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NFL
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 15, 2003
MIAMI -- The Dolphins and San Diego agreed to the parameters of a trade for Junior Seau, and the 11-time Pro Bowl linebacker is expected to join Miami if he passes a physical today or Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported Monday.
The Dolphins and Chargers refused to confirm a trade. Miami agreed to give San Diego a draft pick and pay some of the $2.7-million bonus Seau is due this week. Miami is expected to send San Diego a 2004 sixth-round pick that could be changed to a fifth-rounder based on performance.
Seau, 34, will fly to Miami and meet with coaches today. He said he spoke with coach Dave Wannstedt and other Dolphins officials Monday. "We're planning to have a press conference Wednesday," Seau told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "But until everything is officially done, everything is premature."
DRAFT PICK'S DRUG TEST: Charles Rogers, Michigan State's All-America receiver, had excessive water in his urine when he took a drug test in February, his agent, Kevin Poston, said. The NFL told Rogers, expected to be one of the first players taken in the draft April 26, that excessive water is regarded as a masking agent under the league's drug policy.
"Diluted urine is considered a positive test under the (drug) program," league spokesman Greg Aiello said. "If a player tests positive for a banned substance at the combine for diluted urine, he is subject to possible entry into our program, which would result in his undergoing frequent testing for some time."
RAIDERS TRIAL: The Raiders claimed in a Sacramento court they were lured back to Oakland after 13 seasons in Los Angeles on the false promise of a packed stadium. In opening statements in the $1-billion lawsuit against the city of Oakland, Alameda County and the defunct Arthur Andersen accounting firm, attorney Roger Dreyer said the team was defrauded eight years ago and its future is in jeopardy. The team claims it lost between $500-million and $1-billion because of a breach of good faith and fraudulent misrepresentation by the coliseum and associates who said the stadium would sell out for the Raiders. City and county officials have called the claims absurd, saying the team lost money because of poor performances in the 1990s.
JAGUARS: Free-agent tight end Johnnie Mitchell joined the team, seven years after he last played in the league. Mitchell, the Jets' first-round draft choice in 1992, had 158 catches for 2,086 yards and 16 TDs.
JETS: Defensive back Tyrone Carter and wide receiver Albert Johnson signed. Carter, who played his first three seasons with the Vikings at safety and cornerback, could replace Chad Morton (joined Redskins) as a returner. Johnson signed as a free agent with the Dolphins in 2001 and returned 12 kickoffs for 330 yards before being placed on injured reserve.
PATRIOTS-SAINTS TRADE: New England traded safety Tebucky Jones to New Orleans for three draft choices. The Patriots will get a third- and seventh-round pick this year and a fourth-rounder in 2004. Jones has 195 tackles in five years with the Patriots. Also, Ernie Conwell agreed to a five-year contract with the Saints after seven years in St. Louis.