PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Jaeger Tees Off on Steeler Protest

Remember the Kings’ Marty McSorley and his illegal stick?

Now comes Jeff Jaeger and his illegal tee.

Except the McSorley incident was in an NHL Stanley Cup final and Jaeger’s was in an NFL exhibition game.

And McSorley was found guilty, whereas Jaeger proved to be innocent.

The Raider kicker thinks the whole thing was petty.

It began before Saturday night’s exhibition between the Raiders and the Steelers at Pittsburgh.

Under new NFL rules, kicking tees must be no higher than one inch, rather than three as in the past, cutting down on the ball’s hang time. Jaeger has been using a tee that looks different from most but has been approved by the league office.

Pittsburgh Coach Bill Cowher, however, protested after watching Jaeger warm up. When the Raider kicker trotted out for his first kickoff, he was told he could not use the tee.

“But it’s been approved,” he protested.

Get another one, he was told by an official.

So Jaeger did.

But between the first and second quarters, Jaeger explained his position to another official and got permission to go back to his original tee.

When he brought it out again, Cowher protested again, claiming the tee Jaeger had shown between quarters was not the one he was now using.

“Look at it,” Jaeger said. “Is this a different tee? It has the same tape on it. It’s the same one. I only have one tee.”

This time, Cowher lost the argument.

“I asked them to pull out a ruler and no one seemed to have a ruler,” said the Steeler coach of his discussion with the officials.

Two days later, Jaeger was still shaking his head.

“It helps me see the ball better,” he said of the tee. “I have better perception.

“I mean, we’re talking about a kicking tee. The whole thing seemed pretty petty to me. If other teams couldn’t use it, that would be one thing. But if it’s such a big advantage, (the Steelers) ought to use it themselves.”

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For the second time this summer, defensive back Lester Ridley has been cut. Ridley, signed as a free agent, was released in mid-July, re-signed last week, then cut again Monday, this time to make room for defensive back R.J. Kors, a three-year veteran, also back for the second time this summer. . . . Defensive back Lionel Washington, defensive lineman Jerry Ball and offensive lineman Bruce Wilkerson sat out practice Monday because of injuries . . . Defensive lineman Chester McGlockton returned to practice, the leg he bruised a week ago having sufficiently healed.