Eye Injury Keeps Brown on Sidelines

Orlando Brown, recovering from an injury to his right eye inflicted by a referee’s flag, was placed on the physically unable to perform list by the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday.

Brown, a 6-foot-7, 350-pound offensive tackle, was injured Dec. 19 against Jacksonville when referee Jeff Triplette accidentally hit him with a penalty flag weighted with BBs.

Brown shoved Triplette to the ground as he left the field. The lineman said his reaction came out of fear because his father was blinded by glaucoma.

The league initially suspended Brown indefinitely, but lifted the penalty in late February. Triplette has not been reprimanded.

“This is the first training camp he will not take part in and it is difficult for him,” Coach Chris Palmer said. “We had a nice talk and he understands what we are doing.”

A team official said Brown, “preferred not to talk with the media about his situation at this time.”

The eight-year offensive tackle appeared upset as he left the opening day of camp for rookies. He wore his uniform and shorts and was on the sidelines as defensive end Courtney Brown, the No. 1 pick in the NFL, and other rookies went through light drills.

Unlike injured reserve, a player on PUP is not out for the season. He can return once the team determines he is physically fit.

While the team anticipates that Brown eventually will be able to play, the club must also consider what keeping him on the roster means to the salary cap.

Brown signed a six-year, $27-million free-agent contract before last season.

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Brown President Carmen Policy has been accused of paying $1,000 to fix a criminal case for one of his clients in 1985, according to an FBI report.

Michael Rich, a prosecutor convicted of racketeering, told two FBI agents and a federal prosecutor that Policy paid the money to help Tom O’Nesti, a friend of mobster Joseph Naples, according to court documents filed in Youngstown, Ohio.

Policy, who was a defense attorney in Youngstown in the 1980s, called the accusation false.

“The only thing I can say is that I have never, throughout my entire professional career as an attorney, participated in or directed any kind of payoff to any public official to influence the outcome of any case I’ve had,” he said. “I don’t know how to say it any simpler.”

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Arizona Cardinal defensive end Andre Wadsworth will miss up to eight weeks recovering from additional surgery on his right knee, but could be back in time for the team’s Sept. 3 opener against the New York Giants.

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St. Louis Ram assistant coach Wilbert Montgomery was in the hospital after being involved in a fight with three golfers in O’Fallon, Mo.

KSDK-TV in St. Louis reported that the fight started when a stray golf ball broke a window of Montgomery’s home. Montgomery’s condition was not known.

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Chad Pennington, the first quarterback chosen in the NFL draft, agreed to a five-year contract with the New York Jets that with incentives could pay $23 million, a source said. He will reportedly get a $4.1-million signing bonus. . . . The Minnesota Vikings signed receiver Troy Walters to a three-year, $919,500 contract. Walters, from Stanford, won the 1999 Biletnikoff Award given to college football’s best receiver. . . . The New England Patriots reportedly agreed to a one-year, $440,000 contract with Pro Bowl offensive lineman Bruce Armstrong. The Patriots also signed their top draft pick, offensive tackle Adrian Klemm, who will miss training camp because of a knee injury. . . . The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed wide receiver Courtney Hawkins to a one-year contract worth $440,000. . . . The Seattle Seahawks signed free-agent receiver Justin Armour to a contract. Armour, 27, played in Baltimore last season. . . . Green Bay Packer treasurer John Underwood said the team’s cash reserves of nearly $50 million will be depleted by 2005 and the club would have to borrow $10 million for operating expenses unless a proposed $295 million renovation of Lambeau Field is approved.