Newton to have surgery on foot
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will have surgery on his injured left foot next week, interim coach Perry Fewell said Wednesday.
Newton suffered a Lisfranc injury in the preseason and started two games in the regular season before being placed on injured reserve.
Fewell said he had no other details about the procedure or how long it will take for Newton to recover.
Carolina must make a decision on Newton’s future after the season. Newton will cost $21.2 million under the salary cap next season, but the team can save $19 million by trading or releasing him.
Owner David Tepper said the team will wait to see how Newton recovers before making any decisions about his future.
Fewell also said Kyle Allen will continue to start Sunday when the Panthers visit the Falcons. Atlanta beat Carolina 29-3 last month and Allen had four passes intercepted and was sacked five times. Allen is 5-5 this season as the team’s starter and his backup is third-round draft pick Will Grier.
49ers suspend radio analyst Ryan
The San Francisco 49ers suspended radio analyst Tim Ryan for one game for saying Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson was adept at carrying out fakes because of his “dark skin color with a dark football.”
Ryan made the comments Monday in an interview on the 49ers’ flagship radio station KNBR when describing Jackson’s ability to fake handoffs and keep the ball on runs that hurt San Francisco in a 20-17 loss to the Ravens last week.
“He’s really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin color with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing,” Ryan said on air. “I mean you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point.”
Ryan issued a statement of apology through the team Wednesday.
“I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game. Lamar Jackson is an MVPcaliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended,” he said.
The 49ers said in a statement that they are “disappointed” in Ryan and that he won’t broadcast Sunday’s game at New Orleans.
The 49ers also said they apologized to the Ravens.
McCoy settles with former girlfriend
Kansas City Chiefs running back LeSean McCoy and his former girlfriend reached a settlement in a lawsuit she filed against him, court records show.
Delicia Cordon filed the lawsuit last year accusing McCoy of failing to protect her from a violent July 2018 home invasion at a home he owns in Milton, just outside
Atlanta. Cordon was bloodied and beaten, and $133,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from the home.
McCoy, who played for the Buffalo Bills at the time, was not at the home at the time.
Cordon later amended the suit to accuse McCoy of physically abusing her and orchestrating the attack.
McCoy vehemently denied the allegations.
Tamarcus Porter, described as McCoy’s friend and personal assistant, was also named in the suit.
Lawyers for Cordon, McCoy and Porter submitted a court filing Nov. 25 dismissing the case. A judge on Wednesday issued an order to close the case, citing notification from the parties that the matter was settled.
The terms of the settlement are not disclosed in online court records.
Etc.
Four-time Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton is retiring as a member of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers announced that Sitton, who was drafted by Green Bay in the fourth round in 2008 and played eight seasons with the team, had informed the club of his decision . ...
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was kept out of practice with a high right ankle sprain, and coach Pat Shurmur said Eli Manning “very likely” will start Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. Shurmur added that Manning could be the starter for the rest of the season . ... The Indianapolis Colts claimed kicker Chase McLaughlin off waivers amid Adam Vinatieri’s continuing struggles.