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).