Sharpe's grandmother dies before ex-Bronco's HOF induction

Former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe's grandmother died Wednesday night, exactly one month before he will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, The Denver Post reported.

Mary Porter, 89, had suffered from diabetes, according to the newspaper. She raised Sharpe -- along with his brother, retired NFL wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, and their sister, Libby -- in addition to nine children of her own, outside the small town of Glennville, Ga.

Sharpe told The Post on Thursday that Porter now can do what she couldn't amid declining health -- listen to his speech Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio.

"She's in a better place now," Sharpe said. "She'll be able to hear my (Hall of Fame) speech now. She would not have been able to understand my speech in the body she was in. She'll be able to hear my speech in the body she has now."

Sterling Sharpe, who scored 65 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers and whose career was cut short in 1994 because of a neck injury, will introduce his younger brother at the Hall induction ceremony. Shannon Sharpe will receive 12 minutes to speak, and much that time will be devoted to his grandmother, according to The Post.

When Sharpe retired in 2003, he was the NFL's all-time leader among tight ends in receptions (815), receiving yards (10,060) and touchdowns (62). He had hoped to be elected to the Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible -- 2009 -- which would have allowed his grandmother to witness the induction. Instead, he had to wait until his third try.

"I'm thankful I got to spend 43 years with her and she got to see the type of man I became," Sharpe said.

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Roethlisberger, fiancee set wedding for week before July camp

PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger will marry a 26-year-old physician's assistant whom he said he met during training camp in 2005 and has been friends with ever since, the Steelers quarterback told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a story in Thursday's editions.

Roethlisberger, speaking publicly for the first time since the Steelers' loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV, talked about his fiancee, her family and the impact their engagement has had on everyone involved since it leaked out in various media outlets late last year.

Roethlisberger confirmed his July 23 wedding plans to Ashley Harlan, who lives in New Castle, about 45 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger was interviewed Wednesday at his home north of Pittsburgh.

The wedding is scheduled only one week before the Steelers are scheduled to begin training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, and Roethlisberger joked that his bride-to-be might be hoping that the NFL lockout drags.

"I think a small part of her is hoping we hold out for a week so we can honeymoon," Roethlisberger told the Post-Gazette. "I told her I was laughing with coach (Mike) Tomlin; he said, 'You guys might have to have the honeymoon suite at St. Vincent.'"

The 29-year-old quarterback also addressed the scrutiny he faced after he was accused of sexual assault in a Georgia nightclub in March 2010. He said his engagement isn't a ploy to rebuild his public image.

"We were kind of on and off for five years -- almost six years now -- so I've known her for a while," Roethlisberger told the newspaper. "It's not like a random new person. We dated a while ago; we have been friends ever since."

Roethlisberger did acknowledge working on repairing his reputation and trying to become a better teammate.

"People will always have opinions of everybody and me, and that's fine, they're entitled," he said.

Harlan lives with her parents, and Roethlisberger said they aren't living together until they're married because of their religious beliefs.

"People can say that it is whatever, but people who know and can see and are around us and know me, know that it's something special when you find that person, and I'm extremely lucky," he said.

Roethlisberger said he has been stunned by the media attention to his engagement and that he's worried about how the attention is affecting his fiancee.

"I try to protect her as much as I can," he told the newspaper. "People have gone to her parents' house and have been doing some things. That bothers me a little bit because it's what I do for a living, I have to deal with it, but her parents and her, that's not what they have to do."

Roethlisberger also addressed reports of a wedding gift registry at department stores, saying that it actually was a registry for Harlan's bridal shower and that she has received gifts from strangers as a result.

The 500 people invited to the wedding will be asked not to bring gifts but to donate to Roethlisberger's charitable foundation, he said. That money will then be donated to Ronald McDonald House and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Owens' tweet before Bengals-Bucs game violates NFL's rules

CINCINNATI -- A message on Terrell Owens' Twitter feed Sunday violated the NFL's rules against using social media before games.

A post on his Twitter account noted that a fan wearing his jersey at the Bengals' game against Tampa Bay would get a football signed by him and Chad Ochocinco. The message was posted an hour before kickoff, violating the NFL's social media policy that prohibits posts 90 minutes before a game.

Owens was on the field shortly after the message was posted on his Twitter account.

"A lucky fan wearing my jersey 2day will get a signed football by Me & Ocho Cinco! My asst will pick U out!! Good luck!" the message said.

Even if someone else posted it on his account, it would violate the NFL's restrictions on players and coaches using social media before, during and after games.

Asked about the tweet following Cincinnati's 24-21 loss to Tampa Bay, Owens became angry.

"Is that something that you really want to talk about right now?" Owens said.

Told that he could face a substantial fine for the tweet, Owens said, "What, are you going to fine me? Is that really relevant right now? If it's for a kid, it's for a kid."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said, "We will look into it." He added nothing further was expected today.

Ochocinco was fined $25,000 by the league for tweeting before and during a preseason game against Philadelphia in August. He was the first player fined for violating the year-old policy.

Ochocinco apologized after his violation and promised the league he wouldn't do it again. He has kept his word, respecting the NFL's time frame for tweeting. Several hours before the kickoff on Sunday -- well within NFL guidelines -- Ochocinco tweeted about his pet pigeon and a few other topics.

"Man watching the morning news n something always is going on wrong in the world, will there ever b a 24 hr problem free day?" Ochocinco tweeted.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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