Players Suspect Owner Collusion

The NFL Players Association claims the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs may have engaged in collusion while negotiating contracts with their first-round draft picks.

The union claims the teams may have had illegal knowledge of the signing bonus offered to a player chosen after Kansas City selected Ryan Sims with the sixth pick and Bryant McKinnie was picked seventh by Minnesota.

The players association says the teams subsequently offered the players a lower amount, so the union filed a request for an investigation on Monday with the NFL Management Council, ESPN.com first reported Tuesday.

“If two clubs take the same position [on offers to their players], then one player can’t say, ‘Look, No. 7 signed for this or that amount, so I should get a few bucks more,’ ” said Richard Berthelsen, an attorney for the players association.

Roy Williams, the No. 8 pick by Dallas, was offered the larger signing bonus, according to the union.

Berthelsen said a letter to the management council asks for information about any communication between the Chiefs and Vikings regarding negotiations with their top draft picks.

Rob Brzezinski, vice president of football operations for the Vikings, called the accusations “ridiculous” and “baseless.”

Carl Peterson, president and general manager of the Chiefs, also said the claims were baseless. He said Kansas City has never discussed contract talks with any teams.

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Terrell Davis, the NFL’s premier running back of the late ‘90s, is so discouraged with the lack of progress on his injured knees that he’s contemplating retirement.

“I’m taking everything in stride, and whatever way the wind blows I’m fine with it,” said Davis, who has been plagued by injuries since 1998, when he became only the fourth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

Davis received two injections on Monday to relieve swelling and lubricate his knee joint. Coach Mike Shanahan said Tuesday that Davis was feeling better and could practice in the next two-to-three days, but questions remained about how much Davis will be able to play--if he does come back.

The doubt has left Davis weighing his options.

One option for Davis might be to become a situational player. Davis said he might accept the role if it means prolonging his career.

“Could I be a backup, a 5-to-10 carry back?” Davis said. “It’s humbling, but yes, I could probably do it. No doubt about it. As long as I can contribute in some fashion, then I’ll be content with that, especially knowing my situation.”

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Former NFL lineman Alonzo Spellman was ordered held without bail in a federal jail at Philadelphia after a judge ruled he was too dangerous to be released.

Spellman, 31, is accused of threatening a pilot and flight attendant and harassing passengers during a Delta Air Lines flight from Cincinnati to Philadelphia. Spellman was released by the Detroit Lions in October.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneer lineman Cosey Coleman, who started all 16 games last season at right guard, will miss the next four weeks after tearing cartilage in his left knee during warm-ups before Monday’s 14-10 exhibition victory over Miami.... The Cincinnati Bengals and linebacker Brian Simmons reached agreement on a six-year contract extension. Simmons, 27, a first-round draft pick in 1998, was in the final year of his original five-year contract. Simmons had 6.5 sacks and 139 tackles, second best on the team, last season.... The Packers signed wide receiver Andy McCullough to add depth to their banged-up receiving corps. The Packers also waived injured wide receiver Windrell Hayes to make room for McCullough, a former NFL Europe standout.... Carolina Panther cornerback Dante Wesley, a fourth-round draft pick, will miss at least three to four weeks after suffering a hernia that will require surgery.