NFL suspends 6 for 'masking agents'
NEW YORK, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The NFL said Tuesday it is suspending six players without pay for four games for violating its Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances.
The league announcement said the players violated a longstanding provision on the use of diuretics and water pills. The pills serve as masking agents for steroids.
If a player's team qualifies for the playoffs, he is eligible to return to the active roster Dec. 29, the league said.
The suspended players are defensive end Charles Grant, running back Deuce McAllister and defensive end Will Smith of New Orleans; long snapper Bryan Pittman of Houston and defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of Minnesota.
The appeals process in the suspensions included nearly 30 hours of hearings, the league said.
Burress at stadium for medical treatment
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- New York wide receiver Plaxico Burress showed up at Giants Stadium Tuesday morning for treatment for his gunshot wound and an earlier hamstring injury.
He also was expected to meet with team officials to discuss his future, The New York Times reported.
Burress allegedly shot himself in the thigh early Saturday at a Manhattan nightclub. He surrendered himself to police Monday to face possible weapons charges, though none has been filed so far.
He arrived at the stadium in New Jersey in a gray van with tinted windows and did not appear to be limping as he passed a group of reporters, the Times said.
Burress signed a $35 million, five-year contract in September.
Quinn to have surgery on finger
BEREA, Ohio, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn is taking his surgeon's advice and undergoing surgery to fix his broken right finger, the team says.
He is expected to be recovering for 10 weeks, which means Quinn is probably out for the season.
Quinn broke his finger in a Nov. 17 game against Buffalo, suffering tendon damage in his throwing hand in the 29-27 victory over the Bills. He started the next week against Houston, but was pulled in the second half as the Browns went down 16-6.
Surgery is scheduled Wednesday.
Ken Dorsey is expected to start for the Browns in the game at Tennessee Sunday, with Derek Anderson also out for the season with a knee injury.
Michael Phelps is SI Sportsman of the Year
NEW YORK, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who won a record-setting eight Olympic gold medals this year, was selected the 2008 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.
Phelps, 23, was involved in seven world records -- some of the performances came as part of relay teams -- in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing and has collected a record 14 gold medals in his career.
He is the first swimmer to win the honor. His eight gold medals in one Olympics broke the record set by Mark Spitz in 1972. Tennis star Billy Jean King was selected the Sportswoman of the Year over Spitz.
"Michael Phelps as the 2008 Sportsman of the Year was the easiest choice I have made," said Sports Illustrated Group Editor Terry McDonell in a news release Tuesday. "It is so obvious that he changed not only swimming but also the entire Olympic landscape."
Sports Illustrated said its award is presented annually to the person or team who transcended the year in both athletic performance and character.
