CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers apologized to his fans and his team on Friday, saying he didn’t intend to carry a loaded gun in his luggage as he tried to pass through airport security.
Rogers, arguably the Browns’ best player, plans to plead not guilty this morning to a concealed weapons charge, his lawyer said.
A prosecutor filed the fourth-degree felony charge alleging Rogers carried a .45-caliber Kimber semiautomatic with eight rounds in his carry-on luggage at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. A police report said the gun’s hammer was cocked in safe mode.
Rogers, 31, posted bond of $1,000 after spending a night in jail following his Thursday arrest.
Rogers told reporters he didn’t mean to take the gun into the airport and was sorry. He apologized to his family and fans and to the Browns.
“By no means did I intend or willingly or knowingly take a firearm into the airport,” he said. “That’s not something I would do.”
After participating in the Browns’ voluntary offseason program, Rogers was on his way back home to Houston to spend Easter with his family when police say he was stopped with the weapon.
The 6-foot-4, 350-pound Rogers told officers that he had forgotten the gun was in his bag and that he carried it for personal safety during travel. Police say Rogers has a license in Michigan to carry a concealed weapon.
Browns trade for defenders
CLEVELAND — The Browns acquired cornerback Sheldon Brown and linebacker Chris Gocong in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Alex Hall and two draft picks on Friday. The fourth- and fifth-round selections are the Nos. 105 and 137 overall in this month’s three-day draft.
Brown, a former Pro Bowler who hasn’t missed a game since becoming a full-time starter in 2004, will likely move into Cleveland’s starting lineup on the opposite side of Eric Wright, who made 16 starts last season at left cornerback.
Gocong started 35 games in four seasons with Philadelphia. He had just signed a one-year deal.
Dallas dumps Pro Bowler
IRVING, Texas — Dallas has released five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Flozell Adams and safety Ken Hamlin two years after both signed long-term contracts.
Adams was coming off his 12th season and was the longest-tenured player on the team, having started 178 of his 182 games for Dallas. All of his Pro Bowl selections came between 2003-08.
Hamlin was a Pro Bowl pick in 2007, his first season in Dallas after spending the first four years of his career in Seattle.
Adams and Hamlin both signed six-year deals through 2013 before the 2008 season. Adams, 35, could have been a free agent then, but never hit the market before signing his $43 million deal with the Cowboys.
Hamlin set career highs with 102 tackles and five interceptions his first year in Dallas, but his numbers have decreased since getting his $39 million deal. He had 92 tackles with one interception in 2008, and 74 tackles with no interceptions last season.
Redskins add Parker
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Redskins have added yet another veteran running back to the roster, agreeing to terms with Willie Parker for a one-year deal.
Parker, 29, agreed Friday to a contract that could be worth as much as $3.1 million with incentives.
The Redskins already have 28-year-old Clinton Portis returning, and they recently signed 30-year-old Larry Johnson to a three-year, incentive-laden deal.
Parker is 29 and has played six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning two Super Bowl rings. He has three 1,200-yard seasons, but ran for only 389 yards last year as a backup.
Niners sign Brooks
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco have signed restricted free agent linebacker Ahmad Brooks to a two-year contract.
The team announced the deal Friday. Brooks had received a second-round tender but was able to reach a longer-term deal to stay in San Francisco.
Brooks set a career-high last season with six sacks and tied the franchise record for forced fumbles by a linebacker with four.
Raiders re-sign lineman
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders have re-signed free agent offensive tackle Langston Walker.
He was a second-round pick by the Raiders in 2002 and spent his first five NFL seasons with the team. He left to sign a five-year, $25 million contract with Buffalo before the 2007 season and was cut by the Bills before last season.
Feely moving to Cardinals
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals have come to terms on a two-year deal with free agent kicker Jay Feely, a nine-year NFL veteran.
Feely connected on 30 of 36 field goal attempts last season for the New York Jets. He has connected on 231 of 283 field goal attempts since entering the league in 2001.
Lawsuit against Browns OK
CLEVELAND — A federal judge says a lawsuit over a staph infection that benched former Cleveland Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius (joor-eh-VIH’-shuhs) can move forward in a state court against the team and the Cleveland Clinic.
Jurevicius, who was released by the Browns in March 2009, sued last June, saying the team misrepresented the cleanliness of its training facility and claiming doctors were negligent over a 2008 infection in his right knee.
Charges against Steeler?
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida woman who sued Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes over an alleged assault now wants to press charges, police said Friday.
Anshonae Mills, 21, filed a lawsuit March 24 claiming Holmes grabbed her face and threw a glass at her March 7 in an Orlando nightclub, cutting her above the eye. In the lawsuit, she said Holmes and a police officer intimidated her so she wouldn’t press charges.
Mills changed her mind, and the case has been reopened, Orlando police Sgt. Barbara Jones said Friday.
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