NFL Notes: Lawyer doubts Johnny Manziel can stay clean

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DALLAS -- An attorney handling Johnny Manziel's domestic violence case expressed doubts about the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback's ability to stay clean and said he was given a receipt that shows Manziel may have spent more than $1,000 at a drug paraphernalia store just 15 hours after he was involved in a hit-and-run crash, according to a lengthy text message accidentally sent to The Associated Press.

Defense attorney Bob Hinton's text indicated Manziel's legal team was seeking a plea deal with prosecutors, but suggested that could be tricky.

"Heaven help us if one of the conditions is to pee in a bottle," the attorney wrote.

Hinton also wrote that he had been emailed a "heads up" receipt "which purports to reflect" that Manziel made a purchase of $1,018.77 at a Gas Pipe store at 12:03 p.m. on Tuesday, less than a day after his crash. A manager at a Gas Pipe location not far from where Manziel's crash was reported declined to discuss whether he bought anything there. A sign in the store says ID is required for purchases above $200.

"I don't know if the receipt is legitimate or not," Hinton responded when asked about it by the AP. "I just know that it doesn't say Johnny's name on it anywhere that I can see. It's just that somebody in that store, I guess, circulated that to the other store managers and employees saying, `Guess who was here today and spent this amount of money.' That's all I know" (see full story).

NFL: League to interview players named in PED report
NEW YORK -- Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and James Harrison will be interviewed next month by NFL officials in connection to a media report that linked them to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

A letter from NFL executive Adolpho Birch that was obtained Friday by The Associated Press says Green Bay linebackers Matthews and Peppers and Pittsburgh linebacker Harrison will be interviewed when training camps open. The Packers begin practicing on July 26, the Steelers on July 29.

The letter also mentions defensive lineman Mike Neal, a free agent who will be interviewed. It does not mention the now-retired Peyton Manning, who also was cited in Al-Jazeera's doping report in December.

But USA Today, citing an unnamed source, reported that an investigation into Manning's possible involvement also is progressing.

The NFL first notified Matthews, Peppers, Harrison and Neal about its investigation into the report on Jan. 11. That investigation has proceeded, but Birch wrote that the NFL Players Association hasn't responded to "multiple requests" to schedule the interviews, which would be conducted with a union representative present.

Al-Jazeera America reported allegations by Charlie Sly, who worked as an intern at an anti-aging clinic. But Sly later recanted his claims (see full story).

Steelers: Kicker Suisham cut after injury setback
PITTSBURGH -- Shaun Suisham's lengthy run with the Pittsburgh Steelers is over. It appears the longtime kicker's career may be in jeopardy, too.

The team released Suisham on Friday after he failed a physical. The 34-year-old is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered during the Hall of Fame Game last August.

The team hoped to bring Suisham to training camp, where he would compete with Chris Boswell for the starting job. Suisham, however, recently experienced a setback that general manager Kevin Colbert says pushed back the timeline on his recovery.

Suisham joined the Steelers in 2010 and converted 124-of-141 field goal attempts and each of his 173 extra-point attempts through the 2014 season. In a statement, Suisham described the knee injury as "catastrophic" and "critical" to his career going forward.

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