ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -Oakland safety Jarrod Cooper was suspended on Friday for the Raiders' first four regular season games for violating the NFL's policy on steroids. Cooper, a valuable special teams player for the Raiders, will be allowed to participate in training camp and preseason games. But he won't be able to be on the team's active roster until Oct. 1, the day after the teams' fourth game of the season against Miami. Cooper is the second Raiders player to be suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Running back Dominic Rhodes was also suspended for four games. Also Friday, the Raiders signed safety Eric Frampton to a contract, making him the team's fifth draft pick to ink a deal. Frampton, Oakland's second pick in the fifth round of April's draft, was an all-Pac-10 player last season at Washington State. ``It feels good for everything to be solidified and for me to be able to focus on what I need to do,'' Frampton said. ``This is a start. It's definitely a milestone accomplished along the way.'' Oakland previously signed third-round offensive lineman Marion Henderson, fourth-round cornerback John Bowie, fifth-round defensive end Jay Richardson, and sixth-round fullback Oren O'Neal. Six remain unsigned, including No. 1 overall selection quarterback JaMarcus Russell.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. |
