The NFL upheld Terrelle Pryor's five-game suspension on Friday, a ruling that will trigger a non-injury grievance on Pryor's behalf by the NFL Players' Association. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Pryor of the decision on Friday afternoon. "I believe it is a fair conclusion that he intentionally took steps to ensure that he would be declared ineligible for further college play and would be able to enter the NFL via the supplemental draft," Goodell said in a news release. "Taken as a whole, I found that this conduct was tantamount to a deliberate manipulation of our eligibility rules in a way that distorts the underlying principles and calls into question the integrity of those rules."

Bengals running back Cedric Benson is facing a three-game suspension for player-conduct violations during the lockout, according to sources. Benson will have an appeal hearing Tuesday with the NFL to determine his fate. There is no timetable for when Benson would serve the possible suspension if he loses the appeal, but he is expected to be available for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday heard Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor's appeal of his five-game suspension. The hearing lasted 80 minutes, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Those present included Pryor's agent Drew Rosenhaus and attorneys Jeff Pash, Adolpho Birch, Jeffery Kessler, David Feher, Tom DePaso and Richard Berthelsen. Pryor was not at the hearing. He practiced on his own at the Raiders facility Thursday and was not available for comment.

Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams has been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. The decision ends the tackle's three-year court battle of the punishment. Williams was initially suspended for four games before the court struggle ensued, but the league reduced that suspension and fined him an additional two game checks. Williams and former teammate Pat Williams had been embroiled in a long court fight over their positive tests for the banned diuretic bumetanide in 2008. They argued that the supplement StarCaps did not include the ingredient on its label.