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Saints' Brees goes after Goodell on bounty case

One day after the suspensions of players in the NFL's bounty probe were overturned by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees went on the offensive against current commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office.

One day after the suspensions of players in the NFL's bounty probe were overturned by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees went on the offensive against current commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office.

"What I would like to see is a level of accountability on the part of the NFL and Commissioner Goodell in regards to mishandling of this entire situation," Brees said after Saints practice Wednesday. "We as players hold ourselves and are held to a very strict code of conduct both on and off the field. We have to be accountable to that and I feel like they should be held to the same standards. . . .

"Thank God we have a union that can represent the players and fight the process and represent our guys. Unfortunately, the coaches don't have that . . . they have no way to fight back."

Goodell, told of Brees' comments at a special league meeting in Dallas, said he wouldn't apologize.

Brent shut down

Dallas defensive tackle Josh Brent has been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list by the Cowboys, a move that ends his season but allows him to remain with the team. The move came a day after a memorial service for practice squad player Jerry Brown, who was killed in a car accident Saturday morning in which police say Brent was driving drunk.

Belcher funeral

Several hundred mourners gathered for the funeral of Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher in Dix Hills, N.Y., near his hometown on Long Island. The 25-year-old Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend Dec. 1, then drove to the Chiefs' practice facility and committed suicide in front of team officials.

Moving the chains

The Arizona Cardinals placed quarterback Kevin Kolb on injured reserve and named rookie Ryan Lindley the starter for Sunday's game against Detroit. . . . Construction workers cutting a beam at Lambeau Field ignited foam insulation inside a wall, sparking a minor fire that caused about $5,000 in damage to the Green Bay Packers stadium and left a firefighter with an injured back. . . . Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe said he was fined $5,250 by the NFL for wearing a message on his uniform promoting Ray Guy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame during Sunday's game against Chicago.  

      - Associated Press