EVANS MUM ON MARIJUANA USE

NEW YORK - Defensive tackle Josh Evans worked out with the New York
Jets on Friday but refused to talk about a report that he tested
positive for marijuana and could face an indefinite suspension from
the NFL.

Evans was among 80 players on the practice field at the Jets' training
camp at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

The New York Times said three persons familiar with his situation
confirmed the positive test and said Evans has appealed the finding
with the league. He won a similar appeal last year.

"I did not use or smoke marijuana," Evans told the Times on Thursday
night.

The NFL and the Jets declined to comment on Evans' situation, citing
confidentiality issues. Evans also wouldn't talk as he left the field.

Evans was suspended twice by the league for violating its
substance-abuse policy during six seasons he spent with the Tennessee
Titans. He missed the first four games in 1999 and was suspended for
all of the 2000 season.

Because of those suspensions, Evans is subject to random testing 10
times each month. Last summer, he faced an indefinite suspension for a
positive test even as he was negotiating a free agent contract with
the Jets.