Newsday has learned that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently called a top-secret meeting of the four major pro sports commissioners at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Some of the commissioners apparently didn't know the exact nature of the meeting, which occurred almost two weeks ago, until they got to the Waldorf. According to people familiar with the top-level confab, upon arrival for the hush-hush affair, Rice told Paul Tagliabue, Bud Selig, David Stern and Gary Bettman she was seeking ways to market our sports leagues abroad and to promote international relations through sports.

Veteran cornerback Will Peterson was cut by the New York Giants on Friday, following his latest injury-plagued season. Peterson, a third-round draft choice in 2001, played five seasons for the Giants, but two of the last three were severely curtailed by injuries. "This is a very disappointing development for our ball club," general manager Ernie Accorsi said after terminating Peterson's contract. "Will Peterson was a rising star cornerback and just ran into very tough luck last year with the back injury." While the Giants ended Peterson's tenure in New York, they signed veteran quarterback Rob Johnson, who will try to win the job of backup to Eli Manning. Johnson has spent nine years in the NFL, but he didn't play in 2004 or 2005 while recovering from arm surgery.

Jim Trimble, the former Philadelphia Eagles head coach who spent more than four decades in professional football, has died. Trimble died Tuesday at his home in Indianapolis after a battle with emphysema, the New York Giants said Wednesday. He was 87. Trimble was the Eagles' coach from 1952-55 and later coached in the Canadian Football League. He spent 12 years as the Giants' director of player personnel, beginning in 1969, and was a consultant to the organization for more than a decade.

The NFL owners were in Denver on Tuesday to hold an all-day meeting to discuss the future of the vacant commissioner position within the league. Paul Tagliabue announced earlier this season that at season's end he would step down from the prestigious position.

The Giants have four QBs on the roster -- Eli Manning, Tim Hasselbeck, Jared Lorenzen and Josh Harris -- but could add veteran Jay Fiedler in the coming weeks. The former Dolphins starter, who was a backup for the Jets last season, continues to recover from shoulder surgery. He will begin working out for teams sometime next month and the Giants will likely give him a look.

Former George Mason basketball star Jai Lewis watched the draft intermittently yesterday, not expecting to hear his name called. He figured the next stop in his attempted journey from the Final Four to the NFL would come after the draft, and he was correct. His agent, Jeff Jankovich, spoke with at least four teams about Lewis yesterday before the 23-year-old decided to sign with the New York Giants as a free agent.