After being drafted sixth overall in 2009, Smith said the big contract he signed brought out numerous people claiming to be old friends or relatives, and that learning how to say “no” was a tough lesson.
“There are countless stories,” said cornerback Terence Newman, a first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2003. “There’s careless spending, bad investments and a lot of guys roll with a lot of people.
“When I got to Dallas, I had Darren Woodson who hooked me up with his financial planner and really showed me the way,” Newman added. “Now I always make a point to talk to the young guys and try to help them out.”
Moch returns: Linebacker Dontay Moch participated in his first practice Wednesday after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
A second-year player out of Nevada, Moch was inactive for all 16 regular-season games and the wild-card playoff game last year. But he showed promise in the preseason, leading the team with 3.5 sacks while splitting time between linebacker and defensive end.
“It feels good to be back in action,” he said. “It’s been a long four weeks. I used the time off to prepare so there’s no doubt for me to be on the field. I’m game ready now.”
The Bengals applied for and were granted a one-week roster exemption Monday, which means the team can wait until after Sunday’s game against Miami to officially add him to the 53-man roster.
“He just has to get back to playing and practicing and getting some snaps in,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “It’s good for him. He’s a conscientious guy who really wants to do well. It’s unfortunate the setbacks that he’s had, but I expect this to be a good week for him, and we’ll see what happens later in the week.”
Injury update: Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick returned to practice Wednesday, although he was listed as limited on the team's official report.
The first-round draft pick out of Alabama has participated in only a handful of practices since injuring his knee before training camp, and none since late August. Wednesday he took part in scout-team drills and positional work.
Afterward he Tweeted, “I still got a lot of work to do but I’m still fighting everyday to be what the #Bengals new I would be.”
Also limited in practice Wednesday were cornerbacks Nate Clements (calf) and Leon Hall (hamstring), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (groin), center Jeff Faine (hamstring), running back Bernard Scott (ankle) and tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee).
Cornerback Jason Allen (quad) and linebacker Dan Skuta (back) did not practice.
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