■ Figure skating
Silver medal to silver screen?
Could there be Oscar gold ahead for Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen? Fresh from the Turin Winter Games, where she came back from a fall to take second place in figure skating, Cohen has taken a spin into the Hollywood arena. The diminutive brunette served as a special correspondent for the tabloid television show Inside Edition at Sunday's Academy Awards and the star-studded parties that followed. Her whirl through the celebrity world led to an offer for a cameo role in an upcoming picture, she said. Actor-comedian Ben Stiller approached her at the party hosted by Vanity Fair magazine to talk about his next project: a comedy focusing on figure skating, Cohen said. "I want to do it," she said. "It's not like it would be a stretch and hopefully I'll get to be funny."
■ Football
Chad takes a pay cut
The New York Jets have restructured quarterback Chad Pennington's contract as he seeks to return from a shoulder injury, the team said on its Web site. The agreement will cut Pennington's pay by US$6 million for the season, the Daily News of New York reported on Monday. Pennington, who had surgery on his throwing shoulder in October, was scheduled to make US$9 million this season. He agreed to forfeit his US$3 million roster bonus and accepted a base salary that was lowered from US$6 million to US$3 million, the Daily News said. Incentives, however, could increase the contract's value to US$9 million, the New York Times reported.
■ Rugby union
Teammates trade punches
Wellington Hurricanes rugby teammates Jerry Collins and Lome Fa'atau traded blows in a Bloemfontein nightclub after Saturday's Super 14 match against South Africa's Cheetahs, New Zealand newspapers reported yesterday. Collins, the All Blacks flanker, and Fa'atau, the Samoan international winger, were separated by Cheetahs and Samoan hooker Trevor Leota after a flurry of punches, eye witnesses said. Hurricanes management confirmed an incident took place and said both players had been disciplined. They refused to say what action had been taken but reports said Collins and Fa'atau would likely miss the Hurricanes next match against the Stormers at Cape Town on Saturday. Hurricanes manager Garry Carnachan described the incident as "pretty stupid and not acceptable." Coach Colin Cooper said the incident was "disappointing" but added "it was an issue between two players and it's not a big thing."
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