Heisman Winner Crouch Will Retire

Eric Crouch, the Heisman Trophy winner last year for Nebraska who tried to make the switch from quarterback to receiver with the St. Louis Rams, has decided to retire.

“I have given this a lot of thought,” Crouch said in a statement released Wednesday night. “This decision was tough and not something I took lightly.”

Ram Coach Mike Martz said Wednesday night that Crouch, the team’s third-round pick, informed him of his decision last Friday. Crouch did not make the trip to Denver for the regular-season opener Sunday and has not practiced with the team since then. Martz has closed practices for the first three weeks of the season, and the Rams had not made an announcement.

A day before leaving the team, Crouch gave no indication he was leaning toward quitting, although he expressed some frustration with his status on the team.

Asked what reporters were missing in the closed practices, he said: “You’re missing me run all the scout team plays, that’s what you’re missing.”

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Atlanta Falcon cornerback Ray Buchanan was suspended for four games for using steroids despite insisting he took them by mistake.

“Evidently, I took a supplement of some sort that had a steroid derivative in it,” Buchanan said in a statement.

“Either way, it was my mistake, and I will serve my penalty. I would like to apologize to my teammates, the Falcons’ organization and the Atlanta Falcons’ fans. I will learn from this.”

Buchanan, 30, will sit out more games during the suspension than he has his previous nine seasons. He has played 81 games in a row since signing with the Falcons in 1997.

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Seattle Seahawk quarterback Trent Dilfer returned to practice and expects to be ready for Sunday’s home opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

Dilfer, who sprained his right knee during Seattle’s exhibition opener Aug. 10, took the majority of snaps instead of backup Matt Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck started against Oakland on Sunday.

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Chicago Bear safety Damon Moore has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

Moore, acquired in the off-season as a free agent after playing three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, had been on the Bears’ injured list. He tore a knee ligament in the NFC championship game in January.

Moore told the Chicago Sun-Times his suspension resulted from a failed drug test taken in February.

He said he did not take steroids, but he declined to specify what drug the test detected.

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Cincinnati receiver Danny Farmer severely sprained a ligament in his left knee during practice and will be out for at least three weeks.... Tennessee Titan running back Robert Holcombe cracked his left hip at the joint and will be out at least four weeks. Holcombe was hurt just before halftime of the Titans’ 27-24 victory over the Eagles on Sunday when he was hit after catching a pass.