Fast Break
Running
Mexican politician cheats in marathon
After a humiliating defeat in Mexico’s presidential election last year, Roberto Madrazo appeared to be back on top. He’d won the men’s age-55 category in the Sept. 30 Berlin marathon with a surprising time of 2:41:12.
But Madrazo couldn’t leave his reputation for shady dealings in the dust. Race officials said Monday they disqualified him for apparently taking a short cut – an electronic tracking chip indicates he skipped two checkpoints in the race and would have needed superhuman speed to achieve his win.
According to the chip, Madrazo took only 21 minutes to cover 9 miles – faster than any human can run.
Madrazo’s reputation at home was already tarnished. In 1996, Mexico’s attorney general confirmed reports that he had spent millions of dollars more than the legal campaign spending limit in his winning 1994 bid for the Tabasco state governorship.
NFL
Arbitrator says Vick owes Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are entitled to recover nearly $20 million in bonus money paid to disgraced quarterback Michael Vick, an arbitrator ruled Tuesday. The players’ union vowed to appeal.
Stephen B. Burbank, the University of Pennsylvania law professor and special master who led last week’s arbitration hearing, sided with the team after hearing from Falcons president and general manager Rich McKay and attorneys from the NFL Players Association, which represented Vick.
The Falcons argued that Vick, who pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in a long-running dogfighting operation, knew he was in violation of the contract when he signed a $130 million deal in December 2004.
The team said he used proceeds from the contract to fund his illicit activities and sought the repayment of $19,970,000 in bonuses he was paid out of a total of $22.5 million in 2005 and ‘06.
NFL
Injury ends Leinart’s season
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart will miss the rest of the year because of a broken collarbone, ending his second NFL season after just five games.
He was placed on injured reserve, two days after his injury during a victory over the St. Louis Rams. Leinart, a left-hander, fractured his left collarbone while getting sacked before halftime and spent the second half on the sidelines.
Kurt Warner replaced Leinart and finished the game. The Cardinals signed Tim Rattay as a backup for Warner.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt had been platooning Warner and Leinart, turning to the veteran during no-huddle situations. Leinart, the Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California, was the team’s first-round choice in 2006, the 10th overall pick.