ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Joique Bell could be headed for one big weekend.Bell picks up his masters degree in sports administration at Wayne State University on Saturday. The next day, he could make his season debut with the Detroit Lions in his return after they cut him in February.Its funny that my first week back here is the same week that I graduate, he said Wednesday.Desperate for depth in its banged-up backfield, Detroit brought Bell back by signing him Tuesday.The NFC North-leading Lions (8-4) might need Bell to play against the last-place Chicago Bears (3-9) on Sunday at Ford Field, less than a mile from where he expects 30 to 40 family members and friends to attend his commencement.Detroits starting running back, Theo Riddick, didnt practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury and his backup, Dwayne Washington, was limited because of an ankle issue. Ameer Abdullah began the season as the teams No. 1 running back, but he has been out with a foot injury since Week 2. That leaves Bell and Zach Zenner as the Lions only healthy running backs on the roster.Even though Bell is joining the team so late in the year, he did play for offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter last season in a similar offense.Its coming back to me and the more I look at stuff and Im like, `Oh, OK. I remember that, Bell said. When I go out there, Ill be able to play comfortably and I wont have to think as much.Bell insisted he wasnt surprised when the Lions new general manager, Bob Quinn, released him less than a year after he signed a two-year deal with former GM Martin Mayhew. In fact, Bell said he kept in touch with Quinn before and after Chicago signed him earlier this season. He had three carries for 6 yards on Oct. 2, when the Bears beat the Lions, and didnt run the ball once over the next three games before being cut.When I left the Bears, I texted (Quinn) back and said, `Bring me home, Bell recalled. He sent me a text the other day and said, `Do you want to come home? I said, `Yeah. My heart has never left here. My family is here. I played most of his career and built my foundation here.Bell, who is from Benton Harbor, Michigan, won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2009 at Wayne State, but that wasnt enough to get him drafted.After playing sparingly for Indianapolis and Philadelphia, he did enough well as a runner and receiver with the Lions to sign a $9.3 million, three-year contract in 2014.We certainly know what his traits are, Detroit coach Jim Caldwell said. Hes always been a very, very positive guy. A very, very good locker-room guy. Lot of energy. Loves to play the game. And hes a good, tough runner as well. Hes alright with the ball in his hands throwing it to him, also. There a number of different things that he can do.And soon, Bell will add another accomplishment to his resume when he walks across a stage in front of a crowd he is proud to say will include his 11-year-old son, Jordan.I always preach to the kids that Im trying to mentor, or kids that come to my camp, how important education is, he said. I dont want to tell them to do something that I havent done. So for me to come back to my alma mater and to finish my masters degree there and to be able to have my son there, thats probably one of the greatest experiences Ill ever have as a father.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Larry Lage at http://www.twitter.com/larrylageHarrison Butker Chiefs Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Juan Thornhill Womens Jersey . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Derrick-Thomas-Chiefs-Jersey/ . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Darwin Thompson Chiefs Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Patrick Mahomes Chiefs Jersey . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas offensive lineman Jordan Shelley-Smith has decided to retire from football due to repeated concussions, the second player in the Big 12 to make that decision this week.Shelley-Smith, a senior, missed three games last season after sustaining a concussion against Oklahoma State. He has played minimal snaps after another concussion before the season.We do take concussions very seriously around here, Kansas coach David Beaty said Tuesday. It was a very emotional day for him last week when he announced that to our team.Head trauma has been a major topic of discussion in the NFL and increasingly at the college level. Oklahoma sophomore linebacker Tay Evans decided to retire for similar reasons after he was injured against Ohio State earlier this season. And just last year, Kansas linebacker Jake Love made the same decision after dealing with several concussions.These kids health, not only for today but down the road, is so important, Beaty said. Thats somebodys family treasure. Its their one life. Its their one life. Its all they get.Beaty said there has been significannt progress in how much attention is given to head injuries from the days when he was playing wide receiver for Lindenwood University in the early 1990s.ddddddddddddWe called them cobwebs back then, he said. Weve seen all of the examples of men that are walking around right now that suffered from these types of injuries and we didnt have the technology, we didnt have the studies available to tell us how dangerous it really was.Shelley-Smith began his career as a tight end, playing in eight games as a freshman. But he became a key offensive lineman after making the transition his sophomore season, playing 12 games and starting against Iowa State. He also started the nine games he played last season.Beaty said the Waco, Texas, native will continue to have a role with the team.Footballs a big industry and theres a lot of things going on that would make you want to have a player out there regardless, he said. The truth of the matter is, not one of them is worth it. ' ' '