Concussion puts Holmes out for season
NFL NOTES Still affected by hit vs. Chargers Union asks Eagles to cut Owens loose
Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes will miss the rest of the season because of the lingering effects of a helmet- tohelmet hit.
Holmes, 32, a three- time Pro Bowler whose 66 touchdowns between 2002-2004 are an NFL record for any three- year span, was injured Oct. 30 during the Chiefs’ loss at San Diego. He was placed on injured reserve yesterday. The Chiefs will now turn to Larry Johnson, who has 506 yards and six touchdowns. UNION WANTS T. O. RELEASED: The NFL Players Association wants Philadelphia to cut Terrell Owens if they’re not going to reinstate him after his fourgame suspension is over.
“ We’re not asking them to play him, we can’t force them to do that,” Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA’s executive director, said yesterday. “ But if they’re not going to let him come back to practice . . . then we want them to cut him, let him become a free agent now.” The union already has appealed the four- game suspension levied on the wide receiver by the Eagles. The appeal will be heard Nov. 18.
Meanwhile, Owens was put on the reserve/ suspended list yesterday and announced centre Hank Fraley was out for the rest of the season after shoulder surgery. The Eagles also re- signed tight end Chad Lewis. TAYLOR ON THE LIMP:
Running back Fred Taylor missed practice yesterday with a badly sprained right ankle and was listed as doubtful for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ game this week against Baltimore. The Jaguars remain hopeful Taylor will improve over the next few days and be ready to play Sunday against the league’s second- ranked defence. TSN GETS NFL NIGHT GAMES: TSN has cornered the market on prime- time NFL games.
Starting next season, TSN will air both Sunday and Monday night games. The Sunday games will be picked up from NBC, whose broadcasts will include analyst John Madden. The Monday games are part of a three- year deal and will be produced by ESPN next season and will feature Al Michaels and Joe Theismann. The addition of the Monday games means TSN will air its WWE programming following football with repeats on Tuesday. NO SEX, SAYS CHEERLEADER: Ex-Carolina Panthers cheerleader Renee Thomas, 20, charged with giving police a false name during her arrest at a Tampa bar has denied accounts that she was having sex with another cheerleader in a bathroom stall. The second cheerleader, Angela Keathley, 26, is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. RAVENS CUT KORDELL:
Kordell Stewart was cut yesterday by the Baltimore Ravens, who no longer need him as a backup quarterback now that Kyle Boller has returned from a toe injury. SMOOT TO MISS MONTH:
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot is expected to miss four to six weeks because of a broken right collarbone. NINERS LOSE TACKLE:
Left tackle Jonas Jennings will miss the rest of the San Francisco 49ers’ season after surgery on his right shoulder.