NFL
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Dwight Freeney's injured ankle is "really bad" and could keep him out of the Super Bowl, a person close to the All-Pro defensive end told The Associated Press in an e-mail Sunday night.
The person requested anonymity because the information differed from what the Indianapolis Colts said earlier in the day. The team insisted that Freeney has a low ankle sprain and remains questionable for the game against the New Orleans Saints.
"He is under the care of our athletic training staff," Colts spokesman Craig Kelley said. "Nothing we have seen changes our diagnosis that he is questionable. He has a third-degree, low basketball sprain."
Earlier Sunday, ESPN.com reported that Freeney had torn a ligament, which would make it "difficult" for Freeney to play Sunday against New Orleans.
The pass rusher has 131/2 sacks, the sixth time in eight NFL seasons he's had at least 10.
The Colts have been concerned about Freeney since the former league sacks champion hurt his right ankle with about 2 minutes left in last week's AFC championship game. He pulled up short of New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez on a pass rush, hopped for a couple of steps and then limped off the field.
Trainers initially wanted to put Freeney's foot in a walking boot, but he didn't wear it after the Colts' 30-17 victory. Freeney did not practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and has not been available to reporters since the game.
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SUNRISE, Fla. -- New York Jets coach Rex Ryan apologized Sunday for making an obscene gesture at a mixed martial arts event.
Ryan was booed Saturday night while doing a TV interview at the MMA event in the Bank Atlantic Center, the Florida Panthers' home arena. He was smiling when caught making the gesture by a cell phone camera.
"It was stupid and inappropriate," Ryan said. "I wouldn't accept that type of behavior from one of the coaches or players and it's unacceptable from me. I apologize to the Jets organization, the National Football League and NFL fans everywhere."
Ryan led the Jets to the AFC championship game after they went 9-7 during the season to earn a wild card in his first year as an NFL head coach. He made headlines with his confident statements, including saying the Jets should be the favorite to win the Super Bowl when the playoffs began.
He previously had a verbal feud with Miami linebacker Channing Crowder, and deep in Dolphins territory, he was a likely target for boos.
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum added the organization will address the matter internally.
"Rex showed extremely poor judgment and his conduct was inappropriate. He knows he was wrong, has apologized and we have accepted his apology," Tannenbaum said in a statement.
Ryan could be subject to a league fine under the NFL's personal conduct policy.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Snubbed by the Carolina Panthers since the end of the season, the agent for five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers is convinced his client will play elsewhere in 2010.
Carl Carey said Sunday night the Panthers have "not made a single inquiry this offseason" regarding the impending unrestricted free agent.
"And we don't expect to hear from them," Carey told The Associated Press in a phone interview, setting the stage for Peppers to become one of the top defensive players to hit the market in years ahead of a potential season without a salary cap.
Panthers general manager Marty Hurney didn't immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
"Julius wants to thank the Carolina fans and know their support has meant a lot to him over the years," Carey said.
Hurney and coach John Fox went to great lengths to keep Peppers in 2009, going against his public wishes to be allowed to leave as a free agent. The Panthers used the restrictive franchise tag and paid him an NFL-high $18.2 million. That counts a $1.5 million bonus for making the Pro Bowl after he recorded 101/2 sacks.
Using the tag again next season would cost about $20.1 million, plus another $1.5 million for the Pro Bowl and $250,000 for each playoff win. Signing the 30-year-old to a long-term contract could likely cost in upward of $15 million a year.
NBA
Yahoo! Sports is reporting that New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul will have arthroscopic knee surgery and could be sidelined for one to two months.
Paul first hurt his left knee in a game at Golden State on Wednesday. Then, near the end of regulation Friday night against the Chicago Bulls, the All-Star went out of bounds to chase an errant pass and struck a camera on the same spot that bothered him two nights earlier.
Yahoo! Sports, citing unidentified sources close to Paul, reported Sunday night that test results revealed a partially torn meniscus.
Paul, who also missed eight games earlier this season because of a sprained left ankle, is averaging 20.4 points and 11.2 assists per game this season.
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HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry will be out at least a week with a sprained left knee.
The Rockets said Lowry had an MRI exam on Saturday that confirmed the injury he sustained in Friday's win over Portland.
The 6-foot Lowry came up limping after colliding with LaMarcus Aldridge on a drive in the second quarter. He played another four minutes, then went to the locker room and did not return.
Lowry is the Rockets' fifth-leading scorer (8.7 points per game) and ranks second in assists (4.7 per game) behind starting point guard Aaron Brooks.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
BOULDER, Colo. -- Colorado could get freshman guard Alec Burks back this week after an MRI exam Sunday determined his left knee is only sprained.
Team trainer Larry Willock said Burks is day-to-day for practice and games this week. The Buffaloes play No. 2 Kansas on Wednesday night.
One of the top freshman in the Big 12, Burks was hurt in the opening minutes of Colorado's 64-63 loss at Iowa State on Saturday night. He entered the game averaging 17.2 points.
NHL
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs shook up their struggling club, acquiring defenseman Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames in a seven-player deal Sunday and swapping goalies with Anaheim to get J.S. Giguere.
Along with Phaneuf, Toronto received Keith Aulie and Fredrik Sjostrom from Calgary in exchange for Ian White, Matt Stajan, Nick Hagman and Jamal Mayers.
The Maple Leafs also traded goalie Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake to Anaheim for Giguere, who became an expensive backup after the Ducks signed No. 1 goalie Jonas Hiller to a four-year extension Saturday.
SOCCER
LONDON -- British pub-goers became the first public audiences to witness a live sports event broadcast in 3-D when watching Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-1.
Nine pubs across Britain were equipped to screen the first 3-D transmission by Sky Sports on Sunday.
Previous trials have been limited to closed-circuit broadcasts in Britain and the United States, but BSkyB transmitted the Premier League match via regular satellite decoder boxes.
"People now feel they can now sit in their own homes and view things in a way they could only do if they came to the stadium themselves," said Sky Sports director of operations Darren Long.
David Wubelski, a 71-year-old Arsenal fan, had no problems donning the special glasses, but questioned some aspects of the feed.
"The close-ups are fantastic but the wide angle is not quite so impressive," Wubelski said at the Railway Tavern pub in central London.
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