NFL notebook: Patriots’ safety busted for pot possession

New England safety Duron Harmon was arrested Friday afternoon for trying to enter Costa Rica with marijuana, according to the Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion.

The report said Harmon was arrested when he tried to enter the nation with 58 grams of marijuana hidden in a can of soda inside his suitcase. That’s a little more than two ounces.

DURON HARMON

The Costa Rican Star reported that Harmon was temporarily detained before being sent back to the United States. He flew out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Harmon, 27, is entering his sixth season with the Patriots since being drafted in the third round in 2013. He had arguably the best season of his career last year, finishing with four interceptions and seven pass deflections from his role as a deep free safety in the Patriots’ defense.

Harmon could be facing discipline from the league.The NFL is known to have harsh penalties for players who test positive for marijuana. If he is indeed suspended for any amount of time, the Patriots would be losing one of their defensive leaders.

FALCONS: Atlanta added depth at cornerback and a three-time Pro Bowl player on special teams by signing Justin Bethel, who played his first six seasons with Arizona.

The 27-year-old Bethel joins guard Brandon Fusco and tight end Logan Paulsen as Atlanta’s top free-agent additions.

The Falcons have focused on re-signing their own players while hoping to work out an extension for quarterback Matt Ryan, a free agent after 2018.

COWBOYS: There have been reports that Jason Witten is being wooed by Fox Sports to retire and become an analyst for Thursday Night Football.

Not so fast. Witten’s commitment to the Dallas Cowboys for a 16th season in 2018 were answered by the restructuring of his contract Saturday, creating roughly $3.5 million in salary-cap space, per sources.

If Witten was going to retire, there was no way the Cowboys would have adjusted his contract and added dead money to the back end of a four-year extension he signed last season.

Witten, 35, was due $6.5 million in 2018 before the restructure.

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