ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) -A hearing in the Detroit Lions’ case for recovering almost $10.2 million of a rookie signing bonus paid to Charles Rogers was postponed Wednesday.
The hearing scheduled for Thursday in Detroit was indefinitely delayed, the Lions said.
Rogers, a first-round draft choice in 2003, had his career cut short by injuries and drug problems.
The Lions filed a grievance late in the 2005 season. The club claimed Rogers, who starred at Michigan State before he was taken with the No.2 overall pick in 2003, diminished his value to the team by failing a drug test earlier that season.
The NFL suspended Rogers for four games in 2005 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. In an interview on the NFL Network, Rogers admitted he had tested positive for smoking marijuana.
Rogers’ total signing bonus was $14.4 million. The NFL Players Association has argued that the Lions have no right to make Rogers repay any portion of the bonus.
Rogers played five games in 2003 before a broken collarbone ended his season, then suffered the same season-ending injury on the third play of the 2004 season opener. He played in nine games in 2005 and was released after training camp in 2006. He has not signed with another team.
For his career, Rogers caught 36 passes and scored four touchdowns, two of them in his first game as a Lion.
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