Bye-bye Bucs: Michael Clayton, the former LSU star wide receiver, is now a free agent. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t able to strike a deal with Clayton before the 12:01 a.m. deadline today. Published reports and Internet gossip have the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks as possible teams Clayton could end up playing for. Clayton is the second Baton Rouge native the Bucs cut ties with this week; the team earlier released running back Warrick Dunn.
NCAA looking at Brown’s adviser: The NCAA has started an investigation of Brian Butler, the controversial adviser and mentor to Bryce Brown, one of the nation’s top high school football players and an LSU recruit. The New York Times says NCAA officials are in Wichita, Kan., looking into Butler, who advises and trains Brown and other players in the area. Butler and Brown are on their way to Baton Rouge for a recruiting visit to LSU. Butler had committed to Miami, but the Hurricanes say they are no longer interested in offering him a scholarship. He’s narrowed his choices down to LSU, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Kansas State and Oregon and plans to pick a school on March 16. Read the Times story here.
