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Browner facing NFL suspension

Free agent cornerback Brandon Browner will be suspended 4 games as part of his reinstatement to the league.

PHOTOS: YONG KIM / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The Rev. John Calabro (left), of South Philadelphia's Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, delivers an Ash Wednesday homily to parishioners. A member of the parish (right) receives the traditional ashes on her forehead from Calabro, marking the beginning of Lent for Roman Catholics and members of other denominations.
PHOTOS: YONG KIM / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The Rev. John Calabro (left), of South Philadelphia's Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, delivers an Ash Wednesday homily to parishioners. A member of the parish (right) receives the traditional ashes on her forehead from Calabro, marking the beginning of Lent for Roman Catholics and members of other denominations.Read more
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FORMER PRO Bowl cornerback Brandon Browner will be suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season as part of his reinstatement after a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy, the NFL and NFL Players Association jointly announced yesterday.

Browner, an unrestricted free agent who played in eight games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 before being suspended by the league, will be eligible to sign with any team and participate in offseason workouts and preseason activities, the league said in a statement.

If he complies with terms of the substance-abuse policy, the league's statement said, "he will be fully reinstated after serving a four-game suspension without pay at the start of the 2014 regular season and forfeiting an additional 4 weeks of pay.''

In total, Browner will miss 13 weeks of pay due to the suspension - five games in 2013 and eight games next season.

In other NFL news:

* Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel is exploring whether to add seats to Soldier Field. The preliminary proposal would add 5,000 seats. The stadium that's home to the Chicago Bears has a capacity of 61,500 for football games and 63,500 for other events. Emanuel told the Chicago Sun-Times the lack of seating hurts efforts to attract high-profile events.

* The Buffalo Bills have secured at least one half of their starting safety tandem after signing Aaron Williams to a 4-year, $26 million contract extension. The extension comes at a time when the Bills risk losing three-time Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd, who is preparing to test free agency. In another matter, the Bills are postponing their annual game this season in Toronto, where they've gone 1-5. Team president Russ Brandon did not rule out ending the series despite 4 years remaining in the deal with Toronto-based Rogers Communications.

* The Cleveland Browns released wide receiver Davone Bess, an expected ending after Bess was arrested in January for assaulting a law enforcement officer at an airport and other bizarre behavior.

Philly File

* La Salle senior Meghan McGlinchey has qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5,000 meters. The championships will be held March 14-15 in Albuquerque, N.M. McGlinchey is one of only two female Atlantic 10 athletes to qualify for the event. George Mason's Mandissa Marshall (pole vault) is the other.

* La Salle junior Kevin Baron was named Big 5 baseball player of the week.

Sport Stops

* The NCAA football rules committee tabled a proposal that would have penalized offenses for snapping the ball before 10 seconds had run off the 40-second play clock.

* The Floyd Mayweather-Marcos Maidana fight May 3 will he held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mayweather tweeted. The bout will unify their 147-pound titles.

* The Ukraine defeated the United States, 2-0, in an exhibition soccer game in Larnaca, Cyprus.

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