Jurevicius sixth Cleveland player to contract staph

Published 11:59 pm Friday, April 11, 2008

CLEVELAND — Browns wide receiver Joe Jurevicius contracted a staph infection following knee surgery, becoming the sixth Cleveland player in four years to suffer from staph.

Jurevicius is recovering well and is expected to participate in team activities in May and minicamp in June.

The Browns released a statement saying Jurevicius had his knee scoped in early January.

“At some point following that procedure, he acquired an infection from which he is recovering. He has been rehabilitating here in Cleveland and is expected to take part in the team’s offseason activities,” the team said in the statement.

Other Browns players who have contracted staph infections over the last four years are center LeCharles Bentley, tight end Kellen Winslow, receiver Braylon Edwards, and former Browns safety Brian Russell and linebacker Ben Taylor.

Jurevicius had 50 catches for 614 yards and three touchdowns last season. He played in 16 games and started 12. He’s expected to be the No. 3 receiver next season with the signing of free agent Donte Stallworth.

COLTS: Restricted free agent safety Matt Giordano re-signed with Indianapolis on Friday. Terms of the new contract were not disclosed. Giordano has three interceptions in 39 career games, including one he returned 83 yards for a touchdown in a season-opening win over New Orleans last year. The Colts selected Giordano in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft out of California.

DOLPHINS: Miami fullback Reagan Mauia was charged with punching another man in the face and knocking him unconscious in a restaurant parking lot early Friday. The victim, Michael Gianatassio, was treated at a hospital and released. Mauia was charged with battery and released on $1,000 bond, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said. According to witnesses, Gianatassio and his girlfriend were walking by when Mauia asked Gianatassio what he was looking at. Gianatassio replied he wasn’t looking at anyone, then was punched by the 270-pound Mauia, the sheriff’s office said. Mauia fled, but a witness took a photo of his vehicle, which allowed the sheriff’s office to track him down.

LIONS: Detroit re-signed restricted free-agent cornerback Stanley Wilson and signed free-agent punter/kicker Paul Ernster to one-year contracts Friday. Additional contract terms were not disclosed.

PANTHERS: Carolina receiver Dwayne Jarrett has pleaded not guilty to driving while impaired. A trial date was set for June 23. Jarrett was arrested on March 11 after police say he crossed the center line and ran a red light in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill. The police report said Jarrett’s blood-alcohol level was 0.12, above North Carolina’s legal limit of 0.08.

MISCELLANEOUS: Bryant Gumbel has given up his role as an NFL Network play-by-play announcer after two seasons. The NFL Network said Friday it was looking for a new play-by-play announcer to work with Cris Collinsworth on the network’s Thursday and Saturday night games.

Former NFL lineman Luis Sharpe faces up to six years in prison after pleading guilty to four drug charges on Friday. Sharpe, 47, played for the St. Louis and Arizona Cardinals from 1982-94 and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He has been plagued by drug problems since 1995 and spent several months in prison after a drug conviction in 2000. He also was sentenced to 21/2 years in prison in 2004 on other drug charges.