Font ResizeEddie DeBartolo moved a familiar step closer to enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The 49ers' former owner is among 27 modern-era semifinalists for next year's class, along with ex-49ers Charles Haley, Roger Craig, Kevin Greene and Larry Allen. DeBartolo was a finalist for the 2012 class.
Allen, ex-Denver safety John Lynch, who played at Stanford, and former Raiders defensive lineman Warren Sapp were among the first-year eligible players. Ex-Raiders receiver Tim Brown was also on the semifinal list.
The field will be reduced to 15 modern-era finalists and senior nominees Curly Culp and Dave Robinson in early January.
Saints: It had been 10 months since Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith were face to face with their former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams -- a span that included suspensions for all three in connection with what a league investigation determined was a cash-for-hits bounty program. Friday, Vilma and Smith sat while their lawyers cross-examined Williams. Smith described the hearing, the third this week in Washington overseen by ex-commissioner Paul Tagliabue, as "peaceful" and "not awkward." Both have been allowed to play while their appeals
Eagles: Concussions will keep Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy out of Sunday's game against Dallas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
