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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NFL DRAFT, PART II: STEINBERG CRITICIZES BROWNS OVER TALKS

          One of the top stories from this weekend's NFL Draft     were accusations by agent Leigh Steinberg claiming that the     Browns used his client, QB Akili Smith, as leverage during     their negotiations with IMG and Tim Couch.  Steinberg said     the Browns had called before the draft "and talked contract     parameters."  Steinberg: "Then they called back ... and said     negotiations were done for the night [Friday].  I asked them     if it was done for the Couch team.  They said yes and all     along Couch people were there in front of them when the call     was being made" (Thomas George, N.Y. TIMES, 4/18).      Steinberg: "They were playing the leverage game.  We asked     them repeatedly not to" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 4/18).  More     Steinberg: "There's nothing that someone in the Cleveland     organization could say now that I would have confidence in"     (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 4/19).  Browns President Carmen     Policy said he would call Steinberg to clear the air: "I     can't believe he's saying it.  Our relationship has been     going on too long" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 4/19).  Browns     owner Al Lerner: "We did not go into this with any     intentions of being cute" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/18).  USA TODAY's     Larry Weisman reports that the Browns signed Couch to a     seven-year, $48M contract with a "rookie-record" $12.25M     signing bonus ($4M of which is payable in the second year).      The contract can also be voided after three years "if Couch     hits simple performance standards" (USA TODAY, 4/19).            SMITH: Smith, on what Steinberg had told him about the     Bengals: "The first thing he said was the owner's (Mike     Brown) pockets are kind of tight" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/18).      Steinberg, on marketing plans for Smith: "My plans are to do     nothing until he proves himself on the field" (THE DAILY).           WHEN THE SAINT COMES MARCHING IN: While many questioned     whether the Colts passed on Ricky Williams over concerns of     his signability, Colts President Bill Polian said that     "signability had absolutely nothing to do with" the move     (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/18).  No Limit Sports' Leland Hardy, on the     backlash his client, Ricky Williams, received after signing     with Percy "Master P" Miller: "Everyone would be talking     about what a cute story it was if Tim Couch had hired Garth     Brooks. ... What's going to happen next year when No Limit     Sports starts to dominate the draft, when we have seven of     the top 10 players with us? ... We'll do it in basketball     and baseball and boxing, too. We'll sign white athletes.      We'll get the next Tim Couch.  And then there will be     another wave of upheaval over us" (RECORD, 4/18).  No     Limit's "Master P" Miller: "Master P, No Limit and the whole     No Limit family have been doing a number of right things,     and Ricky is a part of that family and we want to make sure     that his life is led on a straight path" (ESPN2, 4/18).      Hardy, on plans for Williams: "We have a number of global     plans, among which, is to make him the most celebrated     foreign athlete in China, the world's largest economy.      Thus, there's Chinese on my business cards and Ricky's     learning how to sign his name in Chinese" (THE DAILY).            

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