National Football League roundup

(The Sports Xchange) - Ray Rice's appeal hearing began Wednesday morning in New York with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testifying under oath for more than two hours. The former Baltimore Ravens running back arrived with his wife, Janay Palmer Rice, for the start of the hearing at the offices of former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who is a third-party arbitrator. The hearing is expected to wrap up sometime Thursday. - - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo did not practice Wednesday as he followed his normal schedule and continued to get treatment for his injured back in preparation for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Romo, who has not practiced on a Wednesday since Week 2, remained at the team hotel. He then took part in the walk-through at the team's hotel. Coach Jason Garrett is hopeful that Romo will be able to practice Thursday. - - San Francisco 49ers running back Marcus Lattimore announced his retirement Wednesday, five days after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired right knee. Lattimore, 23, suffered a gruesome knee injury while playing for South Carolina in 2012. It was his second major knee injury while playing for the Gamecocks, and Lattimore opted to enter the NFL Draft the following spring. - - Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson said he will play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins after missing the last three games with an ankle injury, declaring "it feels good to be back at almost 100 percent." Johnson initially suffered his high right ankle sprain against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. He played on a limited basis the next two weeks before aggravating the injury in Week 5 against Buffalo. - - Apparently, the 4-5 Houston Texans believe Ryan Mallett can be their fire starter. Coach Bill O'Brien said he was searching for a "spark" and with the bye week to prepare for Week 11, he turned the offense over to Mallett, a former O'Brien pupil in New England. The Texans acquired Mallett for a conditional sixth-round pick from the Patriots in September. - - Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins suffered a groin injury early in practice Wednesday and was unable to finish the workout. He was taken to the trainers' room, was seen limping slightly in the locker room and was not allowed to speak to the press. - - The Kansas City Chiefs signed fullback Anthony Sherman to a contract extension Wednesday. Sherman, 25, was set to become a free agent after the season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. - - The clock might be ticking on the St. Louis Rams' time in St. Louis, but Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has taken the offensive. While speculation has been rampant that Rams owner Stan Kroenke has already made the decision to move the Rams back to Los Angeles, where they were before moving to St. Louis in 1995, Nixon announced the appointment of two executives to spearhead the effort in the next 60 days to analyze the situation and report back with possible options. - - The New England Patriots re-signed wide receiver Jonathan Krause to the practice squad. - - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed defensive tackle Matthew Masifilo and cornerback Quinton Pointer to the practice squad Wednesday. (Editing by Frank Pingue)