AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Notes from the second day of Cowboys training camp:
Shane Hannah, the Dallas Cowboys second-round draft pick two years ago,
told coach Barry Switzer he was retiring and left training camp.
Hannah, a 329-pounder from Michigan State, has never played a down in the
NFL. He sat out last season with an injury.
"He told me the game wasn't fun anymore," Switzer said. "He
told me his heart and mind weren't in it. I respect his decision."
Losing Hannah hurts the Cowboys depth, and they'll be looking around for
offensive line help.
However, they won't go after Derek Kennard again. Kennard filled in as starting
center last year when Ray Donaldson got hurt but wasn't offered a contract
by the Cowboys.
"We are not pursuing him," Switzer said.
The Cowboys are pleased with third-round pick Clay Shiver of Florida State
as Donaldson's backup this season.
Wide receiver Oronde Gadsen gets lonely at camp, so he brought a friend:
a pet monkey named Malik.
However, Gadsen has been ordered by officials at St. Edward's University,
where the Cowboys live and train during camp, to send Malik back to Dallas.
The Cowboys are popular with the press. Over 200 media credentials have
been issued for camp, even during an Olympic summer when thousands of journalists
are busy in Atlanta.
The crowds at St. Edward's are good, too, averaging over 2,000 fans per
day. The 20-day Cowboy camp pumps about $3 million into the Austin economy,
according to Mayor Bruce Todd.
New middle linebacker Fred Strickland delivered a blow that knocked running
back Emmitt Smith to the ground during a no-tackle drill.
Smith laughed about it, saying, "That's football. Sometimes you get
blasted."
One member of the media joked that "Emmitt was just happy the Cowboys
finally found a middle linebacker who would make a tackle."
Robert Jones, who had a subpar season in 1995, left via the free agency
route, and Stickland was picked up when he left Green Bay.