Robert Brooks finally decided his body could take no more.
The wide receiver retired Monday after seven injury-plagued seasons with the Green Bay Packers during which he never became the superstar many thought he would. He said his knees, back and hamstrings could no longer withstand the punishment of pro football."You can fool a lot of people, but you can't fool yourself," he said. "I'm 29 years old, and after a practice, I feel like I'm 50."
Brooks, who originated the "Lambeau Leap," the Packers' trademark jump into the Lambeau Field stands to celebrate a touchdown, retires as the Packers' career leader in postseason catches and receiving yards. He is the seventh-leading receiver in the club's 80-year history.
"I just couldn't cover it up any more," Brooks said. "I found myself missing so many practices and taking so much medication just to practice. When you get to that point, I think it's time to call it quits."
In 1995, Brooks caught 102 passes for a team-record 1,497 yards. But the next three seasons he had just 114 catches for 1,774 yards while missing 16 games with injuries. He had 31 receptions for 420 yards in 12 games last season while playing in what he called "almost constant pain."
Brooks, who helped lead the Packers to consecutive NFC titles and a Super Bowl championship, participated in a team minicamp this summer and said he was in the best shape of his life. But when he dropped several balls during his first day of practice Friday at training camp, it was obvious something was still wrong.
He skipped weekend workouts and told coach Ray Rhodes on Saturday he would retire.
"I can't put up the facade any more of being a tough guy," Brooks said. "I think I've done that long enough. It's allowed me to play in this game longer than I think anybody expected me to play."
BEARS: Rookie quarterback Cade McNown signed a seven-year contract with Chicago, ending his holdout 10 days after the team opened camp.
Tom Condon, McNown's agent, said the deal could be worth $22 million with incentives and a $6 million signing bonus.
McNown arrived at Halas Hall in Lake Forest where Condon met earlier in the day with Bears negotiator Jim Miller. Team officials said McNown left Monday evening for training camp in Platteville, Wis.
"I want to tell you how excited I am to finally get up to camp and to get started," said McNown, a left-hander from UCLA who was the 12th pick overall last spring in the NFL draft.
The contract includes a clause giving McNown the option to void the last two years of the deal. Voidable years had been a sticking point in the negotiations.
BILLS: Andre Reed, Buffalo's leading career receiver and one of its few remaining links to the team's four straight Super Bowl appearances, added another team record: shortest holdout.
Reed, who threatened to quit if the Bills refused to renegotiate his contract, practiced for the first time after working out a contract extension with team owner Ralph Wilson.
Reed missed two minicamps as well as the first two days of training camp at Fredonia State, but started his 15th season in Buffalo on Monday.
Reed will make $2.2 million this season, or $900,000 more than his contract was due to pay him.
JETS: New York coach Bill Parcells announced he re-signed 14-year veteran Keith Byars, the team's starting fullback last season, to a one-year contract.
An All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles, Byars immediately steps back into his starting role in the Jets offense, a hybrid fullback-tight end spot. Serving primarily as a blocker for running back Curtis Martin, Byars rushed for 34 yards on four carries last year, adding 258 yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches.
FALCONS: Free agent Harold Green, waived by Atlanta in February, signed with the Falcons and was on the field for 9 a.m. practice.
Green played in six regular-season and all three postseason games for Atlanta last year, rushing for 36 yards on 19 carries and catching four passes for 43 yards.
He played in all 16 of the Falcons' games in 1997, his first season with the club after six years in Cincinnati and one in St. Louis. He rushed for 78 yards and caught 29 passes for 360 yards.
PANTHERS: Nate Newton's bid to extend his career inched forward when Carolina decided he was fit enough to join his teammates for full-squad workouts.
While his teammates spent the first three days of training camp running plays and going through group drills, Newton was secluded in a different part of the complex for private workouts with strength and conditioning coach Jerry Simmons.
Even when he was cleared for team drills, the 13-year NFL veteran still took it slow, participating in only selected drills for brief periods.
Outfitted in full pads for the first time, the 6-foot-3 Newton looked larger than his listed weight of 348 pounds.
Newton, 37, was signed to a one-year, $420,000 deal by the Panthers in June after he was deemed expendable by the Dallas Cowboys, for whom he played 13 seasons and made six Pro Bowl appearances.
BROWNS: John Dutton, a quarterback who broke his foot last week in training camp, was placed on the waived-injured list.
If he is not picked up by another NFL team over the next 24 hours, he will be placed on Cleveland's injured reserve list and remain there until he is healthy, the Browns said.
The Browns signed free-agent Thad Busby on Friday to take Dutton's place.
Dutton, who was competing for the team's third-string quarterback spot, broke a bone in his left foot Tuesday during drills and will be in a cast for four weeks.