European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 40 stars and stripes june 2007 mavs owner cuban part of new football league by Dave Goldberg the associated press Dallas Mavericks owner Mark cuban is part of a group considering formation of a football league that would compete with the nil for players drafted lower than the second the still very much in the prelim Inary would play its games on Fri Day the nil does not play then be cause of the potential conflict with High school its a pretty simple cuban said in an email to the associated we think there is More demand for pro football than the proposal was first disclosed by the new York times on its web which said it was the idea of Bill a Wall Street investor who was a minority partner in the Oakland invaders of the which played in the Spring from Sharon a spokeswoman for Hambrecht and had no com ment and said Hambrecht was travelling unavailable to talk about the nil spokesman Greg Aiello said he was aware of the proposed league but had no further there have been numerous leagues that have tried to compete with the nil and a few that actually played starting with the which began in 1960 and fully merged with the nil a decade it included such current franchises As new Kansas san the new York jets and More recently came the world football league in the Early which raided the nil for such stars As Larry then came the which played in the Spring before folding after receiving Only in an antitrust Victory Over the the Usel featured such future Hall of Farmers As Jim Reggie White and Steve but lost millions of dollars try ing to compete for it also had inter Nal struggles among a majority of owners who wanted to stay in the and the Best known among Donald who wanted to move to the fall and try to Force a merger with the the most recent pro football league was the founded by the world wrestling entertainment and televised by the a Al lasted just three months in the Spring of 2001 and was Best known for a player named Rod called he hate who later played As a return Man and Back running Back in the so the proposed new league is in its and cuban is the Only potential owner for what the founders Hope will be an eight team cuban said in his email he believes the salary Cap makes it easier to compete financially with the nil because of the salary imbalance that leaves Lowe level players with lower that would allow the new league to fill its rosters with players taken lower than the second As Well As late nil cuts and free agents who escape the nil Many such including Tom a sixth round pick of new have become nil that not to say it will be it cuban we still have to Coyer quite a bit of ground and have a lot of milestones to that if we can get the right owners i obviously think we can make this Goodell bans alcohol for team functions the associated press new York nil clubs May longer serve alcohol at team functions or on buses or extending a ban that until now applied Only in locker nil owners and executives were told thursday by commissioner Roger Goodell that the Rule pertains not Only to players but to owners coaches and i believe that no constructive purpose is served by clubs continuing to make alcoholic beverages and that doing so imposes significant and unnecessary risks to the its play ers and Goodell wrote to All 32 teams in a letter obtained by the associated Goodells letter separates him among baseball com missioner Bud after Louis cardinals Pitcher Josh Han cock died a month ago in what was ruled an alcohol related Auto Selig said a decision on Banning Beer in clubhouses was a team not a league Goodells letter is in keeping with his policy of setting strict standards for behaviour by play coaches and officials after a year of numerous Many of them for alcohol related Offens he has imposed strict suspensions on those who violated those the letter is addressed to chief club Gen eral managers and head effective it clubs Are prohibited from providing alcoholic including in any club including in locker prac Tice or office or while including on team buses or this prohibition extends not Only to but to All team per As Well As to other guests travelling with the team or who have Access to club prosecutor informants link Vick to dog igniting informants have come Forward saying Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was involved in dog a prosecutor investigating the Case Brown and Surry county commonwealths attorney Gerald Poindexter told Wavy to of there is Evi Dence linking Vick to which is a felony in we have poin Dexter told the station in an inter View we have peo ple who Are volunteering to make those the Case began april 25 when police conducting a drug investigation raided the House Vick owned in Rural Surry county and found dozens of they also found items associated with dog including a pry bar used to pry apart a dogs no charges have been filed in the dolphins Porter pays Fine for punching rival Las vegas Miami dolphins linebacker Joey Porter pleaded no contest wednesday and paid a Fine for punching Cincin Nati bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones after a disagreement at a Casino Blackjack Porter did not appear in Las vegas Justice court while his Law Karen entered the plea to a Misdemeanour Battery charge and paid the said a court aide to Justice of the peace pro Ter James Gubler accepted the and scuffled March 18 inside the Palms hotel Casino and in the Valet area after exchanging words the Blackjack prosecutor Brian Rutledge porters plea is certain to draw the attention of the which has been cracking Down on Offield Mcnair dui Case reset for july Balti More Ravens quarterback Steve Mcnair faces a july 10 court Date on a driving under the influence the quarterback was not in raiders or Jerry Porter will be wearing 84 again this year because of the Cost involved in switching to court wednesday when the new Date was set in an agreement be tween prosecutors and a former Tennessee was charged May 10 after his Jamie cart was pulled Over in Nash Ville driving Mcnairs pickup truck with Mcnair cart Wright appeared briefly in court under Tennessee the owner of the vehicle can also be charged with dui if he knowingly permits its operation by a Driver under the porters number change becomes too expensive when Jerry Porter switched his num Ber this he said he was ready for a new Start and a new attitude after feuding last season with former coach Art that attitude change has a and Porter is not willing to pay the Oakland raiders receiver said wednesday he would have to pay to switch his uni form from 84 to 81 in order to reimburse the team and Reebok for the Cost of the unsold nil spokesman Steve Alic said Porter could wait until next when the Supply of unsold shirts would be depleted and the Cost would be before making the Porter was still wearing 81 at the raiders practice on but said he would switch Back to his old number for the exp layers getting Aid for dementia from nil by Dave Goldberg the associated press new York Gene Upshaw was taken Aback when he first saw the list of retired nil play ers applying for financial help under a new program to help those with dementia and Althe imers i played with or against quite a few of these the executive director of the nil players Union said i knew one or two were having but i never knew the a Hall of Fame guard for the Oakland raiders from is one of four people being honoured thursday night by the alzheimer association of new York for helping Start the 88 it provides up to from the nil and the Union to help with the care of play ers afflicted with dementia or re lated brain since the plan took effect retired players have been approved for with 19 More applications that up from 21 players two months when the league and Union were still trying to go beyond what Upshaw called word of Mouth in identifying now the identification is being done through the Bert Bell retire ment which handles pen Sions for More than retired with the Money coming from a Trust fund administered by the league and so according to the 103 potential candidates for Aid have been Iden there Are 54 and no one has been turned the applications of 19 players who have not yet been certified Are to be but its still hard to know Many exp layers need a lot of people Are embarrassed to talk about it or to acknowledge they have a says Dan the Pittsburgh Steeles owner and a member of the nil committee that oversees the they can have Lucid moments when they think things Are going All the plan is part of the labor con tract agreed upon in March 2006 by the league and Union and is administered by Upshaw and Harold an nil senior vice the 88 is the number of Hall of Fame tight end John one of the first former players who his was instrumental in persuading Upshaw and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue to include Aid for dementia in the new nil and Union officials say the correlation Between nil players and alzheimer is anecdotal rather than and experts in the Field but heightened interest in the subject follows the death of Andre who committed suicide last november at re ports concluded he had brain damage that resulted from Multi ple concussions during 12 years As an nil in the Boston Globe and the new York times reported in february that 34yearold Ted who spent 10 years As a linebacker with the new England shows Early signs of activists View the program As a this is the first Union and Industry program of its kind and its the first that recognizes the Bur Den the disease puts on said Louellen president and chief executive of the new York alzheimer on that group will Honor Upshaw and Henderson As Well As Sylvia Mackey and Elean or wife of Ralph the Only other former player who has been publicly identified As part of the under the players can receive up to a year for Home care and up to if they Are Barkan said that part of an ignored part of the Burden of alzheimer those with dementia or Althe imers need and spouses or children must quit jobs to give full time something like this allows them to hire Barkan it allows them to keep jobs with out tiie Burden of also being a full time