NFL clubs no longer may serve alcohol at team functions or on buses or flights, extending a ban that had applied only in locker rooms.
NFL owners and executives were told Thursday by Commissioner Roger Goodell that the rule pertains not only to players but to owners, coaches and guests.
“I believe that no constructive purpose is served by clubs continuing to make alcoholic beverages available and that doing so imposes significant and unnecessary risks to the league, its players and others,” Goodell wrote to all 32 teams in a letter obtained by the Associated Press.
The letter separates him from, among others, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. After St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock died a month ago in what was ruled an alcohol-related auto accident, Selig said a decision on banning beer in clubhouses was a team matter, not a league one.
*Informants have come forward saying they can link Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to dog fighting, the prosecutor in the case said Thursday, and he has forwarded their accounts and contact information to investigators. Surry County Commonwealth Atty. Gerald G. Poindexter said he had heard from about a half-dozen people claiming to have information about Vick’s involvement in dog fighting.
*The Rush welcomed back its all-time leading receiver, Etu Molden, who signed a contract for the rest of the season. Molden, released Wednesday by the Las Vegas Gladiators, is expected to play in Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Avengers. He caught 264 passes in three seasons with the Rush.
