Another Suspension for Morris

Baltimore Raven running back Bam Morris will sit out the first four games of the season plus the remaining exhibition games because of substance abuse.

This was the second time Morris violated the league’s substance abuse policy. Last year, he was suspended for four games after pleading guilty to marijuana possession.

The 24-year-old running back tested positive for alcohol during a urine screen in January, an infraction that carries a mandatory four-game suspension since it was his second violation. An appeal was denied.

But the trouble could be even more serious for Morris, who is on probation in Texas for a felony marijuana possession charge, and the Texas district attorney who prosecuted Morris last year said that his office has begun the process of revoking the player’s 10-year probated sentence.

Morris was arrested in his native Texas in the summer of 1996 when police found six pounds of marijuana in the trunk of his car.

The Pittsburgh Steelers waived Morris after his first conviction. The Ravens signed him as a free agent on Sept. 22, but Morris was forced to sit out until Oct. 8.

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Buffalo Bill Coach Marv Levy said that Todd Collins will be the team’s starting quarterback. Jim Kelly retired after last season, having been the Bills’ quarterback for 11 years, and Collins beat out Billy Joe Hobert, who was obtained from the Oakland Raiders in the off-season. . . . The Indianapolis Colts announced that offensive lineman Clay Williams will be sidelined the entire season because of a broken right leg, a day after saying his injury wasn’t serious. . . . Former UCLA standout Mike Sherrard, a wide receiver who played 11 NFL seasons, announced his retirement. He played for Denver last season.