Everett, Wash.
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008

NFL NOTEBOOK: Jets' Smith suspended for Boldin hit

Associated Press

 PHOENIX -- Hours after Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt called for the NFL to review a helmet-to-helmet hit by New York's Eric Smith on Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, the Jets safety was suspended for one game.

Boldin was resting at home on Monday, one day after being carted off the field in the Cardinals' 56-35 loss to the Jets in New Jersey.

Team spokesman Mark Dalton said Boldin was fully mobile and was "resting comfortably at home" on Monday evening. The team released no other information on Boldin's condition.

Smith also was fined $50,000 for a flagrant violation of player safety rules, the league said late Monday.

Whisenhunt said he believed the hit violated the safety edict issued by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but he stopped short of calling for Smith to be suspended.

"I think it's one of the hits that falls into the category of being dangerous to players," Whisenhunt said Monday. "Certainly, I'm sure that the league is going to look at this and will address it."

Boldin returned to Phoenix on Sunday night after being examined at a New York-area hospital. Whisenhunt said "all the test results were positive," but he wouldn't speculate whether Boldin could play Sunday against Buffalo.

Boldin tried to catch a pass from Kurt Warner but was hit in the back by Kerry Rhodes and then took a shot to his helmet from Smith. After being worked on for several minutes, Boldin was immobilized and placed on a stretcher before he was carted off the field.

Smith, who said his memory is still "a little fuzzy" and isn't sure if he has a concussion, needed to see a replay to figure out what happened. He insisted there was no malicious intent on his part.

Notes

BENGALS: Receiver Chris Henry was cleared to practice with the Cincinnati Bengals, having completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's conduct policy. The Bengals get a one-week roster exemption for Henry, who will be allowed to practice with the team but doesn't have to be added to the active roster. The Bengals would have to get rid of a player to make room for him.

GIANTS: New York and suspended star receiver Plaxico Burress are close to an agreement that will cut his fine for missing a team meeting last week. Burress still will have to sit out the team-mandated one-game suspension against Seattle on Sunday. Richard Berthelsen, the interim executive director of the NFL Players Association, said he believed the dispute had been resolved, but there were some legal issues still to be settled.

JAGUARS: Jacksonville offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot while sitting in a car outside an apartment complex earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and his left leg was amputated. Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, said Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital. Kerwin said Collier suffered 14 bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs and right buttock.

JETS: Ben Graham was released by the New York Jets -- again. The Australian punter who was cut after a poor outing in New York's loss to New England on Sept. 16 only to be re-signed a few days later, was again let go by the Jets on Monday.

PACKERS: Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers intends to play against Atlanta on Sunday despite a sprained shoulder that his coaches will be watching closely in practice. Packers coach Mike McCarthy and his assistants will spend this week monitoring Rodgers' progress and preparing rookie backup Matt Flynn to start, just in case.

RAIDERS: ESPN.com reported Oakland owner Al Davis is preparing to fire coach Lane Kiffin, and scheduled hour-long meetings with individual members of Kiffin's staff. The report said Davis had scheduled individual one-hour meetings Monday night with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, offensive line coach Tom Cable, and team consultant Paul Hackett. If he were to replace Kiffin with a member of the current staff, a candidate is running backs coach Tom Rathman, who came highly recommended by the late Bill Walsh.
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