Stokes Latest 49er Injured Floyd Sprained Knee On Wednesday; Sapolu Blames Team’s Busy Schedule

The training-camp routine is becoming painful for the San Francisco 49ers.

On Thursday, top draft pick J.J. Stokes broke a bone in his right hand, becoming the latest casualty in an injury-plagued camp. He’s expected to miss up to six weeks.

Stokes is the second player in as many days to go out with a serious injury. Fullback William Floyd sprained right knee ligaments during contact drills on Wednesday and will be sidelined about three weeks.

The tone was set on the first day of camp when defensive end Troy Wilson dislocated his right shoulder. Also, four of five regulars in the offensive line have missed time. Center Bart Oates (elbow) and guard Derrick Deese (ankle) return to duty in Saturday night’s exhibition against Carolina, but tackles Harris Barton (calf bruise) and Steve Wallace (knee) are out.

Guard Jesse Sapolu, upset at the rash of injuries and the potential damage to San Francisco’s regular-season hopes, lashed out at the NFL, saying the league was partly at fault for pressuring the 49ers into playing their sixth overseas exhibition in eight years. San Francisco played Denver in Tokyo two weeks ago, a game in which Barton, Oates, Wallace and placekicker Doug Brien were injured.

“The preseason is just too long in my opinion,” the exasperated Sapolu said. “Our off-season was pretty much zilch as far as I’m concerned and maybe that’s part of the reason we’re having some injuries right now.

“We support the NFL but they should think about us physically also because year in, year out we’re reaching at least the NFC championship level. The other teams that never make the playoffs year in year out have an extra month to rest over us. Then for them to ask us to come in a week early so we can go across the world to play a game and be ambassadors, that’s a little too much sometimes.”

Rison rips Falcons

Andre Rison, who will return to Atlanta with the Browns on Saturday, says he’s just happy to be in Cleveland.

Asked at the Browns’ training camp to list his biggest accomplishment in Atlanta, Rison replied:

“I made it out of there. People were throwing knives at me for no reason. The only way I could shield myself in a positive way was to turn my head, walk away and go to a better situation.”

The Falcons let Rison go, never making him a contract offer and he signed a five-year, $17 million deal with the Browns.

“It’s classier here,” says Rison, a Pro Bowler four times in five years with the Falcons. “It’s a lot different here than it was in Atlanta. Down there, we didn’t know if we could win and some of us didn’t want to win.”

Montana sacked in court

Joe Montana was turned down by the California state Supreme Court in his challenge to a newspaper’s right to sell posters showing him in the Super Bowl.

The court left intact an appellate ruling that said the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News had a right to use the football star’s photo without his permission, because the event was newsworthy and because the newspaper was advertising the quality of its coverage.

Saints off hook

At least four New Orleans Saints had sex with a dancer who claims she was raped at their Wisconsin training camp dormitory, but there is not enough evidence to pursue rape charges, prosecutors said.

La Crosse (Wis.) County assistant district attorney Ron Kind closed his investigation into the alleged assault, saying the woman and her story were not credible. The players in question were not identified.

Eagles 31, Patriots 7

Kelvin Martin returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown and several other former Boston College stars lifted Philadelphia over visiting New England.

Mike Mamula, the former BC star whom the Eagles took with the seventh pick in the draft, and Bill Romanowski, BC class of 1987, keyed a Philadelphia defense that scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery and limited the Patriots to one touchdown.

Drew Bledsoe left the game after New England’s first series, but returned and played until the fourth quarter, finishing 16 of 32 for 161 yards and a touchdown.

Lions 20, Bengals 13

Scott Mitchell guided Detroit to scores the first three times it had the ball as the Lions beat Cincinnati.

Ki-Jana Carter made his NFL debut, but the Bengals’ top draft pick was tackled high by Robert Porcher on his third carry and went down with a twisted left knee.

Carter, who had zero yards on three rushes, is expected back in the next week.