Wide Receiver

Terrell Owens has been sent home by the principal, uh, coach. The All-Pro wide receiver left Eagles training camp in Bethlehem, Pa., after a verbal exchange yesterday with Philadelphia coach Andy Reid . Owens's agent, Drew Rosenhaus , and his publicist, Kim Etheredge , said the receiver was asked to return next Wednesday and had gone to his home in New Jersey. "T.O. was asked to leave by Andy Reid," Etheredge said. "I don't think that it was heated, it was a difference of opinion.

Southern California authorities have called off a search for former professional football player Erik Affholter after learning he contacted his ex-wife and mother by telephone. The former wide receiver was reported missing Sunday night by his girlfriend when he failed to return from a hike in hills near Simi (see-mee) Valley, northwest of Los Angeles. The 46-year-old Affholter was a standout at Southern California in the 1980s before playing for Green Bay in 1991. The USC athletic department tweeted Monday that former teammates were reporting his family contacts.

The New England Patriots selected wide receiver Jeremy Ebert of Northwestern with their second pick in the seventh round of the NFL draft on Saturday. Ebert, 23, is 6-feet and 195 pounds. He caught 75 passes for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior with the Wildcats in 2011. He is the Patriots' first offensive pick. New England acquired three picks earlier on Saturday, after trading their fifth-rounder, No. 163 overall, to the Packers. Earlier, the Patriots spent a sixth-round selection, 197th overall, on Ohio State defensive back Nate Ebner.

More than 60 former NFL players have filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles, joining hundreds of others who claim pro football didn't properly protect its players from concussions. Lead plaintiff Art Monk played wide receiver for the Washington Redskins from 1980 to 1993, and says in the lawsuit filed last week that he suffered multiple concussions in that time. More than 1,000 former NFL players are suing the league across the country, saying not enough was done to inform players about the dangers of concussions in the past, and not enough is done to take care of them today.

The New England Patriots announced the signing of free agent receiver Brandon Lloyd on Tuesday. Lloyd, 30, is a nine-year veteran and came to terms with the team last week. He has played in 112 games, catching 311 passes for 4,784 yards and 31 touchdowns. His best season was in 2010 with Denver when he made the Pro Bowl after leading the NFL with 1,448 yards receiving. The Patriots also re-signed offensive lineman Dan Connolly, and announced two more free-agent deals, with defensive end Jonathan Fanene and tight end Daniel Fells.

Every Sunday, Boston Globe photographer Stan Grossfeld asks the subject of one of his photos to explain what's happening in the shot. Up today: Boston College wide receiver Colin Larmond Jr. carries a baseball bat onto the field during pregame introductions at Alumni Stadium, Nov. 12, 2011. Said Larmond Jr: "Well, it all started in the Friday night meeting with the players. The captains speak to the team and then the other players, if they have something to say, can talk.

Wide receiver Braylon Edwards was acquired by the New York Jets from Cleveland yesterday and showed up at the team’s facility shortly after practice ended - just in time to be included in the team picture. The Jets dealt wide receiver Chansi Stuckey , linebacker Jason Trusnik , and two undisclosed draft choices in return for Edwards, who has 10 receptions for 139 yards but was shut out for the first time in his career in the winless Browns’ 23-20 overtime loss to Cincinnati last Sunday.

ABOUT WELKER: The 5-foot-9-inch, 185-pounder led the NFL with 122 receptions - the fourth-highest total in league history. Welker joined Cris Carter as the only players to have at least 120 catches in two seasons. Welker was second in the league with a franchise-record 1,569 receiving yards. He had nine catches for 136 yards (15.1 average) on 10 targets in the Week 9 meeting against the Giants. ABOUT ROLLE: The eighth overall pick in the 2005 draft by the Cardinals was moved from cornerback to safety in 2008.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff Nike has unveiled new NFL uniforms today in New York, and receiver Wes Welker was the model for the Patriots' new look. You can see Welker in the photo above, on the left side, courtesy of NikeInc.com. At first glance, the Patriots' new uniforms look pretty much like the old uniforms. The most overt change seems to be in the fit, where the new uniforms are a little more snug. Nike took over for Reebok this year as the NFL's uniform supplier.

Chad Ochocinco speaks to the media before the Super Bowl. Ochicinco plans to change his name back to Chad Johnson, according to reports. (Mark Humphrey / AP photo) By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff Is it love, or is the joke not funny any more? Either way, this summer expect Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco to drop his ubiquitous surname and revert to Chad Johnson, according to a report from TMZ.com. Ochocinco intends to marry "Basketball Wives" girlfriend Evelyn Lozada.

The New England Patriots selected wide receiver Jeremy Ebert of Northwestern with their second pick in the seventh round of the NFL draft on Saturday. Ebert, 23, is 6-feet and 195 pounds. He caught 75 passes for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior with the Wildcats in 2011. He is the Patriots' first offensive pick. New England acquired three picks earlier on Saturday, after trading their fifth-rounder, No. 163 overall, to the Packers. Earlier, the Patriots spent a sixth-round selection, 197th overall, on Ohio State defensive back Nate Ebner.

The overnight wait paid off for Stanford tight end Coby Fleener. He's reuniting with his college quarterback, a guy named Andrew Luck. Fleener wasn't chosen in the first round of the NFL draft, in which Luck was the top selection. He got a nice consolation prize Friday night when the Indianapolis Colts grabbed him with the second pick of the second round. Chances are very good Fleener will become a starter - and a main target - for Luck. "I just sent [Luck] a text message that had a lot of exclamation points in it," said Fleener, who had 10 touchdown catches last season and 18 in his career for...

The NFL draft begins Thursday night with the first round, continues Friday night with the second and third rounds, and runs through Saturday, when the final four rounds will be held at Radio City Music Hall. The Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams both went 2-14 last season and had the top two picks, but the Rams traded the second spot to Washington. Some things to look for in this year's draft: –– AT THE TOP The first two picks will be quarterbacks: Andrew Luck of Stanford, who will go to the Colts, followed by Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III of Baylor, who is headed...

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers has been arraigned on five misdemeanors from two unrelated incidents. The 30-year-old Rogers appeared Thursday before Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Frank released Rogers on a $7,500 personal recognizance bond. He's charged with making a malicious phone call and conspiring to commit that crime March 5 and March 6 in Saginaw County's Bridgeport Township. Rogers also is charged with marijuana possession, possessing an open container of alcohol in...

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff Nike has unveiled new NFL uniforms today in New York, and receiver Wes Welker was the model for the Patriots' new look. You can see Welker in the photo above, on the left side, courtesy of NikeInc.com. At first glance, the Patriots' new uniforms look pretty much like the old uniforms. The most overt change seems to be in the fit, where the new uniforms are a little more snug. Nike took over for Reebok this year as the NFL's uniform supplier.

The New England Patriots have re-signed wide receiver Deion Branch and signed free agent fullbacks Tony Fiammetta and Spencer Larsen. Branch had 51 catches for 702 yards and five touchdowns last season. He was drafted by the Patriots in 2002, traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2006, and re-acquired in 2010. He is a holdover in a deep wide receiver corps that added free agents Brandon Lloyd, Donte' Stallworth and Anthony Gonzalez in the offseason. New England's top wide receiver is Wes Welker, who has been given the franchise tag requiring any other team...

loading video... (please wait a moment) Requires Adobe Flash Player By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch donned a large grin and laughed about exchanging notes with Chad Ochocinco if T.J. Houshmandzadeh joined the team's wide receiver corps. But getting more serious, Branch said there's nothing really to talk about yet without Houshmandzadeh on the team. "It's hard to speak on that situation," Branch said.

The Cincinnati Bengals acquired three players off waivers, and while waived three players. The Bengals acquired center Mike McGlynn on waivers from Philadelphia. McGlynn is a fourth-year NFL player and also has played guard. The team also picked up tight end Mickey Shuler on waivers from Miami. Shuler is a second-year NFL player. Finally, the Bengals acquired wide receiver Brandon Tate on waivers from New England. Tate is a third-year player. Additionally, the Bengals waived three players — tight end Chase Coffman, wide receiver...

After telling one Patriots' beat reporter on Monday that he wouldn't be at this morning's AFC coaches' breakfast, Bill Belichick decided to take part after all, albeit a little late. He chatted for 45 minutes, and it was clear quickly that he wasn't interested in talking about certain topics - Tim Tebow and the Saints/Sean Payton bounty scandal at the top of that list - but he did offer comments on a range of other things. When a reporter asked about Tebow, Belickick said: "I'm just concentrating on our team.