Football

Published 5:00 am Thursday, March 31, 2011

• Report: Ex-Auburn players say they were paid: Four former Auburn players have told HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” they received thousands of dollars while being recruited by or playing for the Tigers. Stanley McClover, Troy Reddick, Chaz Ramsey and Raven Gray told HBO for an episode airing Wednesday night that they received cash payments — in book bags, envelopes and even handshakes. Ramsey played at Auburn most recently, in the 2007 season. Tommy Tuberville, Auburn’s coach during the recruitment of all four players, declined comment Wednesday.

• NFL making player benefits payments: NFL owners will pay $177 million on Thursday to complete their contributions to the player benefits program for the 2010 season. That payment will bring the total amount funded by the 32 teams for 2010 to $245 million. It is a payment the league has made by the end of March each year under its collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association. The CBA expired on March 11 and the NFLPA dissolved as a union. The league then locked out the players.

• Tressel: ‘I never looked at myself as perfect’: Ohio State coach Jim Tressel apologized for letting people down Wednesday, and acknowledged that some may view him as a cheater in the wake of NCAA violations that resulted in a five-game suspension. Tressel declined to discuss the investigation into the rules violations during an almost hourlong news conference. Ohio State has recommended that Tressel be suspended the first five games of this season for failing to report that his players sold memorabilia and received improper benefits.

• No bond for Packers’ Jolly after new drug charge: A judge denied bond for troubled Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly on Wednesday following his latest drug arrest in Houston. The decision means Jolly will remain jailed until at least his next court appearance on April 20. He did not appear in court during the brief hearing. Jolly was arrested Friday morning and has been charged with possession of more than 400 grams of a controlled substance. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

• Tampa CB Talib turns himself in on gun incident: Police in a Dallas suburb say Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib has turned himself in on a warrant accusing him of firing a gun at his sister’s boyfriend. Garland police said Talib was released after posting a $25,000 bond Wednesday. Police say they believe Talib and his mother, Okolo Talib, shot at the man March 21. The man was not injured.