ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Falcons currently own the NFL's best
record at 7-2 after Matt Ryan's 33-yard touchdown toss to Roddy
White with 20 seconds left gave them a 26-21 win over the Baltimore
Ravens. Ryan threw for 316 yards and three TD's for the Falcons,
who blew a 20-7 lead before dropping the Ravens to 6-3. Joe Flacco
passed for two touchdowns in the final six minutes, including a
nine-yard strike to Todd Heap with 1:05 to play.
BEREA, Ohio (AP) - Cleveland Browns linebacker Marcus Benard has
been released from a hospital after collapsing at his locker stall
prior to yesterday's workout. He did not appear to lose
consciousness and his eyes were open as three members of
Cleveland's training staff checked on him. The Browns said he will
undergo further evaluation today.
UNDATED (AP) - A former Mississippi State player who worked with
agents says the father of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton told him it
would take anywhere from $100,000 to $180,000 for his son to sign a
scholarship with the Bulldogs. Kenny Rogers told ESPN radio in
Dallas on Thursday that he and Cecil Newton met with two MSU
coaches at a hotel in Starkville, Miss., last November. Cecil
Newton has denied any wrongdoing and says if Rogers solicited
money, he did it on his own.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - The University of Kentucky plans to appeal
an NCAA ruling that freshman center Enes (EH'-nehs) Kanter is
permanently ineligible to play for the Wildcats. The NCAA
student-athlete reinstatement staff decided the 6-foot-11 Kanter
received benefits more than $33,000 above his actual and necessary
expenses while playing for a club basketball team in Turkey. The
NCAA defines actual and necessary expenses as those directly
necessary for practice and competition on a team.
PHOENIX (AP) - NASCAR has inspected the cars the three
championship contenders plan to race in next week's season finale.
A NASCAR spokesman says the cars for Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin
and Kevin Harvick were inspected in the North Carolina research and
development center this week. Hamlin leads the points race by 33
over Johnson and 59 over Harvick with two events remaining.
