I used my shoulder like they told me to do." Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson sai

NEW YORK -- Washington Redskins safety Brandon Meriweathers two-game suspension from the NFL for multiple helmet-to-helmet hits was cut in half Wednesday on appeal. Two days after Meriweather was told he would miss time for repeated violations of player safety rules, hearing officer Ted Cottrell reduced the punishment to one game. Cottrell was jointly appointed by the league and the players union. Meriweathers suspension by NFL vice-president of football operations Merton Hanks came for repeated hits to the head and neck area of defenceless players, including two in Washingtons 45-41 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Meriweather was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit when tackling receiver Alshon Jeffery on a 28-yard completion with about two minutes left in the third quarter. He also was penalized for a helmet-first hit on Brandon Marshall in the end zone on an incomplete pass with a little more than four minutes remaining in the game. "All of these officials, if theyre going to make a mistake, they want to protect the player, so if its anywhere close to being a helmet-to-helmet, they are throwing a 15-yard flag, and thats what theyre being told to do. If you get anywhere around that head, youve got a chance to hurt your football team," Washington coach Mike Shanahan said Wednesday in Ashburn, Va. "Were constantly emphasizing it, but its tough in the heat of battle for these guys. Youre very competitive. You want to get after them. Then all of a sudden, a guy might duck at the last second, and all of a sudden you have helmet-to-helmet, and they dont even look at intent." In Week 2, Meriweather was fined $42,000 for a helmet-first hit on Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy, forcing Lacy out of the game with a concussion. Later that same day, another helmet-first hit gave Meriweather himself a concussion, knocking him out of the game. Meriweather will lose about $70,000 in salary when he sits out Sundays game at the Denver Broncos. He is not allowed to participate in any football activities with the team during the suspension. "Its unfortunate that the league felt like it needed to suspend him," Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said. "If a receiver sees you and he ducks, sometimes youre going to hit the guy, and the intent was to not even hit the guy, so thats the tough position defenders are in. ... A lot of times you cant avoid the situation." The suspension could leave the Redskins without their two starting safeties when they face Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Strong safety Reed Doughty got a concussion when the Bears attempted an onside kick in the fourth quarter. Meriweather said after last weekends game that he thought both hits against the Bears were legal. He said hes tried to change his game to suit the NFLs tackling rules. "I wasnt trying to be dirty. I wasnt trying to hurt nobody," he said. "I didnt lead with my -- didnt launch with my -- head. I used my shoulder like they told me to do." Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson said Wednesday: "You just got to adjust. I feel like he is. Hes trying to be a better player. But sometimes its hard to lose that reputation in the end." Chase Daniel Jersey . The Raptors general manager has his list of possible draft selections whittled down to a handful ahead of Thursday nights NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York. The Raptors, who have auditioned dozens of players over the past couple of weeks, have the 20th overall pick in the first round, as well as the 37th and 58th picks in the second. Chase Daniel Bears Jersey . Jannero Pargo scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help the Charlotte Bobcats erase a 21-point deficit and rally for an 83-76 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. http://www.bearsauthenticproshop.com/Youth-Trey-Burton-Bears-Jersey/ .com) - Damian Lillard poured in 40 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go along with 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 115-111, in overtime on Tuesday. Anthony Miller Jersey . The 33-year-old defender has spent his entire career at Chelsea, scoring 57 goals in 621 appearances. He regained his regular starting place under Jose Mourinho in the season that ended at the weekend without Chelsea winning a trophy. Roquan Smith Jersey . A little more than one year after missing a last-second tip-in that would have given the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, the 6-foot-8 forward scored on a layup with 7.Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Nick Bjugstad scored in the 20th round of a shootout to give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. In the longest shootout in NHL history, both teams went through their entire lineup once, with Washington taking the lead five times only to see Florida answer on its last shot. After Roberto Luongo waited out Alex Ovechkin, who missed the net with a sharp angle wrister to open the 20th round, Bjugstad got Braden Holtby to bite before burying a wrister into the right corner of the net. It surpassed the previous shootout record of 15 rounds between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals on Nov. 26, 2005, which the Rangers won. Derek MacKenzie scored in the first period and Luongo stopped 23 shots for the Panthers, who have won two of their last three. I dont know how many times guys scored to bail me out and keep me alive, but they did it, said Luongo. Probably half of those goals I was beat, but the guys either hit the post or missed the net, so Ill take it. Troy Brouwer had a power-play goal in the second period and Holtby finished the contest with 28 saves for the Capitals, who had won four of five coming into the contest.dddddddddddd At first you just want to get the victory, but when it went to 16, 17 rounds you just started to enjoy it, said Washington head coach Barry Trotz. You were just living in the moment and hoped that you would get the two points. Unfortunately we didnt. The only goal of the first period went to Florida as a turnover behind the net saw the puck come out to the right circle and MackKenzie shoot it in at 9:36 for his third of the year. Skating on the power play, Washington tied the game with 5:25 to play in the second after Brouwers first shot from the inside right circle was blocked by a defender, but he picked up the loose puck and buried the second attempt. Washington appeared to score a goal with 3:08 left in regulation after Brooks Laich got the puck in during a scrum in front. Replay, though, showed that he kicked it in with his left skate. Game Notes Florida plays in Philadelphia on Thursday ... Washington plays at Columbus on Thursday ... Washington was 1-for-2 on the power play and Florida went 0- for-2. 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