ROUNDUP | News and notes

Steelers: Quarterback Charlie Batch was re-signed Tuesday after being released just before Sunday's game against Tennessee. To make room for Batch on the 53-man roster, rookie free agent wide receiver Noah Washington from Tiffin University was released. Washington was to be put on the practice squad unless he is claimed by another team.
Long death: Former Steelers lineman Terry Long died from a brain inflammation that resulted, in part, from repeated head injuries suffered while playing football. Long, 45, died at UPMC Passavant Hospital on June 7, a few hours after paramedics found him unconscious at his home. An autopsy was inconclusive, but subsequent tests on tissues and fluids taken from Long's body yielded the findings released Tuesday. Long died of an inflammation of the lining of the brain, said Joseph Dominick, chief deputy coroner in Allegheny County. A contributing factor was "chronic traumatic encephalopathy" -- also known as dementia pugilistica -- a condition most often seen among career boxers.
Redskins: Former Maryland kicker Nick Novak was signed and kick returner Antonio Brown was released. The Redskins needed a kicker after John Hall strained his quad in Sunday's victory over the Chicago Bears. Hall hasn't been ruled out for Monday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys, but coach Joe Gibbs indicated it was unlikely Hall would be able to play. Novak spent the preseason with the Chicago Bears. He is leading scorer in ACC history, having scored 393 points in four years with the Terrapins.
Bengals: Fullback Nick Luchey was signed, filling the spot of injured running back Kenny Watson. The Bengals also signed guard Jonathan Clinkscale to their practice squad and released linebacker Derek Curry. Clinkscale played in four preseason games with Tampa Bay and was waived.
Buccaneers: Cornerback Torrie Cox was jailed early Tuesday after being charged with driving under the influence, his second drunken driving arrest in nine months. Cox was arrested by Tampa police at 3:19 a.m. after he refused a blood alcohol test. The third-year player also was arrested on a DUI charge last Dec. 4, and he was held out of a game against Atlanta the following day. It could not immediately be determined if that case is still pending.
Chiefs: Larry Johnson turned himself in to face an assault charge after an altercation with his girlfriend at a bar, the latest in a series of troubles with the law for the running back. Police Department spokesman Darin Snapp said Johnson was cited Monday for domestic abuse assault. He posted bond and was released, with a court date set for Sept. 20. Snapp said Johnson's girlfriend came into the bar early Saturday and saw him with another woman. The 25-year-old girlfriend, of Overland Park, Kan., then walked away, Snapp said, but Johnson text messaged her on her phone and asked her to meet him downstairs. He then grabbed the woman by the arm and pulled her to the front door, where Johnson asked the manager to make her leave, Snapp said. The manager said he couldn't do that. Snapp said Johnson became irate after his girlfriend confronted the other woman. The running back grabbed his girlfriend by the shoulders and shoved her to the floor, the police report said.
Driving death: Former Jets player Joe Klecko accidentally hit and killed a man while driving on an expressway in the Bronx, police said. The 51-year-old Klecko was heading south at about 8:30 a.m. Monday in a 2005 Chevy Suburban when he struck the man, who was pushing a grocery cart, police said. Ray Peterson, 65, was pronounced dead at the scene. No charges were filed.
Colts: Safety Mike Doss was activated from the reserve-suspended list. The NFL last week reduced Doss' suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy from two games to one. He will be available Sunday against Jacksonville, but coach Tony Dungy said he was not sure he'd play because of a groin injury. To make room on roster, the Colts waived rookie offensive lineman Matt Ulrich. The Colts also waived offensive linemen Trevor Hutton and Clint Stickdom off the practice squad.
Bears: Offensive tackle John St. Clair agreed to a contract and offensive tackle Marc Colombo was waived. St. Clair, the Rams' third-round draft pick in 2000, has started 30 of 46 career games during five seasons in the NFL. He started 14 games as right tackle in his first season with the Dolphins in 2004, but went to a backup role at guard during the preseason before being waived on Sept. 7.
Seahawks: Veteran defensive end Rodney Bailey was signed and wide receiver Jerheme Urban was released. Bailey spent last season on injured reserve with New England, after spending his first three years with Pittsburgh. Bailey has played in 48 games with one start, and has 39 tackles, 9 1/2 sacks and one fumble recovery. Urban spent his first two years with the Seahawks, and won a roster spot during a heated training camp competition this year. Last year, Urban played in six games, starting one, and caught six passes for 117 yards and one touchdown.
Fritsch dies: Toni Fritsch, a former Austrian soccer player who switched sports and became an NFL place-kicker, died Tuesday. He was 60. Peter Klingelmueller, a spokesman for Rapid Vienna, the soccer club on which Fritsch played for 14 years, confirmed Fritsch's death. The Austria Press Agency reported that Fritsch collapsed and died of heart failure in Vienna after eating at a restaurant. Fritsch played in nine matches for the Austrian national soccer team and, in 1965, scored two goals for Austria as it defeated England 3-2 in London. Six years later, he moved to the United States after having been recruited by the Dallas Cowboys.
49ers: When Terrell Owens visited last year during the Eagles' bye week, many of his former teammates flooded out of the locker room to greet him. Linebacker Derek Smith wasn't one of them. With Owens facing his former team in Philadelphia Sunday, most 49ers players had little to say about the wide receiver. But Smith refused to hide his disdain for Owens, who left for the Eagles in a trade before the 2004 season. "I think when I first started here, he seemed like more of a team guy, but I think toward the end, he really kind of fell off the deep end, if you ask me," said Smith, who was Owens' teammate for five seasons. "He was just kind of in it for himself. I don't like the fact that someone's in there playing dominoes with their friends while we're out there practicing ... and then they just come out Friday because they think they're that good and they can come out and play. I didn't agree with any of that. I don't care who you are. No one's above the team." In Owens' last season with the 49ers, he practiced one day a week because of a chronic groin pull. Owens practiced all season with the Eagles last year, but the injury flared up in training camp this season after he started feuding with players and coaches. "I don't think [he was hurt in 2003], but whatever," Smith said. "That's just my opinion. I'm not in his body, so I don't know." Smith believes Owens wouldn't fit into the chemistry the 49ers are trying to establish this season. "I think he'd do his own thing. I don't think he'd buy into it," Smith said. "I don't think he buys into anything but his own thing." Other players were more diplomatic, including safety Tony Parrish who remains friends with Owens and works out with him in Atlanta during the offseason. "What do they say, 'There's no such thing as bad press?' " Parrish said when asked about Owens' frequent controversies. "Different people handle things differently."
Combined dispatches