Filed under: Panthers, NFC South, Charlotte, Carolina

Curtis Whitley, a center who started all 16 games of the Carolina Panthers' inaugural 1995 season, was found dead in Texas. He was 39 years old.

Family members said Monday night that they learned earlier in the day that Whitley, who turned 39 on Saturday, had been found dead in Texas, where he was living. They were awaiting details about the cause of his death.

Whitley, who was with the San Diego Chargers, was selected by the Panthers in the expansion draft and started every game during the team's first season. That season was played at Clemson's Memorial Stadium, where Whitley starred at during the early 1990s. He would start eight games during the 1996 season, but then was suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

He would come back and play for the Raiders in 1997, but was suspended again in '98 ... ending his career. It was originally thought that the suspensions were due to alcohol abuse, but Whitley later admitted that he was using crystal meth.

 

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A prosecutor said Monday he will not seek the death penalty against four people charged with murdering Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor because the accused shooter was a minor when the crime was committed.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that people cannot be executed for crimes committed when they're under 18, and it's a well-established legal principle that others involved in the same case as a minor cannot face the ultimate penalty if they are less directly responsible.

Assistant State Attorney Reid Rubin filed notice Friday that the death penalty will be waived. That means the four suspects could get a maximum of life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder after a trial scheduled to begin Aug. 25.

Eric Rivera Jr., who turned 18 last month, was 17 at the time police say he shot Taylor during a botched robbery at the Pro Bowl safety's Miami-area home in November. Taylor, 24, died of massive blood loss after he was shot in the upper leg.

Elsewhere

CHICAGO:Robbie Gould became the highest-paid kicker, agreeing to a five-year, $15.5 million contract extension that includes a $4.25 million signing bonus. The deal runs through 2013.

His new deal trumps the five-year, $14.2 million contract Josh Brown signed with St. Louis on March 1.

DALLAS: Get your popcorn ready: Terrell Owens is coming to prime time Wednesday night. As an actor.

T.O. will make his sitcom acting debut on the MyNetworkTV show "Under One Roof" as the long-lost brother of the show's star, Flavor Flav.

NEW ENGLAND: Former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh will meet separately with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Sen. Arlen Specter today to discuss New England's videotaping of opposing coaches' play-calling signals in violation of league rules.

Walsh is scheduled to meet with Goodell at the NFL offices in New York at 7:30 a.m. Afterward, he will travel to Washington to meet with Specter. Specter, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been critical of the NFL's handling of the investigation.

Goodell and Specter each plan to hold a news conference after meeting with Walsh.
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Don't be fooled by its Lilliputian classification -- Madison County High is a giant on the Florida prep football scene, writes Chris Lawlor.
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The Scout.com Combine tour will make a stop in Charlotte on Saturday morning with a number of UNC commitments and targets already registered to participate in the invitation-only event. via Inside Carolina

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Former Carolina Panthers center Curtis Whitley has died.

Family members said Monday night that they learned earlier in the day that Whitley, who turned 39 on Saturday, had been found dead in Texas, where he was living. They were awaiting details about the cause of his death.

Whitley started every game during the Panthers' inaugural 1995 season, then made eight starts in '96 before getting suspended four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

He resurfaced with Oakland in 1997, but was suspended again before the '98 season and didn't play in the league again.

Whitley is a Smithfield native who played at Clemson. San Diego picked him in the fifth round of the 1992 NFL draft.

The Panthers chose him in the expansion draft. It was originally announced the 1996 suspension was alcohol-related, but Whitley later admitted he had inhaled crystal methamphetamine.
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Filed under: Panthers, Rams, NFC South, NFC West, Carolina, St. Louis

There was some nervous laughter surrounding Torry Holt's recent comments about him becoming a Carolina Panther (see the video above ... the comments below). Holt was at a golf outing in North Carolina just after his brother Terrence signed with the Carolina Panthers.

"I wanted to send in my resignation to the the Rams and see if I could join him," the elder Holt joked. "I'm excited, but I'm also a little jealous because I've always wanted an opportunity to come back home."

Holt is from Greensboro, NC and was a star at NC State. There was some joking there, especially when the word "resignation" was thrown in.

However, it has to be a bit concerning to the Rams that Holt said this, especially as he enters the final two years of his contract. He's had a rocky relationship with head coach Scott Linehan and just witnessed the unceremonial exodus of fellow receiver Isaac Bruce this offseason.

Recent comments threw some more fuel on the fire ... especially since he name dropped the Panthers again.

"I have this year and next year, and hopefully I can finish those years out," Holt said at the conclusion of the day's minicamp practice. "Then, I'll see where I'm at. I'll see where I'm at physically. I'll see where I'm at emotionally, financially.

"And then, if they would like to do something here, I'll consider it. If not, then I'll have the option to go and explore and give my services somewhere else. So if that happens, Carolina will definitely be the first choice - no question about it. But I have '08 and '09 left to play, and that's what I plan on doing."

There it is again. While not saying he wants out, he is setting the table for if/when he does eventually leave. No doubt the Panthers would love to bring Holt in to play opposite Steve Smith. The NFL is full of players who long to return home to their roots to play for their local team.

The Rams are coming off a 3-13 season and aren't expected to contend in 2008. Sure, a guy like Holt would love to see his career end with the team he started with (and won a Super Bowl), but he just watched that same franchise shove fringe Hall Of Fame candidate Isaac Bruce off the plank. He may elect to leave on his own terms before the Rams decide for him.

 

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Get your popcorn ready: Terrell Owens is coming to prime time Wednesday night. As an actor.

T.O. will make his sitcom acting debut on the MyNetworkTV show "Under One Roof" as the long-lost brother of the show's star, Flavor Flav. Owens tries convincing Flav and sitcom sibling Kelly Perine that they're all brothers in hopes of getting them to invest in his Web site.

"I see dollar signs," Owens said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm trying to kind of smooth my way into the family, but Flav is not buying it. It's a lot of funny dialogue. It was a good time."

It might also be a first step toward a second career.

"If I'm going to really consider doing acting after football, this a great start to let me get my feet wet," Owens said. "For an actor trying to become an A-lister, I think I'm on the bottom of the pile. I'm a D-lister."

Owens always has been comfortable in front of a camera, but it's usually playing the character known as T.O.

He's built his reputation through end-zone celebrations, colorful interviews (such as the time he answered questions while doing sit-ups in his driveway) and dressing up for the Tour de France just to ride a stationary bike at training camp. He showed more acting skills during a skit with one of the "Desperate Housewives" that aired before a Monday Night Football game. The scene ended with the woman dropping her towel - and ABC later offering an apology.

Owens got a taste of Hollywood in 1999, when he appeared in "Any Given Sunday" with a star-filled cast. A friend who is the casting director of this show has long been encouraging Owens to take on roles, something he's more receptive to after the way things went with Flav's show.

He came away with several football-acting comparisons: Cast members are like teammates, the script is like a playbook and both require lots of practice so that once the lights go on you're ready for anything.

"You've got to get a feel for the flow of the show and the storyline and go with it," Owens said. "They told me they were very, very pleased with the way I played my character, just how I was getting my lines on point and on cue. That was very, very encouraging."

Viewers can see for themselves at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday night. Owens will be tuned in, too, because that'll be the first time he sees the finished product.

And, yes, he'll have his popcorn ready, like he memorably urged fans to do upon joining the Cowboys.

"I think I've got everyone I know tuned in to watch this show. I even sent an e-mail out," he said. "I guarantee you, once people see the show, I'll be getting e-mails and text messages out the wazoo. ... Believe me, it's some funny stuff. It's going to be great."

Even if the reviews are outstanding, Owens won't be giving up his day job any time soon - even if he is in the final year of his contract.

"I know what's the breadwinner for me," he said. "But definitely I'm looking forward to doing some acting after football, in the offseason next year. I think I did well enough that they even may bring me back for some recurring roles. It's a start for me, and I don't like to fail at anything I do."
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