NFL Notes: Doctor tells Dallas’ Haley he can’t play

Thursday, Sept. 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

Charles Haley's doctor has advised him not to play for several weeks because his chronically sore back is deteriorating, The Dallas Morning News reported today.

The newspaper cited an uni dentified source close to Haley as saying California doctor Robert Watkins advised the lineman Monday that he needs to sit out three weeks.

According to Watkins, who performed two previous disk operations on Haley, he needs that time to follow a rehabilitation program designed to strengthen and stabilize his back, the newspaper said.

Haley did not practice with the team Wednesday and wasn't immediately available for comment.

Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer said Haley is upset about not being able to play.

"Charles is hurt, and he's emotionally depressed," Switzer said. "I think Haley feels like people don't believe he's hurt. The guy has paid a price for playing this game, and he has to deal with it every day."

* COLTS: Cary Blanchard will find out later this week if he'll be able to kick for the Indianapolis Colts in Monday's early season AFC East showdown with Miami. Blanchard had surgery to remove two kidney stones on Tuesday and doesn't plan to attempt a kick until Friday. But he's certain he'll be able to play Monday night when the division co-leaders (3-0) clash in the RCA Dome before a sellout crowd and a national television audience. "It was more painful than anything I ever experienced. I decided to go with the more aggressive treatment," Blanchard said Wednesday. "I'm planning on kicking Friday and playing Monday." Blanchard was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday and was walking gingerly as he watched the team practice.

* PANTHERS: Steve Beuerlein knows better than to get too comfortable in his new job as the Carolina Panthers' quarterback. Coach Dom Capers on Wednesday named the ninth-year pro to start the Panthers' game Sunday against San Francisco. Beuerlein, 31, who has spent much of his NFL career as a backup, will replace Kerry Collins, who continues to recover from a sprained left knee suffered Sept. 8 in Carolina's victory over New Orleans. "Unless there's some major setback with Kerry," Capers said, "this isn't going to be a long-term thing."

* STADIUM DESIGN OK'D: The National Football League has endorsed the initial design for the replacement of Cleveland Stadium, home of the future Cleveland Browns. "The preliminary design of the new Cleveland Stadium is an exciting and innovative plan that we have reviewed and endorsed," NFL vice president Roger Goodell said in a statement distributed by the Browns Trust. The trust was created by the league to prepare for football's return to Cleveland in 1999. "We are enthusiastic about working with the city and the architects to ensure that the final design produces a unique, state-of-the-art facility that can carry the tradition of the Cleveland Browns and their fans well into the future," Goodell said. The stadium will be configured to allow fans and television audiences to see the downtown area, said project manager Dennis Wellner of HOK Sports Facilities Group of Kansas City.