Two Ex-Bear Execs Tied to Bets

A convicted bookmaker says two former Chicago Bear executives gambled on sports and never disclosed their association with the team, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.

Joel Glickman told the newspaper that Ken Valdiserri, the team’s former marketing executive, and Bryan Harlan, the former public relations director, used bogus names to place bets for four or five years, with each bet about $200 to $300.

The NFL bars betting on its games by players and team employees and prohibits them from associating with gamblers or gambling activities that discredit the league.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said this is a security issue for the league. He said the accusations involve former employees and don’t affect players or coaches.

Bear officials have said the organization maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding sports gambling. Bear spokesman Scott Hagel on Tuesday refused to comment on the accusations against Valdiserri and Harlan.

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Carolina Panther receiver Muhsin Muhammad could be sidelined most of the exhibition season after pulling a hamstring at Spartanburg, S.C.

Muhammad, who led the NFC with 96 catches last season, was injured running a pass route during practice. Panther Coach George Seifert estimated Muhammad probably would sit out the team’s first two exhibition games.

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Cyron Brown of the Denver Broncos will be sidelined for the upcoming season after being suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The league said the 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive tackle can apply for reinstatement following the 2000 season. . . . Right tackle Leon Searcy of the Jacksonville Jaguars will undergo surgery today to repair a tear of the tendon above his right knee and is expected to be sidelined three to four months. Searcy, though, said he will ask Coach Tom Coughlin not to put him on injured reserve. . . . Wide receiver Patrick Johnson, expected to start for the Baltimore Ravens, will be sidelined at least six weeks after breaking his right clavicle while making a catch during practice at Westminster, Md. Meanwhile, Raven punter Kyle Richardson signed and returned to training camp after a one-day holdout. . . . Atlanta Falcon cornerback Michael Booker failed to show at an afternoon practice, then turned up hours later at a nearby pancake house. Booker, a first-round draft pick in 1997, attended the team’s morning practice Monday but disappeared before the 3 p.m. practice at Greenville, S.C. The team searched into the night, and Booker was eventually spotted at 10:30 p.m. at a restaurant counter waiting for an order to go, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Booker said he was returning to camp.

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NFL’s Best of the 1990s

NFL all-decade team for the 1990s, picked by Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee members and announced by the league Tuesday:

OFFENSE

First Team

QB John Elway

RB Barry Sanders

RB Emmitt Smith

WR Cris Carter

WR Jerry Rice

TE Shannon Sharpe

T William Roaf

T Gary Zimmerman

G Bruce Matthews

G Randall McDaniel

C Dermontti Dawson

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Second Team

Brett Favre

Terrell Davis

Thurman Thomas

Tim Brown

Michael Irvin

Ben Coates

Tony Boselli

Richmond Webb

Larry Allen

Steve Wisniewski

Mark Stepnoski

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DEFENSE

First Team

DE Bruce Smith

DE Reggie White

DT Cortez Kennedy

DT John Randle

LB Kevin Greene

LB Junior Seau

LB Derrick Thomas

CB Deion Sanders

CB Rod Woodson

S Steve Atwater

S LeRoy Butler

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Second Team

Chris Doleman

Neil Smith

Warren Sapp

Bryant Young

Cornelius Bennett

Hardy Nickerson

Levon Kirkland

Darrell Green

Aeneas Williams

Carnell Lake

Ronnie Lott

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SPECIAL TEAMS

First Team

K Morten Andersen

P Darren Bennett

KR Michael Bates

PR Deion Sanders

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Second Team

Gary Anderson

Sean Landeta

Mel Gray

Mel Gray

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COACH

Bill Parcells

Marv Levy