Vikings, Underwood Cut Ties

The off-again, on-again marriage between defensive end Dimitrius Underwood and the Minnesota Vikings is off again and has ended in a divorce.

The Vikings said Wednesday that Underwood doesn’t want to play football, so the team cut its ties with the first-round draft pick who went AWOL after his first pro practice on Aug. 2. Underwood also had signed a five-year, $5.3-million contract.

The team announced a financial settlement in which Underwood’s $543,000 in bonus money, most of which was frozen at his bank upon his disappearance, would be returned to the team.

When that happens, Underwood will be waived.

If Underwood is claimed, his new team would be responsible for his $475,000 base salary for 1999. But the Vikings would take the salary cap hit for Underwood’s $1.725-million partially deferred signing bonus this season, rather than a prorated one-fifth slice of it.

If Underwood weren’t picked up by another team, the Vikings’ cap number this year would be only $345,000, the 20% cut of his bonus.

This week, the rookie pass rusher from Michigan State blamed his disappearance on inner turmoil over sports and religion coexisting in his life but said after a conversation Monday with defensive end-turned-minister Reggie White that he wanted to return to the Vikings if Coach Dennis Green would have him back.

But the Vikings issued a statement Wednesday night that read: “Dimitrius told Coach Green that he has no desire to play football and has decided not to play for the Vikings.”

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All-Pro running back Jamal Anderson, who missed the first two weeks of training camp because of a contract dispute, agreed to a new deal with the Atlanta Falcons after nearly four hours of talks.

Anderson, who set a franchise record with 1,846 rushing yards last season in helping the Falcons to the Super Bowl for the first time, was expected to join the team for practice today.

He was under a $2.6-million contract this season but had refused to report to camp unless it was renegotiated. That renegotiation ended in a five-year deal worth $32 million, with a signing bonus of $7.5 million. Anderson will be the highest-paid Falcon in history.

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Barry Sanders’ father played down speculation that his son might return to the NFL but vowed to try to persuade him to come back. William Sanders said Wednesday that the running back didn’t ask his advice when he retired from the Detroit Lions at 31, 1,458 yards short of Walter Payton’s lifetime rushing record. Barry Sanders is said to be vacationing in Europe.

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All-Pro linebacker Zach Thomas, recovering from a concussion, eased his way back into workouts with the Miami Dolphins but remains concerned about seeing “flashes” when he returns to contact. Thomas was injured Aug. 1 while tackling rookie running back Cecil Collins during a scrimmage.

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Kansas City Chief defensive end John Browning probably will sit out the season after having surgery on his right Achilles’ tendon, the team said. Coach Gunther Cunningham said Brown’s leg “rolled” during a drill Monday.

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Running back Terry Kirby’s car was broken into Monday night outside Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, while he was playing in an exhibition against the Dallas Cowboys, but his Cleveland Browns’ playbook was left by the thief. A smaller notebook, containing some of the notes Kirby takes during team meetings, was stolen along with a DVD player, some clothes and a pair of shoes.

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The Indianapolis Colts signed veteran quarterback Steve Walsh to a two-year contract to back up starter Peyton Manning and released quarterback Stoney Case. . . . New York Jet quarterback Vinny Testaverde’s jammed thumb isn’t serious enough to keep him out of Saturday’s exhibition at Green Bay. . . . The Buffalo Bills have lost rookie fullback Shawn Bryson for the season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. . . . Tackle Richmond Webb, named to seven Pro Bowl games, may miss the start of the Miami Dolphins’ season because of a contract stalemate. He has been offered a one-year, $3.4 million deal. . . . The Seattle Seahawks agreed to a five-year, $5.075-million contract with their first-round draft choice, defensive end Lamar King, and to a deal with unrestricted free agent wide receiver Michael Jackson.