SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have a new man in charge of personnel decisions merely a month before draft day.
Scot McCloughan is out as the Niners’ general manager in a “mutual parting,” and director of player personnel Trent Baalke will lead the team into next month’s draft.
Team president Jed York, speaking Monday in a conference call from the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, said it’s in the best interest of both parties and called the move a “private personnel matter.” He didn’t elaborate on what went wrong for McCloughan, except to say it had more to do with the GM’s personal issues than anything on the football side of things.
“Trent is leading us into the draft,” York said. “Trent is the point person in the draft. He is making draft decisions. … Trent knows the draft better than anybody else and I have full confidence in him.”
York, also the team’s chief executive officer, addressed the situation five days after news broke that McCloughan was on his way out. York said the team “had been prepared for this” but that he told McCloughan he would wait to announce it for five days.
Several reports surfaced last Thursday that the Niners were cutting ties with McCloughan because of personal issues, though Schaffer said at the time that he had not been informed.
Sentence extended for Ingram
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Mark Ingram Sr., a star NFL player in the 1990s and the father of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram Jr., was sentenced Monday to more than two additional years in federal prison for jumping bail in an attempt to see his son play in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
Ingram Sr. failed to surrender in December 2008 to begin serving a prison term of seven years and eight months after pleading guilty to money laundering and bank fraud. He’ll now have to spend nearly 10 years behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Platt on Long Island was nearly apologetic in imposing the additional 27 months but noted that Ingram, 44, has had a long criminal history since retiring from the NFL.
“I do this with a heavy heart,” Platt told Ingram, a star receiver for the New York Giants in the 1991 Super Bowl. “You’ve had a remarkable career and your son has a remarkable career. It’s too bad it had to end this way.”
The younger Ingram is a star running back at Alabama and won the 2009 Heisman Trophy in December. Ingram Sr. was free on bail when he disappeared after being denied a request to remain free until after his son competed in the Sugar Bowl.
Dolphins’ Brown gets DUI charge
ATLANTA — Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, who had been in the suburban Atlanta area to help celebrate his parents’ anniversary, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and released from jail a few hours later, officials said Monday.
The 28-year-old fifth-year pro was arrested at 4:29 a.m. Saturday, Marietta Police Officer Jennifer Murphy said. Marietta is about 15 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Jets’ Edwards signs tender
NEW YORK — Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards signed his tender and reported for the first day of voluntary offseason workouts Monday.
Edwards, acquired last season from Cleveland, signed the tender worth $6.1 million — which would have required another team to give up first- and third-round draft picks to New York.
Running back Leon Washington chose to not attend the workout, and is one of New York’s four restricted free agents who haven’t signed their tenders. Washington, a fourth-round pick in 2006, received a second-round tender.
Goodell wants new overtime
ORLANDO, Fla. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell likes the proposal to modify overtime in the playoffs.
The competition committee recommends that a team surrendering a field goal on the first possession should have a series of its own in OT. Goodell says the idea “stays true to the integrity of the game” and finds it “very much worth considering.”
The 32 team owners are expected to vote on the issue this week at their annual league meetings. It would need 24 votes for approval.
Goodell believes the concept of sudden death should be kept, and the proposal does that because a team winning the coin toss and scoring a touchdown right away would win. Should that team not score, sudden death ensues anyway.
Patriots get compensation
ORLANDO, Fla. — The New England Patriots are the big winner for losing free agents last year.
The Patriots have been awarded the maximum of four compensatory picks in April’s NFL draft. The selections will come in the sixth round (one, No. 205 overall) and seventh round (three, Nos. 247, 248 and 250).
New England lost Heath Evans, Jabar Gaffney, Larry Izzo, LaMont Jordan and Lonie Paxton before the 2009 season, and signed only Brandon McGowan.
In all, 32 such picks were given out Monday, with 19 teams getting at least one.
Carolina, Pittsburgh and Tennessee each get three, while Atlanta, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Philadelphia receive two.
Getting one compensatory choice will be Green Bay, Detroit, Jacksonville, Miami, Minnesota, Oakland, St. Louis, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa Bay and San Francisco.
Compensatory picks are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. A team losing more or better players than it acquires is eligible. The picks can’t be traded.
The Bengals have the highest compensatory spot, the 33rd pick in the third round (96th overall). They lost T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Stacy Andrews and Ryan Fitzpatrick, while signing only J.T. O’Sullivan before the ‘09 season.
The Titans were given the next selection. They lost Albert Haynesworth, Chris Carr, Brandon Jones, Eric King, Daniel Loper and Chris Simms, and signed Jovan Haye, Nate Washington and Mark Jones.
Since 1994, when compensatory picks first were awarded, Baltimore (29) and Dallas (28) have gotten the most. Cleveland has gotten the fewest, one.
Ravens, Redding reach deal
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens filled a void on their defensive line Monday by reaching agreement on a two-year deal with former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cory Redding. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Redding started just three games for the Seahawks last year but has 18 career sacks over seven NFL seasons, the first six with Detroit. The 29-year-old lineman has played in 101 games, 79 of them as a starter.
Chargers release Byrd
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Chargers have released wide receiver Demetrius Byrd. The Chargers chose Byrd out of LSU in the seventh round of the 2009 draft even though he suffered major injuries in a car accident just days earlier. He spent the season on the non-football injury list.
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