Lions Want Sanders to Return $7.3 Million

The Detroit Lions asked retired running back Barry Sanders to return $7.3 million of an $11-million bonus he got when he signed his contract, the team said Wednesday.

Lion Vice President Chuck Schmidt sent Sanders a letter requesting he return the money this week. If the Lions don’t get a response by the start of the NFL season Sept. 12, Schmidt said the Lions will file a grievance with the NFL Management Council and NFL Players Assn.

An arbitrator would hear arguments and rule on the grievance.

“The contract language says that as a condition, he must report, play, practice and not leave the club without permission for each of those years. In the event he does, he’s in default,” Schmidt said.

Sanders signed a six-year contract in 1997 that paid him $11 million in up-front cash. The $7.3 million represents the two-thirds of the contract left unfulfilled.

Lamont Smith, Sanders’ agent, said the bonus was paid for signing the contract, not for completing it.

*

Though Arizona Cardinal offensive guard Ernest Dye regained some nerve function in his right arm, doctors in Flagstaff, Ariz., were unsure whether Dye will ever regain full use of his arm. Dye’s arm was nearly severed in a car crash Aug. 16 about 25 miles south of Flagstaff, where the Cardinals hold training camp. . . . Wide receiver Joey Galloway is willing to miss the season in his contract dispute with the Seattle Seahawks, a source told the Associated Press. Galloway is seeking to renegotiate and extend a contract he signed in 1995. . . . Jurors went a second day in Miami without rendering a verdict in the trial of Dolphin receiver Tony Martin, charged with five federal counts of money-laundering. Jurors have deliberated for about 12 hours over two days. Martin faces a prison term of three to five years if convicted. . . . Running back J.J. Johnson, the Dolphins’ top draft pick, re-injured his left hamstring in practice and will not make his NFL debut in Saturday’s exhibition game against Detroit Johnson strained his hamstring in a scrimmage Aug. 7 and has practiced little since. . . . Washington Redskin fullback Larry Bowie, attempting to come back from a broken ankle, broke it again during practice. The leg will be in a cast for about five weeks.