Colts’ Vinatieri reunited with old jersey
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri was recently reunited with his jersey from his high school playing days in South Dakota, thanks to a high school coach in Texas and a bit of luck.
High school football coach Steve Svendson first came across Vinatieri’s Rapid City Central jersey many years ago, the Rapid City Journal reported. Svendson coached the Cobblers, Rapid City Central’s football team, from 1999 to 2007. He now coaches at Caney Creek High School in Conroe.
Svendson recalled “throwback nights” from his time in Rapid City, in which Central students would wear old jerseys for big games. One year, Svendson’s daughters asked to borrow old jerseys from the pile collected after students graduate. Another coach pointed out that one of Svendson’s daughters was wearing Vinatieri’s old jersey.
“I held on to it for a few years and thought I could maybe sell it, but I thought, ‘Well, that’s probably not the right thing to do,’ ” Svendson said. “So I decided one day I was going to give it back to him.”
Svendson decided to seize the opportunity to return the jersey to the Rapid City native when the Colts played at the Texans on Nov. 5.
“When I first gave it to him, he was laughing right away, and he goes, ‘Are you sure you want to give that back to me?’ ” Svendson said.
Vinatieri said the gesture meant a lot to him.
“It brought me back my roots, where I came from. I mean, we’re talking 25 or 30 years ago that I had a Central Cobbler jersey on, so that was a special moment, and it was really cool that he did that and thought of me like that,” said Vinatieri. “That was a special time for me.”
Bengals CB Jones done for season
The Bengals put cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones on injured reserve Saturday, ending his season with a groin injury.
Jones is one of at least six starters who isn’t expected to play Sunday against the Bears at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati (5-7) suffered significant losses at cornerback during a 23-20 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday night, when Jones got hurt while making an interception.
Starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is out with a concussion, and cornerback Darqueze Dennard is questionable with a knee injury. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict and running back Joe Mixon — both with concussions — also are sidelined.
Three Cowboys to miss game
The Dallas Cowboys will be without defensive lineman David Irving, cornerback Orlando Scandrick and linebacker Justin Durant because of injuries when they visit the New York Giants on Sunday.
All three players were downgraded to out and didn’t make the trip. Irving, who is second on the team with seven sacks, was diagnosed with a concussion after last week’s win over Washington, and Scandrick suffered a small fracture in his back early in the game. Both missed practice all week.
Durant has been dealing with a concussion and illness.
Odds and ends
Miami guard Jermon Bushrod has been ruled out of Monday night’s game against New England because of a foot injury that has sidelined him since Week 11. … Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (shoulder) is expected to return Monday night.