Switzer Pleads Guilty To Gun Charge

Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was assessed a $3,500 fine and a one-year deferred adjudication Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Switzer also agreed to serve 80 hours of public service. Switzer was arrested carrying a loaded pistol in his luggage at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport en route to training camp this summer.

The team had no comment on the plea agreement.

The last thing the Cowboys wanted to hear Tuesday was a bad injury report on quarterback Troy Aikman. But that’s what they got.

Aikman has a severely swollen thumb that will keep him out of practice, although he is expected to play Sunday against Carolina, Switzer said.

Aikman hurt his thumb during the 27-14 loss to Tennessee on Thanksgiving Day.

Racial disparity continues in NFL

Nearly 70 percent of the players in the NFL are black, but just 26 percent of the coaches are black, meaning there is a greater racial disparity between players and coaches at the professional level than at the major-college level.

Of the 390 coaches at all levels of responsibility in the NFL, 100 are black, according to a Washington Post study. Among the 100 black coaches, there are five coordinators, two assistant head coaches and three head coaches - Philadelphia’s Ray Rhodes, Minnesota’s Dennis Green and Tampa Bay’s Tony Dungy.

Ten head coaching jobs opened after the 1996 season. None was filled by a minority.

Around the league

Minnesota quarterback Brad Johnson has a herniated disc in his neck and will see a neurosurgeon today, threatening his status not only for Sunday’s game at San Francisco but for the rest of the season. … Jamie Martin, who played college football at Weber State, signed with the Washington Redskins to be No. 3 quarterback behind new starter Jeff Hostetler and backup Trent Green. … Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd will miss at least one more game with a staph infection in his ankle.