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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Agent: Elway Will Return To Defend Championship

From Wire Reports

John Elway will have at least one more shot at being “king of the hill.”

The 37-year-old Elway, who quarterbacked the Denver Broncos to their first Super Bowl title last month, plans to return for the 1998 NFL season, his agent, Marvin Demoff, said Thursday.

“My expectation always was that John would tell (owner) Pat Bowlen and (coach) Mike Shanahan a year in advance that I’m taking it one year at a time,” Demoff told The Denver Post. “Well, John’s giving them a year’s notice on his locker starting now. He might end up renewing that lease after next season… .

“It fulfills his obligation to Pat to help him get a new stadium. It fulfills his obligation to Mike to get someone in place. And it allows John to tour the NFL at least one more season as the king of the hill, which is exactly what he is.”

Team spokesman Jim Saccomano said Friday that Broncos’ officials had not yet heard from Elway.

“In time, John is going to let us know,” he said. “It’s certainly very well known we love our quarterback, and want him to return.”

Elway needs 1,331 yards to reach 50,000 career passing yards.

Ex-Dolphin hurt while skiing

Former Miami Dolphins all-pro defensive end Doug Betters was in serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery for spinal injuries suffered in a ski accident Thursday.

Kalispell (Mont.) Regional Medical Center said Betters’ injuries were not life-threatening.

The operation by a neurosurgeon lasted at least 5 hours, and involved both a bone graft and decompression of the spinal canal, spokesman Jim Oliverson said.

Officials at The Big Mountain resort said the tip of Betters’ ski apparently became caught in the snow and he fell, hitting his head. Betters, considered an excellent skier, was flown from the accident scene Thursday afternoon.

He was skiing alone and apparently fast on an intermediate run when the accident occurred in clear weather, resort officials said.

Tempers cool in Minnesota

Roger Headrick kept his job as president of the Minnesota Vikings as tempers cooled amid the brouhaha over the team’s sale.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue urged all 10 of the owners, Headrick included, to end their bitter feud over author Tom Clancy’s attempt to buy the team. Tagliabue is expected to rule next week on Headrick’s claim that he has a right to match Clancy’s $200 million-plus offer.

The other nine owners, fuming over Headrick’s seemingly desperate ploy to sabotage Clancy’s bid, indicated they would vote Friday to remove Headrick as president.

A unanimous decision to oust Headrick was expected, but the other owners stopped short of voting.

The Vikings hired New England assistant Andre Patterson as defensive line coach, replacing John Levra, now with the Buffalo Bills.

Patterson was a defensive line coach at Washington State University in the early 1990s.

Around the league

Former Marshall University wide receiver Randy Moss won’t attend this weekend’s NFL scouting combine because he recently had oral surgery, his agent said. Moss had six teeth extracted on Thursday. … The Detroit Lions and free-agent wide receiver Johnnie Morton have agreed to a five-year contract worth an average $3 million a year.