Seahawks Sign Taylor to a Four-Year Contract

Former Pro Bowl cornerback Bobby Taylor agreed to a four-year contract on Wednesday with Seattle.

Taylor, who spent all nine of his NFL seasons with Philadelphia, replaces Shawn Springs, who signed with Washington. The Seahawks are looking to improve a pass defense that finished 27th in the NFL.

Agent Jason Medlock said Taylor’s deal is for four years and worth $11.8 million with a $3-million signing bonus. With performance incentives, Taylor could earn $15.75 million.

Taylor is the fourth starter to leave the Eagles during free agency, joining five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Troy Vincent (Buffalo), running back Duce Staley (Pittsburgh) and linebacker Carlos Emmons (New York Giants).

Green Bay has been granted permission to talk with quarterback Tim Couch, whose days in Cleveland appear to be dwindling.

Brown spokesman Todd Stewart said that the Packers called requesting a chance to speak with Couch and Cleveland gave its approval.

Couch’s five-year stint with the Browns effectively ended this month when the club signed Jeff Garcia to a four-year deal.

The Browns told Couch’s agent, Tom Condon, he could discuss a deal outside the AFC North for his client.

The Packers also signed safety Mark Roman, who played for Cincinnati last season, and re-signed tackle Kevin Barry.

Tampa Bay re-signed tight end Ken Dilger. He was released by the team March 2 to create salary cap room.

Defensive end Keith McKenzie re-signed with Buffalo. He played in only six games last season.

The New York Giants signed cornerback Terry Cousin, who probably will be their third cornerback, or extra defensive back in passing situations.

Carolina signed former New York Giant linebacker Brandon Short to a three-year contract. Short probably will compete for a starting job with Jessie Armstead, another former Giant, and Mark Fields, a 16-game starter in 2002 who sat out all of last season while receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s disease.

The NFL’s competition committee has unanimously recommended penalizing teams 15 yards for excessive celebrations after touchdowns. The proposal will be voted on by owners at their spring meeting next week in Palm Beach, Fla.

Another issue to be discussed will be instant replay, which was instituted from year to year until 2001, when it was extended for three years. The committee has recommended that replay be permanently instituted. Instead of needing 24 of 32 owners to approve replay annually, the new plan would require 24 votes to remove it.

The Imperial County district attorney will not file charges against former NFL linebacker Glenn Cadrez, who was accused of getting into an altercation with a county fire official in February in El Centro, Calif.

College Football

Lisa Simpson, whose lawsuit triggered the recruiting scandal at Colorado, wrote in her diary she wanted to “ruin the lives” of players she believes were present when she was allegedly gang-raped in 2001.

The entries are part of her deposition, copies of which were obtained by the Longmont Daily Times-Call and the Rocky Mountain News. Earlier copies released by the university had those portions blacked out.

Simpson’s parents, Rick and Karen Burd, said the leak of the excerpts amounted to an attack on their daughter by the university.

Juan Garcia, a guard at Washington, pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing and being a minor in possession of alcohol and will keep his scholarship. He had faced felony assault charges for allegedly assaulting a state trooper in October during a traffic stop.

Jim Fenwick, former coach at Cal State Northridge, Pierce College and Valley College, has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant.

His family is seeking a bone-marrow match and is holding testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Patrick Henry Middle School in Granada Hills. Fenwick has been coach at Eastern Oregon since 2001.

Miscellany

Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist, challenged the testimony of a key prosecution witness in the Jayson Williams manslaughter trial, saying blood evidence showed that Benoit Benjamin wasn’t within five feet of the former NBA player when his shotgun discharged and killed limousine driver Costas “Gus” Christofi.

Tamika Catchings, Shannon Johnson and Tina Thompson scored 12 points apiece to lead the U.S. women’s basketball team to a 73-46 victory over the Czech Republic in an exhibition game at Brno, Czech Republic.

U.S. swimmer Lyndsay Devaney of Riverside accepted a two-year suspension for refusing to take a drug test in January.

Passings

Russell Reineman, who sold 2002 Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem 23 days before the race, died Tuesday. See Section B.

T.J. Simers is on vacation.