St. Louis lifts suspension on defensive end Hargrove

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams defensive end Anthony Hargrove, who skipped two days of practice and meetings last week while dealing with personal issues, on Monday was reinstated to the team.

Coach Scott Linehan said Hargrove, a third-year player, was hit with a "pretty substantial fine" and would have to earn his way back up the depth chart. Rookie Victor Adejanyu started Sunday at Arizona and will get another start this week against the Lions.

Linehan said he met with Hargrove for about a half-hour on Monday. He said it was "possible" that Hargrove could play as a backup on Sunday.

"It was a good meeting, I'll say that," Linehan said. "We talked about the reality of the situation."

Linehan said he did not consider releasing Hargrove.

"In all fairness, that would not be appropriate given the facts of the situation," the coach said.

Hargrove's agent, Reggie Blackwell, said Friday that his client wanted to apologize to the team on Monday. Linehan said that probably will have to wait until Wednesday because he had been busy with other business.

Blackwell said Hargrove had been dealing with personal and family issues and neglected to inform the Rams. Hargrove did not participate in practices or meetings on Thursday or Friday and did not make the trip to Arizona.

-- The Associated Press