Tannehill made his first public comments

DAVIE, Fla. - The players union representative from the Miami Dolphins says the fallout from their bullying scandal is overblown because every NFL team has a similar locker-room culture. Long snapper John Denney, a nine-year veteran, said Monday he hadnt read the investigative report on the Dolphins case. But any harassment among players is nothing new, he said. "Its overblown, because this has been my experience with the league my entire career from Day One," Denney said in a telephone interview. "If something needed to be done, it needed to be done a long time ago. It has never escalated. I never saw conditions worsen. I guess were late in getting to the issue. "I would be comfortable in saying if you put an investigation on any of the 32 teams in the NFL, youre going to come out with the exact same results." In a report released Feb. 14, investigators found guard Richie Incognito and two other offensive linemen engaged in persistent harassment directed at tackle Jonathan Martin, another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. Denney, at 35 the Dolphins oldest player, said behaviour among players was no different last year than when his NFL career began in 2005. Bullying of rookies was common then, too, he said. "When I came into the league, I assumed I was going to accept it or find a different line of work," Denney said. "I dont agree with the lifestyles of some of guys on the team, but if I have an issue, I can address it with individual people. If I felt uncomfortable with a situation, I would address it or find something else to do." Denney made his comments following a celebrity golf tournament organized by former Dolphins star Jason Taylor that included several current Miami players. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill said hes confident the necessary changes will be made to ensure a healthy locker-room environment. Tannehill made his first public comments regarding the 144-page report. "I saw a few pages of it," Tannehill said. "I got overwhelmed by 140-and-whatever pages and skipped it. Im just glad its out. The evaluations and summaries have been made, the points have been taken and now we can move forward. Theres no more being anxious about it coming out. Weve had the consequences and repercussions, and now we can put it in the past and move forward." The Dolphins fired offensive line coach Jim Turner and longtime head athletic trainer Kevin ONeill for their roles in the scandal, and coach Joe Philbin pledged to improve the workplace culture. NFL punishment of players who engaged in harassment may be forthcoming in the form of fines, suspensions or both. Tannehill could find him playing behind an entirely new line to start the 2014 season. Even so, he considers fallout from the scandal in the past. "I think its behind us at this point," he said. "Obviously well try to learn from it and correct things coach Philbin and the coaching staff feel need to be changed. We want to have a healthy locker room." Tannehill, a starter since the first game of his rookie season in 2012, was a member of the teams leadership council last season. But at 25, he said hes still growing into the role of a leader. "You definitely get more comfortable speaking up at certain times," he said. "You have the respect. Thats the big thing — having the other guys respect in the locker room. You cant come in with no respect and try to own the place. At this point hopefully I have some respect in the locker room, and now I can assert myself." Taylor is part of an advisory group formed last fall by team owner Stephen Ross that also includes Tony Dungy, Don Shula, Dan Marino and Curtis Martin. The group, which has yet to meet, will review organizational conduct policies and make recommendations on areas for improvement. "We have all seen the report," Taylor said. "We know what it says. In the coming days and weeks we will have a discussion about it, and that discussion will stay between me, Mr. Ross and the other members of the committee." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ___ Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine Khalil Mack Bears Jersey . Blatter also told reporters Saturday after meeting with Qatars emir that the decision to award the tournament to the desert nation is "not reversible." There have been calls to move the tournament because of Qatars intense heat. Mike Ditka Womens Jersey . Nwaneri, who was born in Dallas and attended Naaman Forest High School in nearby Garland, Texas, tweeted, "Its official! Im coming home, Im coming home. https://www.bearssportsgoods.com/Womens-Dick-Butkus-Inverted-Jersey/ . 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Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series.PRETORIA, South Africa - A South African judge will respond on Wednesday to arguments on whether to allow prosecutors to appeal the verdict and sentence in the case against Oscar Pistorius, who was acquitted of the murder of his girlfriend.Prosecutor Gerrie Nel outlined his objections to the culpable homicide verdict and sentence against the Olympic runner, saying Judge Thokozile Masipa erred in her interpretation of the law. Masipa, who presided over the Pistorius trial, will also decide whether the case can be heard at the Supreme Court of Appeal.In October, Masipa convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide and sentenced him to a five-year prison term. He could be released from prison to be held under house arrest after 10 months.There is a very good prospect that we may convince an appeal court that the shortest possible incarceration in a case like this, my lady, is shockingly inappropriate, Nel said, addressing Masipa in the same courttroom where the murder trial was conducted.dddddddddddd If the right to appeal is granted, Nel said he will argue for a harsher sentence.The double-amputee athlete is serving his sentence in a Pretoria prison and was not in court.Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp in his home on Valentines Day, last year. He said he thought a dangerous intruder was in the house; prosecutors allege he killed his girlfriend after an argument and are now appealing his acquittal of murder.In an argument that continued for over an hour, Nel cited a number of complex cases which resulted in a retrial. This can only happen in specific circumstances because South African law, like U.S. law, does not allow an accused to be tried twice for the same charge.Pistorius defence attorney, Barry Roux, argued against allowing an appeal on either the conviction or sentence.If an appeal is granted and Pistorius is convicted of murder, he would face a minimum of 15 years in prison. ' ' '