NFL ROUNDUP \ News & notes

December 3, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

NFL suspends six: Six players, including the heart of the Vikings’ stout defensive line, were suspended for four games without pay by the NFL for violating the league’s anti-doping policy. All six were punished for using a diuretic, which can serve as a masking agent for steroids. The suspended players were running back Deuce McAllister and defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans; defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams of Minnesota; and long snapper Bryan Pittman of Houston. The punishment means all six will miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the Williamses in its run defense, which ranks second in the league.

Cowboys: Adam “Pacman” Jones is back in the NFL, and will be able to play this week. The Cowboys put Jones on their 53-man roster Tuesday after the NFL lifted the cornerback’s suspension. Jones missed six games for violating the league’s player conduct policy. He previously was suspended for the entire 2007 season while with Tennessee and played in only six games for the Cowboys before the most recent suspension after an alcohol-related scuffle at an upscale Dallas hotel. The NFL allowed Jones to return to practice last week and said then he would be able to return to play Sunday at Pittsburgh. The Cowboys cleared a spot on their roster when they put safety Pat Watkins on injured reserve. Watkins has been bothered by a lingering neck injury, and Thursday was the fourth game he missed this season.

Giants suspend Burress: New York fined and suspended Plaxico Burress on Tuesday for four games — the rest of the regular season — after he accidentally shot himself in the right thigh over the weekend at a Manhattan nightclub. The team also placed him on the reserve non-football injury list, which means the wide receiver couldn’t come back for playoffs, either. The team punished Burress a day after he was charged with illegal weapons possession, which carries a penalty of 31‚Ñ2 to 15 years in prison if he’s convicted. Burress is due back in court again on March 31, unless he reaches a plea agreement.

Texans: Matt Schaub should return for Houston’s game Sunday at Green Bay, barring any setbacks in the recovery of his injured left knee. Schaub has missed the last four games after he injured his medial collateral ligament early in Houston’s loss to Minnesota Nov. 2. He was listed as the backup on Monday night against the Jaguars, but Sage Rosenfels played the entire game.

Associated Press