National Football League roundup
(The Sports Xchange) - The Green Bay Packers gave wide receiver Jordy Nelson a contract extension on Saturday. Nelson's new deal is for four years and worth $39 million, according to reports. CBS Sports reported that it includes an $11.5 million signing bonus and $14.2 million guaranteed. Nelson, 29, was entering the final year of his contract. Last season, he had 85 catches for 1,314 yards with eight touchdowns. In the last three seasons, Nelson has 202 receptions for 3,322 yards with 30 TDs. - - - Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said Saturday that he hopes rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel will moderate his behavior off the field. Manziel has gained a reputation as a partier and has been photographed several times during the offseason hanging out in clubs and posing with money. Haslam responded Saturday after the Browns' first day of practice by saying Manziel "made some mistakes. We expect better from him. I'm sure he'll perform. We're anxious to see what he can do on the field, which is what really counts." Haslam also addressed troubled wide receiver Josh Gordon, who faces at least a one-year suspension for failing a drug test during the offseason. Haslam said the team has never considered releasing Gordon. - - - Indianapolis Colts running back Vick Ballard is out for the season after a non-contact Achilles injury during practice Friday. It is the second injury setback in two seasons for the second-year veteran. The running back from Mississippi State was returning to action after sitting out most of the 2013 season with a torn right ACL. He will have season-ending surgery. - - - San Francisco 49ers running back Kendall Hunter is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. Hunter came into training camp as the team's number two running back behind Frank Gore. Hunter's knee buckled while making a cut during a non-contact drill. He walked off the field on his own. An MRI later confirmed the injury. LaMichael James, rookie Carlos Hyde, Marcus Lattimore and Jewel Hampton are among those in line to replace Hunter as the top backup. - - - NFL players Mike and Maurkice Pouncey are countersuing a day after they were sued Friday by a man claiming they used homophobic slurs and beat him and a woman at a Miami nightclub earlier this month. The original suit claims that the Pouncey brothers - Mike plays with the Miami Dolphins and Maurkice with the Pittsburgh Steelers - along with their bodyguards and entourage attacked Riquan James and Niya Pickett at Cameo Nightclub on July 12. No criminal charges have been filed against the Pounceys. - - - The wife of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice had an influence on why Rice received only a two-game suspension stemming from the assault charge he received earlier this year. According to TheMMQB.com, Rice's wife, Janay Palmer, asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to go easy on him. Rice was indicted on a third-degree assault charge after a physical incident with Palmer, then his fiancee, at an Atlantic City hotel in February. Palmer reportedly "made a moving and apparently convincing case to Goodell during a June 16 hearing ... that the incident in the hotel elevator was a one-time event, and nothing physical had happened in their relationship before or since," according to TheMMQB.com. - - - The Seattle Seahawks waived injured defensive tackle Dewayne Cherrington and signed linebacker Brandon Denmark and safety Steven Terrell on Saturday. - - - The Buffalo Bills signed tight end Dominique Jones, one day after veteran Tony Moeaki injured his hamstring. - - - The Atlanta Falcons signed wide receiver Jabin Sambrano on Saturday. Sambrano was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Montana in 2012. He spent time on the practice squads of the Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars. (Editing by Gene Cherry)
