Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to involvement in a dog fighting ring in which several animals were killed.  Vick, who was banned indefinitely by the NFL, faces up to five years in jail on charges of organizing a dog fighting ring and conducting an enterprise that included gambling and the sponsoring and transporting of dogs.  However, according to court documents, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 12-18 months.  Speaking to reporters shortly after entering the guilty plea, Vick apologized to the public, saying he was ashamed of his actions. • The disgraced former referee, Tim Donaghy, started betting on NBA games in 2003, long before he began tipping off high-stakes gamblers with inside information and recommending which teams to bet on -- with a reward of $5,000 if his picks hit.  Donaghy faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 9 for conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce. He also must pay a $500,000 fine and at least $30,000 in restitution to the government. • Barry Bonds could be preparing to slap a lawsuit on Curt Schilling.  According to the report, Bonds retained San Francisco attorney Todd Schneider and Oakland attorney John Burris to represent him in a possible defamation lawsuit against the veteran Boston Red Sox pitcher. •  D'Anthony Ford, 20, will face life in prison without parole for killing Southern California basketball player Ryan Francis. Francis was an 18-year-old point guard from Baton Rouge.  He was shot to death on May 13, 2006, at an intersection in Baton Rouge. • A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss charges against Trevor Graham, the elite track coach indicted as part of a federal investigation on steroid use by athletes.  Graham faces up to 15 years in prison and a $750,000 fine if convicted. • Chris Benoit had a hormone disorder that permitted the amount of steroids he was prescribed before the pro wrestler killed his wife, son and himself in June, an attorney for Benoit's personal doctor said in court papers.  A federal agent failed to tell the judge, about the legitimate uses of steroids, according to a motion to suppress evidence against Dr. Phil Astin. • Kansas State tight end Rashaad Norwood was arrested and charged with domestic battery. Norwood broke a sliding glass door with a chair, entered the apartment and pushed her onto the bed. The woman, who wasn't injured, called police and Norwood fled but was apprehended.  • Natalie Jones who was shot in the head after a scuffle at a Las Vegas strip club involving Adam "Pacman" Jones and his entourage has filed a lawsuit.  Jones claimed in her suit that "Jones and his entourage" were responsible for firing the semiautomatic weapon.  Jones injuries required her to be in intensive care for three weeks and lose wages as a result of missing work.   Adam Jones has said he was an innocent bystander in the shooting and does not know the suspected gunman. • According to Illinois State police reports Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs was charged with leaving the scene of an accident after crashing his Lamborghini and abandoning it alongside an expressway on the city's North Side.  In the state of Illinois, leaving the scene of a property damage accident is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a maximum of 1 year in jail and a $1,000 fine. • Houston Rockets guard Rafer Alston was charged with slashing a man's neck during a ruckus at a Manhattan nightspot.  This is his second brush with the law this month. • After a House Subcommittee heard testimonies from retired players, the union, and NFL officials, a Congressional Committee will hold a hearing Sept. 18 about the compensation for retired NFL players. The retired players claim the league and the NFL Players Association have been neglectful in dealing with players' health problems. Many retired players have appealed directly to Commissioner Roger Goodell, who in July launched a program that includes a $7 million medical fund. The union also is taking part in that program. • Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson, two basketball players of the University of Memphis, pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and inciting a riot related to a nightclub scuffle. • Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Mark Bell was suspended indefinitely without pay after being placed into the NHL substance abuse program.  Bell will be eligible for reinstatement upon the recommendation of the program's doctors, along with the approval of both the NHL and the players' union.  In August, Bell pleaded no contest to drunk driving with injury and hit-and-run charges.  He will also serve six months in a California jail at the end of the season. • Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss pleaded guilty to drunken driving and was sentenced to five years' probation and was fined $1,900. • A grand jury indicted four men in the armed robbery of Miami Heat forward Antoine Walker.  The men were indicted on one count each of armed robbery, home invasion, and aggravated kidnapping.  Two of the four men were also charged in a July home robbery of New York Knicks forward Eddy Curry. • Cornerback Leigh Bodden of the Cleveland Browns was arrested at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for arguing with police officers and resisting arrest, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's web site.  According to the newspaper, Bodden and his attorney pleaded not guilty to charges of resisting arrest, failure to comply and a traffic ticket. • A judge dismissed probation violation charge against Odell Thurman of the Cincinnati Bengals.  Thurman will remain on probation for a drunken driving conviction and was warned that he must continue to follow the rules. • Houston Rockets' Justin Reed was arrested for marijuana possession.  Reed was charged with misdemeanor possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, which carries a fine from $100 to $250. No date has been set for his appearance. • The trial for Indiana Pacers' Jamaal Tinsley and Marquis Daniels, who face charges stemming from a bar fight, has been rescheduled to December. • Commissioner Roger Goodell has no knowledge that any other NFL personnel is involved in an Internet drug operation being investigated by the Albany (N.Y.) District Attorney's office. The investigation led to the recent suspensions of New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks’ coach Wade Wilson.

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Felix Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr. will fight at an undetermined site in January. • Soccer's world governing body had set up an independent company in Zurich called Early Warning System to monitor betting patterns when World Cup qualifying begins later this year.  FIFA intends to monitor soccer bets on World Cup qualifiers to prevent match-fixing scandals. • Nevada boxing regulators fined Bernard Hopkins $200,000 for instigating a weigh-in brawl before his July fight with Winky Wright. • The Miami Hurricanes will play their home games at the Dolphin Stadium starting in 2008. •  In excerpts of his soon-to-be-released book obtained by the New York Daily News, "Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond," Tiki Barber blamed Giants Coach Tom Coughlin for driving him away from football.  "(Coughlin) robbed me of what had been the most important thing I had in my life, which was the joy I felt playing football. I had lost that. He had taken it away."   Barber moved from the football field to the broadcast boot and he recently took verbal shots at Giants quarterback Eli Manning for not showing enough leadership.  In the book, Barber also said the Giants shorted him about 10 million dollars. He also defended his decision to walk away from the game at age 31 even though he was playing at his highest level.  Barber's book goes on sale September 18. • The NBA fined Seattle Supersonics co-owner Aubrey McClendon $250,000 after publicly making comments about moving the team to Oklahoma. • Houston Astros fired baseball Manager Phil Garner just two years after guiding the team to its first World Series appearance in franchise history. • Respect was what black tennis players were denied before the late Althea Gibson broke the color barrier. Aretha Franklin and nearly two-dozen other pioneering black women were present Monday at opening night of the U.S. Open. They came together to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gibson's 1957 title at the U.S. National Championships, the forerunner to the Open, when she became the first black player, male or female, to win the tournament. • New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Actress Bridget Moynahan announced the name of their son -- John Edward Thomas Moynahan. Their son was born August 22 in Los Angeles. • St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Juan Encarnacion will miss the remainder of the season and his career is in jeopardy after sustaining multiple fractures of his left eye socket when struck by a foul ball.  • Wade Wilson, the quarterbacks’ coach of the Dallas Cowboys, was suspended for the first five games of the season and fined 100,000 dollars for violating the league’s anti-doping policy.  The New York Daily News reported it was human growth hormone (HGH).  Wilson's punishment comes a day after New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was suspended four games for admitting to receiving HGH. • Tyson Gay has become the third man ever to win three gold medals at a single world championship. • Floyd "Pete" Nelson, the father of Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson, was found dead in the Delaware River.  According to the Philadelphia's FOX News affiliate website, Mr. Nelson took a break from painting a boat at Hayes Tug and Launch in Chester, Pennsylvania - his employer in the Philadelphia suburb - and never returned.  The report also published several theories by local authorities, who speculated that Floyd Nelson either bumped his head when he fell off the boat, had a heart attack, or got stuck in the bottom of the river and drowned. He was 57. • The seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end, Michael Strahan is ready to begin his 15th season with the New York Giants after a summer in which he pondered retirement. • Shaquille O'Neal has filed to divorce his wife Shaunie O'Neal after nearly five years of marriage.  The reason is unclear, but Shaquille O'Neal is asking Shaunie O'Neal to provide a "correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities" that she had access to or obtained during the marriage. • Bats seized from the Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Tampa Bay's Akinori Iwamura were examined by Major League Baseball. The opponents asked the umpires to check them out; however, they checked out clean. • Florida Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester pleaded guilty to drunk driving charges.  Bouwmeester was placed on one-year driving probation and fined $1,000. • Veteran Pierre Turgeon of the Colorado Avalanche is expected to end his 19-season NHL career. • J.J. Yeley was signed by Hall of Fame Racing to drive for the No. 96 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2008. The contract runs through the 2010 season. Financial details were not disclosed. Yeley's debut in the No. 96 car will come in February's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. • Nine NBA players will lead a delegation to South Africa to help build and dedicate new facilities to provide homes and health care in poorer regions of the nation.  Dikembe Mutombo, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo and guard Bruce Bowen of the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs will be among the active and retired NBA talents on the trip.  Emeka Okafor and Primoz Brezec of the Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento's Kevin Martin, New York's Malik Rose, Phoenix's Sean Marks, Orlando's Pat Garrity and Atlanta's Josh Childress are also in the Basketball Without Borders delegation. • Police are investigating a weekend break-in at the suburban home of Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson, in which an occupant was bound and jewelry was stolen.  It is unclear if the occupant was Robinson or someone else. • Lauren Jackson, forward for the Seattle Storm, won the second MVP award of her WNBA career. ¨ A rare baseball card, issued by the American Tobacco Company in 1909, has been bought for a record $2.8 million a little more than six months after it was sold for a then-record $2.35 million.  The renowned T206 Honus Wagner, dubbed the "Mona Lisa" of baseball cards and previously owned by ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky, was sold to an anonymous private collector last week. • The New York Rangers will retire the No. 2 sweater of former star defenseman Brian Leetch during the upcoming 2007-08 regular season. • Homer No. 762 for Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants.  Roger Federer to win his fourth consecutive U.S. Open title. • Tiger Woods shot a 63 to win the BMW Championship for his 60th career PGA Tour victory. • Dario Franchitti to win the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway and clinch the 2007 IndyCar Series championship. • Stacy Lewis has won the $1.25 million NW Arkansas Championship, becoming the first amateur to win since 1969.



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