Nashville, Tenn. ? Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was charged with driving under the influence Thursday even though police said his brother-in-law was behind the wheel of the pickup registered to the former Tennessee Titan.

Although McNair was just a passenger, he was charged with a misdemeanor under a Tennessee law that prohibits a vehicle owner from letting it be driven by someone who is inebriated.

Police said officer Harold Taylor pulled over McNair’s 2003 Dodge pickup just before midnight Wednesday because it was speeding. The driver, 31-year-old Jamie Cartwright, smelled of alcohol, failed a field sobriety test and refused to take a breath alcohol test, police spokesman Don Aaron said.

NFL considering 17th game

New York – Americans always seem to want more pro football. Yet it’s the folks abroad who might be getting an extra taste of the NFL in the future. Although talks are extremely preliminary, the NFL is investigating adding a 17th regular-season game and playing it outside the United States. The extra game would take the place of one in the preseason, allowing every team to play once abroad.

NFL Network to appeal

New York – The NFL Network will appeal a judge’s ruling that Comcast, the nation’s largest cable television operator, can distribute the channel separate from its digital package.

State Supreme Court Justice Bernard J. Fried ruled earlier this month that Comcast can place the NFL Network on a less-popular niche level that has far fewer viewers than the digital level.

Jones, commissioner to meet

Nashville, Tenn. – Adam “Pacman” Jones once said he could accept whatever punishment NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gave him. Suspended for the 2007 season, the Tennessee Titans’ cornerback changed his mind. Jones and his attorneys were scheduled to meet with Goodell at an undisclosed location today in New York to appeal the length of his suspension for conduct detrimental to the NFL.