NFL

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Michael Strahan is staying retired, although his agent said that the seven-time Pro Bowler seriously considered returning to the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

"He was very close to returning, but the great part about Michael is that he takes his time to think about things and he is very thorough," Tony Agnone said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday night. "You can get excited about coming back and running through the tunnel one more time."

Agnone said that Strahan struggled deciding whether he could give 100 percent mentally.

"In the end, he felt he could not get back to where he was," Agnone said.

The first report of the news was provided by FoxSports.com, which contacted Strahan in Greece where he was vacationing.

"This has been one of the toughest nights of my life," Strahan told FoxSports.com. "But after long deliberation and throwing around a million scenarios in my head for the past day, I think it's just best if I stay retired."

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SAN DIEGO -- Five players were released by the San Diego Chargers on Tuesday, including quarterback Casey Bramlet, to get down to the required 75-player limit.

Also cut were wide receiver Billy Pittman, tight end John Tereshinski, wide receiver Marco Thomas and punter-kicker Billy Vinnedge.

Pittman, Tereshinski and Vinnedge joined the Chargers in May as undrafted free agents. Bramlet and Thomas had previously spent time with other clubs.

The moves came a day after the Chargers extended the contracts of linebacker Jyles Tucker and safety Steve Gregory. Tucker, who's played in only six career regular-season games, got a five-year deal while Gregory got a four-year extension.

If star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman opts to have surgery on two torn ligaments in his left knee, Tucker is expected to replace him. Merriman has been seeking opinions from doctors outside the organization and is trying to decide whether to have surgery or continue playing.

"I will find out more info when the doc calls me tomorrow," Merriman said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday. He was on his way home from visiting a doctor in Miami.

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Troy Vincent declined to discuss whether he's interested in succeeding Gene Upshaw in leading the NFL Players' Association because he is still mourning the union's executive director's death -- and a person Vincent referred to as "a mentor."

"I will not discuss anything outside of my mourning and sympathy for [the Upshaw] family," Vincent wrote in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press on Tuesday, in what were the former NFLPA president's first public comments since Upshaw died last week.

Vincent, a former NFL defensive back, is considered a candidate to take over as NFLPA executive director, a position which is filled on an interim basis by Richard Berthelsen, the union's chief counsel. Vincent played 15 NFL seasons and spent the past four years as the union president before he was succeeded by Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae.

College Football

HOUSTON -- Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma offensive lineman Duke Robinson and Oklahoma defensive end Auston English are among 113 players on the preseason watch list for the Lombardi Award.

The award is presented annually to college football's best lineman. Of the 113 players on the watch list, 49 are offensive players and 64 play defense.

The watch list will be updated and revised throughout the season and will eventually be narrowed to 12 semifinalists.

The award will be presented on Dec. 10 in Houston.

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SPOKANE, Wash. -- Washington State defensive tackle Andy Roof was kicked out of school, four months after being arrested for allegedly head-butting a man at a party.

The Cougars also announced that senior offensive lineman Dan Rowlands has been forced to quit the team due to chronic shoulder pain.

Roof is being investigated for assault, stemming from a campus brawl, but has not been charged.

He missed last season after he was suspended from school for alcohol offenses. He wasn't expected to start, but he figured to get substantial playing time this season.

Coach Paul Wulff said the student conduct board decided to dismiss Roof, a 6-foot-9, 299-pound senior from Spokane.

"I was very disappointed when I heard the decision," Wulff said in a statement released by the school. "Since I arrived on campus, Andy has been a great leader for this program on the field, in the locker room, in the classroom and done everything we ask of all student-athletes."

Roof played as a freshman and became a starter his sophomore year. He had been expected to see plenty of action this season. He told reporters earlier this year that he had stopped drinking after being kicked out of school last season.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Skip Holtz and East Carolina agreed to a new contract Tuesday that will last through the 2013 season.

Athletic director Terry Holland said the contract contains changes to his incentive and bonus structure and should encourage Holtz "to stay with us a long, long time."

Holland said specifics of Holtz's new deal can't be released until the contract is approved by the school's board of trustees.

Holtz has led the Pirates to consecutive winning seasons and bowls for the first time since 1999-2000.

In December 2006, he signed an extension through 2011 worth $4.35 million over five seasons.

The announcement came four days before East Carolina's season opener against No. 17 Virginia Tech in Charlotte.

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AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn tailback Brad Lester called up his bank the other day looking for his account balance.

Instead, he got the question: "Who's the starting quarterback?"

If only his account included $1 for every time that's come up. Coach Tommy Tuberville said Tuesday inquiring fans will likely have to wait until the 10th-ranked Tigers' opener Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe for an answer.

Junior college transfer Chris Todd and sophomore Kodi Burns -- or vice versa -- both expect to play in the game. Both say they have no idea when they'll find out who gets to take the first snap.

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