AROUND THE NFL Tuesday’s news & notes

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

LB Mason Foster let go on eve of camp

RICHMOND, Va.

The Washington Redskins have released inside linebacker Mason Foster on the eve of training camp.

Agent Blake Baratz confirmed the surprise move Tuesday on Twitter. Baratz blasted the Redskins for having “zero good faith” and tweeted that Foster couldn’t get a straight answer about why he was cut.

A team spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the tweets.

Foster was Washington’s starting middle linebacker last season, played almost every snap and led the team with 131 tackles. The Redskins don’t have an obvious replacement after Reuben Foster tore the ACL in his left knee during offseason workouts.

Veteran Jon Bostic, second-year player Josh Harvey-Clemons and rookie Cole Holcomb figure to compete at the position.

Players were due to report to camp Tuesday and undergo physicals today before practices begin Thursday.

PACKERS/BROWNS

Super Bowl champ earns college degree

NEW HAVEN, Conn.

Three-time Super Bowl champion and cancer survivor Joe Andruzzi can now add college graduate to his list of accomplishments.

Andruzzi on Monday received his degree in liberal studies from Southern Connecticut State University President Joe Bertolino, 22 years after he left the Division II school for the NFL.

Andruzzi told the Hartford Courant the school taught him that “hard work and dedication is going to push you in life.”

He always intended to finish his degree but said football, then non-Hodgkin Burkitt lymphoma, derailed him.

The 43-year-old former offensive lineman from New York City played for the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns but is best known for helping the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls.

Bertolino says Andruzzi embodies the university’s values of “treating people with dignity, respect, kindness, compassion and civility.”

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Edelman spotted with brace on thumb

EFOXBOROUGH, Mass.

Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman was seen wearing a brace or splint on his left thumb at a youth camp he organized last weekend and he will reportedly be limited for three weeks.

Pictures of Edelman taken over the weekend show him with a device on his thumb. He was wearing gloves on both hands.

According to published reports, Edelman will be limited for the first three weeks of training camp, which starts Thursday. The regular season begins Sept. 8.

The Patriots declined to comment.

The 33-year-old Edelman missed the first four games last season after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. In the 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, he caught 10 passes for 141 yards and was the first receiver to earn MVP honors in 10 years.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

CB Hill draws another suspension

EAGAN, Minn.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Holton Hill has been suspended for an additional four games, this time for violation the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse.

Hill will be out of action for the first half of the season, having previously received a four-game ban the league handed him in April for violation of the policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The NFL announced this punishment on Tuesday, three days before the full squad takes the field for the first time at training camp.

Hill, who had a promising rookie year with extensive playing time while starters Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes were injured, started three games in 2018. He went undrafted out of Texas after a positive test for marijuana, according to an NFL Network report last year.

Hill can participate in preseason games and practices, but he won’t be allowed to return to the active roster until Oct. 25. Hill is the second Vikings player this month to receive a suspension for substances of abuse. Running back Roc Thomas got a four-game ban last week and was subsequently waived.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

WR Boyd inks 4-year contract extension

CINCINNATI

Receiver Tyler Boyd signed a four-year contract extension on Tuesday, coming off his breakthrough season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Boyd was a second-round pick out of Pittsburgh in 2016 and was entering the final year on his contract. The extension runs through the 2023 season.

He had a breakout season in 2018, when A.J. Green was sidelined by a toe injury. Boyd led the team with 76 catches and 1,028 yards receiving, both career highs. He also tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns.

The Bengals also are trying to work out a contract extension with Green, who is entering the final season of a four-year, $60 million deal. Green has fully recovered from a toe injury that required surgery.

Associated Press