OSAKA, Japan - The 49ers arrived for the American Bowl on Thursday and made a surprising request: They want to hold on to a Japanese player who was added to the roster just for the game.

        Linebacker Masafumi Kawaguchi impressed Steve Mariucci so much that the San Francisco coach asked the NFL for a special roster exemption so Kawaguchi can return to training camp after the game against the Washington Redskins at 10p.m. Saturday (ESPN).

        “We've inquired about it,” team spokesman Kirk Reynolds said.

        Kawaguchi joined the 49ers' camp in Stockton, Calif., last week after signing the usual 10-day contract as part of the NFL's traditional gesture of giving local American Bowl fans a special rooting interest. The Redskins were assigned receiver Akihito Amaya.

        Kawaguchi, a six-year NFL Europe veteran, came to camp hoping his teammates would see him as something more than an Osaka tour guide.

        “I told the guys that if I take care of them in Japan, they've got to take care of me with a job,” Kawaguchi said this week.

        The Redskins, meanwhile, landed in Japan with one fewer player than expected.

        Reserve defensive end Otis Leverette, expected to be a regular part of the defensive line rotation this season, had an MRI exam on his sore knee before takeoff and was diagnosed with a ligament injury that will sideline him about six weeks.

        Miami prosecutors ordered that San Francisco cornerback Michael Rumph be arrested after he failed to appear for an arraignment Thursday on a DUI charge.

        Miami-Dade County Judge Beth Bloom issued a bench warrant for Rumph's arrest and bond at $3,500 when neither he nor his attorney showed up at the scheduled court hearing.

        The 49ers said they had spoken to Rumph's lawyer, who told them there has been a mistake because he had asked the court for a continuance due to the team's trip to Japan.

        RAVENS: Ray Lewis was delighted about having enough money to keep his mother happy for the rest of her life. The Baltimore Ravens were elated about securing their All-Pro linebacker for seven more years and freeing up enough salary-cap space to begin negotiations with free agent defensive tackle Sam Adams.

        Asked for his take on the negotiations, which lasted for nearly a year, Lewis looked over each shoulder to make sure there were no team officials nearby.

        Then he grinned broadly and whispered: “I won. I got what I wanted.”

        The five-time Pro Bowl star, who had two years left on a deal that was to pay him $4.75 million a season, has a new seven-year contract worth approximately $50million. He received a $19 million signing bonus.

        TITANS: Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, the team's first-round pick this year, has a severe sprain of the right ankle and might miss a month of camp. Tests showed he suffered ligament damage when he stepped on the foot of a teammate during a workout Wednesday.

        “He'll have to be completely immobilized for a week to 10 days, and I've been told that this could take as long as a month for him to come back,” coach Jeff Fisher said.

        JAGUARS: A judge threw out a $5.35 million verdict awarded to former Jacksonville offensive lineman Jeff Novak, saying Novak didn't prove he received negligent treatment from a former team doctor.

        Circuit Judge Frederick Tygart said a jury's July 19 malpractice verdict against Dr. Stephen Lucie and his employer, Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute, could not be legally supported.

        Lucie and the institute were accused by Novak's attorneys of improperly treating a 1998 bone bruise, leading to infections and complications that ended Novak's NFL career.

        SUMMERALL IN HOSPITAL: Fox Sports announcer Pat Summerall was hospitalized Tuesday because of internal bleeding but is expected to be released by the weekend.

        He should be in the booth for the Sept.8 season-opener between the Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals, Fox Sports chairman David Hill said Thursday.

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