CHIEFS
Berry rejoins team
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- There was a moment in the early stages of chemotherapy when Eric Berry was having breakfast with his father, and the enormity of what faced him was so great that he broke down and cried.
For 30 minutes, one of the toughest players on the Kansas City Chiefs wept.
Then he resolved to beat cancer.
Eight months later, Berry walked triumphantly onto the practice fields at Missouri Western State University, joining rookies and select veterans Wednesday for the start of training camp.
Six merciless rounds of draining, debilitating drugs had rid his body of Hodgkin's lymphoma, but they had also stoked the passion that Berry still harbors for the game.
"It's been a roller coaster," he said, "but I wouldn't change it for the world."
Flanked by his father, James, and his mother, Carol, Berry spoke publicly for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer last December. He recalled the terror that gripped him when the mass was first found in his chest, and the dark days that immediately followed.
The days he didn't want to get out of bed. The days he struggled to choke down food, all of it tasteless. The seemingly endless trips to the hospital for each round of treatment.
"In the beginning it was hard, it really was," James Berry said. "Those possibilities go through your mind -- 'What if he can't play again?' You think of those types of things, but then you kick those to the side. And when you looked at Eric you said, 'This guy is a fighter.' "
Such a fighter that he chose to receive treatment through an IV rather than a PICC line, a semi-permanent catheter that would have prevented him from training.
Between each round of chemo, Berry would squeeze in 10 to 12 workouts, sometimes struggling just to do five push-ups. But he never lost sight of an audacious goal: Be back with the Chiefs by the time their season opens Sept. 13 in Houston.
"Everybody wants you to be strong in this situation," Berry said, "but you can't be strong every day. If you want to be mad today, be mad. If you want to be sad, be sad. But the thing is, don't stay that way. Get it out of your system and go back to work."
Berry passed a battery of tests before he was cleared to practice late Tuesday, but it remains unclear when he'll fully participate in practice. Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Berry will be monitored constantly, especially during the early portion of camp.
COWBOYS
Mincey seeks new deal
OXNARD, Calif. -- Dallas defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey hasn't shown up for training camp, and executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys won't discuss a new contract with him until he does.
Mincey is due to make $1.5 million in the final year of a two-year contract. He led the Cowboys with six sacks last season and provided leadership and stability for a defense that improved from one of the NFL's worst units in 2013.
Mincey, 31, has been talking to Dallas about a new deal for months. He can be fined $30,000 for each day he misses camp starting Wednesday. The first workout is today.
Jones said Wednesday the Cowboys have "the utmost respect for him, but he is under contract."
REDSKINS
Kerrigan agrees to extension
RICHMOND, Va. -- Locking up their top pass-rusher, the Washington Redskins agreed to a multiyear contract extension with linebacker Ryan Kerrigan on Wednesday, a day before the first practice of training camp.
The Redskins announced the deal a few hours before Coach Jay Gruden was scheduled to speak to reporters at the team's camp facility.
Kerrigan, a first-round draft pick out of Purdue in 2011, has started all 64 games in his four-year career with Washington, totaling 38 sacks, 15 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions -- both returned for touchdowns.
The 6-4, 260-pound Kerrigan ranked second in the NFC last season with a career-high 13.5 sacks for the Redskins, who went 4-12 and finished last in their division for the sixth time in seven years.
He was entering the final year of his five-season rookie deal, but instead is now signed for the long haul.
PANTHERS
Hill cited for drug paraphernalia
CONCORD, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers wide receiver Stephen Hill has been cited for knowingly possessing drug paraphernalia with intent to use.
Concord Police Department records indicate Hill was cited Tuesday -- two days before players report to training camp -- near Charlotte Motor Speedway for possessing two grinders with marijuana residue and a marijuana bowl used to process, prepare and store.
Hill, 24, spent last season on the Panthers practice squad.
The former Georgia Tech standout was drafted in the second round in 2012 by the Jets, but quickly fizzled out in New York after dropping too many passes.
Panthers Coach Ron Rivera praised Hill for his strong work during minicamp and OTAs, saying he'd made big strides. Hill is expected to battle for Carolina's sixth wide receiver spot with Brenton Bersin and Jarrett Boykin.
ODDS & ENDS
The Atlanta Falcons have made a move to bolster their offensive line depth before the start of training camp by signing tackle DeMarcus Love. Love, a native of Lancaster, Texas, was a sixth-round pick by Minnesota in the 2011 draft. He has not appeared in an NFL game. He finished last season on Denver's practice squad and also has spent time with the Saints, Giants and Jaguars. He was drafted out of Arkansas. ... Tennessee has agreed to terms with tight end Chase Coffman and running back David Fluellen a day before the Titans report for training camp. The 6-6, 250-pound Coffman played 13 games for Tennessee last season after being signed to the roster in September, and he finished with a career-high six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. He has played 35 games over six seasons and also has been with Cincinnati and Atlanta. Fluellen ran for 3,336 yards and 28 touchdowns at Toledo in college. ... The Miami Dolphins have placed first-round draft pick DeVante Parker as well as safety Don Jones on the physically unable to perform list. The Dolphins also announced Wednesday they have placed tight end Gerell Robinson on the non-football injury list. Parker, a wide receiver from Louisville, underwent surgery on his foot last month and has been in a boot since the procedure. He had foot surgery last year and missed the first seven games of Louisville's season. ... The New York Jets have placed right guard Willie Colon, running back Stevan Ridley and defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson on the active/physically unable to perform list. All three players have to pass a conditioning test before being cleared to practice. Colon, listed with a knee injury, also started last year's camp on the active/PUP list with a knee issue. He was cleared after a few days and started all 16 games at right guard last season. Ridley is still recovering from tearing the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee while with New England last season. Vickerson, signed in the offseason for depth on the defensive line, has a hamstring issue.
Sports on 07/30/2015