Detroit Lions sue Charles Rogers for $6.1 mil. bonus

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions have gone to federal court to recover $6.1 million from ex-Michigan State star receiver Charles Rogers, whose NFL career was sidelined by substance abuse problems.

Rogers was suspended for substance abuse in 2005 and released by the Lions the next year. The team says he must repay two-thirds of a $9.1 million bonus.

An NFL arbitrator agreed last year, but Rogers apparently has not paid.

The Lions filed suit Wednesday against Rogers the NFL players union in Detroit federal court. A message seeking comment was left for the union, the NFLPA.

Rogers was the second pick overall in the 2003 NFL draft. He recently served a jail sentence in Oakland County for violating probation in a domestic violence case.