PANTHERS
Houston retires
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Veteran cornerback Chris Houston (Arkansas Razorbacks) is retiring after spending nine seasons in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday.
Houston, 30, sat out last season following toe surgery to have a bone spur removed and signed with the Panthers in June. He performed well during organized team activities and was off to a good start in training camp before injuring his toe again Saturday.
He sat out Sunday but returned to practice Monday before the team announced his decision to retire Tuesday.
The Detroit Lions released Houston last season after it became clear it’d take time for him to return from the injury. The Panthers added him as insurance for cornerback Charles Tillman, who has suffered triceps injuries each of the past two seasons.
Houston was a second-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 after earning All-SEC honors for the Razorbacks in 2006. He spent three seasons in Atlanta before signing with the Lions, where he played in 2010-2013.
He finished his career with 376 tackles, 13 interceptions, 3 of which were returned for touchdowns, 80 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
Houston is the second Panthers player to retire in the past two weeks. Offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, 25, announced his intentions to retire last week but the paperwork has yet to become official.
REDSKINS
Mitchel out for season
RICHMOND, Va. — Rookie cornerback Tevin Mitchel (Arkansas Razorbacks) sustained a torn labrum in his left shoulder and is expected to miss the season after having surgery to repair it, Washington Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said.
Mitchel, a sixth-round pick, injured his shoulder Saturday and had it evaluated Sunday.
The 23-year-old cornerback underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder leading up to his senior season with the Razorbacks, when he recording 13 tackles and 2 interceptions in 11 games.
Mitchel was expected to see limited action on defense this season but Redskins coaches liked his potential.
“He’s a developmental guy for us,” defensive backs coach Perry Fewell told The Washington Post. “He has a very good skill set for us. But he has to learn how to think the game, how to understand the guy and how to play the pro game, but you like his skill set.”
PATRIOTS
Derby waived
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —Rookie tight end AJ Derby (Arkansas Razorbacks) was waived by the New England Patriots on Tuesday.
Derby, a sixth-round draft choice, participated in the first practice of training camp Thursday but was injured and hasn’t participated in drills since. If he clears waivers, he will be placed on injured reserve.
Derby spent most of his time playing quarterback at Arkansas before moving to tight end for his senior season. He had 22 receptions for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns last season before being sidelined by a knee injury for the final two games.
NFL
QB’s testimony released
NEW YORK — Tom Brady denied under oath to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that he tampered with footballs before the AFC title game, and investigator Ted Wells said in a transcript that he never warned the New England Patriots quarterback he would be punished if he didn’t turn over his cellphone.
In a 457-page transcript released Tuesday, Brady maintained his innocence in the NFL scandal known as “Deflategate.” He denied discussing air level with the ballboys or even thinking about how inflated the footballs were when he selected them. He also said he’s never asked anyone from the Patriots to tamper with footballs.
Brady was suspended four games and the team was docked $1 million and two draft picks after an NFL-sanctioned investigation by Wells found the Patriots supplied improperly inflated footballs for the conference championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, which New England won 45-7.
Brady appealed the punishment. Goodell decided to hear the appeal himself and upheld the penalty. Both sides went to federal court, and U.S. District Judge Richard Berman told the sides to work out a settlement.
The transcript filed by the NFL Players Association included the appeal testimony from Brady and Wells on June 23. Wells explained that he did not believe Brady had nothing to do with the ball deflation because the quarterback refused to provide all of the documents that were requested.
“In my almost 40 years of practice, I think that was one of the most ill-advised decisions I have ever seen because it hurt how I viewed his credibility,” Wells testified. “It hurt my assessment of his credibility for him to begin his interview by telling me he declined to give me the documents.”
Brady’s lawyers have said that the league made up its rules without proper notice to Brady, and that it didn’t follow its rules at all in some cases. They have also questioned whether Goodell was independent enough to conduct a fair hearing, even though the collective bargaining agreement gives him that authority.
EAGLES
Dehydration sidelined Murray
PHILADELPHIA — DeMarco Murray sat out team drills during the first day of practice Sunday because of poor hydration levels, Philadelphia Eagles Coach Chip Kelly said Tuesday.
That ended the mystery of Murray’s absence after the running back had said he did not know why coaches held him back.
“We did a hydration status test and he was a little bit high,”Kelly said. “Obviously when you see guys that are high from a hydration standpoint, then you kind of pull them back a little bit because that’s when they are susceptible for an injury.”
The Eagles’ training staff monitors the hydration levels of every player each day. Kelly said it did not matter that Sunday was the first day after a six-week layoff because a player’s hydration level changes every day.
“He’s probably the most conditioned athlete on our team, but if you don’t drink the requisite amount of water and electrolytes and have them in your system, it doesn’t matter how fit you are,” Kelly said. “Especially the weather, that was a big factor for us, too. We have had back-to-back, and going into three 90-degree days … you don’t want to lose a guy in the first day.”
PACKERS
Matthews held out
DE PERE, Wis. — Clay Matthews missed a second consecutive day of practice after Coach Mike McCarthy said he was holding out the Green Bay Packers’ star linebacker as a precaution because of knee soreness.
Matthews watched in a white cap on the sideline while teammates went through practice Tuesday morning.
Running back Eddie Lacy also was pulled near the end of practice because of what McCarthy said was a sore foot.
COWBOYS
Woodson going into Ring
OXNARD, Calif. — Former Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson is set to be the sixth player from franchise’s Super Bowl-winning teams of the 1990s to join the franchise’s Ring of Honor.
The team’s all-time leader in tackles with 1,350 in 12 seasons, Woodson will be honored when Dallas plays Seattle on Nov. 1. The 20 current names are displayed on a strip that runs below the upper deck at AT&T Stadium, a tradition that started at old Texas Stadium.
Woodson joins former teammates quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, receiver Michael Irvin, lineman Larry Allen and defensive end Charles Haley, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
TEXANS
Clowney’s dad charged
ROCK HILL, S.C. — The father of Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has been arrested and charged with attempted murder for a shooting at a bar.
Rock Hill Police Department Capt. Mark Bollinger said David Morgan also was charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Bollinger said Tuesday that Morgan is in custody and awaiting a bond hearing.
The police report said Morgan, nicknamed “Chilli Bean,” was removed from the bar for sitting on the stage. Police added that he was seen later at the back of the property before firing several rounds at victim Braxton Homesley. Police said Homesley returned fire.
Officers picked up Morgan at Piedmont Medical Center. He was being treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
LIONS
Former RB dies
DETROIT — Mel Farr, the Detroit Lions running back who rushed for more than 3,000 yards in seven NFL seasons, has died. He was 70.
A Lions spokesman said Farr’s son confirmed his father’s death.
Farr spent his entire NFL career with Detroit (1967-1973) and was named the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 1967, when he ran for 860 yards in 13 games. He ran for 717 yards in 1970, helping the Lions go 10-4 in the regular season and reach the playoffs for the first time since 1957.
Farr finished his pro career with 3,072 yards on 739 carries.