NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

49ers: The team might be willing to buy the Great America theme park next to its proposed new stadium in Santa Clara to resolve a lingering parking dispute. The announcement came as the amusement park’s owners, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. of Sandusky planned to formally oppose the current plan for the stadium. Team spokeswoman Lisa Lang said Cedar Fair recently informed the team of its intentions and plans to send out a press release detailing its opposition today. The 49ers need more parking for their planned $854 million stadium, which the team hopes will open for the 2012 season, and has been negotiating with Cedar Fair to use parking spaces surrounding Great America. The proposed stadium would sit on 20 acres across the street from the 49ers’ longtime training complex in Santa Clara, a suburb 30 miles south of San Francisco.

Falcons: Michael Vick has taken another hit — and this one could cost him nearly $20 million. Already facing prison time, the disgraced quarterback lost the first round in his financial battle with the Falcons when an arbitrator ruled Tuesday that Vick should repay much of the bonus money he got while secretly bankrolling a gruesome dogfighting ring. The case is far from over. The players’ union said it will appeal the ruling by Stephen B. Burbank, a University of Pennsylvania law professor and special master who oversaw last week’s arbitration hearing in Philadelphia. The Falcons argued that Vick, who pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in the long-running operation, knew he was in violation of the contract when he signed a 10-year, $130 million deal in December 2004. The team said he used proceeds from the contract to fund his illicit activities and sought the repayment of $19,970,000 in bonuses he was paid over the last three years. Any money the Falcons recover from Vick would be credited to its future salary cap, a huge step in recovering from the loss of the team’s franchise player. Atlanta (1-4) is off to a dismal start with Joey Harrington at quarterback.

Bengals: The NFL has suspended starting cornerback Johnathan Joseph for Sunday’s game at Kansas City. Joseph will forfeit his salary for both this game and the Jets game on Oct. 21, the club said. He was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Injury updates: Falcons offensive tackle Wayne Gandy will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament on the next-to-last play of Sunday’s loss to the Titans. … The Vikings placed backup defensive lineman Darrion Scott on injured reserve Tuesday. Scott was on crutches in the locker room on Monday with an apparent problem with his left foot sustained during practice. He participated in drills during the portion of the workout that was open to the media.

Associated Press