NHL cancels more games
NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The National Hockey League, unable to reach a deal with its players, wiped out two more weeks the schedule Monday, meaning there will be no games through Dec. 30.
The NHL has locked out the players since Sept. 16 over their impasse in reaching a new contract. Canceling games from Dec. 15-30 brings the total number of games lost to the labor imbroglio to 526. There also will be no Winter Classic on New Year's Day or an All-Star Weekend in late January.
Owners and players talked last week but were unable to reach a breakthrough.
League officials say they won't budge off their demand for a 10-year collective bargaining agreement, with a re-open clause after eight years.
The union wants an eight-year overall contract, with the ability to re-open after six years.
There has been speculation talks could resume this week.
Cowboys' Brent free on bond in fatal crash
DALLAS, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Dallas nose tackle Josh Brent was free on bond after being charged with intoxication manslaughter in the auto death of teammate Jerry Brown, officials said.
Brent's bond was set at $500,000 in Irving, Texas., Sunday just before the Cowboys' game with the Cincinnati Bengals in Ohio, The Dallas Morning News reported.
"Jerry Brown was my very best friend and I'm just trying to deal with his death right now," Brent said when he was leaving jail.
Police said Brent was driving his car that crashed in Irving early Saturday, killing practice squad linebacker Brown, 25, who was living with Brent and a friend. Brent and Brown were teammates at the University of Illinois.
Brent's attorney, George Milner, said the bond was "17 times the amount it should be. ... $500,000 is what you get on a capital murder case."
Milner said Brent needs medical attention.
An Irving police affidavit indicated officers used a mandatory procedure to test blood alcohol level after Brent refused.
The arrest warrant affidavit said police noticed an "odor of alcohol emitting from his [Brent's] breath."
Brent is under contract through 2013
Brown joined the Cowboys' practice squad on Oct. 24 after he was cut from the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad.
Bills' Fred Jackson out with knee injury
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y., Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Buffalo running back Fred Jackson may miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury, Bills Coach Chan Gailey said Monday.
Jackson, 31, a sixth-year pro, suffered a ligament sprain in his right knee during the Bills' game Sunday against St. Louis. He injured the same knee and missed two games earlier this season. He missed another game recently because of a concussion.
Gailey, speaking Monday on his weekly radio show on WGR-AM, Buffalo, N.Y., said Jackson would be out a "minimum of two to three weeks."
There are three weeks left in the regular season.
Jackson is the second-leading running back for the Bills this season, gaining 436 yards on 115 carries. He had three rushing touchdowns. He also caught 34 passes -- tied for fourth most for Buffalo -- for 217 yards and an additional touchdown.
C.J. Spiller is the team's leading rusher, gaining 944 yards on 144 carries.
Ravens fire offensive coordinator
BALTIMORE, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Cam Cameron has been fired as the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator and will be replaced by quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, the NFL team said Monday.
Cameron, who was a head coach for one season in Miami, had been the offensive coordinator in Baltimore since 2008. He was removed from the position Monday, one day after the Ravens dropped a 31-28 overtime decision to Washington, their second straight loss.
The Ravens, who have an AFC North-leading 9-4 record, are 18th in the NFL in total offense, ranking 16th in passing and 17th in rushing. They've averaged 19.25 points over their last four games.
"My charge -- our responsibility as a coaching staff -- is to maximize the opportunities for our team to win and we can still reach all of our goals for this season," Baltimore Coach John Harbaugh said in a release on the team website.
"With our coaches and players, the solution is in the building. We are going to make the most of our opportunities going forward, and this change gives us a better possibility to achieve our goals."
Caldwell was hired by the Ravens this past January after three year as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
