New York fetes Super Bowl Giants
NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- New Yorkers feted and confetti-ed the Super Bowl champion New York Giants Tuesday with a parade and the keys to the city.
Thousands of fans lined the streets of Manhattan to congratulate the Giants, who came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat the New England Patriots, 21-17 Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, and claimed the team's second NFL championship ring in four years.
Weather conditions were perfect for a parade -- clear skies and a temperature around 50 degrees, the New York Post reported. The only rain was confetti from office building windows.
Wide receivers Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham were aboard the first float.
Running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw showed off their second Super Bowl Rings.
Giants players played toss with the crowd, returning footballs thrown to them by autograph-seekers. They also signed T-shirts and other items and worked to get them back to their rightful owners, the Post said.
Chants of "M-V-P" filled the air as the float with quarterback Eli Manning and his MVP hardware, defensive lineman Justin Tuck and coach Tom Coughlin passed.
Before the Giants received the keys to the city at City Hall, the cast of "Rock of Ages" sang Journey's "Don't Stop Believin.'"
Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared the city the Big Blue Apple before distributing the keys.
"Only can this happen in New York," Coughlin said, thanking the fans for making the players feel welcomed. "This is the greatest city in the world."
Coughlin said he spoke with President Obama, who praised the team for its mental toughness and its resiliency and said "to remember that all things are possible for those who believe."
Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch thanked the city and its citizens for an "incredible" parade.
Tish suggested, "we should do this every Tuesday."
Ricky Williams retires from NFL
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Running back Ricky Williams, who gained more than 10,000 yards in 11 NFL seasons, announced his retirement Tuesday.
He made the announcement through a release from the University of Texas, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1998.
Williams, 34, was a first-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 1999 and played for the Miami Dolphins for eight seasons. He was with the Baltimore Ravens last season.
It was in a Ravens game Jan. 1 that Williams passed the 10,000-yard mark. He was the 26th player to reach that level.
Williams finished with 10,009 yards and 66 rushing touchdowns to go with 342 receptions for 2,606 yards and eight touchdowns in 147 NFL games. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2002, his first season with Miami.
He was famously drafted by New Orleans after the Saints traded all six of their draft choices in 1999 to move into position to take Williams. Williams was a 1,000-yard rusher twice for New Orleans and led the NFL with 1,853 yards for Miami in 2002.
He rushed for another 1,353 yards in 2003 but then retired. He returned rather than give back bonus payments but was suspended for the 2006 season because of a fourth NFL drug policy violation.
Williams played that season for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He returned to the NFL and had one more 1,000-yard season (1,127 in 2007).
Broncos running back charged with DUI
DENVER, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno has been charged with drunken driving, police say.
Moreno, 24, was driving southbound on Interstate 25 Feb. 1 when police pulled him over for going more than 70 mph in a 45 mph construction zone. The officer said he smelled alcohol when he approached Moreno's Bentley convertible, decked out with personalized plates that read, "SAUCED."
Moreno performed badly on a roadside sobriety test and a Breathalyzer test, and was arrested for driving under the influence, KDVR-TV, Denver, reported.
The Broncos issued a statement Monday saying, "We take the incident involving Moreno very seriously and are thoroughly reviewing this matter."
Moreno's agent did not respond to calls for comment, KDVR said.
Anthony out because of groin injury
NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is expected to miss at least a week of play because of a right groin strain, the NBA team said Tuesday.
Anthony was injured during Monday's game against Utah when he threw a pass to center Tyson Chandler on a fast break. Anthony limped to the other end of the court.
Team officials said Tuesday that Anthony will be out 1-2 weeks.
He leads the Knicks with a 22.3 points-per-game average and also averages 6 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game. However, despite a series of injuries including ankle, thumb and wrist problems, he's only missed three of the Knicks' 25 games this season.
