Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Kevin Greene is a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013.

The announcement came Friday, and Greene is among 17 former players and coaches who hope to be enshrined in the hall in Canton, Ohio.

Greene played 15 seasons in the NFL, including three with the Panthers in 1996 and 1998-99. This is the furthest he’s gone in the voting process since becoming eligible following his retirement in 1999.

Between four and seven winners will be announced on Feb. 2. Should Greene get the Hall of Fame nod, he’d join Reggie White as the only other player in the Hall of Fame who has played for the Carolina Panthers.

There are four first-year eligible players among the 15 modern-day players. Michael Strahan, who had 22 1/2 sacks in 2001 and 141 1/2 during his 15-year career with the New York Giants, is joined by offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden of the Ravens, guard-tackle Larry Allen of the Cowboys and 49ers, and defensive tackle Warren Sapp of the Buccaneers and Raiders. Strahan, Ogden and Sapp all won Super Bowls.

The hall announced Friday that the other finalists are running back Jerome Bettis; receivers Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed; LB-DE Charles Haley; guard Will Shields; defensive back Aeneas Williams; coach Bill Parcells; and former owners Edward DeBartolo Jr. of the 49ers and the late Art Modell of the Browns, who moved to Baltimore in 1996 to become the Ravens.

The two senior nominees are defensive tackle Curley Culp – who played for the Chiefs, Oilers and Lions – and linebacker Dave Robinson of the Packers and Redskins. The Associated Press contributed

Around the league

Chicago: Longtime NFL assistant and current CFL coach Marc Trestman is denying a rumor that the Bears are set to hire him as head coach. In an email to the Montreal Gazette, Trestman said he had not heard from the Bears, who fired coach Lovie Smith. Trestman, who coaches the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, interviewed with the Bears this week.

Kansas City: New Chiefs coach Andy Reid began filling out his staff, hiring former Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson to be his offensive coordinator and longtime Jets assistant Bob Sutton as the defensive coordinator.

Dallas: The Cowboys hired former Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, 72, as the replacement for Rob Ryan. The hiring of Kiffin means Dallas will switch back to the 4-3 defense after going to the 3-4 in 2005.

N.Y. Jets: Mike Westhoff, the Jets’ recently retired special teams coordinator, told a Florida radio station that the way the team handled Tim Tebow was “an absolute mess.” Westhoff told WQAM in south Florida that he was “very, very disappointed” in the Jets’ lack of use of Tebow.

Philadelphia: The Eagles will interview Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden on Monday. Gruden, the younger brother of Jon Gruden, just finished his second season in Cincinnati.

Seattle: Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has a sprained foot but is probable and expected to play Sunday against Atlanta. Lynch rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown in last week’s wild-card round win against Washington. He did not practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Washington: The NFL players’ union does not plan a formal investigation into how the Redskins’ medical staff handled Robert Griffin III’s knee injury. The NFL Players Association said Friday that it was satisfied with a report received from the Redskins.

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