EREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita accused Roger Goodell of abusing his power as commissioner for his handling of the New Orleans Saints' bounty case.

Fujita also criticized the NFL's recent record on player safety and said he plans to appeal the reduced suspension. He expects to play Sunday when the winless Browns (0-5) host the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fujita, a former Saints linebacker who had his three-game suspension reduced to one on Tuesday by Goodell, released a statement Wednesday in which he expressed being most angered with a letter he received from Goodell after his suspension was reduced.

Before practicing Wednesday, Fujita said in the statement that he's pleased Goodell acknowledged he never participated in the Saints' pay-for-hits program.

Sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Fujita submitted signed declarations from nearly 20 players to the NFL before Goodell reissued the penalties, saying he did not contribute any money to a bounty fund.

Fujita, however, made it clear Wednesday that he did not like the content of the letter he received from Goodell.

Goodell wrote to Fujita that he was "surprised and disappointed by the fact that you, a former defensive captain and a passionate advocate for player safety, ignored such a program and permitted it to continue. ... If you had spoken up, perhaps other players would have refused to participate and the consequences with which we are now dealing could have been avoided."

"For him to come out and say he was disappointed in me for not standing up to my coach," Fujita said after practice Wednesday, "I haven't had someone tell me they were disappointed in me since I was 12 years old, and that was my father."

A member of the NFL Players Association's executive board, Fujita, who met with Goodell on Sept. 28 in New York, was most bothered that Goodell's "condescending tone used in his redetermination letter was neither accurate nor productive."

Fujita went on, "Additionally, I am now purportedly being suspended for failing to confront my former defensive coordinator for his inappropriate use of language. This seems like an extremely desperate attempt to punish me. I also think it sets a dangerous precedent when players can be disciplined for not challenging the behavior of their superiors. This is an absolute abuse of the power that's been afforded to the Commissioner."

Fujita said if the wording in Goodell's letter had not been so offensive, he may have accepted the lesser suspension without a fight.

"I've got to admit, the condescending tone really sent me over the edge," Fujita said. "I thought it was uncalled for and inappropriate. We had a very respectful, productive meeting last week but the redetermination to come out the way it did and for me to be resuspended for not standing up to my defensive coordinator didn't make sense to me."

On Tuesday, Goodell upheld the suspensions of Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith and reduced penalties for Fujita and Anthony Hargrove.

Vilma will sit out the entire season, and Smith's punishment stands at four games.

Hargrove, a free-agent defensive lineman, will face a two-game suspension once he signs with a team. He originally was hit with eight games, but that was reduced to seven with five games already served.

The players were implicated in what the NFL said was a bounty pool run by former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and paid improper cash bonuses for hits that injured opponents. The players have acknowledged a pool but denied they intended to injure anyone.

Goodell's new ruling comes about a month after an appeals panel created by the NFL's labor agreement vacated the original suspensions on technical grounds during Week 1 of the regular season. The panel informed Goodell he needed to clarify the reasons for the punishment.

The 33-year-old Fujita has maintained his innocence from the start of the scandal. He particularly has taken issue with Goodell's dealings with player safety.

"For me, the issue of player health and safety is personal," Fujita said. "For the league and the Commissioner, it's about perception and liability. The Commissioner says he is disappointed in me. The truth is, I'm disappointed in him. His positions on player health and safety since a 2009 congressional hearing on concussions have been inconsistent at best. He failed to acknowledge a link between concussions and post-career brain disease, pushed for an 18-game regular season, committed to a full season of Thursday night games, has continually challenged players' rights to file workers compensation claims for on-the-job injuries, and he employed incompetent replacement officials for the start of the 2012 season. His actions or lack thereof are by the league's own definition, 'conduct detrimental.' "

"My track record on the issue of player health and safety speaks for itself. And clearly, as I just listed, the Commissioner's does, too."

Fujita played four seasons in New Orleans before signing as a free agent with Cleveland in 2010.

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HOUSTON -- Linebacker Brian Cushing is out for the season with a torn left knee ligament, leaving the unbeaten Houston Texans without their top tackler and one of their emotional leaders.

Cushing was hurt in the second quarter of the Texans' 23-17 win over the New York Jets on a low block by guard Matt Slauson. Cushing walked off the field on his own, but didn't return.

Coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday that Cushing has a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will need surgery in two to three weeks, after the swelling subsides. Cushing was leading Houston in tackles (38) before Monday night's game.

"A big blow for our team," Kubiak said. "We have to have guys pick it up around him and we've got to find a way to move forward. We're all just disappointed for him. It's a tough day for him."

The Texans (5-0) play Green Bay (2-3) in Houston on Sunday night. The loss of Cushing is a foreboding sign for Houston, which ran into a rash of injuries to some of its top players in 2011, including Andre Johnson (hamstring), Matt Schaub (Lisfranc fracture) and outside linebacker Mario Williams (torn chest muscle).

In 2010, Houston lost middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and the team spiraled to a 6-10 record.

"I do know that there are crises in this league, and every team has them," Kubiak said. "We've had our share here the last couple of years, and boy, if this is the first one (this year), it's a big one."

Last year, the Texans overcame the injuries, finished 10-6 and won their division, with third-string quarterback T.J. Yates running the offense. Kubiak thinks that experience may help them overcome the loss of Cushing now.

"I do know what this group is made of and I know what they're capable of," he said, "and we'll find a way to work through it and somebody else will come out of this and become a good player for us. I have a lot of confidence in that."

Tim Dobbins moved into Cushing's spot in the lineup against the Jets, and finished with four tackles and a pass deflection. Kubiak says Dobbins is "option No. 1" to replace Cushing in the lineup.

Dobbins played his first four NFL seasons with San Diego, including one season under Wade Phillips, now the Texans' defensive coordinator. He was traded to Miami during the 2010 draft, released after one season and signed by the Texans in August 2011. He played in 15 games last season and four this year, mostly on special teams.

"He's a veteran player, he's played with Wade before," Kubiak said. "It's a lot to ask, but that's why he's here. It's an opportunity for him as a player and we'll have to rally around him and like I said, make up for Cush's loss as a group."

Another eventual option may be Darryl Sharpton, who was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list during training camp with a hip injury. By league rules, he can't be activated until Week 7. The Texans have a bye week after playing Baltimore on Oct. 21, and Kubiak said he'll have a chance to closely evaluate Sharpton then.

"If he was available to come off and help us today, he's still not ready," Kubiak said. "But we do have some more time on our hands. We are pushing him toward that date, here in a few weeks, to where we can get a good look at him and see. There's still some progress to be made."

No matter who steps in, Cushing will be hard to replace.

A first-round draft pick in 2009, Cushing was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He made 133 tackles that year, the second-most in the AFC behind Baltimore's Ray Lewis (134).

Cushing again led the Texans in tackles last season (114) and also intercepted two passes and forced two fumbles. He's only missed four games in his three seasons, all to serve a suspension for a positive test for a banned substance.

Cushing answered questions about it, and now ranks as one of the most respected players in the locker room.

"Those guys really look to him," Kubiak said. "He's an emotional leader, the way he plays, the way he works, the way he practices. Cush loves it all. That's the thing about him. Guys feed off of that."

Kubiak said Cushing "was in pretty good pain" on the field on Monday night, and seemed to realize the severity of the injury. The team talked about losing Cushing at halftime, then made just enough plays in the second half to survive a gritty effort by the Jets.

"I think there was some added incentive to finish that thing up for Cush," Kubiak said.

Defensive end J.J. Watt produced another dominant performance, making six tackles, including a sack. He also deflected three passes -- one of them leading to Brice McCain's interception that ended a Jets' scoring threat.

Arian Foster carried the offense and helped Houston win time of possession for the fifth time this season. Foster rushed 29 times for 152 yards, both season highs.

Justin Forsett had four carries for six yards in place of regular backup Ben Tate, who missed Monday night's game with a toe injury. Kubiak said Tate "was not close" to playing and will be evaluated again on Wednesday.

Aside from the injuries, Kubiak has growing concerns about Houston's kick-return and coverage teams. Trindon Holliday averaged only 11 yards on three kickoff returns, and the Texans were penalized three times on returns.

Most alarming, though, Houston gave up a 100-yard kickoff return to New York's Joe McKnight, a momentum-changing play after the Texans had built a 20-7 lead. Houston also comfortably led Miami in the season opener before Marcus Thigpen ran back a punt 72 yards for a touchdown.

"I'm very concerned special-teams wise," Kubiak said. "We didn't get a ball past the 20 (on kickoff returns) last night, and we've given up two touchdowns. We're near the bottom of the league in covering kicks. We've got to address it. It's going to cost us, at some point. We've been fortunate, but it's not good enough right now."

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reduced the bounty-related suspensions of two New Orleans Saints players while upholding the punishments of two others.

Linebacker Scott Fujita's three-game suspension has been reduced to one while defensive end Anthony Hargrove's eight-game penalty has been trimmed to seven games.

The suspensions of linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith will remain the same.

Vilma is on the Saints' physically unable to perform list and will not be eligible to play this year but can keep the money he has been paid for his six weeks on the PUP list.

The NFL Players Association released a statement addressing Goodell's decisions.

"For more than six months, the NFL has ignored the facts, abused the process outlined in our collective bargaining agreement and failed to produce evidence that the players intended to injure anyone, ever," the statement said. "The only evidence that exists is the League's gross violation of fair due process, transparency and impartiality during this process. Truth and fairness have been the casualties of the league's refusal to admit that it might have made a mistake."

The four players have 72 hours to begin the appeals process. Should they choose to do that, the understanding is they would be allowed to play until the appeals process is completed.

"We will review this decision thoroughly and review all options to protect our players' rights with vigilance," the NFLPA said in its statement.

Goodell appoints the person who will hear the appeal and last time chose to do so himself.

With Goodell's decision Tuesday, Fujita (now of the Cleveland Browns), Hargrove (free agent) and Smith (Saints) get a total of $1,042,649 back in salary, according to ESPN.com sports business reporter Darren Rovell.

The players had been suspended as a result of a bounty pool that league investigators have said the Saints ran from 2009-11, but the bans had been vacated on technical, jurisdictional grounds by an appeals panel operating within the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. That decision had led to the re-instatement of the four players and has forced Goodell to begin the disciplinary process for the players over again.

In addition to fighting their previous suspensions through procedures called for by the NFL's labor agreement, the four players also have sued in federal court in New Orleans. Vilma has his own attorneys, while the NFLPA has represented the other three. Only Vilma has sued for defamation. The other federal claims, made by all four players, generally state that Goodell violated labor law by failing to act as an impartial arbitrator. They also asked the judge to bar the commissioner from punishing the players in the bounty matter.

Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and former Saints assistant Mike Cerullo have provided the NFL with signed declarations in which they stated they observed Vilma offering what they believed were $10,000 rewards for knocking then-Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and then-Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of 2009-10 playoff games.

Williams, hired by St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher last winter, is suspended indefinitely from the NFL. Cerullo has not worked in the NFL since being fired by the Saints in 2010. He recently worked for the Connecticut football program, and his recent declaration stated he now is director of football operations at Princeton.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Members of the Kansas City Chiefs spoke out angrily Sunday against thousands of fans who cheered when quarterback Matt Cassel left a 9-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion.

Cassel has been the focus of frustrated fans for the past couple of years, many of them booing him when he appeared during a celebrity softball game this summer. Someone even had hired a plane to fly over Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday with a banner that called for Cassel to be benched.

The angst reached a tipping point when Cassel, who committed three turnovers against Baltimore, was hammered by the Ravens' Haloti Ngata while completing a pass in the fourth quarter.

Cassel remained on his back for several minutes while fans began to cheer. He eventually got to his feet with some help and walked off the field under his own power.

"It's 100 percent sickening," Chiefs tackle Eric Winston said. "I've never, ever -- and I've been in some rough times on some rough teams -- I've never been more embarrassed in my life to play football than at that moment right there. I get emotional about it because these guys, they work their butts off. Matt Cassel hasn't done anything to you people.

"Hey, if he's not the best quarterback, he's not the best quarterback, and that's OK, but he's a person," Winston continued, the big offensive lineman's voice slowly rising. "And he got knocked out in a game and we've got 70,000 people cheering that he got knocked out."

The Chiefs initially said only that Cassel suffered a "head injury," and coach Romeo Crennel said he wasn't sure whether he'd been taken to a hospital. Brady Quinn finished the game.

Crennel said Monday he's not yet ruling Cassel out for next weekend's game against the Buccaneers, but he also said that the quarterback's health is of paramount importance.

Crennel said that Quinn will prepare to start next Sunday's game and that Ricky Stanzi would be the backup quarterback if Cassel is unavailable.

"We are not gladiators and this is not the Roman Colosseum. This is a game," said Winston, who spoke to Cassel briefly in the locker room after the game. "This is a game that's going to cost us a lot down the road. That's OK. We picked it. We deserve it. I don't want your pity. But we've got a lot of problems as a society if people think that's OK."

Cassel was intercepted twice by the Ravens, though both passes were tipped. He also was charged with a lost fumble, a flubbed exchange with Kansas City facing first-and-goal at the Baltimore 1.

"It's not right, you know what I'm saying? I'll speak that for any stadium, any player to get hurt," said Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL.

"When someone gets booed, it's not right. It's his health. You know what I'm saying? He got hurt. You have to respect," Charles said. "It wasn't right that he got booed."

Once a Pro Bowl quarterback, Cassel is completing just 58.5 percent of his passes this season, with five touchdowns and nine interceptions. He's averaging just 6.5 yards per pass attempt.

"I knew I hit him hard, but I didn't think it was hard enough to take him out. I thought I hit him right in the ribs," Ngata said. "Hopefully, he bounces back and gets better."

As for the cheering? Even the Ravens thought it uncouth.

"For them to cheer for him being hurt," Ngata said, "that's just not cool."

Perhaps the most egregious example of fans cheering an injury to a player occurred in Philadelphia in October 1999, when Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was cheered by Eagles fans as he lay motionless on the turf with a neck injury. The difference, of course, in the comparison to the Cassel situation is that the boos came from opposing fans.

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CLEVELAND -- Terry Francona is getting back with one of his baseball families.

Francona, who guided the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles, has been named manager of the Cleveland Indians, a team that collapsed in the second half this season after a promising first four months.

The 53-year-old will be introduced as Cleveland's 42nd manager during a Monday news conference at Progressive Field.

Cleveland chose Francona over Sandy Alomar Jr., who served as the club's interim manager for the final six games after Manny Acta was fired on Sept. 27. Francona and Alomar, who spent the past three seasons as a coach in Cleveland, were the only candidates to interview for the Indians' opening.

Alomar has been offered a spot on Francona's staff, most likely as bench coach.

The Indians have always held a special place for Francona. After he was fired as Philadelphia's manager, he worked in Cleveland's front office as an adviser in 2001. He also spent a portion of the 1988 season on Cleveland's major league roster and his father, Tito, played with the Indians from 1959-64.

Francona has stayed close with Indians president Mark Shapiro and general manager Chris Antonetti over the past decade. He said the chance to work with them again is what intrigued him most about the Cleveland job, which will have its challenges because of a much smaller payroll than he enjoyed in Boston.

"It's a good story, almost a family feeling," Francona said after his interview on Friday. "I don't think you can take a job because of that, but it still means a lot to me. Because of Chris and Mark and my relationship, I am excited to try to tackle, or attempt to tackle, every challenge that comes our way and do it together."

Francona interviewed with the Indians one day after Alomar, a six-time All-Star catcher for Cleveland and fan favorite. Alomar managed the Indians to a 3-3 record after Acta was dismissed. Alomar will likely be courted by other teams seeking a manager. He interviewed with Boston last year before the Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine.

Francona spent eight seasons with the Red Sox but was not brought back after the club fell apart down the stretch in 2011. This season, Francona worked as an analyst for ESPN and said it was while preparing for broadcasts that he realized how much he missed managing and being around players.

Francona has managed for 12 seasons in the majors, compiling a 1,029-915 record.

Antonetti said part of Francona's appeal was how he developed young players like Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester as they came up through Boston's system.

The Indians went 68-94 this season, Acta's third with the club. They were within 3 1-2 games of first place on July 27, but went 5-24 in August -- the worst month in the franchise's 112-year history -- and finished 20 games out in the AL Central.

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