Former Dallas wide receiver and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin is no stranger to trouble off the field, but his latest legal entanglement could be more costly than all of the others combined.

According to ESPNDallas.com, Irvin has been served with a civil lawsuit alleging that he raped the plaintiff, who has been identified only as Jane Doe. The suit alleges that Irvin raped the woman at the  Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida  in 2007.

For his part, Irvin is steadfastly denying all of the allegations, and is seemingly safe from any criminal prosecution at this point, although the Broward County law enforcement officials are still investigating the case. A final report is expected by next week.

Irvin is currently an analyst for the NFL Network. It’s not known if this case will affect his status with the network at this time, but any such action would likely only occur after a resolution has been reached in the case.

Both sides have engaged in discussions to reach a settlement amount, but a mutually acceptable figure is not forthcoming according to Irvin’s legal representation. That is a likely indication of this lawsuit being a fairly frivilous attempt to drive up the price for Irvin, but all of that should play out in court at a later date.

As always, we’ll keep you posted.

Every off-season we’re treated with at least one player threatening to call it quits on their career unless a specified set of demands are met, and this year is no exception. According to New York Daily News beat writer Ralph Vacciano, Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is adamant that he will “stop playing football” before he consents to a backup role with the team next season.

Uh huh. No trade demand, no request for an outright release. Let’s skip right past all of that and just retire when New York’s brass say thanks but no thanks.

I’ve heard more than my fair share of trade demands from players over the years, but early retirement threats are a different story. When a player goes that far to force his current team into action, there’s almost always more to the story than what initially meets the eye. Especially when it comes from a player like Umenyiora, who has proven himself to be a talented performer at the highest level during his tenure in New York.

Granted, Umenyiora didn’t exactly light the league on fire last season, and looked lost in transition throughout much of the year. But a lot of the blame for that should be laid at the feet of the departed Bill Sheridan, who was as atrocious of a defensive coordinator last year as I’ve seen in some time.

So there has to be something more to this discussion, something of substance that would legitimately make a player that’s just now coming into his prime at 28 years old throw out fairly serious threats of retirement. There’s no doubt that if the Giants were to let Umenyiora hit the market, he’d find himself a new job in two seconds flat for a nice salary to boot.

That leaves only one answer open in my mind, and as a fan of the game, it doesn’t bode well for a continued era of prosperity in the NFL. The only reason I can see that would make a player such as Umenyiora throw out threats of this sort is that the negotiations between the league and the Player’s Association are going much, much worse than anyone currently suspects, and a work stoppage in 2011 is almost assured.

If Umenyiora truly felt comfortable with the current situation, he’d likely stay quiet this off-season, work his butt off, and earn a big time payday at the end of next season. But given the fact that the league is ready to lock out the players next year, players are doing everything they can to get their haul now, even resorting to retirement threats when need be. They don’t exactly have much to lose, given the state of negotiations at this point, and if it works, all the better for them.

Hopefully I’m wrong on this, and a labor stop doesn’t take place, as it would be crippling to a league that has risen above all others in America to dominate the sports landscape. But it’s awfully hard not to read between the lines here and see what’s likely coming down the road in the near future.  

It was this time last year that the discussion surrounding Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and his future in San Diego really began to heat up. While he eventually signed a contract to stay in SoCal last season, the Chargers were seemingly reluctant to do so, and the writing is once again on the wall, indicating a departure for the future Hall of Fame rusher.

San Diego Union-Tribune beat writer Kevin Acee got the impression from Tomlinson that he still feels like there’s plenty of gas left in the tank and is capable of having several more quality seasons with the right team. Whether that actually ends up happening or not remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt that Tomlinson could be a significant acquisition for a team in need of a versatile back to touch the ball 10 to 15 times a game.

One of the more intriguing options could be Minnesota, where Chester Taylor has quietly played second fiddle to Adrian Peterson, despite having a plus 1,000 yard season in the books before the Vikings snatched Peterson in 2007.  Taylor is scheduled to be a free agent this off-season, and will likely draw plenty of attention, given the relatively light workload he’s had over the past three seasons. That could potentially open the door to an addition of Tomlinson, who could serve as a mentor for Peterson and offer up even more versatility than Taylor in Minnesota’s backfield.

Another locale likely to kick the tires on Tomlinson is Tennessee, as a duo of Chris Johnson and Tomlinson would be as dynamic as any in history at the position. The Titans would likely prefer to find a bigger type of runner to compliment Johnson, but if that doesn’t work out, they could always go with Tomlinson and leave the short yardage stuff to fullback Ahmard Hall.

The Colts, Jaguars, Patriots, and 49ers all could be players in the Tomlinson sweepstakes as well, although their interest is not known at this point. In any case, Tomlinson is probably going to want a team that is clearly on the verge of getting to the Super Bowl at the very least, considering how close he’s come in San Diego and the lack of time remaining for him to earn that final honor.

As always, we’ll keep you posted when more information becomes available.

One of the prime potential landing spots for Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers could be out of the picture this off-season, thanks in large part to a free agent bust at a similar position.

According to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, New England’s front office staff may be a bit leary of bringing in another high priced free agent, after linebacker Adalius Thomas’ production dropped off precipitously over the past two seasons. 

Thomas came to the Patriots from Baltimore as a premier free agent acquisition in 2007, and many felt he would be an impact player for the remainder of his career in New England. But while his play was servicable for the most part, Thomas struggled to fit in with the Patriots, culminating his troubles last season with a public feud over his dismissal from practice by head coach Bill Belichick.

Peppers currently plays defensive end for the Panthers, but is scheduled to be a free agent and has made it fairly clear that he would like to transition into a 3-4 rush linebacker role with his new team if possible. New England has long been speculated has being enamored with Peppers, but could choose to spend their money elsewhere, especially in light of the pending free agents they already have in guard Logan Mankins and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.

Other teams rumored to be interested in Peppers are Kansas City, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Arizona.

After a season of public feuds and an late season benching between Denver head coach Josh McDaniels and star wide receiver Brandon Marshall, the writing is seemingly on the wall indicating a definite departure for Marshall this off-season. There’s no doubt that Marshall’s talent is among the best in the league, but his off the field behavior, coupled with his perceived attitude issues could be problematic for any major trade involving him taking place.

That said, there is a possible location for Marshall that makes sense on a number of levels - the Cleveland Browns – who have a definite need for a top notch receiver and have the draft picks, and/or expendable players to make a deal happen. Denver Post beat writer Mike Klis dropped in over the weekend with a similar conclusion, speculating that an agreement between the Browns and the Broncos could be reached if Cleveland would be willing to part with quarterback Brady Quinn, who was in and out of Cleveland’s doghouse last season but still has the ability to be a good player at this level in the right system.

All in all, it’s probably going to be difficult at best for Denver’s front office to find a trading partner willing to part with the players/picks needed to replace the value of Marshall in the Broncos offense. But if a deal could be reached to send Marshall packing in return for a potential franchise quarterback in Quinn and a lesser package of draft selections, there’s little doubt Denver would pull the trigger, as they have several needs and Marshall’s antics on and off the field are not conducive to what McDaniels is trying accomplish.

As always, we’ll keep you posted.

The past few off-seasons have been frustrating at best for Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers, with the Carolina brass choosing to keep him in the fold one season at a time with the dreaded franchise tag. Obviously, the money that’s come along with that tag hasn’t been all that bad for Peppers, but there’s little doubt that the All-Pro pass rusher has been ready to leave town for a long time, and this year he just might get his wish.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Panthers are not expected to keep Peppers around via the franchise tag this time, in light of the likely $20 million a season cost it would bring. But if they choose not to use that label on Peppers, it’s doubtful that he would stick around to see if a long term deal is in the works, opening him up to a free agent market that is likely to be a thin one given the potential uncapped season looming.

“I think most people who have looked at the situation have understood the complexity of it for the Panthers. What I’m more surprised by is the silent treatment that they’re giving Julius at this time. We have had a very respectful relationship with the organization and this is very much unlike what I’m used to seeing from them.”

– Agent Carl Carey

At 30 years old, Peppers still has plenty of fuel in the tank and could be an intriguing pick up for a number of teams in need of a quality pass rusher, including New England, who made a public run at bringing him to Foxborough last off-season, before the Panthers locked him up with the franchise tag. Another interesting option would be Kansas City, with a bevy of cash to spend and a perfect setup for Peppers’ talents under newly hired defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who’s well known for his skill in working with defensive line and pass rushers.

The NFL free agency period begins at 12:00 am on March 1st.

When the regular season ended earlier this month, Chicago felt pretty good about their chances of landing a solid offensive coordinator to take the place of the fired Ron Turner, who by all accounts was abysmal last year in the position.

But after three and a half weeks filled to the brim with candidates saying thanks but no thanks to the Bears front office, the team is down to just a few leftovers to choose from, and that could potentially cause even more trouble for quarterback Jay Cutler next fall.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Sean Jensen went on record this morning with a passionate plea for Chicago’s decision makers to bring in former Redskins head coach Jim Zorn to fill the spot, given his track record of success in that position prior to his disastrous showing in the lead role in Washington. While there may be a potential candidate or two still out there with more impressive credentials than Zorn, it’s doubtful at this point that the Bears would be able to land such a coach, especially in light of all the recent declines they’ve received in their search.

Zorn is known for his ability to develop quarterbacks into solid performers in the NFL, and while he was unable to do that with Redskins QB Jason Campbell, that may have been more an indication of Campbell’s failures than a knock on Zorn. All in all, a decision to bring him into the fold in Chicago certainly wouldn’t hurt, and at the very least, it would allow the Bears to save some semblance of face with their rabid fans, who are demanding nothing short of the playoffs next season.

From the first day of the off-season, the general consensus around the league has been that Oakland head coach Tom Cable was on his way out from his gig with the team. But after meeting with team owner Al Davis multiple times over the past two weeks, Cable has seemingly saved his job for at least one more season and will coach the Raiders next fall.

Citing a source close to the organization, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that a deal has been reached between the two sides to keep Cable on the sidelines in 2010, although no confirmation of that arrangement was forthcoming from the team. That said, Oakland has been known for denying almost every report made by ESPN over the past few seasons, and so while it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that this still isn’t done, it’s doubtful that ESPN would run with this report unless they have credible info to back it up.

As always, we’ll keep you updated with the latest when this deal actually becomes official, but for now Raiders fans should be happy that some semblance of common sense still exists in Oakland in the Davis regime.

There’s not much more in life that I enjoy than watching an entire city find redemption in the form of their favorite football team beating the odds to get to the Super Bowl. In New Orleans, we have just that, with a huge population of fans suffering through just about every possible calamity on and off the field, especially in recent times, with a franchise seemingly in disarray after Hurricane Katrina crushed the entire landscape of the Gulf Coast.

So it is with great joy that I was able to watch the Saints march into the Superdome earlier tonight and overcome a tremendous Vikings team that showed heart from start to finish, to win the NFC championship and book a trip to Miami for the Super Bowl.

This is the finish that every fan of the game wanted to see throughout most of this season, with two high flying offenses squaring off against each other in what looks to be a championship game for the ages. It marks the first time since 1994 that the top seeds in both conferences advance to the championship, and pits two of the league’s top quarterbacks in Peyton Manning (son of Saints legend Archie Manning) and Drew Brees.

Let’s not forget the fact that both defenses are equally talented in their own right, with plenty of opportunistic playmakers to create turnovers and keep opponents off the board. On paper, the advantage seemingly would lie with the Colts, although the Saints clearly have demonstrated a knack for getting stops when they need them the most.

All of these story lines will be broken down to their every detail in the coming weeks, and your’s truly will certainly add to that as well, but for the time being, I don’t think I could have asked for a better finish to this season than the game we’ll be privileged to see two weeks from now. Congratulations to New Orleans and Indianapolis, and let the fun begin.

A week removed from his initial post-season meeting with team owner Al Davis, Oakland head coach Tom Cable is still clinging precariously to his position with the team, in spite of rampant rumors circulating the league on a daily basis clearly saying Cable was on his way out very soon.

According to Aaron Wilson of Scout.com’s Ravens Insider, Davis and Cable are slated to meet once again this evening to discuss the latter’s future with the club, and while the talk still persists that Cable will be fired sooner or later, the longer this draws out, the better off his job prospects with the Raiders would seem to be.

Over the past decade, Davis has become well known for his penchant to hire and fire his head coaches on a whim most every season, especially after Jon Gruden departed in a huff to Tampa Bay in 2002. That strategy has done little to bring a proud franchise back to the top of the AFC West division, with players consistently having to adjust to varying schemes on both sides of the ball every fall.

To his credit, Cable has brought a reasonable amount of stability to the organization during his short tenure with the Raiders, building up a solid reputation among the players as a likable coach with the guts to make the tough calls on Sundays. The wins haven’t come along as quickly, but given their talent, many feel that if Davis gives Cable another season, Oakland’s fortunes will most likely turn for the better in 2010.

That said, Cable’s survival in Oakland depends on the outcome of these discussions, as Davis could very well toss his coach by the wayside if he feels that Cable has developed too much power within the locker room, as he clearly is incapable of sharing the decision making with anyone besides himself.

As always, we’ll keep you posted.