Holmes says he needs more tests

Priest Holmes says he’ll undergo two more tests on his neck and spine and then decide whether to resume his record-setting NFL career next year.

In his first public comments since going on injured reserve, the three-time Pro Bowl running back and holder of the NFL’s single-season touchdown mark also disputed a report he had a lump on his spine.

“I do not,” he said Thursday.

He said if the two tests show encouraging results, he will rejoin the Chiefs next year and continue a career that has already made him the team’s all-time leading rusher

“Why wouldn’t I?” he said.

“Pounding is just a part of football. But I love this sport and it’s really been very good to me. I’m not one to look 20 or 30 years down the road. I really look at the next two, three, five years. I really see myself playing, hoping the situation with the tests I take in the next 60 days comes back positive. Regardless of that, I still have to sit down and make a decision.”

Holmes went on injured reserve on Nov. 9 with head and neck trauma. He saw specialists in California and Florida after sustaining a concussion on Oct. 30 and was told to avoid contact for at least 30 days.

He said there will be more tests in the next few months, and he hopes to return to football. His 27 touchdowns in 2003 are a single-season record and the 66 touchdowns he scored from 2002-04 are the most in any three-year period.

McNabb advised to have surgery

Donovan McNabb was advised to have surgery for a sports hernia that probably would end his season.

The Philadelphia quarterback is considering his options. It’s likely he’ll seek other opinions before making a final decision.

Mike McMahon, who had been the third-string quarterback, will start the Eagles’ game against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Sports hernias are most common among male athletes. A diagnosis sometimes can be tricky because, unlike more common hernias, there is not always a visible bulge in the leg or groin area. With about 18 different variations, sports hernias can range from torn muscles to frayed muscles to a weakness in the abdominal wall.

Maddox will start for Steelers

With Ben Roethlisberger still not ready to return from a knee injury, Tommy Maddox will be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Sunday in Baltimore – the third starter in a month for a team that has won its last four games.

Coach Bill Cowher said that Roethlisberger could be in uniform as the backup after sitting out victories against Green Bay and Cleveland started by Charlie Batch. But Maddox will start for the first time since turning the ball over four times in a 23-17 overtime loss to Jacksonville on Oct. 16.

Batch is out for at least a week with a broken finger in his right hand.

Court rules against widow

The widow of lineman Korey Stringer hit another, probably final legal roadblock when the Minnesota Supreme Court refused to let her pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the Vikings and several employees.

Siding with two lower courts, the Supreme Court’s 4-2 decision – Justice Alan Page, a former Viking, recused himself – exhausted Kelci Stringer’s avenues in state court.

Vikings tackle Stringer died in training camp four years ago.

His widow sued the team, claiming her 27-year-old husband didn’t receive proper medical care after collapsing following a blocking drill.

Stringer, a 335-pound Pro Bowl tackle whose body temperature was measured at 108.8 degrees after he practiced in the sweltering heat and humidity, died of heatstroke early the next morning.

Around the league

Philadelphia linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said he would welcome suspended receiver Terrell Owens back to the team with open arms. “We would love to have T.O. back, we would love to have him back because we love what he brings to the team,” Trotter said in an interview on ESPN’s Cold Pizza morning show. “It would definitely make us a better team.” Eagles coach Andy Reid suspended Owens last week for a series of incidents, and the team said Owens would be deactivated for the rest of the season. … Miami quarterback Gus Frerotte tested his sprained right index finger by throwing on the side, but didn’t take part in team drills, and his status remains questionable for Sunday’s game at Cleveland. … New York Giants linebacker Reggie Torbor will miss two to four weeks with a hernia. … Toniu Fonoti will start at left guard this week for Minnesota in place of Chris Liwienski. Liwienski, who has been struggling, has a streak of 75 starts, the team’s longest. … Receiver Anquan Boldin worked out with his Arizona Cardinals teammates, his first full practice with the team since before a road game against Dallas on Oct. 30. He has struggled with pain in his right knee.