Florida Sentinel Bulletin

NEW YORK — The NFL’s investigation that found the New Orleans Saints paid bounties to players for knocking opponents out of games is far from over.

League spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email the NFL will be “addressing the issues raised as part of our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of the game.”

Those issues could include previous seasons, too.

Several players around the league have said the Saints and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams weren’t the only ones with such a system. Former Redskins safety Matt Bowen said Williams had a similar bounty scheme when he was in Washington.

Aiello said the league would not comment on other reports. He added that the NFL will look at “any relevant info regarding rules being broken,” saying that is “standard procedure.”

Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh insisted Sunday his team had no bounty program.

BALTIMORE — Ray Rice has been designated the franchise player of the Baltimore Ravens, who hope to buy some time while negotiating a lengthy deal for the two-time Pro Bowl running back.

Rice’s contract expired after a season in which he amassed an NFL-best 2,068 yards from scrimmage and helped the Ravens advance to the AFC championship game.

As a franchise running back, Rice will earn $7.7 million in 2012. Baltimore, however, intends to have him around a lot longer.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their offseason roster purge Friday, announcing veteran linebacker James Farrior and defensive end Aaron Smith will be released before the next league year begins March 13.

Farrior and Smith served as the backbone of a defense that led the franchise to two Super Bowl titles and three AFC championships over the last decade, a period in which the Steelers defense finished ranked in the top 10 in the league every season.

The duo join wide receiver Hines Ward and guard Chris Kemoeatu, who were told earlier this week they also will be cut as the team addresses salary cap concerns and an aging roster, particularly on defense. Nose tackle Chris Hoke retired in January due to lingering neck problems.

Former Atlanta Falcons cornerback Glenn Sharpe, 28, is being held in a Dekalb County, Georgia jail on murder charges.

Sharpe was arrested last week by members of the Sheriff’s Fugitive Squad for the fatal shooting of Christopher Galloway at his home near Stone Mountain.

He was formally charged last Friday afternoon and is currently being held without bond.

After playing for the University of Miami, Sharpe joined the Falcons as a free agent in 2008. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.

Sharpe’s preliminary hearing is scheduled in DeKalb County Superior Court for March 28.

When NBA’s Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant played in last Sunday’s All-Star game, little did he know what he was in for. Now it is being reported that the basketball star not only received a broken nose, but he also has a concussion.

The famed All-Star game is when the best NBA players of the year are matched against one another and are divided by conferences, the East vs. the West. Bryant, who played for the Western conference, suffered a nose fracture by a hard foul shot from the Miami Heat’s star guard Dwyane Wade.

Although Bryant’s nose became bloodied, he stayed in the game to see the Western conference win over the East 152-149.  The baller did not, however, attend the media session after the game was over.

PHOENIX – Ben Patrick, who played tight end for the Arizona Cardinals from 2007 to 2010, rescued a group of people trapped in a van that flipped over in Phoenix, Arizona.

Patrick was driving on the highway when he noticed the van laying on its side and pulled over. After smelling gas, he began pulling people out of the van.

Retired NFL player Terrell Owens, is, like many other average Americans, facing foreclosure on his home. According to his profile in GQ, Owens has lost nearly all of his earnings from his career as a NFL wide receiver, due to poor investments and steep monthly child-support payments. Realty Trac, a real estate company that tracks foreclosure filings, says that his two Dallas condos will be auctioned off on March 6.

Terrell Owens has earned $80 million over the course of his career.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers’ all-time leading receiver Donald Driver joins the cast of the ABC show “Dancing With the Stars.”

The four-time Pro Bowl receiver will be part of a celebrity lineup that includes actor Jack Wagner, actress Melissa Gilbert, tennis legend Martina Navratilova and Motown great Gladys Knight.

The new cast and their professional dance partners were revealed on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday.

Season 14 of “Dancing With the Stars” begins Monday, March 19.

CHICAGO – The family of former Chicago Bears player, Dave Duerson filed a wrongful death suit against the NFL on Thursday, claiming the league didn’t do enough to prevent or treat the concussions that severely damaged his brain before he killed himself last year.

The suit was filed in Chicago on behalf of Duerson’s son, Tregg, and three other children. Duerson died on Feb. 17, 2011, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.

Duerson’s family wants to know more about the NFL’s handling of concussions during his career, according to his son.