Muhammad Ali receives Liberty Medal
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia awarded the 2012 Liberty Medal to boxer Muhammad Ali for his lifetime of personifying the quest for liberty.
Ali, 70, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, appeared on the front lawn of the National Constitution Center Thursday while his wife, Yolanda Ali, delivered an acceptance speech on behalf of the world champion boxer and Vietnam-era anti-war icon, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday.
"Muhammad has always believed that he lives within the great circle of humanity. He is, indeed, of the people," Yolanda Ali said. "His care, his concerns, his well wishes, are all focused on the people within that great circle -- we, the people."
The Liberty Medal, which was first awarded in 1989 and comes with a $100,000 prize, has previously been bestowed upon Sandra Day O'Connor, Colin Powell, Mikhail Gorbachev, Steven Spielberg, Bono, Nelson Mandela and Lech Walesa.
Revis out for Jets' game at Pittsburgh
FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- New York Jets All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis has been ruled out for this week's game because of a mild concussion.
Revis was injured in the fourth quarter of the Jets' season-opening win over Buffalo. He was inadvertently kicked in the head by a teammate and was diagnosed as having a mild concussion.
He returned for non-contact workouts Friday but hasn't been cleared for contract, Jets Coach Rex Ryan said.
Revis, an All-Pro selection after each of the last three seasons, has 18 interceptions in his six-season NFL career.
New York also said tight end Dustin Keller and linebacker Bryan Thomas, both of whom have hamstring injuries, will miss Sunday's game.
The Jets are to play at Pittsburgh Sunday.
Cutler explains Webb shoving: 'I care'
CHICAGO, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said he berated and shoved left tackle J'Marcuss Webb during Thursday's game in Green Bay because he cares about the game.
Cutler, who was seen shouting at Webb and shoving him on the sidelines after being sacked during the second quarter of the 23-10 loss to the Packers, said he confronted the other player due to his desire to win, USA Today reported Friday.
"I care about this. This isn't just a hobby for me. I'm not doing this for my health," he said. "I'm trying to win football games, trying to get first downs. When we're not doing the little things the right way consistently, I'm going to say something. If they want a quarterback that doesn't care, they need to get somebody else."
Cutler was sacked seven times and threw four interceptions.
Almagro win has Spain up 2-0 over U.S.
GIJON, Spain, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Nicolas Almagro took a five-set decision Friday that boosted Spain to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Davis Cup semifinal against the United States.
Almagro got past John Isner 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 after David Ferrer stopped Sam Querrey 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
That puts Spain one win away from a fourth David Cup final appearance in the last five years. The Spaniards won the Davis Cup in 2008, '09 and '11. Spain also won in 2000 and 2004.
A victory in Saturday's double match, in which Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez take on world No. 1s Bob and Mike Bryan, or in either of Sunday's reverse singles will allow Spain to advance. The winner of the Spain-United States semifinals moves into the Davis Cup finals Nov. 16-18 against either Argentina or the Czech Republic, which split their two matches Friday.
Querrey rallied to take the first set with a pair of late breaks but he didn't record another break as Ferrer played a solid match to give Spain the early advantage.
The Almagro-Isner match was closer throughout, with one break deciding each of the first four sets. Almagro fought off three break points to hold at 3-2 of the fifth set later and pushed Isner into three match points in the 10th game.
Isner, who had 24 aces, served his way out of that problem but twice made unforced errors that put Almagro at match point No. 4 in the 12th game. An Isner return that landed long ended the match. It was his 95th unforced error of the 4-hour, 16-minute match.
Top 10-ranked players Isner and Ferrer are to go against each other in Sunday's first singles match while Almagro is scheduled against Querrey in the fifth match of the series.
