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The NFL Players Association told players involved in the New Orleans Saints bounty case that there is a chance they could face criminal charges and it hired outside counsel to represent them if needed. Paul Kruger Womens Jersey . While Commissioner Roger Goodell weighs how to punish the two dozen or so players the league says might be connected to the bounties, the NFLPA also suggested that players have a lawyer and union representative present when they are interviewed by NFL investigators. The union plans to head to New York this week to meet with league security staff and review additional evidence, taking up the NFL on an offer it made more than once. The latest steps were described to The Associated Press on Sunday by two people familiar with the case. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The NFL has said that 22 to 27 defensive players were part of the Saints pay-for-pain bounty pool, which awarded thousands of dollars of cash bonuses from 2009-11 for vicious hits that knocked targeted opponents out of games. One example, according to the league: Linebacker Jonathan Vilma offered US$10,000 to any New Orleans player who sidelined Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre during the 2010 NFC championship game. On March 21, Goodell suspended Saints coach Sean Payton for all of next season, general manager Mickey Loomis for eight games, assistant coach Joe Vitt for six games, and former defensive co-ordinator Gregg Williams for at least one season. Goodell also fined the Saints $500,000 and took away two second-round draft picks. The appeals process is expected to begin this week. When those punishments were announced, Goodell said he would wait for NFLPA input before determining how to discipline players who participated in the bounties. "While I will not address player conduct at this time, I am profoundly troubled by the fact that players -- including leaders among the defensive players -- embraced this program so enthusiastically and participated with what appears to have been a deliberate lack of concern for the well-being of their fellow players," Goodell said. The NFL has asked the union for contact information for players. The NFLPA, meanwhile, was told by the league it could try to speak to Payton, Loomis, Vitt and Williams. The league has not given any timetable for when Goodell will decide on penalties for the players, creating uncertainty for the Saints -- as well as other teams who might now have any of the players involved. Gabe Feldman, a law professor and director of the Tulane Sports Law Program, said shortly after the NFL made its investigation public that he didnt expect any criminal or civil legal action specifically tied to the bounties. "Theyre difficult cases to bring, because its hard to prove the injury was caused by a tackle with specific intent to injure, rather than a regular tackle," Feldman explained at the time. "We all know injuries are a part of football. There cant be legal liability anytime there is an injury. Otherwise, you cant have football." Ray Rice Super Bowl Jersey . On Friday night, Camby had 16 rebounds, six blocked shots and two key baskets late to help the Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 98-89. Goran Dragic scored a season-high 25 points and Courtney Lee added 17 to give Houston its 12th straight win at home against Memphis, which hasnt won in Houston since April 2006. Dennis Pitta Elite Jersey .  This week, Arsenal catches offensive fire while Everton gets unlucky and Manchester United shines with their brightest lights on the bench. http://www.theravenssuperbowl.com/ray-lewis-jerseys . -- PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, saying it was "time to get better," announced Tuesday sweeping changes that will end nearly 50 years of Q-school as a way to get to golfs biggest tour. Ray Rice Purple Jersey . -- Practicing against the nations best defence each day apparently is helping Alabama develop a championship-calibreoffence. Courtney Upshaw Jersey . He received 43 votes Friday from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Balloting was done before the NCAA tournament. The 6-foot-10 player from Chicago is the Southeastern Conferences Player, Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year.DUBLIN, Ohio -- Rory McIlroys troubles in the Memorial on Friday began when he tried to play from the bank of a creek and the ball wound up going backward. Thats about the direction of his game at the moment. McIlroy missed the cut for the third straight time with a 7-over 79 in cool, blustery conditions at Muirfield Village. That shot from the creek led to a double bogey, and a double bogey three holes later with a tee shot into the water left him feeling as if nothing is going his way. "I hit some good shots," McIlroy said. "It just seems like every time I go out there, I make one or two big numbers and that sort of throws me -- a couple doubles on the back nine. Just those big numbers at the beginning are killing me, and I just need to get those off the card and Ill be OK." But with his title defence in the U.S. Open two weeks away, there is cause for concern. It was only a month ago when McIlroy lost in a playoff at Quail Hollow and returned to No. 1 in the world. Since then, he missed the cut in The Players Championship, the BMW PGA Championship and the Memorial, which he considers one of his favourite courses. The last time McIlroy missed three successive cuts was in August 2008 -- the Scandinavian Masters, Dutch Open and Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles -- when he was 19 and ranked No. 164 in the world. McIlroy doesnt feel as though he is that far off, but the frustration showed. Standing off to the side of the 17th green, he tilted his head toward the overcast sky, closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. He waited his turn on the 18th tee with both hands thrust in his pockets, head bowed, the driver leaning against him. "Hes obviously frustrated," said Luke Donald, the world No. 1. "Just having watched Rory the last few days, hes not far away. He made a couple of careless errors and made some big numbers on a couple holes that was the difference this week. Im sure once he posts that one good round, that one solid run of maybe a couple of rounds, this will be a blur and hell forget about it quicckly. Ray Rice Pink Jersey. " McIlroy blamed himself for not being properly prepared last week at Wentworth, and he worked hard on the range and in the gym before coming to America for an important three-week stretch. It didnt help. There was that quadruple-bogey 7 on his third hole of the tournament, although he made a strong recovery to shoot 71. He began Friday by missing 12-foot birdie chances on the opening two holes, and then his opportunities began to dwindle. The killer was the 11th, which McIlroy said was an error in judgment. His second shot into the wind went down the bank of the creek, and McIlroy tried to play back to the fairway. The ball hit the bank and went backward into the water. He had to scramble to make the double bogey. Then, he pulled his tee shot on the 14th into the stream and missed the green in the wrong spot, leading to his next double bogey. That was too much damage from which he could recover. "I just wanted to chip it out in the middle of the fairway, and as soon as I hit it, it obviously just hit the bank in front of me and came back in the water," McIlroy said. "Probably a bit of bad judgment because I thought I could just chip it back out. But if I had examined the line a little bit closer, I might have just taken a drop straight away." McIlroy added the St. Jude Classic to his schedule, giving him four straight tournaments. That doesnt mean hes playing many rounds. McIlroy said at the start of the week that these two-day work weeks arent helping him. "I dont feel like the scores are actually reflecting how Im hitting the ball," he said. "I was able to string nine good holes together yesterday. I just need to keep working on it and try and string 18 good holes together, and then try and string two days together, and obviously three days and ultimately four. But I hit some good shots out there. Im definitely hitting the ball better than I did last week, so I can see an improvement there. But Ive still got a long way to go." And the U.S. Open is only a short time away. ' ' '