Morris Is Signed by the Bears

Running back Bam Morris, suspended twice for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and who spent 89 days in jail this year for marijuana possession, was signed to a one-year contract by the Chicago Bears on Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Morris, 26, rushed for 744 yards in 11 games last season for the Baltimore Ravens, the team he led in rushing in 1996.

With contract talks with first-round draft pick Curtis Enis at an impasse, the Bears have been looking to add some backfield help.

Morris, released by the Ravens in January, helped lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl in 1996 and was the league’s leading rusher. He was released months later after his legal troubles began.

Meanwhile, a war of words has broken out between Enis and the Bears.

The major obstacle is voidable years. Enis, the team’s first-round draft pick out of Penn State, wants the flexibility to buy back years from the end of his contract if he reaches certain incentives early.

“Voidables aren’t something we believe in,” said Mark Hatley, player-personnel vice president. “Our stance is we don’t mind stepping up to the plate on up-front money. In return, they have to give something back. If we’re going to step up and pay the guy, he ought to be with us for six years or so.”

A sexual assault complaint filed May 30 against Enis by an Irving, Texas, woman further complicates negotiations. A Dallas County grand jury will review the complaint Aug. 17.

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New York Giant starting outside linebacker Corey Miller has a bulging disk in his neck that may cause him to miss the season and, quite possibly, could end his eight-year career.

Miller is taking steroids to try to reduce the bulge between his sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. If that two-to-three month treatment fails, he could opt to have season-ending surgery, try rehabilitation through rest, or retire.

Miller said Tuesday that his neck has been bothering him for the last few days, during which he has experienced tingling in his left arm and pain that caused sleeplessness.

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Cornerback Duane Starks, the Baltimore Ravens’ top draft pick and the 10th selection overall, agreed to terms on a four-year, $7-million contract that includes a $3.5-million signing bonus, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

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Concerned about the recovery from knee troubles of starting tight end David Sloan, the Detroit Lions signed veteran Keith Jennings.

Jennings played seven years with the Chicago Bears and one with the Dallas Cowboys.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneer starting left tackle Paul Gruber is expected to miss three to five weeks because of a pair of fractures in his right foot. The 11-year veteran sustained the injuries during Tampa Bay’s 30-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday’s Hall of Fame Game.

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The arrest of New Orleans wide receiver Keith Poole during the team’s first night off during training camp has Saint Coach Mike Ditka thinking about tightening the rules.

“We’ll let them out. We just won’t let them stay out all night,” Ditka said. “It’s crazy. If you can’t get done what you’re going to do by midnight, you’re not going to get it done anyway.”

Poole, a second-year player, was arrested Sunday morning after being accused of attacking a man with a golf club in La Crosse, Wis.