The flu has struck the Browns, with a dozen players falling ill, head coach Eric Mangini said Wednesday. In response, the Browns are cutting back on practice and have sent the affected players home to rest, and they are also exploring their options regarding roster exemptions for Sunday's game vs. Green Bay.

If the Browns have indeed been hit by the H1N1 (or swine) flu strain, they will be able to seek roster relief per NFL rules. On Oct. 2, commissioner Roger Goodell informed clubs that if a team "has at least six players unable to participate as the result of confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu, it can receive roster exemptions for those players and promote players from its own practice squad to replace them. A club can receive a max of eight such exemptions."

However, Goodell noted, the flu cases "must be medically confirmed cases of swine flu. This procedure does not apply to any other type of flu or illness. There is a deadline for promoting practice squad players pursuant to these procedures at four hours prior to kickoff."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, in an e-mail message, told PFW that "confirmed cases of swine flu" are "the basis for the roster exemptions that would allow the use of your own practice squad players."

According to The Associated Press, the following 12 Browns players were sent home with flu-like symptoms Wednesday: RB Jerome Harrison, C Alex Mack, CB Anthony Madison, S Brodney Pool, NT Shaun Rogers, TE Robert Royal, WR Chansi Stuckey, OLB Jason Trusnik, DE Brian Schaefering, FB Lawrence Vickers, DE Corey Williams and OLB Kamerion Wimbley.

All but Wimbley, who was ill with the flu, and Schaefering, who is on the practice squad, played Sunday at Pittsburgh. Mack, Pool, Rogers, Royal, Trusnik and Vickers all started.