NFL notebook: Eagles moving on from White House spat

While the White House has issued two statements about the decision to rescind an invitation to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, the team itself has stayed out of the fray.

On Wednesday, coach Doug Pederson mostly kept to the same non-confrontational script, telling reporters that plenty had been said already, although he did take a moment to dispute the notion the team had done its fans a disservice.

“This is going to be a blanket statement, and then I’m not going to discuss it further,” Pederson began. “I was looking forward to going down and being recognized as world champions. It is what it is. We’re here today. We’ve got an OTA practice. I’m focused on these next couple of days, getting through next week and onto training camp. So that’s where we’re at.”

When reporters tried to follow up, Pederson said, “What you’ve seen and what you’ve heard is enough.”

–Carson Wentz was cleared for controlled 7-on-7 drills during organized team activities and participated with the Eagles less than six months removed from reconstructive knee surgery.

Wentz, injured in December against the Los Angeles Rams, tore his anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments and required surgery shortly thereafter.

Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles had taken all of the first-team reps in practice previously.

–Ryan Shazier won’t play in 2018, but the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker said he still hopes to return someday.

Shazier made the comments at his first team press conference since sustaining a devastating spinal contusion in Week 13 last season.

“My dream is to come back and play football again,” Shazier said. “I’ve been working my tail off every single day, so I have that in the back of my mind every single time I go to rehab. I just try to stay positive every day, so I’m just trying to do everything I can to get back.”

–San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor weapons charge and was sentenced to two years’ probation.

Foster also will have to perform 232 hours of community service and pay $235 in fines. He isn’t allowed to possess guns during his probation. Foster also faces the possibility of a multi-game suspension, according to ESPN.

The 24-year-old recently had two domestic violence charges against him dismissed. The weapons charge was associated to the Feb. 11 incident, which occurred at his home in Los Gatos, Calif. As for a suspension, NFL guidelines allow for discipline even when charges are dropped.

–The NFL fined Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and owner Steve Bisciotti, along with canceling the team’s final two days of OTAs, for an undisclosed infraction.

Harbaugh must pay $50,000 and Bisciotti owes $100,000, the league ruled.

While the violation was not revealed, Harbaugh released a statement inferring that the penalty was over contact made during passing drills.

–Former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Richie Incognito is back home in Phoenix following an alleged altercation at a South Florida gym two weeks ago and is holding out hope for another chance in the NFL.

Incognito expressed his desire to join a new team in a text to The Associated Press. In the message, Incognito thanks the Bills for his three seasons in Buffalo before playfully adding “hopefully I will land somewhere so I can come back up there and kick their (expletive).”

–New York Jets safety Rontez Miles is expected to miss 3-4 months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus, according to the NFL Network.

He is expected to be placed on injured reserve, potentially with the designation to return after the first eight weeks of the season. Miles has played in 29 games over the past two seasons and had 24 tackles while playing 124 snaps in 2017. He also played 326 snaps on special teams.

–Indianapolis Colts defensive end Chris McCain denied knowledge of misdemeanor battery charges filed against him in California this week.

McCain, who signed a one-year deal with the Colts as an unrestricted free agent after the Los Angeles Chargers did not re-sign him, insists he doesn’t know the accuser and has not been contacted by police. “She is lying,” McCain told the Indy Star of the accuser.

According to documents filed this week, he will be arraigned on July 13 in Los Angeles. The charges reportedly stem from an altercation on Jan. 7.

–Field Level Media