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Bengals cornerback Adam Jones will be addressing NFL rookies at the league’s rookie symposium again this year as part of the effort to inform rookies about potential trouble and how to avoid it.

It’s a decision that some have questioned in light of Jones’ recent arrest on charges of assaulting a woman outside a bar in Cincinnati. During an interview with Mike Garafolo of USA Today proclaimed his innocence of the charges and defended his presence at the symposium – Why would I not keep talking to the youth and help the youth out like I did last year because of somebody else acting up? — as a speaker who could testify first-hand to how making the wrong decisions can impact one’s football career.

“My goal is to just give back to the community and the league and to let them know you’re accountable for everything you’re doing,” he said. “There’s nobody who’s gotten more chances than me and, when you do, when you’re back in those situations … you’re always going to be judged by your past, regardless of what anybody says. I just want to try to enlighten some of the guys so they don’t have to go through the things I went through.”

The assault charge still needs to work its way through the legal system, so Jones isn’t quite done going through the things he wants to enlighten rookies to avoid in the future. That’s all the more reason for him to give a speech that holds himself up as an example of someone who has made too many of the wrong decisions over the course of his career.

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The lawsuit filed last week against Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez for allegedly shooting a guy in the face was indeed dismissed.  But it will be re-filed.  Today.

Attorney David Jaroslawicz, who represented the former Jets massage therapists in the lawsuit against Brett Favre, tells PFT that the case was dismissed not because of a settlement but because of a mistake in the paperwork.

“It is being refiled today,” Jaroslawicz said via email.  “The injury was corrected.  He did not have plates and screws in his arm, only in the right side of his face.”

Typically, a complaint can be amended freely and without court permission before the defendant submits a response.  It’s unclear why that didn’t happen here, especially since re-filing the lawsuit means cutting a new check for the filing fee.

AP

While the Bills and defensive end Mario Williams were quick to backpedal, it doesn’t appear Titans safety Bernard Pollard’s interested in stepping away from a controversy.

Instead, he’s running full-speed toward one.

According to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, Pollard has a hand-written message taped to the front of his locker at the Titans facility which reads: “Goal — Super Bowl. Mission — Kill!!!”

And lest you think it’s being taken out of context, here’s Pollard himself to explain.

“Our goal is the Super Bowl, and our mission is to kill,” the veteran safety said while pointing to the note. “And if someone doesn’t like it, then who cares? I really couldn’t care less. It is not our responsibility to make anyone else happy, to please you, to care about you.

“Our responsibility is to protect LP Field and our responsibility is to steal wins on the road. And our responsibility is to [beat you up] as a defense, and that’s what we’re going to do on every single play. You have to have that mentality because nobody cares about the Tennessee Titans. Nobody. So you have to take the respect. That’s what we have to do. . . . Yeah, this team can get to the Super Bowl.”

You’d think that a team that just hired Gregg “Kill the head and the body will die” Williams this offseason might be more sensitive to such language.

The Bills were quick to distance themselves from the “kill ‘em,” remarks attributed to defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, and while Pollard enjoys the tough-guy act, the Titans would be wise to follow suit.

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The two-year contract extension that defensive end Justin Smith signed with the 49ers is likely to be the final contract that the 33-year-old signs in the NFL.

“Justin’s All-Pro contributions on the field, as well as his leadership on and off the field, are integral to our success as a team,” 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke said in a statement from the team. “Justin consistently sets a standard of excellence, serving as an example for everyone within our organization. This contract allows Justin to finish his career as a 49er!”

Smith said Wednesday that the fact that the 49ers shared his desire to continue their relationship made negotiations on the extension easy. Smith, who served as his own agent during talks with the team, is excited that things have worked out so that he’ll be able to finish his career with San Francisco.

“A chance to go out on your own terms,” Smith said, via Taylor Price of the team’s website. “I never dreamed that would happen, so I’m pumped about that.”

Smith went further on the topic of going out on his own terms, saying that he wasn’t going to be the kind of player who hangs around to play something less than a lead role on the defensive line.

“That’s not going to happen,” Smith said, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “I’ve said that, I meant that — I won’t be the guy that’s around for 10 snaps, 20 snaps. It’s either,I’m going or I’m not going. If I get my ass out here, I’m going.”

AP

The NFL has shown in recent years a willingness to aggressively enforce the personal-conduct policy.  Typically, the NFL will allow a first-time incident to make its way through the legal system before taking action.

The league gets more interested when a player has had two or more incidents.

That becomes problematic for Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who currently is involved in an investigation regarding an “associate” (reportedly Odin Lloyd) whose body was found roughly a mile from Hernandez’s home, in the vicinity of a rental car tied to Hernandez.  Per TMZ, Hernandez also was sued last week in Florida for allegedly shooting a man in the face.

Even if Hernandez is never arrested, Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t, either.  And Roethlisberger was suspended six games (reduced to four) after being sued for sexual assault in Nevada and later accused (but not charged) of sexual assault in Georgia.

So what will the league do about Hernandez?  Not surprisingly, the league isn’t saying.

“We have no comment,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told PFT by email.

Based on past situations, it’s safe to assume that NFL Security will conduct an investigation of its own regarding both incidents, coming to a conclusion as to whether Hernandez violated the terms of the league’s personal-conduct policy either in the shooting incident in Florida or the situation in Massachusetts.  Discipline can be imposed even if he’s not formally accused of or charged with any crime.

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June is a slow month for football.  It hasn’t been a slow month for a certain football player’s lawyers.

According to TMZ, Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was sued last week in a Florida federal court for allegedly shooting someone in the face.

The lawsuit, filed by Alexander S. Bradley, claims that Hernandez shot Bradley on February 13, 2013 while the two men were riding in a car.  Bradley allegedly lost his right eye as a result of the incident, along with other injuries.

Per TMZ, the case was dismissed only four days after it was filed.  Since it’s highly unlikely that any action was taken on the case that quickly, there’s a chance the case was settled.

Hernandez would have been much smarter to settle the case before it was filed.  Between the lawsuit and the investigation in Massachusetts, Hernandez is now more likely to attract the attention of the league office, which is more apt to apply the enforce the personal-conduct policy when a player is involved in multiple off-field incidents.

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Dave Jennings, a four-time Pro Bowl punter who played for the Giants and Jets and became a broadcaster for both teams after his playing career ended, has died at the age of 61.

Jennings, who had suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 1996, died at his home this morning, the Giants have announced.

“Dave Jennings was one of the all-time great Giants,” Giants owner John Mara said. “He was a valued member of the Giants family for more than 30 years as a player and a broadcaster, and we were thrilled to include him in our Ring of Honor. More importantly, he was an outstanding person who battled his illness with rare courage and dignity. We will miss him dearly.”

Jennings didn’t play high school football and went to St. Lawrence University as a basketball player, but he had a naturally strong leg and decided to walk on as a punter. He ended up being a three-time all-conference football player, and the Giants invited him to training camp in 1974. He spent 11 seasons as the Giants’ punter and then punted for three more years for the Jets, and he was a Pro Bowler in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1982. After retiring as a player he worked both Jets games and Giants games as a radio announcer.

AP

Justin Smith was hoping this wasn’t going to be his last year with the 49ers.

Consider that problem solved.

According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, the 49ers signed Smith to a two-year contract extension today, which locks him up through the 2015 season.

According to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, Smith recently split his agents with CAA. He’s not listed with another agent on the NFLPA database, which suggests there’s either a lag in the paperwork or he did the deal himself.

Either way, it keeps a valuable member of their defense in the fold for a few more years. The 49ers looked like a different team when he was out with an injury last year, with Aldon Smith in particular disappearing without his bodyguard.

He was scheduled to make $7.5 million in base salary this year, the final year of his contract, so the move likely created some salary cap room for the 49ers as well.

AP

When Bills receiver Stevie Johnson looks at Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, he likes what he sees.

In fact, Stevie Johnson’s personal trainer, Travelle Gaines, says that their offseason workouts are designed to make Stevie a bigger, stronger more physically imposing receiver, along the lines of Megatron.

“Stevie came to me and said, ‘I want to be considered a Top 5 wide receiver in the NFL. I want that Calvin Johnson type frame, that Calvin Johnson type of intimidation,’” Gaines said on NFL AM. “So he really hit the weights hard. He’s in the best shape of his life.”

The reality, of course, is that no amount of time in the gym is going to create a body like Megatron’s. That body was built by God, when He decided that He wanted to create the perfect wide receiver specimen. But Gaines says that Stevie Johnson (who is three inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than Calvin Johnson) is taking his workouts very seriously in an effort to build the best body he can.

“I think with Stevie’s personality, people think he’s just a jokester and a clown. But when he’s ready to go, he goes, and he’s 100 percent focused when he’s in the weight room,” Gaines said.

And perhaps he can put up a Megatron poster in the weight room to remind him what he’s working toward.

AP

As a small army of news organizations chases the Aaron Hernandez story, there will be conflicting and, necessarily, incorrect reports.

Our goal will in part be to sift through those reports, making sure you know what the various outlets have uncovered.

And I say all of that because the latest report will raise some eyebrows and/or drop some jaws.  According to Karen Anderson of WBZ-TV in Boston, Hernandez has not been ruled out as a suspect in the death of an “associate” found roughly a mile from his North Attleboro home.  Anderson also reports that Hernandez currently is not cooperating with authorities.  (There had been conflicting reports as to whether Hernandez was initially uncooperative.)

Anderson cites a single unnamed law-enforcement source for both pieces of information.  Without knowing who the source is, how the source knows what the source knows, and whether the source has an agenda, it’s impossible to assess the accuracy of the report.

WBZ-TV also reports that the victim is Odin Lloyd, 27, of Dorcester.  Odin played semi-pro football with the Boston Bandits.

His body was found by a jogger, who told WBZ-TV that when police arrived they said it appeared Odin had been shot somewhere else and dumped in the industrial park roughly a mile from Hernandez’s home.

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Veteran linebacker Takeo Spikes, who has been a free agent since the Chargers cut him in March, would like to play this season. But he’s in no hurry to sign with a new team.

Spikes said on NFL AM that at age 36, he doesn’t get excited about the idea of sweating through a hot summer practice, and he doesn’t think he needs it. So he’d prefer to sign with some team toward the end of the preseason.

“Do I want to be on a team at the start of training camp? Not really,” Spikes said. “After 15 years of playing in the league, they’re not making anything new up. The only thing new you have to understand is terminology, and I would like to think I’ve been around long enough to understand that.”

Spikes compares this offseason to his offseason five years ago: He was cut by the Eagles in March, then waited until mid-August to sign with the 49ers

“I went through this in 2008 before I signed with the San Francisco 49ers, and who knows, maybe it can happen again,” Spikes said.

Spikes is healthy, has started all 16 games three straight years, and still has something he can contribute. Some team will probably come calling in the next few weeks. And Spikes is interested — but he may take his time answering that call.

AP

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has insisted throughout that he knew nothing about the fraud being committed at his chain of truck stops.

But the list of his employees who admit to it continues to grow.

According to Michael Sangiacomo of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, three more employees of Pilot Flying J pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday of cheating trucking compannies out of fuel discounts.

One of the Tuesday pleas, from regional sales manager Kevin Clark, includes an agreement to cooperate with the investigation. Two other employees pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy charges, and promised to cooperate as well.

A spokesman for Haslam continued to portray it as an isolated problem.

“We are disappointed in the actions of these employees towards our customers,” spokesman Tom Ingram said. “We assure our customers that our five-step plan to correct any wrongdoing and to make certain these actions do not happen again is ongoing, and that our customers’ confidence in the vast majority of our 23,000 team members nationwide remains well-placed.”

The investigation continues, and with more employees (of sufficiently high positions) offering information to prosecutors, it seems inevitable that that majority will continue to shrink.

AP

When 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh insisted that the replacement for Michael Crabtree (Achilles) would come from the current roster, it was presumed that the replacement would be a receiver.

As it turns out, the Niners could be thinking about using tight end Vernon Davis as a wideout while Crabtree recovers.

According to Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Davis participated “exclusively” as a receiver during the team’s recent mandatory minicamp.

While plenty of tight ends line up in the slot these days, Davis could actually be lining up wide — especially since Anquan Boldin is expected to be San Fran’s primary inside receiver.

Davis, a top-10 draft pick in 2006, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at the Scouting Combine.  So he definitely has the speed to play on the outside.  He also has the size to fight off press coverage, and to manhandle most cornerbacks who would try to get to the ball before him.

AP

With offseason workouts completed for most teams, the calendar has reached the point at which players have free time — and coaches and General Managers spend most of their free time worrying about getting a phone call regarding a player who has found trouble.

At some point in the past day or so, Patriots coach Bill Belichick received one of those calls.  But instead of hearing about the latest run-of-the-mill off-field entanglement, Belichick was told that tight end Aaron Hernandez faces police questioning after a body of an “associate” was found in the vicinity of a rental car connected to Hernandez.

All reports continue to indicate that Hernandez is not a suspect.  Still, Hernandez has consulted with a lawyer, per SI.com.  According to ABC, Hernandez received at his North Attleboro home on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. a hand-delivered package from the “prominent law firm Ropes and Gray,” an international corporate firm with 11 offices worldwide.

Police reportedly spent hours inside Hernandez’s residence on Tuesday, ultimately searching the structure and emerging with a box.

Two men who tried to leave during the search reportedly were detained.  The car in which they planned to leave also was searched.

Hernandez’s agents have declined comment.  The Patriots issued the standard perfunctory comment, acknowledging the reports but declining to address the situation in deference to the investigation.

It’s unclear whether and to what extent Hernandez has been questioned by police.  ABC has reported that he was initially uncooperative, which implies that at some point he has decided to cooperate.  (The Boston Herald disputes the ABC report, using the dismissive “Web reports” label.)

Many possible explanations exist.  It seems implausible that Hernandez had any role in the killing of the “associate,” given the presence of the rental car tied to Hernandez in the vicinity of the body.  At a minimum, the car would have been removed.

Also, there was no apparent effort to conceal the body, which was found by a jogger in an industrial park roughly a mile from Hernandez’s home on Monday.

AP

Giants punter Steve Weatherford is not done ripping his former Jets special teams coordinator, Mike Westhoff.

Weatherford has said in the past that he didn’t like playing for Westhoff, and in an interview with the Star-Ledger, Weatherford answered a question about comparing the Giants and Jets by explaining that Westhoff was the one problem he had when he played for New York’s other team.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Weatherford said of playing for the Giants. “I enjoyed playing for Rex Ryan but the special teams coach [Mike Westhoff] was very difficult to get along with both on and off the field. Here, the Giants have treated me great since the moment I walked in here. I show up early and leave late and give everything I have. I think the Giants have an appreciation for that. I absolutely love being here. I’d play for free.”

Weatherford kicked for Westhoff for the Jets for two seasons with the Jets, in 2009 and 2010, and after they parted the two spoke negatively about each other over issues including Weatherford ranking 23rd in punting one year and Weatherford calling his own fake punt and failing to convert on a fourth-and-18. You’d think by now they’d be over whatever differences they had, but you’d be wrong.