AROUND THE NFL

The NFL’s security office began its investigation Tuesday into the training camp hazing incident that left New Orleans Saint rookie tight end Cam Cleeland with blurred vision in one eye.

Coach Mike Ditka refused to talk to reporters, and the players, including Cleeland, also refused to talk after the meeting that lasted five minutes in New Orleans.

Cleeland, a 1998 second-round draft pick, said a CAT scan revealed no broken bones around his left eye. His vision remained blurred, however, and he said he was still having headaches.

The Saints have not been able to identify the players who formed the gantlet and had not been able to fine or punish them, Ditka said.

Cleeland’s agent, Cameron Foster, however, said the Saints should punish the entire team and keep punishing them until the guilty players were identified.

“I’m waiting to see if the New Orleans Saints will clean up their own house,” he said. “If they don’t do it, I’ll do something.”

Cleeland was one of a number of rookies who had pillow cases put over their heads and were forced to run a gantlet of veteran players. He was the only one to sustain serious injuries, however.

“I guess when you get hit in the head with a bag of coins you’re bound to have blurred vision,” said Cameron Foster, Cleeland’s agent. He said the bag of coins was also used to hammer Cleeland’s ankle, which had sidelined him most of camp because of a sprain.

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Dorsey Levens’ agent said the Green Bay Packers have increased their offer to an average of $5 million over five years, and he’s optimistic the halfback’s holdout could end soon.

Asked Tuesday in Green Bay, Wis., if the offer had opened the door to end the contentious stalemate, Hadley Engelhard said: “I hope so. We’re definitely closer. I’m always confident.”

Packer chief negotiator Mike Reinfeldt acknowledged that the two sides had talked extensively last week, but declined to comment on whether the Packers had increased their offer or to characterize the progress of negotiations.

In other news, Green Bay released quarterback David Klingler, in his seventh season, offensive guard Doug Widell and defense end Paul Frase, both in their 10th seasons, and wide receiver Lee DaRamus, a third-year pro.

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Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer said the Chiefs have no interest in signing Lawrence Phillips, one day after he disclosed he had met with the troubled running back who has been released by the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins in his short career.

“We made a decision we’re going to go in another direction,” Schottenheimer said. “We evaluated the information available to us both through research as well as personal interviews.”

Media and public opinion had been running strongly against signing Phillips, but Schottenheimer said that played no part in the decision.

“I don’t ever listen to the talk shows and I haven’t read a newspaper in a few days, so that wasn’t a factor,” Schottenheimer said.

The Chiefs also released veteran quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver, who lost out to second-year man Pat Barnes in the battle to be No. 3 quarterback behind Elvis Grbac and Rich Gannon.

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Jamie Brown’s disappointing stay with the San Francisco 49ers took a turn for the worse, when the tackle was suspended three weeks for conduct detrimental to the team.

The action raises questions about whether Brown will even be a part of the team in the future.

Desperate for help at tackle after Kirk Scrafford was forced into retirement because of a neck injury, the 49ers obtained Brown from Denver last April for a 1999 second-round draft pick. But injuries have kept him off the field and he won’t be allowed at team facilities while he’s suspended.

Coach Steve Mariucci said the suspension without pay was imposed after Brown showed up late for Sunday’s exhibition game against Miami. Though injured and unable to play, Brown was supposed to be there about two hours before the 1 p.m. kickoff but didn’t arrive until about 1:30.

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Over the objections of prosecutors, a judge excused New England Patriot tight end Ben Coates from appearing at his next court hearing on domestic abuse charges in Wrentham, Mass.

Judge Daniel Winslow scheduled a Sept. 29 hearing and granted a defense motion to excuse Coates, who was in court Tuesday, from that proceeding as well, despite opposition from Glenn Cunha, assistant district attorney.

Jennifer Marshall, the mother of one of Coates’ children, accused the player of shoving her several times and slamming her head against the hood of a car last month.

Coates, 28, pleaded innocent July 27.

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Former Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus was cut by the Tennessee Oilers after third-year veteran James Ritchey beat him out for the No. 3 job.

Powlus, who wasn’t drafted in April, had signed a free-agent contract with the Oilers.

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Dallas Cowboy 15-year veteran Bill Bates was cut but will remain with the team as a coach. “Everybody knows how I feel about playing football,” said Bates, who joined the Cowboys as a free agent out of Tennessee. “Every day I have played since Day One has been gravy.” . . . Quarterback Steve Matthews was one of 18 players waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Matthews completed 23 of 35 passes for 252 yards in a 40-13 exhibition victory last season. The team also put defensive tackle Don Davey, who has not fully recovered from arthroscopic surgery, on injured reserve.

Defensive tackle Tim Bowens will be the highest-paid Miami Dolphin this year, ahead of even quarterback Dan Marino. Bowens has signed a contract that averages $5 million a year through 2002. However, the agreement, which includes a $4 million signing bonus, isn’t guaranteed and a team source said Bowen’s salary for the early part of the contract is comparable to the $3.25 million per season the Dolphins initially offered.

Ronald Moore, a fourth-round selection in 1993, was one of 13 players waived by the Cardinals. Moore ran for 1,018 yards and a franchise rookie-record nine touchdowns his first year, and led the Cardinals in rushing the next year with 780 yards. . . . The St. Louis Rams released five players, including backup quarterback Will Furrer, and also placed tackle Roger Chanoine on the injured list.

Fullback Tim Lester, who has blocked for Jerome Bettis in both St. Louis and Pittsburgh, was placed on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery last spring. . . . The Oakland Raiders cut Cole Ford, a veteran kicker from USC, and quarterbacks Mike McQuery, a rookie out of Penn State, and Jason Davis, a one-year pro from Western State.