MIAMI — Dolphins owner Stephen Ross will "take appropriate actions if necessary" against general manager Jeff Ireland for asking former Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant whether his mother was ever a prostitute.

Ireland apologized for the question, and the NFL players union raised concerns yesterday about discrimination and degradation.

Ross issued a statement saying he'll look into the matter personally.

"As an owner of many companies and organizations, including the Miami Dolphins, I have always strived to comply with the highest standards in all aspects of my businesses, including recruiting," Ross said. "In interviewing employees, we always look to obtain relevant and appropriate information in adherence with the best industry practices."

An NFL statement said Ireland "exercised poor judgment in asking an insensitive and inappropriate question."

League spokesman Greg Aiello added, "Steve Ross' statement makes clear that the Miami Dolphins intend to address this matter promptly in an effective and thoughtful way."

Aiello said Ireland "took the proper step of calling Dez Bryant to apologize and then making that apology public."

Ireland's apology came only after Yahoo! Sports reported that he posed the question several weeks ago during a pre-draft interview with Bryant.

ELSEWHERE

Bears-Rams: Chicago traded safety Kevin Payne to St. Louis for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick. A fifth-round draft pick by Chicago in 2007, Payne started 22 of 32 games in three seasons and had 195 tackles with four interceptions.

Broncos: Denver All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady has undergone surgery to repair a torn left patellar tendon and will be out for several months, according to a published report. The Denver Post reported on its website yesterday that Clady suffered the knee injury while playing basketball, according to people it didn't name.

Cardinals: Arizona re-signed nose tackle Bryan Robinson to a one-year contract. The 13-year NFL veteran has started the past two seasons for the Cardinals after stints with St. Louis, Chicago, Miami and Cincinnati. The 35-year-old has appeared in 191 regular-season games, 154 as a starter.

Cowboys: Dallas signed defensive back Alan Ball, whose playing time figures to increase after the release of safety Ken Hamlin. Terms were not released yesterday. Ball has played in 28 games, including three starts, over three seasons. He is listed as the starter at free safety.

Raiders: Oakland signed free agent running back Rock Cartwright to a contract. Cartwright ran for 228 yards on 64 carries last season. He also averaged 22.3 yards per kickoff return. He has 889 yards rushing in eight seasons with nine career touchdowns.