The Washington Redskins won another legal victory in a 17-year fight with a group of American Indians who contend the football team's trademark is racially offensive. The decision issued Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington doesn't address the main question of racism at the center of the case. Instead, it upholds the lower court's decision in favor of the football team because the seven Native Americans waited too long to challenge the trademark first issued in 1967.
SALARY CAP: : NFL teams will have nearly $12 million more under the salary cap this season, the final year with one in place unless the league and its players' union can reach a new collective bargaining agreement. The cap was due to increase $7 million to $123 million this season, but additional adjustments stipulated in the current CBA will boost the total amount that teams can spend on player compensation to about $128 million. The $12 million rise is the largest in three years.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: : Bruce Smith, 45, the NFL's all-time leader in sacks, was charged with drunken driving after a police officer stopped him for speeding, Virginia Beach (Va.) police said. ... Quarterback Brett Favre, who is considering coming out of retirement, consulted Dr. James Andrews about options for healing the partially torn biceps tendon that has caused pain in his right shoulder, ESPN.com reported, citing an anonymous source. ... The Colts named former Maryland assistant Clyde Christensen offensive coordinator and Pete Metzelaars offensive line coach.
Et cetera
Report: M&T Bank in running for longtime Army-Navy host
M&T Bank Stadium is one of four sites being considered as a potential longtime future home for the Army-Navy football game, a source told the Times-Herald Record of Middletown, N.Y. The others are FexEx Field in Landover, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and the new Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
MORE COLLEGES: : Michael Spinner, who had been associate director of athletics at Yeshiva, was named director of athletics at College of Notre Dame, effective June 1.
TENNIS: : Roger Federer's dominance of Andy Roddick continued on clay with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory, while Rafael Nadal stayed perfect against Fernando Verdasco with a 6-4, 7-5 win to also reach the ATP Madrid Open semifinals. Federer improved to 18-2 against Roddick after their first career meeting on dirt.
CYCLING: : Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway won the rainy seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia in Chiavenn, beating four riders in a sprint finish. Danilo Di Luca of Italy kept the overall leader's pink jersey. Lance Armstrong finished 142nd, 58 seconds behind, and lost an additional 18 seconds to the overall leaders.
AUTO RACING: : Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night in Concord, N.C.
- From Sun staff and news services
