Chiefs Respond to Dirty Charges

Kansas City Chief Coach Marty Schottenheimer is angry over charges that his team plays dirty.

Schottenheimer denied complaints on Tuesday by Denver Coach Mike Shanahan that the Chiefs are guilty of unethical blocking techniques.

The charges were raised anew Sunday after Kansas City’s Dale Carter injured Denver cornerback Lionel Washington while blocking him low on a running play late in the Broncos’ 34-7 victory. Washington suffered a partial tear of ligaments in his left knee and is expected to miss two to four weeks.

Carter fueled the controversy by taunting Washington as he lay in pain on the turf.

“We’ve got a lot of people in the AFC implying that we are coaching things that are on the edge. that are on the brink, that are unethical,” said Schottenheimer, his voice rising. “And they’re not. We have football players who play hard. They play until the whistle blows. I make no apologies for that.”

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The Oakland Raiders reinstated defensive end Anthony Smith after a four-week suspension, imposed when the former first-round draft pick skipped a team flight to a game in Chicago. The four-week suspension was the maximum the Raiders could impose on Smith, who apparently skipped the flight because he was upset at rumors he was about to be traded.

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Work has finally begun on Nashville’s stadium that will house the Oilers by the end of this century. Demolition likely won’t start until next month, but city officials closed the sale Monday on the first of 49 businesses that must be relocated to build the 65,000-seat stadium for the state’s first major pro sports franchise.

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The Baltimore Ravens released wide receiver Calvin Williams and tight end Harold Bishop on and added cornerback Dorian Brew to the active roster.