice says he simply was at the MV Spa in Mountain View, Calif., to get a deep-tissue massage when police arrived to shut down the business. He and other customers were not detained, and no arrests were made.
“It was more civil than criminal–the business was abated because they did not have a proper permit,” said police spokeswoman Julie Rand. “There have been cases of prostitution in the past.”
Rice told reporters he was in the spa for only a few minutes. He said teammates had told him the spa was a good place to get a massage.
“I think they played a trick on me,” Rice said.
Partial freedom: Minnesota Vikings running back Robert Smith and Buffalo nose tackle Ted Washington will get a chance to test the open market. The players, who had been declared franchise players, won’t get free-agency rights but instead become transition players–increasing their bargaining power–under a compromise announced Thursday.
Humphries to retire: San Diego Chargers quarterback Stan Humphries, 32, will announce his retirement on Friday, nearly four months after suffering the most serious concussion of his career, an NFL source confirmed to The Associated Press.
