NFL
NFL suspends Irsay 6 games and fines him $500,000
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – The NFL suspended Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jim Irsay for the first six games of the season Tuesday and fined him $500,000 for violating its personal conduct policy, just hours after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from an embarrassing March traffic stop.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said Irsay is barred from games, practices and team facilities and cannot represent the Colts and NFL events or meetings. The fine levied Tuesday is the maximum allowed under league rules.
There was no immediate comment on the punishment from Irsay, who pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated. The 55-year-old Irsay admitted to a Hamilton County judge that he was under the influence of the painkillers hydrocodone and oxycodone when he was arrested March 16 near his home in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel.
Irsay will be on probation for a year and is prohibited from possessing alcohol or drinking during that time. His driver’s license also was suspended for one year.
College Football
Teams gain ground on the top two in the AP Top 25
NEW YORK – Texas A&M made a big jump in the AP Top 25 after the most impressive performance of the opening weekend of college football. Alabama and Florida State lost some support in the first poll of the regular season after close victories against heavy underdogs.
The Aggies moved up 12 spots to No. 9 in the poll released Monday. Texas A&M began the post-Johnny Manziel era with a 52-28 victory at South Carolina. The loss dropped the Gamecocks from ninth to No. 21.
The top four in the rankings are unchanged: Florida State, Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma, respectively.
Florida State went from 57 first-place votes to 46 after pulling out a 37-31 victory against Oklahoma State.
Alabama dropped 44 points in the media-panel voting after beating West Virginia by 10. The Tide has one first-place vote. Oregon has five and Oklahoma two. No. 6 Georgia has two and No. 12 LSU one.
Cycling
Quintana crashes to open up a new leader in Contador
BORJA, Spain – Alberto Contador took control of the Spanish Vuelta after former leader Nairo Quintana crashed and lost valuable time during the 10th stage won by Tony Martin on Tuesday.
Quintana lost control during the time trial on a downhill curve, hitting a guard rail, and going head-over-heels onto the ground. After he was assisted by Movistar staff, the Colombian got back on his bike and finished the stage. But he went from leading Contador by three seconds at the start of the day to trailing the Spaniard by 3 minutes, 25 seconds.
Contador leads Alejandro Valverde by 27 seconds.
Chris Froome had a disappointing day, as the former Tour de France winner slipped to 1:18 behind Contador.
Martin beat Rigoberto Uran by 15 seconds, Fabian Cancellara by 18 and Contador by 39.
More than 700 samples, and the Tour checks out clean
PARIS – The International Cycling Union said there were no positive doping tests at this year’s Tour de France, after more than 700 blood and urine samples were collected by the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation.
The UCI released the figures Tuesday, saying that of the 719 samples, 197 were collected before the race and 522 during it; altogether, 320 were taken for the purposes of the Biological Passport, which monitors fluctuations in a rider’s blood values.
All samples systematically were analyzed for stimulating agents and testosterone. The CADF, UCI and the French Anti-Doping Agency – whose labs tested samples taken during the race – will keep all samples for possible retrospective analysis.
A total of 622 samples were collected on the 2013 Tour, 198 for passport purposes.
Associated Press
