Denver Broncos: Tight end Dwayne Carswell was arrested on charges that he picked up his girlfriend by the neck and was released Saturday night on $2,500 bail.

He was arrested Friday and charged with simple battery, domestic violence and obstruction of an officer, said Sgt. Nikita Hightower, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County Sheriff's Department.

Carswell was initially held without bail, but Associate Magistrate's Judge Roy Roberts set bond after a brief hearing at the Fulton County Jail. Carswell, with long hair and dressed in dark blue prison clothing, was not asked to enter a plea, and a public defender was assigned to represent him for the hearing. A preliminary hearing was set for Tuesday.

A court complaint said the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Carswell picked up Nkeiruka Anyamone, 25, by the neck outside a bar in the city's trendy Buckhead neighborhood early Friday. A notation on the complaint says the woman suffered a bite wound to the right arm and was later treated by medical personnel.

At Saturday's hearing, Roberts ordered Carswell to have no contact with the alleged victim and to have a relative who lives in the Atlanta area co-sign his bond.

Further details on the incident were not released. A team spokesman did not return a call Saturday to his home and a page to his cell phone.

Carswell, 31, has faced similar charges before.

In January 2002, a mistrial was declared in Pueblo County, Colo. He was accused of assaulting and harassing a woman who says she was a former girlfriend. After a second mistrial, Carswell agreed to restitution and community service.

Carswell left bruises on the wrists of Amparo Crump after he pushed her from his truck after an argument, Pueblo police said. He was charged with third-degree assault and harassment.

At the time, Carswell was on probation for a previous domestic violence charge.

On Aug. 9, 1998, Carswell was arrested in Denver after police say he grabbed his then-girlfriend by the neck. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of harassment and was sentenced to one year's probation.

Carswell was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2001. He has also served as a backup to Shannon Sharpe.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Just one day after his attorney announced he would ask a court to allow Michael Pittman to accompany his teammates to Tokyo for an Aug. 2 preseason game, the chance that the starting tailback would get through training camp free of any distraction was dealt a possible setback.

A Tempe, Ariz. judge on Thursday set July 21 as the date for a hearing in which the local prosecutors will seek to have Pittman's probation revoked. The hearing comes just three days into camp and eight days before the Bucs depart for Tokyo, where they will play the New York Jets in the annual "American Bowl" game.

The likely next move for Pittman's attorney, Joel Thompson, is a motion that would seek a continuance, or delay, of the July 21 hearing.

"We will do what we have to do to keep Michael on the field," Thompson said.

Pittman, 27, is serving probation as a result of his conviction on two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence against his wife, the incidents occurring within weeks of each other in 2001. The running back was suspended by the NFL for one game that season.

Pittman also faces two felony aggravated assault charges stemming from a May 31 incident in which he allegedly rammed his Hummer into the vehicle being driven by his wife and in which their son and babysitter were passengers. It is the May 31 incident that serves as the basis for prosecutor's claims that Pittman breached his probation terms.

A pretrial hearing on the two aggravated assault charges is scheduled for July 30. Pittman does not have to be present at that session. Thompson wants his client to make the trip to Tokyo and to play in the preseason game. Because of his probation, however, Pittman needs court permission to make the trip.

If his probation is revoked, Pittman could be immediately jailed until the aggravated assault case is tried, which might not be until sometime in 2004. The tailback faces possible league sanctions for potential violations of the personal conduct policy.

--Len Pasquarelli

New Orleans Saints: Offensive tackle Victor Riley has been sentenced to serve two weeks in jail, the result of a 2001 domestic violence case, which occurred while he was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Riley, 28, had pleaded guilty two months ago to a felony charge of aggravated assault, stemming from an incident in which he rammed his vehicle into one occupied by his wife and infant daughter.

The five-year veteran underwent anger-management counseling as part of a diversion agreement with prosecutors, a deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time, and to have the charges eventually expunged from his record. But when Riley was arrested last November on DUI charges, a court revoked the diversion program terms.

It is not yet known when Riley will serve the 14-day jail sentence. The Saints' training camp begins on July 25.

Riley was suspended for the opening regular-season game in 2002 because of the 2001 incident. That suspension likely cost him a starting job. He is expected to vie, along with Spencer Folau, for the starting job at right tackle in camp. Riley spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs before signing with the Saints as an unrestricted free agent last spring.

Baltimore Ravens: Just three weeks before training camp opens, the Ravens have scrapped their plans to have second-year punter Dave Zastudil expand his duties to include the kickoff chores in 2003, special teams coach Gary Zauner said.

Instead, free agents Derrick Frost and J.R. Jenkins will audition for the kickoff job, and the Ravens will also monitor cuts made by other teams. The team decided going into the offseason that placement specialist Matt Stover would not handle kickoffs in '03, and felt Zastudil might be capable of assuming the task.

But with Zastudil coming off a strong rookie season in '02, when he averaged 41.6 yards gross and a net average of 33.7 yards, the Ravens do not want to overwork him. Stover will work exclusively on placements and Zastudil on punting and the Ravens will gamble they can come up with a kickoff specialist. In fact, the Ravens staff has already budgeted a roster spot for a kickoff man.

"They've told me for eight months to find a kickoff guy," Zauner said, "and that's what we're going to do. It's wide open for now."

--Len Pasquarelli

Detroit Lions: Team president Matt Millen is recovering from June 30 surgery to repair a degenerative disc in his lower back but should be rehabilitated in time for the start of the team's training camp later this month.

The condition dated to Millen's 12-year career as a linebacker in the NFL and worsened in recent years. In addition to repairing the disc, surgeons also removed some bone spurs.

One element in opting for the surgery was that Millen, having now assumed the role of personnel director, as well as president and general manager, will be forced onto the road more in 2003 as he evaluates college talent.

--Len Pasquarelli

San Francisco 49ers: Despite rumors that have suggested he might be a candidate for the head coaching job at the University of Washington, his alma mater, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. is going nowhere.

At least not yet.

"At some point, I would like to get back up there, but the timing isn't right," said Mora, who played defensive back for the Huskies 1980-83, and is still highly regarded by many school officials. "It's not even an issue. I haven't heard anything from them."

Mora was one of the finalists for the 49ers' head coach position earlier this offseason and, after the job went to Dennis Erickson, he signed a one-year contract extension that keeps him in San Francisco through the 2004 campaign. Mora's name is one of several that have surfaced in the wake of Rick Neuheisel's dismissal.

--Len Pasquarelli