Browns top pick may need surgery | Seattle Times Newspaper

BEREA, Ohio — Trent Richardson's ailing left knee may be more seriously injured than the Cleveland Browns thought

The team issued a one-sentence statement Wednesday saying the running back, picked No. 3 overall in April's draft, will see a specialist Thursday. ESPN.com reported that Richardson will have arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose piece of cartilage.

Richardson, who played at Alabama, had an MRI in Cleveland on Tuesday. Results have not been revealed. He is going to see Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion. Andrews has been Richardson's surgeon since high school.

Andrews performed surgery on Richardson to repair a torn meniscus in February. In most cases after such an operation, swelling in the knee is not uncommon and Richardson wore a protective sleeve on the leg during organized team activities and minicamps in May and June. The Feb. 3 surgery caused him to miss some portions of the NFL combine before the draft.

Nevertheless, Cleveland traded up to select Richardson, who helped the Crimson Tide win a national championship last season. The Browns signed him to a four-year, $20.5 million deal.

Goodell: More female officials possible

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Shannon Eastin could be the first of several female game officials in the league, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

Eastin is a replacement line judge who will make her NFL debut in Thursday night's Green Bay at San Diego exhibition game. The regular officials are locked out by the league after their contract expired.

"I think it's a great opportunity for her, and for us," Goodell said at an ethics in sports seminar. "She deserves the opportunity, she's well prepared for it, and I think she'll do terrific. So we're excited about that.

"And there are more coming, by the way. We've been working along this path to try to properly train and prepare a female official, and now we have the opportunity."

Eastin, 42, is a referee in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and also runs a company that trains officials in football and basketball.

Notes

• Andy Reid returned to the Philadelphia Eagles a day after his 29-year-old son's funeral, saying it's "the right thing to do." Reid plans to coach the exhibition opener against Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

• On the same day Tennessee Titans receiver Kenny Britt said he'll take whatever punishment the NFL deems necessary for his latest run-in with the police, he lashed out at the team on social media for fining him $9,915 for missing a rehab workout.

• The Detroit Lions lost the quarterback of their secondary when safety Louis Delmas had surgery on his left knee. The team said he will be evaluated weekly.

By Seattle Times news services