X Games: Moore dies from crash injuries
ASPEN, Colo., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Caleb Moore died Thursday, one week after he was injured in a crash during a snowmobile freestyle run at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., his family said.
Moore, 25, is the first competitor to die in the 17-year history of the Winter X Games.
In a statement, family spokeswoman Chelsea Lawson said Moore -- a four-time X Games medalist -- "will be truly missed and never forgotten."
"The family wishes to express their deep gratitude for all the prayers and support they have received from all the fans, friends and family around the world that Caleb has inspired," the statement said. "They would also like to thank the physicians and medical staff at both Aspen Valley Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital, Grand Junction for their care and dedication."
The statement said the family would not make any other public comments or give interviews.
"We are deeply saddened by Caleb Moore's passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, Wade and Michelle, his brother, Colten, and the entire Moore family," said ESPN, which hosts the X Games.
"He will be remembered for his natural passion for life and his deep love for his family and friends, and he will always be an inspiration to everyone he touched in the action sports community," the cable sports channel said in a statement.
"As a result of this accident we will conduct a thorough review of this discipline and adopt any appropriate changes to future X Games," the statement said."
Culliver apologizes for anti-gay comments
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver has apologized for homophobic remarks during an interview and acknowledged the comments were "hurtful and ugly."
Asked Tuesday if he thought any of his teammates were gay, Culliver said: "No, we don't got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up out of here if they do. Can't be with that sweet stuff."
The question was asked by comedian Artie Lange during Media Day, the Los Angeles Times said, an opportunity for reporters to interview players in the Super Bowl.
Culliver apologized twice -- once in a statement released by the team Wednesday, and again Thursday as he spoke with reporters covering the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
"The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel. It has taken me seeing them in print to realize that they are hurtful and ugly," he said Wednesday. "Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart. Further, I apologize to those who I have hurt and offended, and I pledge to learn and grow from this experience."
He told reporters Thursday "everyone is treated equally" in the 49ers locker room and said he has spoken with Coach Jim Harbaugh, teammates and 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke. Culliver said he had intended the comment to be funny, in keeping with the comic tone of Lange's interviews with players.
Harbaugh told reporters Thursday he does not believe "there was malice in [Culliver's] heart. "He's not that kind of person. He's not an ugly person, he's not a discriminating person," Harbaugh said.
"I think it took this incident, to hear those words being said by him, to see them written down on paper for him to realize they were hurtful and ugly and I think, I know, that he's taken that to heart," Harbaugh said.
"There is no place for discrimination within our organization at any level," the 49ers said in a statement. "We have and always will proudly support the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community."
The 49ers in August were the first NFL team to release a video in support of the "It Gets Better" campaign, intended to encourage gay and lesbian teens cope with the effects of homophobia, USA Today noted.
Singh withdraws from Phoenix Open
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Vijay Singh, citing a back injury, withdrew Thursday before the start of the PGA Tour's Phoenix Open, one day after admitting he had used a banned substance.
Singh admitted in a statement Wednesday that he used deer antler spray but said he didn't know it contained a substance -- IGF-1 -- banned under the PGA Tour's Anti-Doping Policy.
PGA Tour players were told in 2011 that deer antler spray use was implicated in positive drug tests. Singh hasn't failed a drug test.
"I am absolutely shocked that deer antler spray may contain a banned substance and am angry that I have put myself in this position," Singh said in his statement.
Singh, 49, cited a back injury as the reason he was withdrawing from the Phoenix Open. He is still listed in the field for next week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.
He was one of the athletes from several sports implicated in a Sports Illustrated article about a company called S.W.A.T.S. -- Sports with Alternative to Steroids. The article alleged that Singh paid $9,000 for S.W.A.T.S. for deer antler spray and other products.
Among the other athletes mentioned in the Sports Illustrated article is Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who is to retire after Sunday's Super Bowl. Lewis referred to the allegations as "the work of the devil."
IGF-1 stands for insulin-like growth factor-1. It is believed to improves a user's endurance among other alleged benefits.
Magic's Davis fractures foot
NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Orlando Magic forward and co-captain Glen Davis fractured his left foot in the opening minutes of a game against the New York Knicks.
Davis suffered the injury Wednesday after appearing to step on another player's foot. He left the game and did not return to the Madison Square Garden floor, the Orlando Sentinel reported Thursday.
The Magic fell to the Knicks, 113-97.
The injury leaves a rebuilding team with a 14-31 record without its most effective low-post defender, the newspaper noted, adding Davis missed 11 games earlier in the season after he dislocated his left shoulder Dec. 19.
The Magic are 2-18 since Davis' shoulder injury.
