Jay Cutler Lifestyle

The NFL reduced the suspension of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from six games to four games. Commissioner Roger Goodell informed Roethlisberger of the decision during a meeting Friday, the league announced. "You have told me and the Steelers that you are committed to making better decisions," Goodell wrote in a letter to Roethlisberger, according to the NFL's announcement. "Your actions over the past several months have been consistent with that promise and you must continue to honor that commitment." Roethlisberger's suspension is for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. "I have learned a lot over the past several months about myself as a person," Roethlisberger said in a written statement released by the Steelers. "I am committed to continuing on this path of being the type of person my family raised me to be, and exceeding what is expected of me as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers."

Quarterback Byron Leftwich left the Pittsburgh Steelers' preseason finale Thursday night with a knee injury. The extent of the injury is not immediately known. Leftwich has appeared to be in line to be the Steelers' starter at the outset of the regular season while Ben Roethlisberger serves a suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Roethlisberger is scheduled to meet Friday in New York with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Roethlisberger's suspension is for six games, but contains a provision that it can be reduced to four games by Goodell. Goodell said during training camp that Roethlisberger had complied with the terms of the suspension and had done everything asked of him and more. The Steelers also have quarterbacks Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch on their roster. Dixon started a game last season when Roethlisberger was hurt.

The NFL has adjusted its new officiating deployment, which positioned the umpire on the offensive side of the ball, in an attempt to address some of the problems the new setup created for hurry-up offenses. The umpire will return to his previous position on the defensive side of the ball for the final five minutes of the game, the league announced Tuesday.He also will be positioned on the defensive side of the ball for the final two minutes of the first half, according to an NFL spokesman. The new arrangement will be in effect for this week's final preseason games and then the league will reassess the setup, the NFL announced. Prior to this tweak, the umpire was positioned on the offensive side of the ball for all but the final two minutes of each half, in which he was moved to the defensive side of the ball. Colts

The Cincinnati Bengals have released wide receiver Antonio Bryant, the team announced Sunday. The Bengals signed Bryant to a four-year, $28 million contract in the offseason as a free agent. The deal reportedly included nearly $8 million in guaranteed money, which Bryant is to retain. The club initially chose to sign Bryant instead of fellow free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens, but later signed Owens as well. Bryant becomes an unrestricted free agent. He has been plagued by a knee problem. His departure leaves Owens to team with Chad Ochocinco at wide receiver in Cincinnati.

ATLANTA--The NFL will propose an 18-game regular season to the players' union, Commissioner Roger Goodell said here Wednesday. Goodell said there was "overwhelming support for the concept" when the sport's franchise owners discussed a possible 18-game season during a meeting Wednesday at a downtown Atlanta hotel. The owners did not take a formal vote on the measure but Goodell said a proposal to the union will be made "rather quickly." The owners seem to strongly favor increasing the regular season from 16 to 18 games per team, while reducing the preseason from four to two games per club, beginning in 2012. Goodell and the owners have said they would discuss the measure with the union as part of the two sides' labor negotiations. The union has expressed wariness about the measure because of the increased injury risk that players could face. The owners previously made a presentation to the

ATLANTA--The NFL's franchise owners voted unanimously here Wednesday to approve the sale of a controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams to Missouri billionaire Stan Kroenke. "We had a good discussion on the issues this morning," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Obviously all of us know and respect Stan.... He's been a terrific owner in the NFL and we're confident he'll continue to be a terrific owner." Kroenke is purchasing the 60 percent stake in the team of Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez. Kroenke already owned 40 percent of the club. "We're delighted with the vote," Kroenke said. "You get a unanimous vote on anything in the modern world, you're delighted about it."

The NFL fined Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco $25,000 for violating game-day league rules, including the sport's social media policy, according to the league's Web site. Ochocinco was fined for possessing an electronic device and posting messages on a social media site shortly before and during the Bengals' preseason game Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to the NFL's Web site. Under the NFL's social media policy, a player is prohibited from posting messages on a social media site on game days during a period beginning 90 minutes before kickoff and ending when postgame interviews are completed. There were two messages posted on Ochocinco's Twitter account during that prohibited time period, according to the league's Web site.

UPDATED (1:16 p.m.)... The NFL's franchise owners are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Atlanta and are to discuss the possible lengthening of the regular season to 18 games per team. A source familiar with the deliberations said Tuesday he doesn't expect the owners to take a formal vote on the measure. Commissioner Roger Goodell and other NFL officials have said in recent weeks it was unclear if a vote of the owners on an 18-game season would be taken at this meeting. The measure, even if approved by the owners, would not take effect without the endorsement of the NFL Players Association, owners have said. The owners have said an 18-game regular season potentially could be put into effect as soon as 2012. Asked during a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp nearly three weeks ago whether a vote on an 18-game season would be taken at this

The Minnesota Vikings' hopes for a Super Bowl season have been damaged. Pro Bowl wide receiver Sidney Rice underwent hip surgery Monday and is expected to be sidelined for at least half the season, according to reports. Rice confirmed to the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he underwent the procedure Monday in Colorado. Rice told the newspaper in a text message that the surgery went well. Rice reportedly suffered the injury in the Vikings' overtime loss in New Orleans in last season's NFC title game. He had 83 catches for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The Vikings have Brett Favre back at quarterback but have problems at receiver. Percy Harvin, the NFL's offensive rookie of the year last season, continues to be plagued by migraine headaches. The team reportedly plans to sign free agent wide receiver Javon Walker, formerly Favre's teammate with the Green Bay Packers.

Dan Rooney, the longtime owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has the NFL's minority interviewing rule named for him because of his work on the league's diversity committee. He is now the U.S. ambassador to Ireland. None of that apparently helped him Saturday night when he reportedly was asked to leave the press box at the New Meadowlands Stadium because he lacked the proper credential to be there. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rooney flew in from Ireland to watch the Steelers-Giants preseason game in person, and was talking to people in the press box before the game. A press box attendant told Rooney to leave and return to the private box for which he had a credentia. Rooney complied, according to the Post-Gazette report.