This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
John Lynch, Michael Strahan, Steve McNair and Morten Andersen are among 13 first-year eligible players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Safety Lynch, defensive end Strahan, quarterback McNair and kicker Andersen join offensive linemen Jonathan Ogden and Larry Allen, defensive tackle Warren Sapp and 121 other total nominees for induction. The list will be whittled to 25 semifinalists in late November.
Fifteen finalists from the modern era will be announced in early January, with elections taking place Feb. 2, 2013, the day before the Super Bowl.
Between four and seven new members will be selected, with inductions next August.
Other first-time nominees are running back Priest Holmes, wide receiver Keenan McCardell, center Tom Nalen, DTs Sam Adams and Ted Washington and DE Bryant Young.
Among the contributors nominated are former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and longtime team owners Bud Adams of the Titans and Robert Kraft of the Patriots. Former Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell, who died this month, also is a nominee.
Other holdover nominees include receivers Cris Carter, Andre Reed and Tim Brown, running back Jerome Bettis, guard Will Shields, DE Charles Haley, linebacker Kevin Greene and defensive back Aeneas Williams, all finalists for the 2012 class.
RG3 extortionist pleads guilty
A former Baylor basketball player pleaded guilty Thursday to trying to extort $1 million from Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III by threatening to expose damaging information, prosecutors said.
Richard Khamir Hurd, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communication of a threat related to extortion. He faces two to three years in prison when he's sentenced Nov. 21.
The U.S. attorney's office said Hurd, a former walk-on basketball player at the school where Griffin won the Heisman Trophy, contacted one of Griffin's agents in June with a demand of $1 million in order not to release information that would damage the quarterback's reputation.
According to an FBI affidavit, Hurd first gave the agent a deadline of June 18 but extended it to give the agent time to discuss the offer with others.
Griffin's agent contacted authorities. Under the FBI's direction, the agent reached an agreement to pay Hurd $120,000 for the information and his signature on a non-disclosure agreement. Hurd arrived June 22 at a law office to sign the paperwork and collect the check. FBI agents arrested him afterward.
Around the league
Bills • Though C.J. Spiller (left shoulder) is a question mark, Buffalo is expected to have running back Fred Jackson ready to play against New England this weekend. Coach Chan Gailey provided the encouraging update Thursday after Jackson made it through his second straight day of practice since spraining his right knee in a season-opening loss at the New York Jets on Sept. 9.
Giants • Ahmad Bradshaw is ready to return as New York's top running back after being sidelined for a game by an inflamed disk in his neck. Bradshaw has not missed a practice in preparing for Sunday night's game against the Eagles (2-1) in Philadelphia, and coach Tom Coughlin intends to start him. Bradshaw will split time with Andre Brown, who was outstanding filling in. Brown ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns against Carolina in his first NFL start. Week 4 schedule
Thursday
• Baltimore 23, Cleveland 16
Sunday
• Tennessee at Houston, 11 a.m.
• San Diego at Kansas City, 11 a.m.
• Seattle at St. Louis, 11 a.m.
• New England at Buffalo, 11 a.m.
• Minnesota at Detroit, 11 a.m.
• Carolina at Atlanta, 11 a.m.
• San Francisco at N.Y. Jets, 11 a.m., Ch. 13
• Miami at Arizona, 2:05 p.m.
• Oakland at Denver, 2:05 p.m., Ch. 2
• Cincinnati at Jacksonville, 2:05 p.m.
• New Orleans at Green Bay, 2:25 p.m., Ch. 13
• Washington at Tampa Bay, 2:25 p.m.
• N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 6:20 p.m., Ch. 5
Monday
• Chicago at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN