“With all allegations, we’ll see if state laws were violated, and if so, we’ll visit with the district attorney to see where we proceed.”

The FBI declined to say if it was investigating the allegations, which Loomis has vigorously denied. Local FBI spokeswoman Sheila Thorne would only say the bureau is “in receipt of the allegations” and would “have no further comment.” She also declined to say who made the allegations.

ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” reported Monday that an unidentified source claimed Loomis ordered a device in his Superdome suite be re-wired so he could listen to opponents’ conversations through his own earpiece from 2002 to 2004. The report said it is unknown if Loomis ever used the device, which was located in front of his seat.

The Superdome was re-wired and remodeled, following the damage it sustained after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and other upgrades made to the city’s landmark domed stadium, so that could make finding evidence of these allegations difficult.

Loomis could have violated state and federal wiretapping laws if he did listen to opponents without their knowledge, but the statute of limitations to prosecute him if he’s found to have used the device could have expired, based on the timeframe of the allegations. The federal statute of limitations is five years in such cases, and it’s six years according to Louisiana state law.

Even so, Loomis could face sanctions from the NFL if law enforcement or its own investigation finds wrongdoing. The league said the ESPN report was the first they’d heard of the wiretapping allegations but declined to say if it’s opening its own investigation.

“We heard the reports just as you did yesterday, and it’s something that U.S. attorney’s office will make a determination on and we’ll make a judgment from there,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday on “The Rich Eisen Podcast.” “We changed our technology a few years ago to where this would be impossible or near impossible to do in this day and age.”

Loomis, the Saints and other former team officials adamantly denied the claims. A team source said he wasn’t aware if law enforcement had interviewed Loomis about this recent accusation.

“This report on ESPN is absolutely false,” Loomis said in a statement e-mailed by the team. “I have a monitor in front of me in my booth that provides the league issued stats for the game. I have a small TV with the network broadcast and I have an earpiece to listen to the WWL-AM radio (flagship broadcaster) game broadcast. To think I am sitting in there listening … and or doing something with the offensive and defensive play calls of the opposing teams makes this story and the unnamed sources that provided the false information that much more less credible … it just didn’t happen.”

Edmonson said he hasn’t put a timeframe on the investigation, but “we owe it to the people involved to do an expeditious investigation but do a thorough investigation and fair investigation that maintains the highest level of integrity and professionalism.”

The allegations against Loomis come during an ugly offseason for the Saints, who are embroiled in a “bounty” scandal that resulted in coach Sean Payton being suspended for the season, Loomis for eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six. The team also was fined $500,000 and docked second-round draft picks this year and in 2013 for a bounty program that financially rewarded defensive players for hits that injured opponents.

Follow Steve Wyche on Twitter @wyche89.

The fight was originally planned for UFC 147 on June 23 in Rio de Janeiro. But UFC has yet to secure a venue for the event, which prompted it to move the fight to the United States.

“We wanted to do the fight here (Brazil) in a soccer stadium,” White said at a news conference in Rio. “First we tried Sao Paulo, then we tried to get some stuff done in Rio.

“Not only did that not work out, but we still don’t have a venue for The Ultimate Fitghter (Brazil) finale. But we’re still working on a venue here.”

With Silva-Sonnen II now headlining UFC 148, the bantamweight title bout between champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, which was expected to top the card, has been moved to co-feature status. Cruz (19-1) and Faber (26-5) have split their previous two meetings.

White said he still intends to hold the finale for “The Ultimate Fitghter: Brazil” on June 23. Coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort are expected to headline the event in a middleweight bout.

Featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who is tentatively schedule to defend his title July 21 at UFC 149 in Calgary, might be moved to the June 23 card. An opponent has yet to be named for Aldo.

With the likelihood of Aldo being taken off the UFC 149 card, White hinted at headline that event with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defending his title against top contender Dan Henderson.  “We’ve talked about the possibility of Jose Aldo moving to this (UFC 147) card here. It’s probably going to happen,” White said.”We’re working with his camp right now.

“And Dan Henderson and Jones could be a possibility. Obviously Jones just fought. We have to give (Jones) a few weeks and see how he feels and figure out what the main event will be in Calgary.”

Jones successfully defended his 205-pound belt Saturday night in Atlanta with a unanimous decision over former sparring partner Rashad Evans.

Silva, a native of Brazil, defeated Sonnen at UFC 117 in August 2010 in Oakland, Calif.,  by a fifth-round submission.

While eager to face Sonnen in his home country, Silva took the news of their rematch taking place in Las Vegas in stride. He will be making his 10th title defense.

“I don’t have fans only in Brazil, but worldwide,” said Silva, who is 31-4.”So regardless of where this fight is, I will be representing Brazil. I will be doing my job for my fans.”

Sonnen, who dominated most of the fight with Silva, earned a rematch against the champion when he defeated Michael Bisping by unanimous decision on Jan. 28.

“Look, Las Vegas is the fight capital of the world,” Sonnen said.”This is the biggest fight in the history of combat — boxing, wrestling, fighting, anything that is mano a mano, there has been nothing that is bigger than this.

“We’re going to the fight capital of Earth. We will be the biggest sporting event in the history of combat.”

Sonnen will enter the bout with a professional record of 27-11-1 and a two-fight win streak.

By Franklin McNeil

New Indianapolis general manager Ryan Grigson announced on Tuesday that the team will indeed do what’s been expected since it locked up the first pick on Jan. 1, and draft the Stanford quarterback on Thursday night.

“In fairness to him, in the whole process and the media gauntlet he’s gonna be enduring over the next couple days, I thought it was the right thing to do to announce we’re gonna take him,” Grigson said. “I didn’t see the point in prolonging what the world already knew. It’s about Andrew. We wanted to do the right thing by him.”

The Colts insisted that, despite the widespread belief that Luck has been destined to be the first overall pick for two years, their decision was not as simple as it may have seemed.

But it was always easy to read the tea leaves — Luck was invited to visit Indianapolis and Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin was not, and Luck worked out privately on campus for the Colts while Griffin declined to work out for any club.

“We did our due diligence and studied them like heck,” said coach Chuck Pagano of the quarterbacks. “Everybody thought this was the foregone conclusion. And really, on behalf of the kid and in trying to make things a little easier on his part, we (decided to go ahead) and make it official, and get it out there that he’s our guy.”

Pagano didn’t hold back in explaining why Luck was the choice.

“The intangibles are off the charts, you know the skill set, you’ve seen his body of work,” the new coach continued. “He’s a gym rat, he’s a football junky. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s physical. He can make every throw out there. And he’s a great leader in his own way. We all know the story about the SC game and him coming out at halftime and doing what he did.

“We’ve got a great one. We’ve got a great one for years to come. And it’s another piece of the puzzle that we feel really good about, obviously.”

Luck will participate in the club’s rookie minicamp over the first week in May, but will not be able to participate in any other parts of the offseason program until after he completes spring quarter at Stanford, due to NFL rules on underclassmen and graduation.

Pagano said that Luck is expected to wrap up his classwork on June 7. The architectural design major is taking two classes this spring and plans to walk with his graduating class on June 17. He’ll attended the Colts’ mandatory minicamp in-between, set for June 12-14, but will miss most, if not all, of the club’s organized team activities.

“We’ll try to get Stanford to change their rules and get off the quarters system, so we can get him here for the offseason program,” Pagano joked. “He’s chomping at the bit. We’re chomping at the bit. (offensive coordinator) Bruce (Arians) and (quarterbacks coach) Clyde (Christensen) and everyone on offense is chomping at the bit to get him here and get him going. But his football IQ is off the charts, so I don’t think it’ll take very long for him to pick things up and get going.”

And the coach — and just about everyone else in the building — can’t wait to start working with Luck.

“I know this — on any level, if you don’t have a quarterback, it’s really, really hard to win, especially in the National Football League,” Pagano said. “I’m gonna sleep well at night knowing that we have a quarterback for a long time.”

Follow Albert Breer on Twitter @AlbertBreer

The image is troubling: Gregg Williams at the front of the room, doling out cash-filled white envelopes to his Saints defenders, their payout for a signature play in the previous week’s game. Rewards starting at $100 for a special teams tackle inside the 20 and up to $1,500 for knocking out an opponent, money the players would be encouraged to give right back, to increase the kitty.

Peter King’s Sports Illustrated investigation into the Saints’ “bounty” program paints the picture of a team deeply entangled in a “pay for performance” culture that reached a fever pitch during their 2009 Super Bowl season.

The swelling pot of money at the center of this circus reportedly spiked before their January 2010 NFC title game against the Vikings, when Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma allegedly offered $10,000 to anyone who knocked quarterback Brett Favre out of the game.

Saints defensive linemen Bobby McCray and Anthony Hargrove accounted for multiple penalties and $25,000 in fines for vicious hits on Favre in that 31-28 overtime win, and, as Favre was helped off the field with a sprained ankle, a fired-up Hargrove jawed with teammates, proclaiming: “Favre is out of the game! Favre is done! Favre is done!”

King reports that, amid the chaos, an on-field microphone caught an unidentified Saints defender shouting, “Pay me my money!”

When Roger Goodell caught wind of the bounty system, he was devastated, a source close to the Commissioner told King.

“God forbid this is true,” Goodell said, according to the source. “This will be earth-shattering.”

By Marc Sessler NFL.com

Following back-to-back disappointing seasons that saw a supremely talented San Diego team miss the playoffs, the Chargers could be on the verge of making a big free-agent splash this offseason.

The Chargers have assigned an unknown price that they would be willing to pay in order to sign presumptive free agent Mario Williams, U-T San Diego reported Tuesday. The newspaper also reported the team spoke with Williams’ agent, Ben Dogra, at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, but it’s unclear if Williams’ name specifically came up in conversation.

Williams, 27, is considered the top defensive free agent in this year’s class, after totaling 53 sacks in six seasons with the Houston Texans. Williams made the switch from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker this past season when the Texans hired defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, but was lost for the year when he tore his pectoral muscle after only playing five games.

The Texans elected not to use their franchise tag on Williams, and, barring a deal before Tuesday’s deadline, the former No. 1 overall draft pick is set to enter free agency.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith has stressed his “philosophy has not changed” in his approach to free agency, according to U-T San Diego, though the newspaper reported the Chargers haven’t ruled out pursuing Williams.

NFL.com

“For 14 wonderful years, the only pro football I’ve known is Colts football,” Manning said during Wednesday’s news conference.

“My team won a lot of games here, I played with so many great players here. … Times change, circumstances change and that’s the reality of playing in the NFL.”

“Our circumstances make it best for us to take this next step,” Manning added. “It certainly has not been easy for me.”

The Colts’ decision to part ways with the four-time MVP did not come as a surprise, as it had been the subject of rampant speculation for months. Manning missed the entire 2011 season after undergoing season-ending neck surgery the week before the start of the regular season, and he was due a $28 million roster bonus if he still was on the Colts, a team currently in rebuilding mode with a new coach and general manager, at the start of the league year.

Manning said that he’s been preparing for this moment for some time, and that there never was a moment during which he found himself lobbying to remain a Colt. There also was not a decisive moment in his talks with Irsay, Manning said, that sealed this decision.

“We covered all sorts of scenarios. These circumstances are not what either of us wish they were, but that’s the reality,” Manning said. ” … I am at peace with it.”

Throughout the news conference, Irsay and Manning went to great lengths to hammer home the sense that this was an amicable break up, and that neither party harbored any ill will. Irsay even said that he wanted to see the four-time league MVP spend his final football years playing for a contender.

“As a franchise, where we are right now with the salary cap, we’re a few years away,” Irsay said. “I want to see him come back and play great. There’s no question about it. It’s just here, just like in 2001 when he was completely healthy and we didn’t have everyone to surround him. I just want to see him succeed at the end of his career.”

Wednesday’s news conference was just as much about celebrating Manning’s tenure in Indianapolis.

“I think the No. 18 jersey will never be worn again by a Colts player on the field,” Irsay said. “This process has been a long, difficult process. I know Peyton and I have had numerous conversations over the months. … We tried to put each other in each other’s shoes, and tried to realize what the situation was for the franchise what it was for Peyton. … In the end, the circumstances were too difficult to overcome.”

Manning said he hasn’t thought about where he’ll play next season, but he did tell reporters that he was not going to retire.

Wherever Manning ends up, however, he stressed that his heart always will remain in Indianapolis.

“I’ll always be a Colt,” Manning said. “I always will be. That will never change.”

NFL.com

The program runs in violation of league rules, and the investigation showed that Saints players received $1,500 for a “knockout” hit and $1,000 for a “cart-off” hit with payouts doubling or tripling during the team’s three playoff appearances.

A memo sent to clubs throughout the league included a statement on how Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma put up $10,000 cash as a bounty before a playoff game, a source familiar with the memo told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

The memo also said Mike Ornstein, a noted marketing agent who has close ties to Saints head coach Sean Payton and has worked with him on projects in the past, put up money as a bounty at least twice.

The program also entailed payments for interceptions and fumble recoveries, which also violates league rules against non-contract bonuses. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine the appropriate discipline based on the investigation, the league said in a statement.

“The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for ‘performance,’ but also for injuring opposing players,” Goodell said in a statement released by the league. “The bounty rule promotes two key elements of NFL football: player safety and competitive integrity.

“It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated. We have made significant progress in changing the culture with respect to player safety and we are not going to relent. We have more work to do and we will do it.”

Goodell said the investigation began in 2010 after allegations were made that the Saints defenders had targeted Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre during New Orleans’ 2009 run to the Super Bowl.

“Our security department interviewed numerous players and other individuals,” Goodell said. “At the time, those interviewed denied that any such program existed and the player that made the allegation retracted his earlier assertions. As a result, the allegations could not be proven. We recently received significant and credible new information and the investigation was re-opened during the latter part of the 2011 season.”

“I want to express my sincere regret and apology to the NFL, (Saints owner Tom) Benson, and the New Orleans Saints fans for my participation in the ‘pay for performance’ program while I was with the Saints,” Williams said in a statement released by the Rams. “It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again.”

The report found that Payton was aware of the allegations but did not make any inquires and failed to stop the program. The league also said that general manager Mickey Loomis at one time was directed to end the program once Benson was made aware of the league’s findings, but he did not carry out Benson’s directions.

The memo released to NFL teams also found Loomis and Payton guilty of “conduct detrimental” to the league, La Canfora reported.

“I have been made aware of the NFL’s findings relative to the ‘Bounty Rule’ and how it relates to our club,” Benson said in a statement. “I have offered and the NFL has received our full cooperation in their investigation. While the findings may be troubling, we look forward to putting this behind us and winning more championships in the future for our fans.”

 The NFL Players Association released a statement in which it promised to look into the NFL’s allegations.

“Health and safety is a paramount issue to the NFLPA,” the statement said. “The NFLPA was informed of this investigation by the NFL earlier today and will review the information contained in the league’s report.”

The Saints have gained a reputation in league circles as a dirty team in recent years, and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said this past season that the Saints targeted his high left ankle sprain.

“I felt like it kind of got overboard,” Peterson said at the time. “I got up and kind of got in his face. Thank God I was able to keep my composure.”

The Saints denied Peterson’s claims.

NFL.com

“When I met Kris the very first time, I had just landed in New York and it was late at night … and he was in Kourtney and Kim’s suite,” the 27-year-old told Jay Leno on Tuesday’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” “I went in there to say, ‘Hi’ because Kim was like, ‘Oh, I want to introduce you to my friend,’” she recalled.

PLAY IT NOW: Dish Of Salt: Khloe Kardashian Dishes On Moving To Dallas & Marriage To Lamar

“They’d just started dating,” Khloe explained.

Khloe, who is still happily married to Dallas Mavericks player Lamar Odom after tying the knot in 2009, said Kris instantly began to question the sincerity of her love for Lamar upon meeting. 

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom: A Match Made in Reality Heaven!

“One of the first things that came out of [Kris'] mouth — like within the first five minutes — was, ‘So, how much are you getting paid to fake your marriage? Like how long are you gonna keep this up for?’” she continued of Kris’ first words to her.

Khloe found Kris’ personal line of questioning to be highly inappropriate and the reality star said her guard instantly went up when it came to Kim’s soon-to-be ex-husband.

“I was like, ‘Dude, I don’t know if you’re trying to make me laugh?’ It just rubbed me the wrong way,” she explained. “So, ever since then, I had a very defensive wall brought up. I’m a very good judge of character, if I do say so myself, and he just rubbed me the wrong way initially.”

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries In Happier Times

Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

Throughout the past season, Hillis has wavered about whether he wants to continue playing football, and even considered joining the CIA, according to team sources.

It is unclear if he actually pursued a career with the CIA.

I’m not even sure what to say to that. I feel like just leaning on the question mark key for about 25 seconds and leaving it at that. Peyton Hillis wants to be a CIA agent, Tiger Woods wants to be a Navy SEAL … what’s next? Ben Roethlisberger wants to be on the United Nations Security Council? Michael Crabtree wants to be the cultural attaché to Portugal?

Perhaps more than a fascination with the CIA, it’s a disillusionment in football. Schefter also says that Hillis has had his mind on retirement before.

But Hillis has felt defeated throughout his time in football, whether it was being benched at Arkansas in favor of Felix Jones and Darren McFadden, being traded away from the Denver Broncos, or being unable to procure the long-term deal he desired in Cleveland. It led him to tell Cleveland’s coaches that he didn’t know whether he wanted to play football anymore.

Now Hillis is about to become a free agent and test his value on the open market.

Whata wonderful thing to let everyone know just as he hits free agency ‒ that he might not love football at all. I’m sure that’ll help convince someone to give him a big, long-term deal.

As for the CIA thing, I’m pretty sure you can’t just “join” the CIA like it’s a Wednesday night bowling league. Just having an interest is not enough. For example, I’d like to be Batman, but I’m pretty sure someone’s going to object if I put on tights and start punching people I believe to be criminals. I assume Hillis, if it’s something he really wants, has some qualifications for it, or is prepared to procure those qualifications. All I know of his background is that he majored in sociology at Arkansas.

I hope he finds his happiness, whether it’s busting heads in football or busting heads for the CIA. I’m curious to see what kind of contract offer he’ll get when free agency hits.

By MJD | Shutdown Corner