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Jenkins has been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery in Florida and isn’t at the team’s first week of voluntary organized team activities.

There have been numerous reports that Jenkins, who is going into the final year of his contract, wants to be traded.

Garrett said Wednesday he expects Jenkins to be a big part of the team.

The Cowboys’ main offseason additions were cornerbacks. Brandon Carr got a $50 million, five-year deal in free agency, and Dallas traded up and gave up a second-round pick in the draft to get LSU All-America cornerback Morris Claiborne sixth overall.

Rookie receiver Danny Coale, the fifth-round pick, will have surgery Thursday on his broken left foot.

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With Tony Romo at 32 years of age – does this mean that it’s ‘do-or-die’ time for the QB? Will Jerry give them one more season? Is Romo’s job on this line in 2012? What is the ‘window’ for the Cowboys?

PLAY: New School dissects Jerry’s comments on the NFL Network

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(© Copyright 2012 KRLD FM, 105.3 The Fan, CBS Local. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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@mikejenk21: Just got TRADED to the @RAIDERS BLACK HOLE BABY!!!!

Mike Jenkins, of course, is a disgruntled Dallas Cowboys’ cornerback so it must be true. His Twitter had 17,000 followers, so it must be his. Made a lot of sense.

Except that in this chapter of the Cowboys’ cornerback carousel, nothing adds up.

Jenkins has no leverage. Jenkins has no starting job. Jenkins – at least @mikejenk21 – has no Twitter account. Jenkins has not been traded to Oakland. For now he’s staying in Dallas, where, once training camp arrives, he’ll fight for playing time. The tweet from a fake account temporarily fooled a lot of folks. But Jenkins’ ploy to stay away from the Cowboys’ organized team activities is tricking no one.

Jenkins has his widdle feewings hurt.

You know what? Tough shit.

Jenkins has been the Cowboys’ best cornerback the last three seasons. Which is like saying Game 1 of the Mavericks-Thunder playoff loss was Dallas’ least nauseating. Ugly and unsuccessful, nonetheless.

The last two years the Cowboys have been chauffeured into mediocrity by a couple of the worst pass defenses in the history of this proud franchise. Since 2010 opposing quarterbacks have thrown for almost 8,000 yards and a whopping 57 touchdowns (the Baltimore Ravens have permitted just 33). In the two games that decided last year’s NFC East champion New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning threw for almost 800 yards. And in the last two seasons the Cowboys have had 1,085 passes thrown their way. Jenkins has intercepted exactly two of them.

For his role in the sorry secondary shenanigans, Dave Campo lost his job. Veteran cornerback Terence Newman lost his job. Safety Abe Elam lost his job. Alan Ball lost his job. And Jenkins … thinks he deserves a raise?

To his credit, Jenkins played hurt and played okay last season. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has called him a “warrior” and a “super talented player.” Jenkins underwent shoulder surgery in January and has been rehabbing at his home in Florida this off-season.

Fair enough. But this week his butt should be at Valley Ranch where the 2012 Cowboys convene on the field together for the first time.

Said head coach Jason Garrett, “I’d like to see him here. I hope he’s here.”

But Jenkins isn’t here. And likely won’t be a part of the Cowboys until training camp opens in Oxnard, California in late July.

Why? Pride. Protest. Pouting.

In an attempt to overhaul and improve their porous pass defense, the Cowboys signed Brandon Carr in free agency. They then moved up in last month’s draft to select LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. Presto, Jenkins is No. 3 on the depth chart. Which should be motivation, right? But when you have an over-inflated opinion of the man in the mirror, it leads only to a bruised ego.

Jenkins, 6-foot and 200 pounds, is in the prime of his NFL career. Drafted 25^th overall in ’08, he’s a 27-year-old veteran with speed and agility, if not superior ball skills. He became a starter in Dallas when Pacman Jones got hurt and Anthony Henry was traded. He has eight career interceptions, five coming in ’09. He went to the Pro Bowl that season, but only as a replacement when the Minnesota Vikings’ Antoine Winfield couldn’t play due to an injury.

Jenkins is good, not great.

But he has horrible leverage.

In skipping OTAs and desiring a trade, I’m not sure what he’s trying to accomplish. Greg Ellis bitched and moaned, but he showed up. Same for the Texas Rangers’ Michael Young.

Jenkins is in the final year of his rookie contract, paying him $1 million. What should he do? Get to Dallas, beat out Carr or Claiborne and display to the Cowboys or other NFL teams that he has value and is deserving of a big contract. By sitting out he’s merely diminishing his trade value.

The Cowboys have no incentive to trade him anyway. Asante Samuel only prompted a 7^th-round pick before the draft. If the Cowboys tried to trade Jenkins today they’d be lucky to get a 6^th. If they wait and Jenkins walks in free agency, they’re likely to get as high as a 3^rd-rounder as a compensatory pick.

Carr will make $10 million this year. Claiborne cost the Cowboys a 2nd-round draft pick. Owner Jerry Jones even invested heavily in corner Orlando Scandrick last year during the preseason.

As for Jenkins:

“We have zero intention of trading him. None,” said Jones. “He’s a vital part of our plan. I am assuring Mike that he has a very critical role in what we want to be defensively. Jenkins is not only this year, but a long-term player here as far as I’m concerned.”

So if you’re worth the money Mike Jenkins, do something you haven’t done the last two seasons:

Prove it.

Or else you really might wind up a Raider one of these days.

(© Copyright 2012 CBS Local, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Tony Romo seen wearing a Boston Celtics tank top. (credit: @PaigeGreco via Twitter)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Poor Tony Romo. The guy can’t wear a ball cap backwards, play a round of golf or tan on the beaches of Cabo without someone taking to a message board to criticize him. Now, he’s being blamed for possibly, single-handedly ruining the chances for the Boston Celtics in Game 6 on Wednesday, when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

Why?

Romo was spotted by a girl (@PaigeGreco on Twitter) at a rec center playing hoops in… a Celtics tank top! Sweet little Paige decided to tweet out a picture of herself with Romo, with said tank top. Now, the people of Boston are freaking out that the “Romo Curse” will be placed on their beloved Celtics since he’s donning their logo.

Via BustedCoverage.com on Tuesday night, via @PaigeGreco: “‘Hangin out with my homeboy Tony Romo last night… Yes I know I look gross.’ Blah, blah, blah. Let’s focus on those seven letters across Romo’s rec league jersey. Isn’t a bigger kiss of death to an NBA franchise still in the playoffs like this guy wearing your name. We’re talking one NFL playoff victory. Don’t say we didn’t warn Boston fans when something goes wrong in Game 6 & 7.”

I have a feeling that, somewhere in Tennessee, former Seattle Seahawks player (turned Titan) Jordan Babineaux is watching footage of the 2007 Seattle/Dallas NFC wild card playoff game and smiling.

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According to NFL general counsel Jeff Pash, speaking to media at the owners meetings in Atlanta, Professor Stephen Burbank dismissed the grievance filed by Washington and Dallas.

Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder made it clear that they would fight the NFL’s decision, and at the end of March, the two teams filed their grievance against the NFL and NFLPA with Burbank.

Update: In a  statement released from the Dallas Cowboys, the club says “We pursued our salary cap claim pursuant to the CBA and we respect and will abide by the arbitrator’s decision to dismiss. We will continue to focus on our football teams and the 2012 season.”

Read more from CBSSports.com

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS Feed and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Will Brinson on Twitter here: @willbrinson.

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Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee, says Tuesday at an owners meeting that because this is a playing rule, the league can implement it unilaterally.

The owners also voted to move the training deadline from after Week 6 to after Week 8, and to allow one “marquee” player placed on injured reserve to return to practice after the sixth game and to the lineup after the eighth game. That player must be on the 53-man roster after the final preseason cut.

The pads rule won’t go into effect until 2013 so equipment manufacturers can work on safety and comfort.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

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The Father’s Day experience will include:

A Tour of Cowboys Stadium

Photo Opportunities with the Super Bowl Trophies

Pictures and Autographs of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Activities for kids on the field

Appearances by Dallas Cowboys Alumni

Field Access: run, play, kick field goals

For more information call 817-892-TOUR (8687) or click here

Morris Claiborne from LSU holds up a jersey as he stands on stage after he was selected #6 overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of during the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 26, 2012 in New York City. (credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBS SPORTS) - The month before the Dallas Cowboys traded up to No. 6 to draft Morris Claiborne, the former LSU cornerback had undergone surgery on his left wrist to repair ligament damaged he suffered against Alabama last November. Earlier this month, he had pins removed and he was placed in a soft cast.

Although there had been rumors that, despite the recovery time for surgery, he would be ready to begin participating in the team’s OTAs in June, you can forget about that, writes Bryan Broaddus of the team’s official website. He won’t be available until late July.

Click Here To Read More From CBS Sports

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NEW YORK (CBS SPORTS) - The Dallas Cowboys begin OTAs on Tuesday, but cornerback Mike Jenkins won’t be there because he wants to be traded, sources told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr. While the workouts are voluntary, Jenkins, the team’s first-round pick in 2008, wants out after Dallas signed Brandon Carr to a $50 million deal in free agency and then traded up to take LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne in last month’s NFL Draft.

Consequently, Jenkins has effectively gone from the Cowboys’ best cornerback to third on the depth chart. But in a league that puts a premium on the passing game — and finding ways to stop it — a team can never have enough quality defensive backs (obvious exception: the Eagles, who shipped Asante Samuel to the Falcons in April). But Jenkins wants a new contract, which is exacerbated by a) the money the team paid to Carr and b) the various injuries Jenkins played through last season.

Hill notes that Orlando Scandrick has already signed a long-term deal with the Cowboys making Jenkins expendable.

There’s also this: Dallas apparently has no interest in moving Jenkins and want him on the roster for the 2012 season. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones went so far as to call Jenkins “vital” to the team’s plans.

Click Here To Read More From CBS Sports

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(credit: CBSDFW.COM)

DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) – They have been America’s Sweethearts since 1972, when they first graced the field at Texas Stadium. Now the iconic cheerleading squad has picked their 2012 candidates to attend training camp. For the next month and a half candidates will compete to win a coveted spot on the official Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader roster!

Two weeks ago, hundreds turned out for the first day of the 3-day audition process. In all, 79 finalists, representing five countries and 19 states, were whittled down. This past weekend they took to the Cowboys Stadium field, to dance, kick and shake their poms.

Fourteen judges (I was honored to be a judge once again – this my 10th year!) deliberated long and hard, as competition was especially tough this year. There were 25 veterans returning to try out, along with the super talented newbies.

In the end – a great group of 45 were chosen and thrilled to start the training camp process.

For the past seven years, as a part of their top rated reality show Making the Team, CMT has been on board filming the entire audition process. Each year the show consisted of just eight episodes but this year – due to popular demand – they will film 13 weeks of segments.

Apparently, producers know the world watches not only America’s Team but the Sweethearts as well!

Also making Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders news this week – Men in Black 3 opens and the stars, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, invited all the top American cities to donate an item, representing their state, to be placed in a time capsule that will be sent to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

CBS 11 decided DCC poms would be a perfect choice, so three of the cheerleaders donated poms and they were sent to Hollywood for official placement inside the time capsule. Both stars of the movie loved the bright and shiny poms, but Will Smith did mention it was hard to hold them as he is a proud native Philadelphian and his Eagle Pride hurt just a little with all that silver and blue!

Movie executives promise the capsule will not be opened for 43 years!

The new 2012 DCC squad will debut on the field in August at the first pre-season home game and Men in Black 3 opens this week citywide.

It’s all a win/win in my book!

The New Orleans situation is certain to get some attention at the meetings, where Commissioner Roger Goodell will be asked about Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma’s defamation lawsuit against him. Goodell’s authority for administering discipline is being challenged by the players’ union, Vilma and three other players suspended for their roles in the bounty system.

Owners also will discuss several bylaw changes that were tabled in March, including designating one player suffering a major injury before Week 2 of the season as eligible to return from injured reserve, and moving the trading deadline back two weeks to after Week 8.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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PLAY: Bill Bates with New School on 105.3 The Fan

*Listen to New School with Shan, Choppy, Jasmine & Troy weekdays 5:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on 105.3 The Fan.

(© Copyright 2012 KRLD FM, 105.3 The Fan, CBS Local. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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I was living in Valencia, California at the time having moved there from Texas a few years earlier. The year before the Cowboys had finished 11-5 and lost in the Divisional round against the Lions in Detroit and I remember my father saying, “next year, you watch. This team will be good.”

And next year they did.

I remember that team fondly because football was fun that year. While many don’t want to admit it, when the Cowboys are good, the nation is intrigued. Its better for the game. And the 92 team had plenty of characters to latch on to.

From the flamboyant all pro wide receiver  Michael Irvin, to the hard working heart of the team Emmit Smith, to the strength and poise of quarterback Troy Aikman, this team had it all.

Then coach Jimmy Johnson was a master of recognizing talent. He could find a diamond in the middle of a barren field. He also was a master motivator. Using fear of being cut, he would push his guys until he got what he wanted out of them.

I along with everyone else that year saw a young team start to realize just how good they really were. The defense, one of the most underrated in the games history, was ranked #1 in the league and was shutting down anyone in their path.

The offense, lead by the running of Emmit Smith behind a monstrous offensive line, began mowing down opponents, leading the league in rushing.

I remember going to the Los Angeles Coliseum, something I would not recommend to anyone, to watch the Raiders take on the Cowboys and saw half the 100,000 plus at the game, dawn blue shirts and cheer for the men with the star on their helmets. The Cowboys won that game 28-13.

Their demolition of the hated 49’ers in the NFC Championship game, made everything that much sweeter. The Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills was an afterthought.

I remember that team fondly because for the first time in my family, my dad, brother and myself, were all rooting for the same team, pulling for the same guys.  I was a Bears fan for years, but the Cowboys were beloved in my house. It was the first time in my life, when MY team was actually a champion. I had never had that feeling before.

I remember watching the Super Bowl and watching my father jump up like a child and cheer when the Cowboys scored their first of many touchdowns, and the smile on his face after the game was done. He doesn’t often let people see that side of himself, but that day, who cared.

It was a fun year for the NFL. It was a fun year for the York family. And it was a year when everyone was saying, “How Bout Them Cowboys!”

(© Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM, CBS Local a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Enrique Tabak and the board agreed on the penalty last August, and the Canadian engineer has been making quarterly payments that are due to end in June, records show.

Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis suffered a broken vertebrae and scout Rich Behm was paralyzed from the waist down when the tent-like structure fell during a wind storm in May 2009.

The board’s executive director says the fine is “significant.” An attorney for DeCamillis and Behm says it’s woefully inadequate in light of what occurred.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin all had some things to say about the Cowboys in 2012.

PLAY: Emmitt, Troy & Michael on the state of the Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys 20th Anniversary party celebrating the 1990′s 4-time Super Bowl Championship team (Photo courtesy Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities, EmmittSmith.com)

*Listen to New School with Shan, Choppy, Jasmine & Troy weekdays 5:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on 105.3 The Fan.

(© Copyright 2012 KRLD FM, 105.3 The Fan, CBS Local. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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“There’s where I live on the ocean,” he said. “What I spend my time doing is…”

And Johnson showed the small crowd gathered around him a photo of himself and a 250-pound blue marlin he caught one morning, fishing by himself off the coast of Florida.

“They realize now I’m not coming back,” said Johnson, who went 52-9 and won the 1987 national championship in five years at the University of Miami before leaving to become coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

That’s OK, Jimmy. You’ve done enough to be a College Football Hall of Famer.

Johnson was part of a class of 17 former players and coaches selected for the hall by the National Football Foundation and announced Tuesday at the Nasdaq stock exchange in Times Square.

“While winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys was rewarding, the most fun I had in football was in college,” Johnson said.

The other coaches to be inducted in December are Phillip Fulmer, who won the first BCS title in 1998 with Tennessee, and R.C. Slocum, the winningest coach in Texas A&M history.

Ty Detmer, the record-breaking 1990 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback for BYU, led a group of 14 players heading to the Hall of Fame.

Steve Bartkowski, who played quarterback at California from 1970-72, joined Johnson at the news conference in Manhattan. He said the call he received from NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell to let him know that he had been selected to the Hall of Fame caught him totally off guard.

“When Steve called last week to inform me, I thought he had the wrong number,” said Bartkowski, who led the nation in yards passing as a senior and was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Falcons. “It’s absolutely an honor.”

The rest of the class includes receiver Art Monk of Syracuse; tight end Dave Casper of Notre Dame; tackle Jonathan Ogden of UCLA; running backs Charles Alexander of LSU and Otis Armstrong of Purdue; quarterback Tommy Kramer of Rice; defensive backs Scott Thomas of Air Force and Greg Myers of Colorado State; split end Hal Bedsole of Southern California; defensive end Gabe Rivera of Texas Tech; linebacker Mark Simoneau of Kansas State; and guard John Wooten of Colorado.

Johnson, who has become a fixture working as an NFL analyst for FOX, spent five seasons at Oklahoma State before replacing Howard Schnellenberger at Miami in 1984. He coached two College Football Hall of Famers — defensive tackle Russell Maryland and defensive back Bennie Blades — and at least one more eventual honoree in 1986 Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde.

He left Miami after the 1988 season for the NFL.

“It was a challenge,” Johnson said. “I think that’s why coaches leave college to give professional football a shot. The challenge. Their own egos. And that’s what it was for me.

“I told the team this is not really something I want to do. This is something I have to do just for my own ego.”

It worked out just fine, of course. He’s got the sparkling Super Bowl ring to prove it. Johnson built another dynasty in Dallas and had some success with the Miami Dolphins, but it wasn’t the same in the NFL.

“You’re more than a football coach (in college),” he said. “I was in my office with young kids… being homesick. Young kids that had financial problems. Young kids that had academic problems.

“They thought they came there to get ready for pro football, but then they realized they had to get ready for life. It’s a lot more than Xs and Os.”

Johnson’s teams won with attitude. The Hurricanes were a brash, trash-talking bunch that became the team everybody loved to hate in the 1980s and ’90s.

“A lot of people didn’t like our approach because they had what we called a swagger,” he said. “Our guys were disciplined. I didn’t let our guys get away with being penalized. They were confident and maybe they were free-spirited but they were good kids. Our guys got their diplomas.”

Johnson said his best Miami team was the 1986 squad with Testaverde and defensive tackle Jerome Brown that lost the Fiesta Bowl and national championship to Penn State.

The Hurricanes arrived in Arizona wearing camouflage and talking tough, but they turned the ball over seven times and lost 14-10 to Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions in a game they dominated from the line scrimmage.

Johnson called it the most devastating loss of his career — college or pro.

“It probably gave me the determination to be a better coach,” he said.

The next season Miami ran the table and won the title. The following year Miami lost only once, at Notre Dame 31-30, when Johnson went for 2 late instead of a tying extra point that might have given Miami another national title. The game was also famous for a controversial fumble call at the goal line involving Miami running back Cleveland Gary.

Johnson said he’s happy to see college football heading toward a playoff system.

“If we would have had playoffs at Miami, I probably would have had another couple national championships,” he said. “If we would have had replay, we’d probably had another one that Notre Dame won, but that’s another story.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - A Collin County judge has ruled Deion Sanders will have to pay his estranged wife roughly $14,000 in child support and mortgage payments each month.

Pilar Sanders had presented an even larger child support request to the NFL Hall of Famer Tuesday in court.

The Former Dallas Cowboy openly laughed in the courtroom when Pilar Sanders estimated his net worth at $250,000,000, and asked the court for $24,000 a month in payments. Deion Sanders chuckled out loud in obvious disagreement that its that high.

Last week the pair squared off over protective orders and assault charges with the judge dismissing all of that. On Tuesday, Pilar Sanders submitted her $24,000 bill for expenses she says she and her three children will need each month from Deion.

Among the items on Pilar Sanders’ $24,000 a month child support bill:

$2000 food/restaurants
$900 clothing
$450 personal care, haircuts
$500 school lunches
$750 child care
$500 cell phones
$1000 entertainment and events
$2000 children’s lessons

Deion Sanders testified that he makes a million dollars a year from his job as an analyst for the NFL Network. But his 2010 tax return revealed he made nearly two million dollars.

He was coy when Pilar’s attorneys questioned him about other possible sources of income saying he wasn’t sure because a relative handles his finances.

Deion’s attorneys confronted Pilar with her acting resume, which boasts a number of television and modeling work. The attorney questioned whether she was hiding income.

Deion accused his spouse of stealing six truck loads of property from their Prosper mansion, cleaning out cabinets and saying she took quote, “every towel and wash cloth I had.”

The judge ordered 6 moving pods full of household items be returned to the 29,000 square foot Prosper home.

As far as child custody of the 3 Sanders kids, attorneys for both sides say it has been worked out through the summer but it was done in private and no details were released.

The judge also awarded $275,000 to Pilar’s attorneys in legal fees.

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MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - The Deion and Pilar Sanders divorce case gets another look on Tuesday morning by a judge at the Collin County Courthouse, with the Sanders children at the center of it all. The couple will ask the judge for a visitation schedule, allowing both parents to see their two sons and daughter.

The kids are currently split up between the parents — Deion has been granted temporary custody of the two sons while Pilar has the daughter. Both parents want to be able to visit with all three children, and that is what the Tuesday court hearing will address.

The divorce proceedings became headlines last month when police were called out to the couple’s home in Prosper, in order to help contain a violent altercation between Deion and Pilar. Last week, the judge ruled that Deion could stay in the home. Pilar must stay at least 500 yards away. But both sides maintain that the other committed assault. The judge found no evidence to support those assault claims.

A gag order was also lifted, permitting Deion and Pilar to talk publicly about their very contentious divorce. Deion made an appearance on the CBS daytime show “The Talk,” but he did not discuss the divorce. However, Pilar did speak openly with CBS 11 News. “I’ve never put my children up to filing reports on him,” she said, referring to an infamous tweet where Deion showed the world a photograph of his kids filing police reports related to the April altercation. “Who does that? Who tweets about their children supposedly witnessing anything, and trying to stand against a parent just so you can get an edge on a divorce proceedings, just so you can get an edge on finances? What man in the world does something like that?”

There will be a full custody hearing, but that has not been scheduled yet. Tuesday’s hearing will only address temporary visitation.

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From the Huffington Post to the Hollywood Gossip to USA Today, the story of the 55-year-old grandmother auditioning to become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader made headlines around the world.

The Carrollton resident did not make it beyond the first day of auditions, but that’s not to say her audition wasn’t impressive.

Throughout the day-long dance-off and interviews, Simmons’ confidence and charisma were on full display.

“Certainly I was disappointed, after training for months and being so excited,” said Simmons outside her Carrollton home early Thursday morning. “My most memorable moment was doing the freestyle dance for the judge. I was feeling that moment. And I feel I did very well.”

Simmons says she was most surprised by the kindness of her competitors and the Cowboys cheerleaders staff.

“One of the DCC cheerleaders came up and introduced herself to me and helped me apply makeup. She even indicated ‘I want you to be successful’.”

I asked her to keep us updated during auditions. Her emails every few hours painted a spirited snapshot.

“Having a ball. Going fantastic!” she wrote.

“This has been an incredible experience!”

And even after the numbers were posted of those women moving on to the next round — Sharon’s not among them — you could still sense her smile in her final update.

“Oh Tracy, my number was not on the board. I am ok. I hope you are ok, too. Eating out tonight. Ice cream too.”

So what’s next for the author and fitness competitor?

“I’m currently dancing with an all-theater dance team,” explained Simmons excitedly.  ”And I’m training for my next fitness routine. And a second book in the works.  The entire process was extremely exciting. I’d do it again. And I have no regrets.”

A hearing is set Thursday before arbitrator Stephen Burbank on appeals by the Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, whose cap was reduced by $36 million. The two NFC East teams were penalized for overloading contracts in the 2010 uncapped season despite league warnings.

“I know we followed the rules, and the league has not said that we did not follow the rules, and those were approved contracts,” Jones said Wednesday. “But this is a complicated issue.”

The Cowboys and Redskins filed their grievances against the league and players association.

Both teams will be represented by attorneys at Thursday’s hearing, which is the first step in the appeals process.

Jones wouldn’t elaborate on his team’s brief or what specifically he anticipates from the hearing.

“I can’t, and won’t, address the specifics and certainly wouldn’t dare try to predict what the resolution would be,” he said. “I’m glad we’ve got an opportunity to present it under the labor agreement to a mediator, and that’s what (Thursday) is all about. … It won’t resolve the issue, but it will help decide whether or not we can go before a mediator.”

Jones said there are highly technical issues involved, but again didn’t go into details.

Dallas split its $10 million reduction, taking a $5 million cut this year and the rest next season if the penalty isn’t overturned.

Even with $5 million less, the Cowboys were able to fill some pressing needs in free agency. They then moved up eight spots while giving up their second-round pick in the draft to select LSU All-America cornerback Morris Claiborne sixth overall.

Dallas got its top offseason target in free agency, signing cornerback Brandon Carr to a $50 million, five-year contract with $26.5 million guaranteed. Offensive linemen Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings got starter-worthy multiyear contracts, and Dallas also signed backup quarterback Kyle Orton, safety Brodney Pool, linebacker Dan Connor and fullback Lawrence Vickers.

“Certainly we’ve been able to adjust. It was a big surprise to us to have that downward adjustment in our cap,” Jones said. “We usually always are looking for room under the cap, so it was very meaningful for us to have to make that adjustment, but I can tell you as we stand here right now, we didn’t not do anything that we wanted to do.”

But Jones said the reduction forced the team to “go into the future and get some of those dollars that we wouldn’t have had to do had we not had that adjustment. So that will just create a challenge for us in the future.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The former San Diego Chargers quarterback and Washington State standout was shackled hand and foot and wore a black-and-white prison stripes as he told Cascade County District Judge Kenneth Neill that he needed treatment.

“I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity presented,” Leaf said. “An intensive nine-month rehab facility is presently needed.”

It was one of the few statements Leaf made in the hearing under questioning by his attorney, Kenneth Olson. Leaf admitted that he broke into a home in Cascade County on April 1. He then admitted that a few days earlier, on March 28, he illegally possessed oxycodone that was not prescribed to him.

Leaf pleaded guilty to one count each of felony burglary and criminal possession of a dangerous drug. Under the agreement, County Attorney John Parker agreed to dismiss two other counts of burglary and drug possession.

Neill set sentencing for June 19. Parker and Olson are recommending a five-year sentence in the custody of the Montana Department of Corrections for the burglary charge.

Olson said that recommendation will include a nine-month program at the Nexus Treatment Center in Lewistown, a center affiliated with the DOC, where Leaf would be locked down and unable to leave. That would be followed by time in a pre-release program in which Leaf’s movements would be restricted.

The agreement recommends a separate five-year sentence for the possession charge, but all of it would be suspended, Olson said.

Neill is not bound by the sentencing recommendation, but indicated he may look favorably on it.

“There is no question he needs treatment,” Neill said.

Olson said he and Parker also will recommend that the sentence run together with whatever sentence Leaf is given for a probation violation in Texas.

A prosecutor there, James Farren, filed to revoke the former quarterback’s 10-year probation from a 2010 plea deal. Leaf was charged with stealing prescription pain medicine from a player’s home while he was a coach at West Texas A&M. An investigation also found he obtained nearly 1,000 pain pills from area pharmacies in an eight-month span.

Olson said he has received no sentencing commitment from Texas prosecutors, but he hopes to have one when Leaf goes to Texas to face the probation violation accusation.

“We all agree that Ryan needs treatment. He needs that more than he needs to go to prison,” Olson said.

Farren said if the Montana judge approves the deal there, Leaf could return to Texas for a hearing to revoke his probation, either before or after the treatment program. He said he would like Leaf back in Texas as soon as is feasible to face “extensive” prison time that Farren will recommend to a judge in Amarillo.

Leaf asked for a reduction in bail — $76,000 in Montana and $50,000 in Texas — so that he can spend time with his family and get his affairs in order before sentencing. He told the judge that he was not a flight risk.

Parker said Leaf is “a man in the grip of a very powerful addiction” and it would be a mistake to reduce his bail before he begins treatment in a secure facility.

Neill denied the request to reduce bail.

Leaf was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 draft, but his short-lived career earned him the reputation as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

Prosecutors say the investigation into Leaf began in March, when Great Falls postal workers tipped the Central Montana Drug Task Force that Leaf was receiving frequent packages and paying more than $500 cash on delivery for each.

Task force officers and Leaf’s parole officer confronted Leaf on March 30 and found two pill containers in a golf bag. One contained 28 oxycodone pills, while the other was empty with a prescription label in the name of an acquaintance of Leaf’s.

Police interviewed the acquaintance and the acquaintance’s housekeeper, who said that Leaf had entered the man’s home the day before without permission.

Leaf was arrested and then freed on $76,000 bail.

Two days later, on April 1, two Cascade County residents told authorities they had returned home to discover a man inside their home, according to the charging documents. The man said he had the wrong home and left, and the couple only later noticed a drill and three different prescription medications missing.

The couple identified Leaf in a photo lineup and police went to Leaf’s home to arrest him. They found another 89 hydrocodone pills when searching his home, the charging documents say.

Great Falls Police Sgt. Chris Hickman said Tuesday that the task force and federal drug authorities are still investigating the Florida source of the packages that Leaf received through the mail. The task force also is reviewing data downloaded from the GPS device in Leaf’s truck to determine if Leaf drove to other sites where there were burglaries.

Leaf could face more charges in the future if any incriminating evidence is discovered, Hickman said.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - Former Washington State and NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has reached a plea agreement on drug and burglary charges filed in Montana.

The Great Falls Tribune reports Leaf’s attorney, Kenneth Olson, requested a combined arraignment and change-of-plea hearing on charges that Leaf broke into two houses in his hometown and stole prescription painkillers. District Judge Kenneth Neill set the hearing for 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The details of the plea agreement had not been filed in District Court Monday afternoon. Cascade County Attorney John Parker declined comment.

Leaf has been jailed since his second arrest in three days on April 2. He also faces possible prison time in Texas after officials there moved to revoke his probation from a 2010 plea agreement on similar accusations.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - The latest turn in the ongoing divorce saga between Deion Sanders and his estranged wife Pilar has come to a temporary end.

On Monday evening a Collin County judge ruled that the former Cowboy will stay in his Prosper mansion, and that Pilar will have to stay at least 500 yards away from the home.

The judge elected to continue temporary custody of the Sanders’ two sons to Deion Sanders, and of the couple’s daughter to Pilar Sanders, pending a full custody hearing.  That hearing has yet to be scheduled.

The next hearing related to the case will be May 15 to discuss visitation rights for both parents, and to set a custody hearing.

The judge did not interview the children, and absolved both Deion and Pilar from charges of family violence.  The judge did remove the gag order in the case, allowing the attorneys and the Sanders’ themselves to comment if they choose.

Today’s hearing, which started last week, has been part of an ongoing fight between the couple that culminated in an arrest of Pilar Sanders last month.

Both had been seeking protective orders while claiming that the other is abusive. Deion testified early on Monday morning, telling the judge that the couple’s 10-year-old son is afraid of his mother because she is allegedly abusive.

“He doesn’t want to be around her,” Deion said Monday. “He’s scared of her.”

Late Monday afternoon, Deion’s attorneys began cross-examining Pilar.

Deion’s first wife, Carolyn Sanders, made her second court appearance on Monday morning on behalf of the former football star. She is a key witness who still supports her ex-husband, and she was willing to tell that to a judge.

“He’s a good father to my kids, that’s why I’m here. And they love him to death,” Carolyn Sanders told reporters on Friday.

Other witnesses have been offering conflicting accounts of what happened during a domestic dispute at the couple’s Prosper home on April 23, when police were called out to intervene. Sanders testified Monday that the argument started over the whereabouts of one of the couple’s kids. Pilar and Deion both face assault charges related to the incident.

Deion told the judge on Monday that he went to the Prosper Police Department on April 23 and asked that his wife not be allowed to pick up the children from school. He said that he went back to his home with their 10-year-old son, and that preceeded the violent confrontation with his wife, during which she suffered a broken hand and lacerated lip.

During his testimony about the April 23 incident, Deion said that he was in his bedroom packing for a trip.

The room has an extra lock on the door because, he said, he does not trust his wife and he has had property stolen. Deion said that his wife came to the door demanding to speak to their 10-year-old son.

“I said, ‘Pilar, please, get out of my room,’” Deion told the judge. “She kept kicking my door, cussing and screaming, calling me everything in the book.” That is when Deion called for police to come to the home.

Before authorities arrived, Deion said, he was forcibly removed from his own bedroom. “I pinned her arms down to her side and walked her out of the room,” Deion recalled. Pilar’s attorneys claim that Deion hit her with a statue, but Deion said that she fell down while violently kicking during the episode.

Deion also claimed to have inadvertently knocked a cell phone out of the hand of Pilar’s friend, who Deion said attacked him during the incident. “I crushed it,” he said. “I stepped on it again. I grabbed a weight and I crushed it. I was just upset.” Despite the destroyed phone, Deion insisted that he kept his composure and never struck his wife.

A housekeeper who has worked at the home came to her employer’s defense, saying that the only physical abuse she witnessed was when Pilar was disciplining the couple’s 10-year-old son.

“He was hiding from her because he was afraid, and she would hit him with the belt,” the housekeeper said Friday. A 15-year-old boy also testified that he witnessed a belt-whipping during a sleepover at the Sanders home.

A piano teacher who was in the home on April 23 testified that she heard Deion repeatedly shouting “get out of my house,” which led her to believe that he was the aggressor. Police ultimately arrested Pilar that day. Deion and his attorneys have painted the teacher as a publicity-seeker who did not actually see anything.

The court did hear the piano lesson, however, as the football star’s wife secretly recorded the April 23 fight between the couple. One of the Sanders kids can be heard practicing piano before Pilar is heard knocking on her husband’s bedroom door, demanding to see their 10-year-old son. In the recording, Pilar says that she had not seen the child for four days, because Deion took him to Oklahoma without her knowledge.

Another recording, made by Deion on his cell phone, was less than a minute long. It features the former NFL star asking his estranged wife to leave the bedroom, Pilar asking to see the 10-year-old son, and some words from the couple’s 12-year-old son. That recording did not capture the violent encounter that would soon follow.

The couple had three children together — ages 8, 10 and 12. Deion and Pilar have been living separately for over a year, but still both residing in the 29,000 square foot home.

Click Here To Read Past Stories About The Case

CBS 11′s Stephanie Lucero, J.D. Miles & Jay Gormley contributed to this report

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McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) – Allegations of witness intimidation were made today in the divorce proceedings between Deion Sanders and his wife Pilar.

Witnesses have offered conflicting accounts of what went on last week when police were called to the home and arrest Pilar Sanders despite injuries that included a fractured hand and bleeding lip.

The most unexpected development of the day happened outside the courtroom.  A witness claimed Deion Sanders threatened her before she took the stand and attorneys for Deion’s wife Pilar tried to get the judge to sanction the football star.

Lisa Thomas is a piano teacher who was at the Sanders house on April 23rd to give a lesson to one of the children.    She testified today that she heard Deion Sanders repeatedly yelling ‘get out of my house!’ to Pilar on the evening of their confrontation.

Thomas told the judge she thought Deion was the aggressor, but admitted she didn’t see anything.

Before Thomas took the stand, she claimed Deion made a threatening statement toward her.    Deion’s attorneys denied he anything and the judge declined to take action.

Deion and his attorneys portrayed her as a public seeker who didn’t actually see anything.

A housekeeper who has worked in the home for the past five years told the judge she witnessed Pilar Sanders hitting the Sanders’ 10-year-old son with a belt.

“He was hiding from her because he was afraid and she would hit him with the belt,” she testified.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old friend of the Sanders’ children testified he witnessed a belt whipping during a sleepover.

Next week, the judge will hear from Deion’s first wife who still supports him.

“He’s a good father to my kids, that’s why I’m here and they love him to death,” Carolyn Sanders told members of the media.

The hearing is expected to wrap up on Monday with a judge ruling on whether to grant protective orders and which parent should get custody of the couples three young children.

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(© Copyright 2012 KRLD FM, 105.3 The Fan, CBS Local. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Testimony began with allegations that the NFL Hall of Famer and Former Dallas Cowboy threatened a witness this morning.

Lisa Thomas is a piano teacher who is scheduled to testify that she was in the Sanders Prosper mansion on April 23rd and that Deion was the aggressor during a fight with his estranged wife.

Thomas testified that Deion threatened her and said, “I’m gonna get you” when the two came face to face outside the courtroom this morning.

Thomas told a judge she interpreted the words as a threat and testified quote, “I was scared I came in here and I was afraid.”

Sanders’ attorneys denied Deion made the statements.  They claim he said, “I can’t believe they are still going to call him today.”

Pilar Sanders’ attorney accused Deion of tampering with a witness and is asking the judge to take action.

More witnesses are expected to testify today about the ongoing divorce with the couple each seeking protective orders and sole custody of their 3 children ages, 8, 10, and 12.

Among those expected to take the stand today is Deion Sanders’ first wife, who told CBS 11 News before entering the courtroom that he was a good husband and father.

KRLD’s Jane Slater contributed to this report.

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MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - A judge in Collin County wants to talk to the children of Deion and Pilar Sanders, because the stories being told in court are not matching. The second day of the couple’s divorce hearing is underway on Friday morning, and much of the talk is centered around an altercation that took place on April 23.

The personal lives of these two well-known figures are being played out in a pulbic courtroom in McKinney. Both Deion and Pilar are accusing each other of bad parenting, and the saga is expected to continue, possibly, for a few more days.

A 15-year-old boy took the witness stand on Thursday night and testified that he had seen Pilar Sanders hit her 10-year-old son with a belt during a sleepover at the family’s home. Meanwhile, attorneys for Pilar are trying to paint Deion Sanders as an unfaithful husband and an absentee father. Police officers from Prosper also testified, saying that Pilar accused Deion of picking her up by the throat and slamming her against a glass wall. But police saw no visible injuries on her neck or head.

A destroyed smartphone, thought to have video of the April 23 incident on its functioning memory card, was discovered to contain no such footage.

As they walked out of the courtroom on Thursday, after the first day of the divorce hearing, both Deion and his wife’s attorney tried to put a positive spin on the day’s events, where the two sides accused each other of abuse and family violence. There is still a gag order in the case, but Deion and his wife’s attorney expressed their sentiments about the hearing’s opening day.

“We had a good day in court,” said Larry Friedman, attorney for Pilar Sanders.

“Everyday is a good day in my life,” said Deion Sanders.

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GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - Ryan Leaf’s arraignment on charges that the former NFL quarterback broke into two homes in Montana and stole prescription drugs has been postponed.

Leaf has been jailed in the Cascade County Detention Center since his second arrest in three days on April 2.

He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning to enter a plea on two counts of burglary and two counts of criminal possession of a dangerous drug.

But the Cascade County District Court’s clerk’s office says the appearance has been delayed. A new date has not been set.

Texas authorities also have issued arrest warrants for Leaf.

The Texas prosecutor who brokered a 10-year probationary sentence for Leaf two years ago on drug and burglary charges filed a motion to revoke Leaf’s probation last month.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Among the current Cowboys starters who went undrafted are quarterback Tony Romo (2003), wide receiver Miles Austin (2006), and center Phil Costa (2010).

So, who are the rookies we need to keep an eye on at this week’s Cowboys Rookie Mini-Camp?  Danny Coale, Matt Johnson, Lance Dunbar, Tim Benford, and Donavon Kemp are my picks to click this weekend:

Quarterbacks

Nathan Dick – Central Arkansas – (6-3, 215) – Allen HS product is here on a tryout basis and has very little chance of making team.

Larry Smith – Vanderbilt – (6-1 ½, 216) – see above

Running Backs

Lance Dunbar – North Texas – (5-8, 205) – Haltom HS grad is the all-time leading rusher in North Texas football history and after flashing 4.47 speed at his Pro Day workout, Cowboys scouts became intrigued…barring an injury to DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones, or Phillip Tanner, he’s probably destined for a practice squad spot at best, but he has a legitimate chance with his hometown team.

Darrell Scott – South Florida – (6-0, 231) – was a much ballyhooed recruit in 2007 who chose Colorado over Texas, then transferred to USF…turned pro after rushing for 814 yards on 153 carries (5.3) and 5 TDs in 2011…ran a 4.59 forty at his Pro Day.

Wide Receivers

Danny Coale – Virginia Tech – (6-0, 201) – 5^th round draft pick has a real shot at significant playing time in his rookie season…4-year starter who had 165 career receptions for 2658 yards (16.5) and 8 TDs…ACC’s top scholar-athlete (all sports)…4.37 speed…6.64 cone drill…37 inch vertical.

Tim Benford – Tennessee Tech – (5-11, 205) – Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year had 216 career receptions and 27 TDs…4.54 speed…7.30 cone drill…33 inch vertical.

Cole Beasley – SMU – (5-8, 175) – Little Elm HS product who was a 4-year starter as a slot receiver in June Jones’ offense, totaling 255 receptions and 14 TDs…4.49 speed…7.16 cone drill…38 vertical.

Saalim Hakim – Tarleton State – (6-1, 195) – if you have 4.23 seconds to spare, watch him run the 40 yard dash in this YouTube video…younger brother of former St. Louis Ram Az Hakim…caught 18 passes for 358 yards (19.9) and 2 TDs for Tarleton State in Stephenville in 2010…left college early to play for the UFL Las Vegas Locomotives.

Donavon Kemp – UTEP – (6-1, 194) – DeSoto HS product who was a special teams captain his junior season at UTEP before tearing his ACL after making 18 catches in 7 games…came back as a senior to make 23 receptions, averaging nearly 20 yards a catch…very impressive Pro Day numbers: 4.40 speed…cat quick 1.45 10-yard split…7.09 cone drill…37 ½ vertical…Dez Bryant-like 11-2 broad jump.

Tight Ends

James Hanna – Oklahoma – (6-4, 252) – 6^th round draft pick…2^nd team All-Big 12 tight end from Flower Mound…a 2-year starter had 45 receptions and 9 TDs his last two seasons at OU…4.49 speed…24 bench reps…6.76 cone drill…36 ½ vertical.

George Bryan – N.C. State – (6-5, 258) – 2-time 1^st team All-ACC tight end has some accomplished receiving skills with 126 career receptions and 17 TDs…5.03 speed…13 bench reps…7.53 cone drill…33 vertical.

Andrew Szczerba – Penn State – (6-6 ½, 262) – blocking tight end had 12 catches for 101 yards his senior season after missing 2010 with a back injury…5.12 speed…22 bench reps…7.75 cone drill…29 ½ vertical.

Offensive Linemen

Ronald Leary – Memphis – (6-3, 315) – big, strong interior lineman has a chance to compete for playing time immediately…voted team Offensive MVP…wasn’t drafted probably due to what is believed to be a chronic knee condition that won’t affect his immediate availability but couldn’t keep him from having a lengthy career.

Jeff Adams – Columbia – (6-6, 306) – athletic tackle prospect…5.13 speed (1.72 split)…very quick 7.27 cone drill for a man his size…34 ½ vertical…3-time 1^st team All-Ivy Leaguer who has some real potential.

Levy Adcock – Oklahoma State- (6-5 ½, 320) – possesses enough athleticism to make a run at a practice squad spot, if not a 53-man roster spot his rookie year…2-time 1^st team All-Big 12 selection from Claremore, Oklahoma.

Taylor Dever – Notre Dame – (6-5, 298) – will need to add strength (19 bench reps) to make bid for roster spot but could contend for practice squad if he shows enough in camp…was Cowboys former 6^th round draft pick Sam Young’s backup for 3 years prior to becoming the Irish starting right tackle the past two seasons.

Harland Gunn – Miami, Fla – (6-2, 320) – made 30 starts at offensive guard in his college career…will probably get a shot at center at this camp.

Tyrone Novikoff – Idaho – (6-7, 316) – big, strong (33 bench reps) tackle prospect…made 12 starts at right tackle as a senior after starting 13 games at left tackle as a junior.

Defensive Ends

Tyrone Crawford – Boise State – (6-4, 275) – 3^rd round draft pick…played 2 seasons at Boise and had 27 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks… 4.78 speed (1.69 split)…28 bench reps…33 vertical…9-5 broad jump…4.44 shuttle…7.09 cone drill.

Linebackers

Kyle Wilber – Wake Forest – (6-4, 249) – 4^th round draft pick…3^rd team All-ACC…33 career starts…13.5 career sacks…4.64 speed (1.65 split)…25 bench reps…33 ½ vertical…10-0 broad jump…4.31 shuttle…7.11 cone drill.

Adrian Hamilton – Prairie View A&M – (6-2 ½, 250) – Dallas Carter grad amassed 20 ½ sacks in 2011…4.81 speed with a 1.67 10-yard split compares with Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw, who was criticized by some for having sub-par measurables even though Upshaw posted his 4.79 (1.67 split) carrying 279 pounds at his Pro Day.

Aston Whiteside – Abilene Christian – (6-2, 260) – 4.88 speed with a 1.65 split…just as a point of reference when comparing these numbers to the top edge rusher in the game:  Demarcus Ware posted a 4.56 forty at the 2005 combine…so we might tap the brakes on these sleeper edge rusher prospects until we see them in training camp.

Caleb McSurdy – Montana – (6-1, 245) – inside linebacker candidate who was drafted in the 7^th round, one pick ahead of higher profile ILB prospect Travis Lewis of Oklahoma…after a sluggish 4.97 forty time at the combine, McSurdy came to back to post a 4.75 time at his Pro Day…26 bench reps…appears to be a run stuffing inside backer.

Cornerbacks

Morris Claiborne – LSU – (5-11, 188) – 1^st round draft pick (#6 overall)…won’t participate in on-field workouts due to recent wrist surgery…4.43 speed…35 vertical…9-10 broad jump…4.12 shuttle…7.01 cone drill.

Isaac Madison – Arkansas – (5-10, 180) – Dallas Carter grad who started 31 games for Razorbacks but only had one career interception…4.47 speed…11 bench reps…37 ½ vertical…10-1 broad jump…4.64 shuttle…7.09 cone drill.

Troy Woolfolk – Michigan – (5-11, 195) – son of former NFL RB Butch Woolfolk…Sugar Land Dulles-ex who made 12 starts at cornerback and 10 starts at safety as a 5^th year in his college career…member of Michigan track team as a freshman, finishing 6^th in 100 meters (10.56) at the Big Ten meet…4.57 speed…31 ½ vertical…6.77 cone drill.

Lionel Smith – Texas A&M – (6-0, 192) – Houston Bellaire product started 7 games as a senior with 1 career interception…a primary special teams contributor, returned kicks as a junior…4.44 speed…38 vertical…10-7 broad jump…4.28 shuttle…7.06 cone drill.

Safeties

Matt Johnson – Eastern Washington – (6-1, 212) – 4^th round draft pick (#135 overall)…instinctive, solid tackler, with playmaking ability…17 career interceptions for a team that won the FCS National Championship in Frisco in 2010…4 year starter…341 career tackles…4.52 speed…18 bench reps…38 vertical…10-1 broad jump…4.07 shuttle…6.84 cone drill.

Eddie Whitley – Virginia Tech – (6-0, 191) – 2^nd team All-ACC free safety wo started 28 games in his career…4 interceptions…4.39 speed…15 bench reps…34 vertical…10-2 broad jump…4.36 shuttle…7.03 cone drill.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include former Atlanta Falcon Jamal Anderson, ex-Georgia star Lindsey Scott and veteran quarterback Don Majkowski.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Georgia, claims the league failed to protect NFL players from brain injuries linked to football-related concussions.

They are among more than 1,000 former NFL players suing the league. The cases say not enough was done to inform players about the dangers of concussions in the past, and not enough is done to take care of them today.

The league has said any allegation that the league intentionally sought to mislead players is without merit.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

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Leaf has been jailed in the Cascade County Detention Center since his second arrest in three days on April 2.

He will appear in court Thursday morning to enter a plea on two counts of burglary and two counts of criminal possession of a dangerous drug.

Authorities in Texas also have issued arrest warrants for Leaf, saying he is a fugitive from justice.

The Texas prosecutor who brokered a 10-year probationary sentence for Leaf two years ago on drug and burglary charges filed a motion to revoke Leaf’s probation earlier this month.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Sharon Simmons is auditioning to become the oldest Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders member ever, at 56 years old. (credit: KTVT/KTXA)

PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Hundreds of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders hopefuls will be auditioning for the squad in Valley Ranch this weekend, and a North Texas grandmother of two will be among the group.

Several months ago, Sharon Simmons of Carrollton told her story to CBS 11 News. The popular piece lit up the internet, resulting in a little too much attention for her comfort level. So, ever since, Simmons has stepped out of the spotlight and into the dance studio, where CBS 11 News anchor Tracy Kornet caught up with her again.

Who knew that her tryout would makes waves around the world?

The interest certainly took Simmons by surprise. When asked if she was prepared for the massive popularity, she emphatically replied, “Holy cow, in less than 24 hours after that story broke, it was everywhere! No, I was not prepared for that.”

• Read The Original Sharon Simmons Story

Simmons is on a journey to become the oldest Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader ever. After her story hit television and the internet, the 56-year-old wife and grandmother was bombarded with personal requests. She has even been frightened at times, she admitted. “There was a car parked outside of my house the first day after the interview broke,” Simmons said. “And so far, I’ve had three marriage proposals.”

The cheerleading hopeful has declined those requests, instead focusing more feverishly on the May 5 auditions at Valley Ranch. In fact, the only way that CBS 11 News was able to get a second interview with the Carrollton resident was to join her for a dance class at KJ Dance studio in Plano, where she attends weekly group adult dance classes, taught by a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader who is well-versed in what is required for the arduous auditions.

Simmons also takes a weekly private lesson, and a second group lesson at a different studio.

“I have improved, certainly, over what I used to be,” Simmons explained. “My goal to get into the splits? I’m closer. I’m still not there.”

• Click Here For Audition Information

The accomplished author and fitness expert is used to the daily discipline required for a competition, which involves intense stretching in this case. But what Simmons did not know, until now, is how dance demands a whole different skill set. “It’s nothing like fitness, nothing at all. With this, the choreography is so fast,” she explained. “Our instructor will show us two or three times, and then it’s like, ‘Okay, let’s get it!’”

Kornet learned — from just one high-energy, advanced class with Simmons — that the confidence required to pas de bourree behind 20-somethings is intimidating by itself. So, to do it with the national media watching your every step-ball-change? Kornet said, “I sashayed and shoulder-rolled in sheer amazement at Simmons’ strength, persistence and stamina.”

Simmons refuses to turn back until her goal is met. But is she ready for the big audition day? “I’m getting closer,” she replied. “The day of auditions, I’ll be ready.”

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PROSPER (CBSDFW.COM) – Sources told CBS 11 News that police in Prosper filed criminal charges against former Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders on Wednesday night, for allegedly trying to destroy evidence related to a domestic disturbance at his home.

Sanders will face a Criminal Mischief charge for allegedly smashing the smartphone of his wife’s friend, who was recording an altercation between Deion and his estranged wife, Pilar, last week. The memory card from that smartphone is in the custody of police, and could be used as evidence in an investigation of the couple, trying to determine just who assaulted who.

Pilar Sanders was charged with a Class C assault after police investigated, but she insists that she was the victim of an assault from Deion.

The Criminal Mischief charge that Deion faces is a Class A misdemeanor, with a possible punishment of up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

The couple is expected in court on Thursday for a hearing on protective orders and other matters related to their ongoing divorce.

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VALLEY RANCH (CBSDFW.COM) – It’s that time of year again! The 2012-2013 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader squad will be chosen over the next few weeks here in North Texas.

Hundreds of hopefuls are expected to fly in from all across the country and even from overseas. Their goal? To become one of America’s Sweethearts!

Since 1972 the iconic Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders have entertained football fans, our military overseas, Presidents and Royalty. But it’s never easy to pick the ‘best of the best’ that come out to audition.

Hopefuls must be at least 18 years old and ready to learn a dance routine on the spot. Hopefuls must also perform a dance solo. There are 12 judges (I am proud to be a judge again this year for the 9th year in a row!).

Once again CMT will film the entire process for their top rated “Making the Team” reality television show. The series is in its 7th year.

I spoke to three returning cheerleaders at Valley Ranch and they all said the audition process is even more nerve wracking as a veteran! You now know the stakes and you want it even more!

This year as in years past the judges will select approximately 40 girls to take to training camp. The actual squad will be whittled down to 34 after training camp performances.

You’ll expect the talented candidates to be in peak form from now going forward, until the first pre-season game in August.

If you think you have what it takes — come out to Cowboy Stadium this Saturday by 8 a.m. and get in line with the rest of the hopefuls. Everyone has the same chance.

A footnote – this year there are two grandmothers trying out for the squad, so there is no reason to not take a chance! See you at tryouts!

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Police say 32-year-old Torrin Tucker was arrested Tuesday night and charged with felony counts of cocaine possession with intent to sell, marijuana possession with intent to sell, delivery of marijuana and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony. He was released from jail Wednesday on $19,500 bail.

According to an arrest report, Tucker was working security at the Hollywood Nights strip club April 18 when he sold a $20 bag of marijuana to the undercover officer.

Tucker started 24 games for the Cowboys from 2003-05. He played last year for the United Football League’s Sacramento Mountain Lions.

Jail records didn’t list an attorney for Tucker.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Nope, the Cowboys will different in 2012. But will they be better.

After signing NFL free agents, drafting seven players and signing 21 undrafted rookies, the Cowboys have the makings of the roster they will take to Oxnard, California for training camp in July.

Let’s break it down position-by-position on offense – defense to come next week – and see if there’s improvement, or merely change.

 QUARTERBACK

2011: Tony Romo; Jon Kitna; Kyle Orton; Stephen McGee

2012: Tony Romo Kyle Orton; Stephen McGee

Better. With better protection and even further grounded mindset as a father, Romo should be healthier and happier – and even more productive – than his 4,000-yard, 31-touchdown, punctured-lung season. Orton a younger, better player than Kitna.

FULLBACK

2011: Tony Fiametta

2012: Lawrence Vickers

Better. While Fiametta was decent, Vickers is an above-average receiver who cleared holes in Houston for Arian Foster.

RUNNING BACK

2011: DeMarco Murray; Felix Jones; Phillip Tanner

2012: DeMarco Murray; Felix Jones; Phillip Tanner

Same. Will Murray be better in his second season or will the effects of that gruesome broken leg retard his development?

 TIGHT END

2011: Jason Witten; Martellus Bennett; John Phillips

2012: Jason Witten; John Phillips; James Hannah

Better. I know the Cowboys claim Bennett was a great blocker, but his hands also cost Romo interceptions and his lack or urgency only weakened the position. Hannah, the rookie from Oklahoma, has the athleticism to make big plays down the field.

 RECEIVER

2011: Miles Austin; Dez Bryant; Laurent Robinson

2012: Miles Austin; Dez Bryant; Kevin Ogletree

Worse. Robinson caught 11 touchdowns before signing with Jacksonville as a free agent. Ogletree has been given this job twice and lost it. Fifth-round draft pick Danny Coale from Virginia Tech is said to be a poor man’s Wes Welker.

OFFENSIVE LINE

2011: Doug Free; Derrick Dockery; Phil Costa; Kyle Kosier; Tyron Smith

2012: Tyron Smith; Mackenzy Bernadeau; Phil Costa; Nate Livings; Doug Free

Better. Smith is a monster and Free is back on the right side, where he was spectacular in 2010. Costa needs to get stronger to protect Romo from in-his-face pressure. Bernadeau and Livings better be worth their free-agent money.

 KICKER

2011: Dan Bailey

2012: Dan Bailey

Same. You’d think Bailey would get better in his second season. But with handling kickoffs full-time and without David Buehler pushing him, you never know. He’s a kicker, after all.