Dec 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley (90) celebrates tackling Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Photo Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley was placed on season-ending injured reserve Monday because of a heart issue.
Fairley consulted with at least three specialists this offseason, with at least one suggesting that he no longer play football, Saints coach Sean Payton said earlier this month.
The results of the third specialist were not immediately known.
Fairley inked a four-year contract worth between $28 million-$30 million with New Orleans in March, including an $8 million signing bonus and a total of $14 million in guarantees. The Saints are not required to pay Fairley his $1 million base salary this year because his injury was not related to football.
The 29-year-old was diagnosed with an enlarged heart before he joined the NFL as a first-round draft pick with the Detroit Lions in 2011. He passed physicals for three different teams in six seasons.
–Michael Floyd was sentenced to one day in jail and will have to complete the final five days of his house arrest after a Scottsdale (Ariz.) City Court judge found the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver violated the terms of his house arrest.
Judge Statia D. Hendrix conducted the hearing in her courtroom over speaker phone with Floyd and his attorney, Robert Feinberg. A review of alcohol monitoring reports showed that Floyd missed a test as well as the presence of alcohol in several tests.
Feinberg initially indicated that his client would serve his sentence in Arizona — as opposed to Minnesota — but a final decision wasn’t made by the time the hearing concluded.
Floyd was ordered to appear to prove he did not violate probation from his February extreme DUI conviction. He contended that kombucha tea caused him to violate terms of his house arrest by accidentally ingesting alcohol.
–Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is throwing again for the first time since undergoing offseason surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff in his right throwing shoulder.
The Panthers posted a video on the team website to document an update on Newton’s recovery. He threw 45 passes to head trainer Ryan Vermillion in the locker room in sets of 15 throws.
“Obviously, it’s still not 100 percent, but seeing the ball come out of my hand in a throwing motion was good,” Newton told the website. “When I say it’s not 100 percent, I’m noting the range-of-motion part. Like if you sleep with your legs hanging off your bed the whole night, you’re going to wake up and be super stiff. Or like sitting on your hands, or sitting in an awkward position and finally getting up and moving — that’s how I feel.”
Newton underwent surgery on March 30 to repair a partially torn rotator cuff that was expected to require a four-month rehab process. At the time, the team said the 2015 NFL MVP would not be allowed to throw for 12 weeks and wouldn’t throw with the team for 16 weeks.
–Former Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green has been charged with felony child abuse after his 15-year-old daughter told police he punched her in the face.
Green, 40, is also charged with disorderly conduct stemming from an incident Sunday in Ledgeview, Wis. He is jailed in Brown County, Wis.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by TMZ Sports, Green’s daughter told police that the two had been arguing all day before he threw her to the ground and struck her in a dispute involving her cleaning the dishes.
Green was arrested Monday morning after police responded to his home following a 911 call from a neighbor. Officers noticed his daughter’s left eye was “swollen, slightly black and blue, and had two minor scratches,” according to the criminal complaint.
