Columbia, Mo. – Missouri got a scare Tuesday when Tony Temple, the Tigers’ starting running back last season, was carted off the practice field Tuesday with a right knee injury after colliding with another player.
An MRI revealed the knee to be bruised but shows no other serious damage, university spokesman Chad Moller said. Moller said Temple, the leading returning rusher (1,063 yards) in the Big 12, will sit out practice this morning and will be day to day after that.
The news was less rosy for Hardy Ricks, a sophomore cornerback who started eight games in 2006. Coach Gary Pinkel initially said Ricks suffered a separated shoulder diving for a pass, but an MRI showed he had dislocated his left shoulder. His timetable for return is not known.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Tennessee’s top tailback suspended
Tennessee tailback LaMarcus Coker, the team’s leading rusher last season, has been suspended indefinitely.
Coach Phillip Fulmer did not specify what Coker had done to warrant the penalty.
“He must fulfill some obligations to the program and to me before he can return,” Fulmer said. “I have tried, as has the administration, to work with him, but at this time he must help himself.”
The sophomore led the Vols with 696 rushing yards his freshman year.
Nebraska tight end Hunter Teafatiller, who caught five passes last season, including four for touchdowns, faces a September court date after being arrested Saturday on suspicion of drunken driving, a minor in possession of alcohol, no insurance and no registration.
The University of Cincinnati will play Oklahoma in a home-and-home series beginning next year. The Bearcats will travel to Norman, Okla., for a game Sept. 6, 2008, and then host the Sooners on Sept. 25, 2010, at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals. The schools have never met in football.
SOCCER
Beasley scores for Glasgow, taunted
American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley scored his first goal for Glasgow Rangers and was taunted by racist fans during a 1-0 victory over FK Zeta in European Champions League qualifying in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro.
A small section of fans made “monkey chants” aimed at Beasley and teammate Jean-Claude Darcheville.
“It happened to me a few years ago when PSV played Red Star in Belgrade, and I can’t believe racist abuse is still in football,” Beasley was quoted as saying on the Rangers’ website. “People can come to a match and jeer, but the racist thing just has to get out of football.”
NHL
Cammalleri awarded $6.7 million deal
Left wing Michael Cammalleri, who led the Los Angeles Kings in scoring last season with 34 goals and 46 assists, was awarded a two-year contract worth $6.7 million by an NHL arbitrator.
Center Kris Beech signed a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets after totaling a career-high 26 points with the Washington Capitals last season.
Right wing Arron Asham, who appeared in a career-high 80 games with the New York Islanders last season, signed a one-year, $700,00 contract with the New Jersey Devils.
A group led by former Florida Panthers coach Doug MacLean has agreed to buy the Tampa Bay Lightning and says it has no plans to move the franchise that won its only Stanley Cup three years ago. MacLean declined to discuss the purchase price, saying the sale is subject to approval by the NHL’s board of governors.
FOOTNOTES
Lehigh coach takes over at Ball State
Billy Taylor, who led Lehigh to the NCAA Tournament in 2004, was hired by Ball State to replace Ronny Thompson, who resigned last month amid accusations he broke NCAA rules and his claims that he faced a hostile racial environment. Taylor, who went 81-69 in five seasons at Lehigh, will face rebuilding a program that finished 9-22 in Thompson’s only season as head coach and faces numerous questions from the NCAA.
Wake Forest called a news conference for today and is expected to introduce the successor to basketball coach Skip Prosser. Prosser, who led the Demon Deacons for six seasons, died July 26 of an apparent heart attack at the age of 56.
Former Wyoming center Justin Williams accepted a qualifying offer from the Sacramento Kings.
World Boxing Association super middleweight champion Anthony Mundine has an eye infection that might end his career and leave his sight permanently impaired. Mundine’s eye is believed to have become infected last week when he cleaned a contact lens with his mouth.
