BEREA, Ohio - Suspended running back William Green did not return to the Cleveland Browns on Monday, clouding his future with the team.
Green was banned by the NFL for four games last month for violating the league's substance-abuse program. The 23-year-old, who has a history of drug and alcohol problems, was eligible for reinstatement Monday.
The second-year back and the club's leading rusher, whose fiancee has been accused of stabbing him in the back with a knife, was not at the club's training facility, however.
The Browns said they were awaiting word from the league on the status of Green, a first-round pick in 2001 out of Boston College.
It's possible Green could face further discipline from the league.
Green was arrested Oct. 27 on suspicion of drunken driving and marijuana possession. He has a pretrial hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Annual fall on Fins' minds
DAVIE - The Miami Dolphins typically find their Decembers accompanied by a lump of coal, as late-season possibilities meet a chilly demise in the season's final month.
A division title and playoff spot - both firmly in the team's grasp a year ago at this time - vanished amid snowflakes in Foxboro in December, as an 11-point lead late in regulation didn't hold up and New England won 27-24 in overtime, leaving Miami out of the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
It was another entry on Miami's long list of end-of-season collapses, something the team can't afford to extend further if it plans to catch New England atop the AFC East. Miami heads to Foxboro on Sunday, needing a win to prevent the Pats from clinching the division and avoid being relegated to the group that will play out the season hoping for, at best, the final wild-card spot.
"December's a big month, mainly not because of the past, but because of what we're trying to do now," guard Jamie Nails said. "We're trying to go to the playoffs. We're trying to win a championship."
Although last season's blown lead in Foxboro was among the low points in the run of swoons, it hardly is the only time the Dolphins have faltered late.
Since 1988, the Dolphins have a .429 winning percentage (27-36) in regular-season games played on or after Dec. 1. In the months leading to December, their winning percentage is .640 (121-68, including this season).
Over that 15-year stretch, Miami has lost 28 of 35 road games in December and January. And the worst stat over that span? It is 3-17 on the road after Dec. 1 against teams with winning records.
CELEBRATION IN JACKSONVILLE: Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, with fireworks and lasers going off behind him, unveiled the logo for Super Bowl XXXIX to be played Feb. 6, 2005. Jacksonville, because of a lack of hotel rooms, initially was considered unlikely to hold the game, but organizers came up with the idea of docking cruise ships on the St. Johns River to use as floating hotels. Tagliabue arrived Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of Jacksonville being awarded an NFL franchise and attended the Bucs-Jaguars game.
EX-PLAYER CHARGED IN SLAYING: Tommy Kane, a receiver for the Seahawks from 1988-92, was charged in Montreal with second-degree murder. Kane, 39, was arrested Sunday in connection with the death of Tammara Shaikh, 35.
