Katzenmoyer leaves Patriots camp because of neck worries

New England linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer walked out of training camp because he was worried about a neck injury.

Coach Bill Belichick said Saturday that Katzenmoyer contacted him Friday night to apologize for leaving camp following the team breakfast earlier in the day.

''I can't really speak for him, but I would characterize it as he's trying to resolve those issues himself,'' he said.

Katzenmoyer's mother, Dianne, said her son is fine.

''There are a couple of concerns about his neck, about the surgery he had last fall,'' she told The Columbus Dispatch.

Belichick declined to speculate about the length of Katzenmoyer's absence, and said he has not decided whether to fine him.

But he added that Katzenmoyer's decision to leave camp ''is not the way we want to do it. But I don't really know enough about the situation right now to make a lot of final decisions or make a lot of intelligent guesses on where things are, let alone where they're going to go.''

Browns

Offensive tackle Tony Jones, who began his career in Cleveland in 1988, retired Saturday.

Jones, who played for Cleveland from 1988 to 1995, then went on to play on two Super Bowl winners in four years with Denver, said he told coach Butch Davis and his teammates Friday night that he was done playing.

''From two days of being here, my mind and heart were somewhere else. This team, this organization, these fans deserve better,'' Jones said at a news conference at the Browns practice facility.

During the team's morning practice receiver JaJuan Dawson broke his left hand and is expected to be out for four weeks.

Lions

The Lions donned full pads at training camp for the first time.

They were needed.

Fullback Cory Schlesinger met the defense with his helmet a few times, while second-year linebacker Joe O'Neill gave an elbow shot to rookie tackle Jeff Backus during the full-contact scrimmage at Saginaw Valley State University.

Then quarterback Charlie Batch rolled out and was unable to find an open receiver. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder decided to run and was hit and knocked back by the 217-pound linebacker Barrett Green.

Batch responded by zipping the ball at Green, hitting him in the helmet. Green then shoved Batch in the back.

''I'm not supposed to get hit,'' Batch said. ''Touching me is fine but under normal circumstances. If I know I'm going to face up and get hit by a linebacker, I'll slide. Don't hit me.

Second-year guard Stockar McDougle joined the dispute by taking a shot at Green before guard Tony Semple grabbed Green's face mask and the two began jawing at one another.

Redskins

The Deion Sanders saga in Washington is over, and Sanders has to return just $500,000 of his $8 million signing bonus to the team.

And while he will count $5.7 million against the salary cap next year, his retirement will save Washington $3.5 million this season. That money will be used to sign the two top draft picks, wide receiver Rod Gardner and cornerback Fred Smoot.

Defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, the third of St. Louis' first-round draft choices, signed Saturday. Pickett, the 29th overall choice, will begin at a backup at one of tackle spots.

Pickett is one of three first-rounders for the Rams. The first, defensive lineman Damione Lewis, already is signed, but safety Adam Archuleta is not.

Lewis worked out for the first time. ''I've just got to get in and play,'' he said. ''I feel like I'm ready to contribute. We'll see where it goes from there.''

Santana Moss, New York' top draft pick, signed a five-year deal that with bonuses and incentives reportedly could reach $8 million.

Moss, expected to compete for a starting job at wide receiver and return specialist, was the 16th pick and fourth wide receiver taken in the first round. He was the last of the team's draft picks to be signed, and the deal came on the day the players started assembling for the beginning of training camp on Monday.

''You never want any of your players to be missing,'' coach Herman Edwards said. ''I know all the players want to be here, but I understand that they have to jockey for negotiating position. But I thought he would be here. He told me in minicamp this spring, 'Coach, I'll be here the first week.'''

Bengals

The offense moved the ball but the defense came up with the only big plays during Cincinnati's scrimmage at Georgetown College.

Cornerback Artrell Hawkins intercepted Jon Kitna at the 4-yard line and defensive end Jevon Langford recovered Akili Smith's fumbled snap to lead the defense to a 14-0 victory.

The defense earned four points for each of the turnovers and stopped three drives without an offensive score for its remaining six points.

In addition to the two turnovers, the offense had two drives killed by holding penalties and missed two long field goals.

''I thought our productivity on offense was pretty good overall,'' Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said. ''But we stopped ourselves, and that's something we cannot do.''