In brief: Goodell says no timetable on labor deal

Football: Headed into contact talks with the players’ union, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says there is no timetable to reach a new agreement.

Goodell and the owners will meet with the NFL Players Association on Wednesday to begin negotiations, although the initial session is expected to deal with procedural questions.

The collective bargaining agreement expires after the draft in 2011. But if the two sides don’t reach an agreement by next March, the final year of the agreement calls for an uncapped year, something that has not happened since free agency and a salary cap were instituted in the 1993 contract.

“We are not focused on that,” Goodell said after a news conference at the Meadowlands concerning the new stadium being built by the Jets and Giants.

“We are focused on getting an agreement that works for the long term. We’re not specifically setting any deadlines or dates. Our issue is we know we have two more years of football. We would like to have an agreement that works for everybody in that period of time. If it takes up to the final moment, it takes up to the final moment.”

•Naposki extradited: A former NFL linebacker has been extradited from Connecticut to Orange County to face a murder charge in the 1994 shooting death of his ex-lover’s millionaire boyfriend.

Eric Naposki, 44, who played for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts in the late 1980s, appeared in court in Newport Beach, Calif. His arraignment was delayed until June 11.

Naposki and Nanette Packard McNeal, 43, were arrested and charged last month with killing businessman William McLaughlin for financial gain.

•UF cornerback arrested: An attorney for a University of Florida cornerback charged with punching another man in the head during a fight said his client acted in self-defense.

Gainesville (Fla.) Police spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg said police saw UF cornerback Janoris Jenkins punch another man in the head shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday. When Jenkins continued fighting, they shot him with a Taser, and he tried to run away.

He was arrested on charges of resisting arrest without violence and posted bail.

Jenkins told police the fight started because he thought someone was going to steal the gold chain around his neck.

76ers introduce Jordan as coach

Basketball: Eddie Jordan had been linked to the Philadelphia 76ers coaching job since December.

He was friends with team president Ed Stefanski from their days together in New Jersey, making him a natural contender to fill the first seat on the bench.

It just took Jordan until May to get the job.

The former Wizards and Kings coach was introduced in Philadelphia with a promise that his Princeton offense can turn the Sixers into Eastern Conference contenders.

Comments find Patrick in hot water

Auto racing: IndyCar racer Danica Patrick insists she was joking when she said using performance-enhancing drugs would only be cheating if she got caught.

Not so funny, says the leader of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

USADA CEO Travis Tygart said Patrick’s comments, printed in Monday’s edition of Sports Illustrated, were “totally irresponsible.”

“In one interview, she undercut what millions of parents try their best to teach their kids everyday in this country, that winners never cheat and cheaters never win,” Tygart said.

In an interview with Dan Patrick published in Sports Illustrated, Danica Patrick was asked, if she could take a performance-enhancing drug and not get caught, would she do it if it allowed her to win the Indianapolis 500.

“Well, then it’s not cheating, is it? If nobody finds out?” she said.

Dan Patrick responded: “So you would do it?”

Danica’s answer: “Yeah, it would be like finding a gray area. In motorsports, we work in the gray areas a lot. You’re trying to find where the holes are in the rule book.”

Danica Patrick later said her answers were a joke and she apologized if they came across differently.

U.S. defender out for qualifier

Soccer: U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk is out for Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier at San Juan, Costa Rica, with a groin injury.

American coach Bob Bradley said Hejduk was not fit enough for the match in San Jose. The Americans enter the game with seven points in their qualifying group, one more than second- place Costa Rica. The top three teams at the end of the round-robin CONCACAF finals make the World Cup field.

Bradley said Jozy Altidore, the 19-year-old forward who scored three times against Trinidad and Tobago in the last qualifying game, was fit enough to play. He is coming back from toe surgery in April.