CHIEFS
NFL: Penalty wrong
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The National Football League said Husain Abdullah of the Kansas City Chiefs was mistakenly penalized when he knelt to pray after scoring a touchdown.
In the fourth quarter of a game Monday night, Abdullah, a Chiefs safety who is Muslim, intercepted a pass by Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and returned it for a touchdown. After he entered the end zone, he slid on his knees and bowed forward with his head touching the turf.
He was given a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
An NFL spokesman said Tuesday that Abdullah should not have been penalized. "Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons," Michael Signora, a league spokesman, said on Twitter.
Players routinely gesticulate and thank God after scoring touchdowns. Most prominently, Tim Tebow, the former Denver Broncos quarterback, knelt on one knee after scoring.
Players, however, can be penalized for celebrating while on the ground.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, had asked the NFL to clarify its policies "to prevent the appearance of a double standard."
The flag touched off a firestorm on social media, with many wondering why Abdullah's action was different from players dropping to one knee in Christian prayer.
Tackle in, RB out
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs have created space on their roster for the return of right tackle Donald Stephenson by placing running back Joe McKnight on injured reserve.
McKnight became the third Chiefs player to tear his Achilles tendon when he was hurt in practice last week. He was coming off a two-touchdown game in a win in Miami.
Stephenson was suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. That suspension ended with Monday night's 41-14 victory over the New England Patriots.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier Tuesday that he would wait to see Stephenson practice today before he decides whether he'll go back in the starting lineup.
REDSKINS
FCC to hear Redskins petition
WASHINGTON -- The head of the Federal Communications Commission says the agency will consider a petition to ban the Washington Redskins nickname from the public airwaves.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says Tuesday that the commission "will be dealing with that issue on the merits, and we'll be responding accordingly."
A law professor has challenged the use of the name on broadcast television, saying it violates FCC rules against indecent content. Native American and other groups have demanded the name be changed, calling it a racial slur.
Wheeler did not offer a timetable for a ruling on the matter. He has previously said he finds the name "offensive and derogatory," but that he hoped Redskins owner Dan Snyder would change it without any formal action.
Snyder has vowed never to change the name.
NFL
Group: Payout 'flawed'
PHILADELPHIA -- A national brain injury group says the proposed payout scheme for NFL concussion-related injuries is "deeply flawed."
The Brain Injury Association of America says it believes the proposed awards favor retired players with memory and neuromuscular problems. The group says it excludes former players battling mood swings, aggression and many other problems.
The group's Tuesday court filing seeks the right to weigh in when a federal judge in Philadelphia reviews the settlement plan in November.
The NFL has agreed to provide at least $765 million over 65 years to ex-players diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, dementia and other serious neurocognitive problems.
A spokesman for players' lawyers who negotiated the settlement with the NFL had no immediate comment.
The New York Times first reported on the filing.
TEXANS
Clowney recovering
HOUSTON -- Top overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney's rehabilitation from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee is going well and he hopes to return for the Houston Texans in a few weeks.
Clowney spoke to reporters on Tuesday after an appearance at a local middle school. He says: "Hopefully I'll be back sooner than everyone expects."
The outside linebacker was injured in the season-opener on Sept. 7 and coach Bill O'Brien said at the time that he would miss 4-6 weeks.
This is the third injury for the former South Carolina standout since he was drafted in May. He had sports hernia surgery in the offseason and suffered a concussion during training camp.
BROWNS
Tate returns to practice
BEREA, Ohio -- Browns starting running back Ben Tate has returned to practice after missing Cleveland's past two games with a sprained right knee.
Wearing a brace, Tate was on the practice field Tuesday for the first time since Sept. 5 as the Browns returned from their bye week. Tate made hard cuts on his knee and looked quick during the portion of practice open to the media. He was injured in the first half of the Sept. 7 opener in Pittsburgh.
Tate was signed as a free agent in March after three seasons with Houston. He could return to the lineup this week when the Browns (1-2) visit Tennessee.
While Tate was out, rookie Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell filled in and performed well. West has rushed for 209 yards and Crowell has scored three touchdowns and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
JETS
'Terminator' re-signed
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The Terminator is back with the New York Jets.
Fullback John Conner has been re-signed by the team Tuesday after fullback Tommy Bohanon was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list with a broken collarbone.
Bohanon needs surgery to repair the injury that occurred during the Jets' 24-17 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He was a seventh-round draft pick out of Wake Forest last year and had played in every game since joining the Jets.
Conner rejoins the team that drafted him in the fifth round out of Kentucky in 2010. He was released by New York in 2012 after dealing with injuries, but finished that season with Cincinnati. Conner played last season for the Giants, but was among the team's final cuts out of training camp.
RAIDERS
Sparano interim coach
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders have promoted offensive line coach Tony Sparano to interim coach to replace the fired Dennis Allen.
General manager Reggie McKenzie announced the move Tuesday, a day after the decision was made to fire Allen four games into his third season as coach.
Sparano had a 29-32 record as head coach in Miami from 2008-11. He took over a one-victory team in 2008 and led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and an AFC East title. That was his only winning season and he was fired with three games remaining in 2011.
Sparano has been offensive line coach the past two seasons in Oakland.
Sparano becomes Oakland's eighth coach in the past 12 seasons. The Raiders have not made the playoffs or had a winning record since winning the 2002 AFC championship.
Sports on 10/01/2014