NFL Notebook | Giants' Jacobs upset over fine

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants halfback Brandon Jacobs is unhappy with the NFL and plans to let the league know.

Jacobs revealed Friday that the league fined him between $5,000 and $10,000 for shoving a football underneath his jersey to celebrate a touchdown run against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.

Jacobs, who said he will appeal, insisted he was not celebrating. He said that when he puts the ball underneath his jersey to create a bulging stomach and then rubs it, he is acknowledging his wife, Kimberly, who is pregnant.

What confuses Jacobs is he did the same thing after scoring a touchdown against Tampa Bay on Oct. 29. The league and the officials did nothing then.

This time, he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and later found a letter from the NFL waiting on a stool in front of his locker informing him of the fine.

"I think it's unnecessary for them to do that and not give me a warning," Jacobs said.

Lelie settles with Broncos

DENVER — The Denver Broncos must pay $220,000 to former receiver Ashley Lelie in connection with the dispute over his departure to Atlanta.

The ruling was reported Friday by The Denver Post, which said an arbitrator has ruled in favor of Lelie in his grievance against the team.

Lelie, who led the league in yards per catch the last two seasons, skipped the Broncos' offseason workout program, forgoing a $100,000 bonus. He said he wanted out of Denver because the Broncos were misusing him and weren't giving him the chance to be the featured receiver.

He was sent to Atlanta as part of a three-way trade with Washington in August.

At the time, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Lelie had agreed to pay Denver a "hefty amount" to get out of the final year of his contract. The sum was believed to be about $1 million, made up of fines, lost bonuses and a pro-rated portion of his $3.3 million signing bonus.

Lelie argued he was forced into signing a document giving up some of the money.

Lewis out again

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens officially ruled out linebacker Ray Lewis for the game Sunday against the Falcons with a swollen back.

Lewis underwent a minor surgical procedure to have a pocket of blood drained from his back earlier this week.

The seven-time All-Pro will miss his second consecutive game. He severely bruised his back when he collided with teammate Ed Reed's knee in a game Nov. 5.

NOTES

• A California appeals court threw out a jury's $34.2 million award to the Oakland Raiders over accusations that managers of the Oakland Coliseum falsely promised a sold-out stadium to lure the team back to the Bay Area. The 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento said in a 2-1 ruling that because the Raiders agreed to the deal a second time, the team forfeited its right to sue for fraud.

• Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was upgraded to probable and is expected to start Sunday in Cleveland despite sustaining his sixth concussion of his career last weekend.

• Cleveland running back Reuben Droughns will be a game-time decision and cornerback Leigh Bodden will miss the game against Pittsburgh. Droughns injured his foot last weekend.

• Jack Hinkle, a former running back and defensive back with the Eagles for six seasons, has died. He was 89. Hinkle played the 1941 season and from 1943-47 and had 1,067 yards on 238 carries.

• Leo Anthony Nobile, a former Pittsburgh Steelers player who almost drowned in a mud puddle during a game in the 1940s, has died at 84. The brush with death occurred on a rainy day at Forbes Field. Nobile wound up face down in a puddle under a pile of players. "They carried him off the field because he almost drowned," said his daughter, Natalie Nobile-Shoop.