Ndamukong Suh unapologetic after fine
DETROIT, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was fined $30,000 for kicking Houston quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin, says he is "moving forward."
"It's a crazy play. It's one that unfortunately happened," Suh said Wednesday of the play on Thanksgiving Day, adding his kick was unintentional.
"I was being dragged to the ground, and my foot inadvertently hit the man. But it's over with, moving forward and getting ready to play the Colts," Suh said.
Su, in his third season in the NFL, has been fined five times by the league for illegal hits and other offenses.
Including his forfeit of pay in a two-game suspension for stomping the arm of Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith last Thanksgiving, Suh has lost $243,000 in income, the Detroit Free Press noted.
Suh admitted the stomp of Dietrich-Smith will likely follow him for the rest of his career.
"I think I'm always going to be punished in some form or fashion for last Thanksgiving. I mean, I apologized for it and I'm going to continue to apologize for it. It's something that happened, a mistake I made," he said.
Suh said he will offer no apology to Schaub for last week's incident in the Lions' 34-31 overtime loss to the Texans.
"A lot of things happen to me. It's part of the game," Suh said.
Vick still awaiting medical clearance
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, sidelined with a concussion, is still not cleared to participate in team practices, the Eagles said Thursday.
Vick suffered what Coach Andy Reid described as a "significant concussion" in a game against the Dallas Cowboys and has been unable to play since.
Philadelphia, which again plays the Cowboys Sunday, has lost its last seven games and is 3-8 on the year. Only Kansas City (1-10) and Jacksonville (2-9) have worse records in the NFL.
Vick has been injured often in his career and appeared in all 16 games just once (2006) over his 10-year NFL career.
Rookie Nick Foles had started at quarterback for the Eagles the last two games and will likely draw the starting assignment Sunday. He has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 542 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions this season.
Serena Williams is WTA Player of the Year
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Serena Williams, who won seven titles in 13 tournaments in 2012, has been voted WTA Player of the Year.
Williams was especially sharp in the second half of the year, going 31-1 and winning at Wimbledon, Stanford, Calif., the Olympics, the U.S. Open and the WTA Championships. She lost three sets at Wimbledon but only one -- in the U.S. Open finals to world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka -- the rest of the year.
She opened the year winning 10 of her first 12 matches and then took 17-of-18 -- losing in the first round at the French Open -- before the stunning second-half run.
"I've always said if I'm playing well and doing everything right, it's really difficult to beat me," Williams said at the WTA Championships. "I still believe that, which is great that I can still kind of play that way.
"I feel like there are always ways for me to improve, but I think it's a true statement, without trying to sound really full of myself or anything."
It is the fourth time Williams has been voted Player of the Year. She also won in 2002, 2008 and 2009. Only Steffi Graf (eight) and Martina Navratilova (seven) have won the honor more times.
The WTA Player of the Year Award is determined by a vote of international tennis media members.
The WTA Doubles Team of the Year Award was won by Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. Errani also was voted the tour's Most Improved Player. Briton Laura Robson was named Newcomer of the Year.
F1 test driver de Villota has surgery
MADRID, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Formula One race car test driver Maria de Villota underwent a 7-hour operation to rebuild her face and skull in Madrid following a severe crash in July.
Doctors at Madrid's La Paz University Hospital called Thursday's operation a success.
De Villota, 32, the daughter of former Formula 1 driver Emilio de Villota, crashed her car at the Duxford, England, test track in her first drive after beginning work for Team Marussia, based in Banbury, England, and sustained serious head injuries and the loss of her right eye, the website ThinkSpain reported.
Her father said Maria still has "that vital strength they [the racing team] are now used to," and noted she escaped brain damage.
