COWBOYS
Romo may be out for season
Quarterback Tony Romo won’t need surgery on his broken left collarbone, but by the time it heals, Dallas may be out of the NFL playoff chase. Romo was hurt in the team’s loss to the New York Giants on Monday, a defeat that dropped the Cowboys to 1-5. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Unless 38-year-old backup John Kitna can help turn the team’s fortunes around, the Cowboys could decide to have Romo rest up for the rest of the season. “We’re not going to stop right now and give up or quit or whine or even make excuses,” coach Wade Phillips said on Tuesday. Romo had just thrown the ball in the second quarter on Monday when he took a hard, clean hit from New York’s Michael Boley. Romo hit the ground with his left shoulder and ended up on his back. Boley said he heard Romo “let out a little scream.”
BENGALS
Pacman comeback cut short
Cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has had his NFL comeback cut short after the team said on Tuesday he would miss the rest of the season because of a herniated disc in his neck. Jones was injured in Sunday’s 39-32 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and placed on injured reserve, the Bengals said on their Web site. The 27-year-old was suspended by the NFL for the entire 2007 season and part of 2008 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. He played nine games with the Dallas Cowboys in the 2008 season, but was without a team last year. He signed a two-year contract with the Bengals in May.
STEELERS
Smith’s tendon repaired
Defender Aaron Smith had surgery to repair a torn triceps tendon in his left arm, but the team hope he could be able to play before the season ends. Such injuries are often season-ending, but the team will probably wait and see how quickly Smith recovers before deciding whether to place him on injured reserve. The 34-year-old is a key player in the team’s NFL-leading rushing defense. Smith missed the final 11 games of last season with a torn right rotator cuff. He was also sidelined the final three regular-season games and a playoff game in the 2007 season with a torn right biceps.
REDSKINS
Hall’s interceptions honored
DeAngelo Hall’s record-tying four interceptions against Chicago on Sunday caught the interest of the Pro Football Hall of Fame — who want him to turn over his jersey. The cornerback said on Twitter on Tuesday that the No. 23 jersey he wore in the 17-14 victory over the Bears has been sent to the shrine in Canton, Ohio. A spokesman for the Hall of Fame confirmed that officials there had asked for the jersey. Hall is the 19th player to intercept four passes in an NFL game and the first to do it since Deltha O’Neal with Denver in 2001. Hall tweeted that he is “definitely humbled and honored” by the Hall of Fame’s request.
VIKINGS
Coach Childress fined
Coach Brad Childress was fined US$35,000 on Tuesday for criticizing game officials in the wake of his team’s 28-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Childress said in a post-game television show that the contest was “the worst officiated game I’ve seen.” He was irked by a replay reversal of a touchdown catch by tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. He also objected to a facemask call against right tackle Phil Loadholt. An NFL spokesman said Childress was fined for his public remarks and for disclosing conversations with the officiating department.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but