NFL report

LITTLE ROCK — Lerner looking to sell

Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner has begun talks with truck-stop magnate Jimmy Haslam on giving up controlling interest while committing to keep the team in Cleveland, the club president said Friday.

And get this: Haslam is a self-described “1,000 percent” Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

“[Lerner] is giving up controlling interest in the team,” President Mike Holmgren said at the team’s suburban Berea training camp.

Holmgren said he and Lerner have discussed the matter throughout the summer.

Holmgren said the talks on the future of the team included the agreed stipulation that the Browns would remain in Cleveland.

“The Cleveland Browns are not going anywhere,” Holmgren said.

Holmgren said that Lerner’s interests have changed during the years and that the owner had told him a while back that while he loved the team, he would consider selling if and when a reliable buyer came along. “All the stars aligned in the last few months,” Holmgren said.

Lerner disclosed the talks in a statement earlier Friday.

“In connection with current rumors and press inquiries, I can report that I’ve been approached by Mr. Jimmy Haslam, who is interested in making an investment in the Cleveland Browns. We are currently in negotiations and both sides have agreed to keep that dialogue and its details private,” Lerner said in a statement.

“Given that any transaction would require league approval, care has been taken so that this process will not be disruptive to the organization, in particular the football team, as it prepares for the upcoming season. We will share further details or make an announcement if it becomes necessary.”

The Browns have been owned by the Lerner family since 1999, when the franchise was reborn after the original club moved to Baltimore.

Randy Lerner, 50, who also owns the Aston Villa soccer club in England, inherited the Browns in 2002 following the death of his father, Al.

Gonzalez retiring?

Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said Friday that he’s 95 percent sure this season will be his last in the NFL.

Gonzalez said he wasn’t ready to completely rule out a return in 2013 because he’s learned “to never say never.”

Last November, Gonzalez passed Terrell Owens, Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison to become the NFL’s No. 2-career leading receiver with 1,149 catches.

Gonzalez said he believes he could play at a high level for perhaps another three years after earning his 12th trip to the Pro Bowl last season. At 36, however, he doesn’t want to hang around too long.

The Falcons, who acquired Gonzalez in a March 2009 trade with Kansas City, signed him to a one-year, $6.9 million contract extension.

New fines?

The Jacksonville Jaguars want to keep injury information in house. And they’re ready to levy a stiff penalty for anyone caught breaking the rules.

Coach Mike Mularkey told players during a team meeting Thursday night that talking publicly about injuries could result in a hefty fine. Cornerback Rashean Mathis, the team’s NFL Players Association representative, said Friday the fine would be nearly $10,000.

Mathis added that players have no objections to the proposed penalty.

“We’re not concerned about that from a player standpoint. We’re supporting the coach and that’s what it’s all about,” Mathis said. “You’re more likely to accept things if somebody’s not going to throw you under the bus.

There’s little things you don’t have to worry about, and it makes it smooth sailing. To implement one rule, it’s not going to affect the team.”

Nonetheless, the NFLPA anticipates making a “general inquiry” into the proposed fines.

Mularkey said the team sent all of its proposals to the league for approval, adding that the NFL signed off on the one involving injury talk.

“Yes, absolutely,” he said.

“Everything that we believe we would like to address, we send that to the league, and the league approves everything.”

Mularkey said the NFL mandates that teams go over the league’s rules and procedures handbook before camp. He said the team has the option of adding its own rules to the NFL’s list, and that’s where the injury crackdown arose.

Tannehill holds out

The Miami Dolphins’ quarterback competition opened Friday without one of the main contenders, rookie Ryan Tannehill.

The eighth pick in the draft had yet to sign by the start of the Dolphins’ first practice.

“It’s disappointing when you don’t have all your players in, regardless of who it is,” General Manager Jeff Ireland said. “You want to have all your players out there. Things are progressing and we’re going to keep communicating until we get this thing done.”

Tannehill’s agent, Pat Dye Jr., did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Tannehill was the first quarterback selected in the first round by the Dolphins since they took Dan Marino in 1983.

The rookie is expected to be part of a competition for the starting job along with returning starter Matt Moore and veteran off season acquisition David Garrard.

Tannehill, who started 19 games at Texas A&M after switching from wide receiver to quarterback, played in college under new Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman.

Best on PUP list

Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best has been put on the active physically unable to perform list.

Best didn’t play last season after a concussion suffered in a game against San Francisco on Oct. 16.

He also had concussion problems last preseason and when he was a college player at California.

Best started nine games for the Lions as a rookie in 2010 and rushed for 390 yards on 84 carries last season. Without him, Detroit needed to piece together some semblance of a running game to complement quarterback Matthew Stafford and star receiver Calvin Johnson.

The Lions started practice Friday. They were forced inside by a rainstorm.

Detroit has also put offensive lineman Jonathan Scott on the active nonfootball injury list.