NFL | Spygate meetings set

NEW YORK — Matt Walsh, a former New England Patriots video assistant, will meet separately with league commissioner Roger Goodell and Sen. Arlen Specter today to discuss the team's videotaping of opposing coaches' play-calling signals in violation of league rules.

Walsh is scheduled to meet with Goodell at the league offices in New York this morning. Afterward, he will travel to Washington to meet with Specter. Specter, who is from Pennsylvania and is the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been critical of the league's handling of the investigation.

Goodell and Specter each plan to hold a news conference after meeting with Walsh.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, while the team was fined $250,000 and forced to forfeit its 2008 first-round draft choice.

The Spygate investigation began after the league confiscated tapes from a New England employee who recorded the New York Jets' defensive signals from the sideline during the 2007 opener.

Last week, Walsh sent the league eight videotapes that showed the Patriots recording play-calling signals. The tapes included signals by coaches of five opponents in six games from 2000 to 2002.

League officials said those tapes were consistent with what they already knew.

Walsh worked for New England from 1997 to 2003. His name surfaced before this year's Super Bowl, nearly five months after the Patriots were sanctioned.

After more than two months of negotiations, lawyers for the league and Walsh agreed last month to terms that would allow him to talk with Goodell. The terms include an agreement by the Patriots not to sue Walsh, who is working as a golf pro in Hawaii.

Notes

• The NFL Players Association and the league have started talks aimed at negotiating a possible extension to the collective-bargaining agreement, which expires in 2011.

NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw said on the union's Web site that representatives from both sides met Thursday in New York.

• Robbie Gould, 25, reportedly became the highest-paid kicker, agreeing to a five-year, $15.5 million contract extension with the Chicago Bears that includes $4.25 million for signing. The deal runs through 2013.

Gould's deal surpassed the reported five-year, $14.2 million contract ex-Seahawk Josh Brown signed with St. Louis earlier this year.

Of Brown, Gould said, "He obviously helped to set another standard, and I'm very happy he got his deal done, which helped me in order to set my parameters and work on getting a deal done with Chicago."

• Long snapper David Binn, 36, signed a four-year contract to stay with the San Diego Chargers.

• Prosecutors in Florida said they will not seek the death penalty against four people charged with murdering Washington safety Sean Taylor because the accused shooter, Eric Rivera Jr., was a minor when Taylor was killed in November.

• Dallas receiver Terrell Owens makes his sitcom acting debut on the myNetworkTV show "Under One Roof," which is on at 7 p.m. Wednesday on KMYQ.