Jul 26, 2013 5 min read

Ryan Braun apparently has some work to do to repair his friendship with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Describing himself as shocked and disappointed, Rodgers said Friday after the Packers’ first training camp practice that Braun “looked at me in the eye on multiple occasions and repeatedly denied the allegations” that the Milwaukee Brewers slugger was using performance-enhancing drugs.

Braun this week accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension after admitting to violating baseball’s rules against using PEDs.

Rodgers felt duped by his buddy and business associate, a sentiment being expressed by many others in Wisconsin. A Milwaukee restaurant is named for two of the state’s most well-known athletes, and Rodgers last year defended his friend on Twitter, going so far as to betting his multimillion-dollar salary that Braun was clean.

“It’s disappointing, not only for myself as a friend but for obviously Wisconsin sports fans, Brewer fans, Major League Baseball fans,” Rodgers said before a throng of media surrounding his locker. “It doesn’t feel great being lied to like that, and I’m disappointed about the way it all went down.”

Bengals’ Green has bruised knee: An MRI found that Bengals All-Pro receiver A.J. Green has a bruised knee that will force him to miss several days of practice.

Green hurt his left knee near the end of Cincinnati’s first practice of training camp on Thursday, overextending his left knee as he tried to make a sideline catch. Green said an MRI that found no structural damage.

At first, he feared that it was a significant injury. A trainer examined the knee, and Green got up and walked off the field.

“It was (frightening) for me,” Green said Friday. “I felt it, but everything felt intact. I got up and walked off, so it’s fine.”

Jets lose CB Berry for season: New York Jets cornerback Aaron Berry will miss the season after injuring a knee on the first day of practice at training camp.

Berry, expected to compete for the No. 4 cornerback spot, went down midway through practice Friday when he got tangled up with wide receiver Joseph Collins. Berry writhed in pain as trainers and coach Rex Ryan checked on him. He remained down for several minutes before walking gingerly off the field under his own power.

Ravens get McKinnie back: Offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie has joined his Baltimore Ravens teammates on the field after missing the first day of training camp for being overweight.

McKinnie was held out of Thursday’s session by coach John Harbaugh, who said the left tackle was “in good shape” but too heavy to practice. The Ravens didn’t say how much weight the 6-8, 360-pounder had dropped before the team took the field Friday.

McKinnie was a key figure in Baltimore’s run to the Super Bowl last season. He started all four playoff games and helped protect quarterback Joe Flacco, who was not intercepted during the postseason.

Brees goal is to better completion rate: Drew Brees accepts the notion that he’s trying to bounce back from an off year at least by his own lofty standards.

Brees’ 63 percent completion rate in 2012 was his worst in seven seasons with New Orleans. It represented a sharp drop from the NFL record of 71.2 percent he set in 2011, his last season before signing his current five-year, $100 million deal.

Coach Sean Payton dismisses the idea that his 34-year-old quarterback is in decline. He says Brees was exceptional in many ways last season. Payton says poor defense often got the Saints behind, forcing them to throw more and making them more predictable to opposing defenses.

Brees still led the league last season in yards passing with 5,177 and touchdowns with 43.

Redskins’ Jenkins suspended: Washington Redskins defensive end Jarvis Jenkins was suspended for four games without pay Friday for violating the NFL’s drugs policy.

Jenkins released a statement saying he was “shocked and confused” to learn that he had tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance.

“It’s an obscure substance that I’ve never even heard of, and I still don’t know how it got into my body,” the statement said. “My only guess is that it came from one of the supplements I was taking around the time of the test, even though none of them listed anything banned.”

Jenkins remains eligible to practice at training camp and play in preseason games. He was on the field working with the first-string unit during the afternoon practice when the suspension was announced.