TATUPU PLEADS NOT GUILTY

Seahawks' Tatupu enters not guilty plea to DUI charge.

KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday to charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Tatupu appeared before Kirkland Municipal Court Judge Michael J. Lambo, but did not speak. His attorney, Jon Fox, told the judge his client would plead not guilty. After the hearing, Fox told reporters that Tatupu would not make a statement or answer questions.

Lambo set a tentative court date for July 7. The Seahawks' training camp opens July 25.

Tatupu was stopped in this Seattle suburb, the home of the Seahawks' headquarters and practice facility, at 2 a.m. on May 10 for traveling more than 15 mph above the posted 35-mph limit. The officer said Tatupu was driving erratically before finally stopping at a fast-food parking lot.

An arrest report said that at the Kirkland police station two hours later, Tatupu registered 0.155 and 0.158 in breath test readings, nearly twice the state intoxication threshold of 0.08.

The only public comment Tatupu has made was a May 13 statement issued through the team.

"I want to apologize to my family, teammates, the Seahawks ownership and organization, and the fans for making a poor decision and putting myself in a bad situation," his statement read. "I take seriously my role as a leader on this team, and in the community, and because of that I'm disappointed and embarrassed by the level of poor judgment I used last weekend.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again."

On March 25, the Seahawks had signed the third-year, 25-year-old Tatupu to a $42 million, six-year contract extension.

AP-ES-06-17-08 1437EDT

MITCH FREROTTE DEAD AT 43

Ex-Bills lineman Mitch Frerotte dies at 43.

KITTANNING, Pa. (AP) -- Mitch Frerotte, an offensive lineman who played in three Super Bowls for the Buffalo Bills, has died. He was 43.

He died unexpectedly at home and a cause was not immediately available. His death was confirmed by the Snyder-Crissman Funeral Home in Frerotte's hometown of Kittanning.
Frerotte played four years, including the Bills' Super Bowl seasons of 1990-92, mostly as a reserve and on special teams.

Frerotte played for Penn State from 1983-87 before joining Buffalo. He sustained a career-ending neck injury after joining the Seattle Seahawks for training camp in 1983.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

AP-ES-06-12-08 1030EDT

FOOTBALL LIFER PASSES AWAY

Former OU star, Seahawks coach Tom Catlin dies

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Tom Catlin, a longtime NFL assistant coach and a two-way star in the 1950s at the University of Oklahoma, has died. He was 76.

Catlin died Saturday at a hospice in Seattle of complications stemming from recent surgery, said his brother, Charles Catlin, who added that his brother recently had Parkinson's disease.

Catlin was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, where he coached from 1983-1995. He earlier worked as an assistant coach for the Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League, then the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills in the NFL.

Catlin played center and linebacker at OU from 1950-1952, and was a member of the Sooners' 1950 squad that won the national championship under coach Bud Wilkinson.

Catlin was selected in the fourth round of the 1953 draft by the Baltimore Colts, and was traded to Cleveland and played for the Browns in 1953-54. He was an Air Force pilot in 1955-57, and returned to the Browns in 1957-58 before finishing his playing career a year later with the Philadelphia Eagles.

He is survived by his wife, Betty, daughter Kimberly Ekdahal and son Thomas Jr., four grandchildren and his brother.

AP-ES-06-10-08 1101EDT