Family, friends focus on McNair's life, not end

A photograph of Steve McNair with his 2003 MVP trophy stands near his casket during a memorial service for McNair in Nashville, Tenn., (AP Photo/George Walker IV, Pool)

Former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George, right, greets Titans punter Craig Hentrich, left, as they arrive for a memorial service for ex-NFL star Steve McNair in Nashville, Tenn.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck arrives for a memorial service for Steve McNair in Nashville, Tenn., (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle arrives for a memorial service for Steve McNair in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, July 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams arrives for a memorial service for Steve McNair in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, July 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason, left, hurries to the church after talking to reporters as he arrives for a memorial service for Steve McNair in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, July 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Steve McNair's family, friends, former teammates and coaches gathered tonight along with thousands of fans to remember the slain ex-NFL quarterback's accomplishments on and off the field.

Ravens receiver Derrick Mason, who played with McNair in both Tennessee and Baltimore, called the loss heartbreaking.

"I still remember that smile of his," Mason said before heading into Mount Zion Baptist Church, where he was to speak at the memorial service. "That'll never grow old."

Fans lined up starting this morning to view McNair's closed silvery-gray casket at a funeral home and later outside the church. A helicopter provided live TV footage as McNair's body was moved by hearse, and three of four local TV stations showed the memorial service live.

McNair's casket was on display at Mount Zion, where he had attended services since moving to Nashville in 1997. It was flanked by a large photo of him posing with his 2003 NFL MVP award on the right and another of him holding a football on the left.

Bishop James W. Walker III opened the service by calling McNair one of Nashville's own.

The program included a statement from the McNair family.

"Today in our loss, our hurt, and our pain we recognize our gains in you our friends and loved ones ... They have all been a source of strength and comfort at this time to our family," the statement read.

Titans owner Bud Adams, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and more than 30 of McNair's former teammates attended. Titans coach Jeff Fisher also was scheduled to speak.

Eddie George, who helped McNair take the Titans to their lone Super Bowl in 2000, was among the pallbearers along with four of the quarterback's former offensive linemen. George said he doesn't think they will ever truly get over McNair's death.

"I think you just start to accept the fact that Steve is no longer here in the physical form," George said. "And today obviously is to bring closure to us and to celebrate his life with all his accomplishments as a player, as a man in the community, as a teammate, as a friend."

NFL Commish has reached the Summit

In this photograph released by Ed Viesturs on Thursday, July 9, 2009, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, center, mountaineer Ed Viesturs, kneeling, and KING-TV sports anchor Paul Silvi., right, and unidentified others, are photographed just below the true summit of 14,411 feet on Mount Rainier, Wash., on Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Courtesy Ed Viesturs)

In this photograph released by Ed Viesturs on Thursday, July 9, 2009, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, right, is led by Peter Whittaker as they make their way up Mount Rainier, Wash., Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Courtesy Ed Viesturs)

In this photograph released by Ed Viesturs on Thursday, July 9, 2009, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, left, and mountaineer Ed Viesturs are photographed just below the true summit of 14,411 feet on Mount Rainier, Wash., Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Courtesy Ed Viesturs)

Mountaineering legend Ed Viesturs said Thursday that the NFL commissioner had to dig deep physically and mentally to reach the 14,411-foot peak on Wednesday morning.

Viesturs said the 50-year-old Goodell was choked up after reaching the tallest summit in the rugged Cascade range, a climb he made with Seahawks coach Jim Mora.

In what Viesturs and fellow climbing guide Peter Whittaker called perfect conditions, Goodell and Mora reached the top about 7½ hours after they departed the Camp Muir base camp in the pre-dawn dark.

Ex-NFL MVP Shaun Alexander taking "nine city tour for Jesus"

Shaun Alexander fills his days with a mix of the spiritual and physical.

The former NFL MVP is on a nine-city tour speaking at churches, clubs and businesses, anywhere that will let him share his Christian faith. In the meantime, a different kind of faith carries him through a tough workout regimen: That an NFL team in need of a running back will summon him before the 2009 season is up.

"I feel before the season is over, I think somebody will go down and they'll say, 'We want somebody who can score some touchdowns and make some things happen," Alexander said during a phone interview Thursday. "They'll say, 'Let's go get Shaun."

Alexander's initial return to the NFL was short-lived. The Washington Redskins signed him last October to fill in for injured backup Ladell Betts. Alexander had only 11 carries in five games before he was released, an aborted comeback after the Seattle Seahawks cut him following two seasons marred by foot and wrist injuries.

Alexander, who turns 32 in August, feels like his body has more football left in it.

"I've played nine years but really it feels like I played maybe four because of how the game is played and how coach (Mike) Holmgren and Stump Mitchell used me," the former Alabama star said.

"Even my MVP year, I didn't play in nine quarters because we were beating teams so bad," he said.

Alexander ran for 1,880 yards and 17 touchdowns during that 2005 season, helping carry the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl appearance and landing a $62 million contract as a result.

His career went downhill after that, with a shrinking per-carry average and only 1,612 yards and 12 TDs over the next two seasons. Alexander said he has received calls from NFL teams checking in this summer, but no offers.

When he's home in Ashburn, Va., Alexander said he does three-a-day workouts every other week, working on agility and lifting weights -- "which is just so miserable. Oh my goodness" -- in the morning and running in the afternoons.

"It's pretty intense," Alexander said. "Everybody always laughs, 'Man you have a busy week.' I'm like, 'This is not busy, this is the choice. I choose to train and get ready to have a great season next year, and I choose to be used to teach little people about Jesus."

The latter mission is behind what he calls his "nine-city tour for Jesus."

Now, he and his wife and children have landed in Mobile, along with six youth he has mentored. On Wednesday, they spoke at four churches or groups.

On Thursday, his stops included Alma Bryant High School, where former Alabama assistant Ronnie Cottrell coaches the football team.

Alexander is hosting a lunch Friday at Hank Aaron Stadium to raise money to send kids to Fellowship of Christian Athletes camps. He's also involved in programs to teach second- and third-graders how to play chess and prevent kids from dropping out of high school.

The other cities on his tour have included Seattle, Los Angeles, Tulsa, Okla., Dallas, Baton Rouge, La., Washington D.C. and Atlanta. It winds up in Birmingham on July 14.

"It's been fun. We've been able go out there and help the homeless and get them food and stuff," Alexander said. "I've been able to walk the streets and I've been able to just talk to people. It's been really cool."

Getting that summons from the NFL wouldn't be bad either.

"If the right team comes along," he said, "... they will be very, very happy with what they get."

Cards ink Rashad Johnson to 3-year deal

The Arizona Cardinals have signed third-round draft pick Rashad Johnson to a three-year contract.

The 5-foot-11, 203-pound safety from Alabama was the 95th selection overall.

Johnson, a walk-on out of high school, was a leader of the powerful Crimson Tide defense and is expected to fight for the backup role behind Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle and for a spot in the Cardinals'nickel defense.

Johnson was an Alabama captain as a junior and senior. He was second on the team in tackles with 89, 60 solos, along with five interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

He was a unanimous all-SEC selection and was a second-team Associated Press all-American.

The signing announced today leaves only first-round pick running back Beanie Wells and second-round pick linebacker Cody Brown without contract agreements among Cardinal draft picks.

In another move, Arizona released wide receiver Shane Morales, who had signed as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Oregon State on April 27.

The defending NFC champions report for training camp in Flagstaff on July 29.

Jaguars ink Mike Thomas, cut Calvin Lowry

Mike Thomas

The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed fourth-round draft pick wide receiver Mike Thomas and released defensive back Calvin Lowry.

Thomas is the second of the team's nine selections to sign a contract this year.

A four-year starter at Arizona as a receiver and return specialist, Thomas finished as the Pac-10's all-time leader in receptions with 259. He was third in school history with 3,231 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns.

Lowry was signed by the Jaguars in December and was inactive for the final two games. He played in 43 games for Tennessee and Denver.

Former NFL star Bruce Smith , convicted.....faces trial

Bruce Smith (L) is congratulated by his former head coach with the Buffalo Bills Marv Levy (R) during the The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 press conference at the Tampa Convention Center on January 31, 2009 in Tampa, Florida.

Former NFL star Bruce Smith was convicted of drunken driving today by a judge who rejected his claim that old football injuries, not alcohol, were responsible for his poor performance on field sobriety tests.

Smith declined to answer reporters' questions after his trial in Virginia Beach General District Court. He promptly appealed the verdict to Virginia Beach Circuit Court, which set a hearing in the case for Aug. 27.

"We just hope for a better result in appealing," Smith's lawyer, Larry Cardon, told reporters.

Smith also was convicted of speeding and refusing to take an alcohol breath test. Judge Teresa McCrimmon gave Smith a 90-day suspended jail term and fined him $350 for DUI. She also suspended his driver's license for a year for refusing the breath test and fined him $90 for speeding.

The appeal is scheduled less than three weeks after Smith's Aug. 7 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Smith, 46, ended a 19-year career with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins as the NFL's all-time sacks leader. The defensive lineman played in 11 Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection nine times before retiring after the 2003 season.

Cardon said during the trial that 11 knee surgeries during Smith's career made it difficult to complete sobriety tests that included walking a straight line heel-to-toe and standing for 30 seconds on one leg. Smith was stopped on Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach in May.

Smith, 46, could be heard telling Officer Bryan Womble about the operations in a videotape of the arrest, recorded by a camera mounted in the unmarked patrol car. "I'm a former athlete," Smith told Womble.

"I understand about your knees and everything," the officer said, adding that Smith didn't have to submit to the tests if he didn't want to.

The former Virginia Tech standout took the tests anyway, but continued to tell Womble about his bad knees.

"I know who you are. I know what you did in your career," Womble told Smith.

Smith also had trouble following Womble's hand movements with both eyes, but Cardon said that could have been caused by his client's multiple concussions or the glare of lights from traffic in the opposite lanes of the interstate.

Cardon also noted that while Womble reported a strong smell of alcohol, the officer testified that Smith's speech was not slurred and that he was cooperative. Cardon said there was insufficient evidence to convict.

But prosecutor Kristin L. Paulding said Smith's problems with the sobriety tests were not just physical -- he also had trouble following instructions. For example, Smith was told to walk nine steps and turn around, but he walked 14 and had to be told to stop.

She also noted that Smith was driving on a shoulder that was clearly marked as closed to traffic and was clocked at 73 mph in a 55 mph zone before he was pulled over. Smith told Womble he and two others had consumed a bottle and a half of wine at dinner.

The judge said there was enough evidence that Smith was impaired.

"Mr. Smith was obviously very cooperative, but he couldn't follow instructions," McCrimmon said.

Smith has had two previous DUI arrests. A 1997 conviction was later dismissed, and he was acquitted in another case in 2003. Smith's injuries were also raised as a defense in the 1997 case.

Haynesworth pleads no contest

Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge in Tennessee and will be on probation for three months.

Court records show Haynesworth entered his plea this morning in the Nashville suburb of Franklin. He's required to perform 25 hours of community service, make a $5,000 charitable contribution and attend driving school.

The charge against the former Tennessee Titans player stems from a Dec. 13 incident in which prosecutors say Haynesworth tried to pass another driver, who crashed into a concrete median and was badly injured.

Circuit Court Judge Jeff Bivins told Haynesworth that he hopes the process has shown that no one is infallible.

Judge blocks suspension

A judge today blocked the NFL's plan to suspend Minnesota Vikings linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams for violating the league's anti-doping policy, a move their attorney said should let them start the season.

Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson granted the players' request for a temporary restraining order that keeps the NFL from suspending them until their case is decided. The order also prohibits the league from subjecting them to extra drug testing.

The Williamses "would suffer a significant loss of playing time" without the restraining order, the judge wrote, and they have shown "some likelihood" of winning their lawsuit.

Peter Ginsberg, an attorney for the two players, called the order a "major victory" and said that at a minimum it should allow them to play for the early part of the upcoming season. He said it also protects them from stepped-up drug testing that they consider to be retaliation for standing up to the NFL.

The NFL had intended to enforce the players' four-game suspensions at the start of the season. The first preseason game is Aug. 14 and the season-opener is Sept. 13 at Cleveland.

The judge also scheduled a July 22 hearing on whether he should put the state court proceedings on hold while a federal appeals court considers other issues in the case. The federal appeals process could take several months and could further delay any suspensions if Larson decides to wait.

Ginsberg said he and the Williamses are ready to go to trial as soon as Larson's schedule permits. He said it wouldn't be fair to anyone to have a trial that conflicts with the season.

The defensive tackles, who are not related, tested positive last summer for a banned diuretic that can mask the presence of steroids, though they've never been accused of taking steroids. They took the weight-loss supplement StarCaps, which contained a diuretic, bumetanide, that wasn't listed on the label.

The NFL has acknowledged it knew StarCaps contained the banned drug, and the players say the NFL wrongly failed to share that information.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson last month dismissed most of the Williamses' original lawsuit and a related case filed by the NFL Players Association, but sent the Williamses' case back to state court to resolve two remaining claims under Minnesota law. Those claims involve whether the NFL violated the players' rights under a state law that regulates drug and alcohol testing in the workplace, and under another state law that governs disciplining employees for consuming legal products off their employer's premises during non-working hours.

The Williamses, the players union and the NFL are all appealing various parts of that order. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has tentatively scheduled oral arguments for Aug. 18 in St. Paul.