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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Brady, Moss pull out of Pro Bowl

The Spokesman-Review

Tom Brady and Randy Moss pulled out of the Pro Bowl on Monday, a day after the New England Patriots were beaten in the Super Bowl.

After throwing a league- record 50 touchdown passes during the season, Brady was battered by the New York Giants during their 17-14 win Sunday. He has been bothered by a tender ankle and was photographed in New York wearing a protective boot two weeks prior to the Super Bowl.

Brady, who first injured his ankle against San Diego in the AFC championship game, was sacked five times by the Giants. He will be replaced by Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson.

Moss, who caught a record 23 TD passes from Brady during the season, had five receptions for 62 yards and a TD in the Super Bowl. He will be replaced by Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson.

San Diego tight end Antonio Gates and defensive tackle Jamal Williams also decided to skip Sunday’s game in Honolulu.

Browns tight end Kellen Winslow will go in place of Gates, bringing the number of Browns players in the Pro Bowl to six, the club’s most since sending six in 1994. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Casey Hampton takes Williams’ spot on the AFC roster, his third consecutive trip to Hawaii and fourth overall.

The Patriots have not said why either of their stars opted out.

•Mike Rucker plans to return to the Carolina Panthers next season. After spending more than a month contemplating his future, the defensive end said he’s decided against retirement and hopes the Panthers want him back.

Rucker, who turns 33 on Feb. 28, ranks second in team history with 553 tackles and 55 1/2 sacks. He becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the month.

•Dan Henning was hired as the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, joining head coach Tony Sparano’s staff more than a quarter-century after his first stint with the franchise.

•Former Southern Methodist head coach Phil Bennett, fired with four games remaining last season, was hired as the University of Pittsburgh defensive coordinator.

College basketball

Memphis unanimous No. 1

This week, it’s unanimous for No. 1 Memphis.

The only unbeaten team in Division I received all 72 first-place votes from the national media panel and became the first unanimous No. 1 team in the Associated Press men’s poll since Florida did it for two weeks last February on the way to a second straight national championship.

The Tigers (21-0) won 89-77 at Houston and beat UTEP 70-64 last week.

Duke and North Carolina, who meet Wednesday night, moved up one spot to second and third. Kansas, which also started the week without a defeat only to lose 81-73 at Kansas State, dropped to fourth.

UCLA held fifth and was followed by Georgetown, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Stanford and Butler.

Washington State fell from ninth to No. 17 after losses to Cal and Stanford.

•Connecticut remained the unanimous No. 1 for the fifth consecutive week in the AP women’s poll, with Tennessee and North Carolina again second and third.

•Prosecutors in Harrison, N.Y., are dropping their case against former basketball star Latrell Sprewell, who was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their children.

Miscellany

Greene to retire

Former Olympic and world champion Maurice Green announced his retirement in Beijing, citing nagging injuries for his decision.

Traveling in China to inspect Olympic facilities with a group of contenders for Olympic gold, the 33-year-old Greene said injuries forced him to retire. Coaching and business interests will now be his focus.

“It’s a little sad for me but it’s happy at the same time because I’ve had a great career. I’ve done a lot of great things,” Greene said . “For the last couple of years, I’ve had nagging injuries that have stopped my training. So I think it’s better to just call it quits.”

Greene, a native of Kansas, was the dominant sprinter of the late 1990s and into the new century. He set a world record for the 100 meters in 1999 and won the same sprint at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

He also won world championship 100 titles in 1997, 1999 and 2001. At Seville, Spain, in ‘99, he also won the 200 and 400-meter relay golds in a rare triple. The following year, he won the 100 and anchored the victorious men’s 4x100 relay team at the Sydney Olympics, but did not run in the 200.

His world record of 9.79 seconds stood from 1999 until 2002. Asafa Powell of Jamaica set the record of 9.77 in 2005.

•The Champions Tour and Boeing Co. announced a four- year contract extension that will keep the Boeing Classic and professional golf in the Seattle area through 2012.

•Fed Cup rookie Ashley Harkleroad rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to beat Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 7-5 to clinch the quarterfinal match at San Diego, giving the U.S. a 4-1 victory over Germany.