Steroid penalties pumped up
NFL NOTEBOOK
January 25, 2007
The NFL is going deeper into the wallets of players who get caught using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
After four months of sometimes intense negotiations, the league and union announced Wednesday more extensive testing for performance-enhancing drugs and the addition of the blood-boosting substance EPO to its list of banned substances.
The union also agreed that players suspended after testing positive will, for the first time, forfeit a portion of their signing bonuses in addition to the salary they will lose during their time away.
That is significant because the signing bonuses often are the only guaranteed portion of a player's salary and can be larger than salaries, which sometimes are kept artificially low to keep the team under the salary cap.
''It is important that the NFL and its players continue to be leaders on the issue of illegal and dangerous performance-enhancing drugs in sports,'' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.
In addition to the new test for EPO, the agreement includes an increase from seven to 10 of the number of players on each team randomly tested each week during the season for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
LEWIS HEADING TO HAWAII: Ray Lewis is going to the Pro Bowl after all.
The Baltimore Ravens' middle linebacker earned an eighth trip to Hawaii, replacing injured Broncos linebacker Al Wilson on the AFC squad. Lewis was named a first alternate last month.
Lewis led the Ravens' top-ranked defense with 164 tackles, the ninth time in his 11-year career he finished as the team's leading tackler. He also had five sacks and two interceptions.
LIONS REWARD FURREY: Detroit Lions leading receiver Mike Furrey agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the team, bringing back one of the team's few bright spots from a 3-13 season.
''This is a great day,'' Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. ''You want to reward men for performing for the Detroit Lions, so this contract sends a strong message to all of our players. Mike earned this.''
Furrey had a spectacular season one year after playing safety for the St. Louis Rams. The 29-year-old from Northern Iowa had 98 receptions -- the most by a non-rookie following a season in which he had no catches -- for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns.
