Saints’ Turley Is Fined $25,000 for Outburst

Kyle Turley’s $25,000 fine wasn’t as bad as it could have been. New Orleans Saint Coach Jim Haslett originally thought about cutting the tackle.

Before the Saints fined Turley on Tuesday, Haslett also considered suspending him. But the fine was no slap on the wrist.

Turley was fined for conduct detrimental to the team during Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. Turley also agreed to undergo counseling at the team’s request.

Turley, a former San Diego State and Moreno Valley Valley View High standout, attacked Jet safety Damien Robinson when Robinson grabbed the facemask of Saint quarterback Aaron Brooks and twisted it. Turley ripped Robinson’s helmet off and threw it down field, then made an obscene gesture. His actions got him ejected from the game. They also drew a 15-yard penalty that disrupted the Saints’ final chance to tie or win the game.

“The Saints do not condone such actions,” General Manager Randy Mueller said. “We believe that the amount of the fine is appropriate for the severity of Kyle’s conduct on the field.

“We understand that Kyle is a very emotional player, but it is clear that the type of actions he demonstrated last Sunday will not be tolerated.”

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The Carolina Panthers signed veteran Jim Harbaugh to help their ailing quarterback situation.

Harbaugh, a 14-year veteran, could play Sunday against St. Louis if rookie Chris Weinke isn’t ready. Weinke has a sprained throwing shoulder and Dameyune Craig, his backup, was put on injured reserve because of torn ligaments in his foot.

That left third-stringer Matt Lytle as the only healthy quarterback on the roster.

Harbaugh, 37, went to training camp this year with Detroit and played for San Diego last season. A first-round draft choice by Chicago in 1987, he spent seven years with the Bears.

To make room for Harbaugh, the Panthers waived offensive lineman Dwayne Ledford.

Meanwhile, the Panthers also put defensive end Jason Peter on injured reserve because of a lingering neck injury.

Peter had 13 tackles and three quarterback hurries in six games, but has missed two of the last three games. He missed seven games because of the same injury last season and had surgery during the spring to relieve some of the pressure in his neck.

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The New York Giants held a tryout for four punters less than 24 hours after Rodney Williams underwent surgery to repair a broken right wrist.

Williams is expected to be sidelined two to three weeks because of the injury sustained in the third quarter of Sunday’s victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

The Giants (4-4) did not identify the players at the tryout, but Tony Umholtz, who was in training camp, and Tommy Parks, who punted early this season for the Jets, were expected to be there.

New York has hardly any room under the NFL salary cap so it seemingly cannot afford to sign a veteran punter.

“At this point, we have not decided to sign any of those players,” Coach Jim Fassel said. “We’ll take another day and consider all of our options.”

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Tom Barndt’s career with the Jets didn’t last long, as the team released the defensive tackle.

Barndt, formerly with Kansas City and Cincinnati, was signed as a free agent Sept. 11 and played in six games, making one start at New England in the second game of the season. But he never fit in well with the team’s defensive scheme and was inactive for the Jets’ victory at New Orleans last Sunday.