PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Rison Suspended for Being Tardy

Andre Rison’s troubles continue, as the Atlanta Falcons Wednesday suspended the wide receiver for a game without pay for being late to a team meeting. It will cost Rison $37,000 in lost pay.

The suspension comes a week after the all-pro wide receiver was critical of Coach June Jones and the Falcons’ offense, but Jones said the only reason for the suspension was that Rison was late after being warned to be on time.

Jones said he called Rison’s name twice and then started the meeting without him.

Rison was held out of the first quarter of a game against the Raiders on Oct. 23 at the Coliseum for being late for the team bus.

On Oct. 16, he fought on the field with former teammate Deion Sanders, and the NFL fined him $7,500.

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Former New England Patriot owner Victor Kiam filed a $450-million lawsuit in New York against the NFL, saying it forced him to sell his team by denying him his right to move it to Florida. The suit said the NFL violated antitrust laws when it kept the Patriots “hostage” in Foxboro, Mass.

The only teams not named as defendants were the Rams, Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and expansion Jacksonville Jaguars.

The lawsuit alleged that the NFL awarded a franchise to the owners of the Jaguars as a payback for their agreement to stop negotiating with Kiam to relocate the Patriots to Jacksonville.

“But for the antitrust violation, I would today own a highly profitable professional football team with a current value of more than $200 million,” Kiam said.