Rhodes Fined for Criticism

Philadelphia Eagle Coach Ray Rhodes has been fined by the NFL for criticizing calls by the officials after a 31-21 loss Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals.

Published reports put the fine at $10,000.

Eagle spokesman Ron Howard could not confirm the amount, but he said Rhodes will have a chance to explain his conduct to the league before paying the fine.

The league fined Rhodes for saying Monday that the officials began making unfair calls against the Eagles after the Philadelphia coaching staff complained about being called for having 12 men on the field for a kickoff.

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Minnesota Viking wide receiver Cris Carter has revealed why the Eagles put him on waivers after a stellar season in 1989: He was abusing drugs and alcohol.

Carter told ESPN that his behavior was the reason Buddy Ryan, then the Eagle coach, gave up on him after he caught 45 passes for 605 yards in 1989. He said the media was wrong to blame Ryan for his move to Minnesota.

Carter made the comments on ESPN’s “NFL Countdown” show, which will be aired this morning. Ryan and Viking backup quarterback Randall Cunningham will also appear in the episode.

Ryan told ESPN that he purposefully took the heat for Carter to protect him, according to network spokesman Dave Nagle. The coach said the move had nothing to do with Carter’s performance on the field.

Carter said he couldn’t admit in 1989 that he was an alcoholic and that caused the conflict with Ryan. He said he is no longer ashamed to admit that he has a substance abuse problem and is proud of how he overcame it.

“ESPN asked me about a couple of incidents, and I didn’t want to be untruthful to them about why I left there,” Carter said.

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Arizona defensive tackle Eric Swann will sit out today’s game against the Dallas Cowboys because of a sore right hamstring, ending a string of 25 consecutive games played.