49ers kicker Scaccia signs with Arena League

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April 14, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE49ERS PAGE49ERS VIDEOMatt MaioccoCSNBayArea.comStrong-legged kicker Fabrizio Scaccia, who finished the season on the practice squad, signed a futures contract with the 49ers in January.His contract with the 49ers does not technically begin until the new league year. And the new league year does not begin until the NFL's labor situation is settled.Therefore, Scaccia is free to play professional football elsewhere. And that is what he is doing.Scaccia, who played the 2010 season with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, re-signed with the Rattlers this week, the AFL announced. Following the NFL lockout, players were allowed to sign with another league, though their NFL team still owns each player's NFL rights, AFL spokesman Evan Vladem said."We looked into it and saw it was allowed," Scaccia said in an article posted on the AFL's official website.
There are three other NFL players who have signed contracts in the AFL: receivers Rod Windsor (Cleveland Browns) and Troy Bergeron (Dallas Cowboys), and offensive lineman Cliff Louis (Arizona Cardinals)."Windsor did it first," Scaccia said. "I did a little more investigating. I talked to my family and I see nothing but positives in joining the league."Scaccia and Windsor both returned to play for the Rattlers after being teammates last season. The players are required to report to their NFL teams when the lockout ends, Vladem said. The AFL is in Week 6 of their 18-game regular season. The Arena Bowl, the league championship, is scheduled for Aug. 12.Scaccia also played last fall with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League, where he and Windsor were also teammates.In the UFL, Scaccia tied a league record with a 54-yard field goal. He is best-known for kicking a 68-yard field goal in a 2009 Florida minor-league game. It is believed to be the longest made field goal without use of a tee in the history of organized football.Veteran Joe Nedney, 38, whose past two seasons have ended with injuries, is expected to have his first challenge for the 49ers' kicking job after six seasons with the organization.

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