Truth & Rumors > NFL

05:52 PM ET 05.22 | Nobody expected Victor Cruz to show up for the Giants' OTA workout on Wednesday. That Hakeem Nicks also didn't show up, however, was a much larger surprise. Nicks, who was in Manhattan just a night earlier, was nowhere to be found at the Giants facility on Wednesday, a concerning absence. Cruz is embroiled in an ongoing contract dispute with the Giants, so few expected him to work with the team. But Giants coach Tom Coughlin had been expecting Nicks to attend. "I don't know," Coughlin said after the session. "He should be here." Coughlin added that Nicks would have likely worked with some "limitations" to protect the knee he injured last season. None of that happened, however, because Nicks was not in attendance.

New York Daily News

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05:46 PM ET 05.22 | Three months since undergoing labrum surgery, 49ers sack star Aldon Smith was able to do "a little bit" as offseason team activities got underway Tuesday. Smith revealed only that he is taking a one-day-at-a-time approach to his recovery. The 49ers' first-round draft pick in 2011, he posted a franchise-record 19?? sacks last season before posting none over their final six games, including three playoff contests. "I watch film, see plays, see what I did right," Smith said of last season. "I've got more plays in me." Smith declined to state how many sacks he wants this season, adding: "I just want to be out making plays and doing everything I can."

San Jose Mercury News

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05:41 PM ET 05.22 | For the first time in his career, Troy Polamalu felt like he suffered an injury that could have been prevented. Now, the Steelers' veteran safety is going to extreme measures to make sure something such as a torn calf muscle never happens to him again. After a request made by coach Mike Tomlin, Polamalu showed up for the start of Steelers' organized team activities for the second consecutive year Tuesday. But unlike a year ago, Polamalu is looking trim and fit. ???You can never really tell with Troy because he wears his clothes all baggy,??? cornerback Ike Taylor joked. After missing nine games and part of another with a torn calf, Polamalu has taken his offseason training and diet to a level that transformed his body into shape rivaling his college days at Southern Cal a decade ago.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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05:34 PM ET 05.22 | Jimmy Haslam wanted to get something off his chest. The newest member of the most powerful fraternity in sports, unanimously approved in October as Cleveland Browns owner, came to the NFL meetings Tuesday with the sticky predicament of a federal investigation hanging over his family-owned business. When it became public in mid-April -- with FBI and IRS agents raiding the Knoxville-based headquarters of Pilot Flying J pursuing allegations of fraud, conspiracy and other misdeeds -- it hit the image-conscious NFL like a ton of bricks. So, with league owners gathered at an airport hotel, the CEO of Pilot Flying J felt obliged to offer some explanation to his new business partners. And as he stood before them, he apologized, too, for any damage done to the NFL brand.

USA Today

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05:29 PM ET 05.22 | NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes football can thrive in England, which is why he's considering expanding the overseas schedule. Goodell spoke on Tuesday at the Spring League Meetings and addressed the media's questions on the subject. "Much to the disappointment of my staff when they told me the two games in London were sold out, I said, ???Okay, what's next and what can we do to continue our progress, in the UK in particular and internationally in general?'" Goodell said. "There are multiple things that our committee is doing and they reported on that today. Potentially going to three games is one alternative." Currently, the NFL plays two games in London annually, but Goodell now believes that three games every season in Great Britain isn't out of the question.

SB Nation

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