NFL

Terrell Owens reportedly cut

Terrell Owens’ future with the Dallas Cowboys has been in question since the offseason began.

According to a source, the Cowboys decided to cut the wide receiver late Wednesday night.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones hinted at Owens’ return at a news conference two weeks ago but never definitively said Owens would be back for the 2009 season. Last week at the NFL scouting combine, Jones said the media caught his “drift” about Owens’ return but did not elaborate.

Efforts to reach the Cowboys for comment were unsuccessful late Wednesday night. Owens was unable to be reached, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did not return phone calls or e-mail.

A spokesman for Owens told the Associated Press that he hadn’t heard the news, originally reported by ESPN.

The Cowboys signed Owens to a $34 million extension last June that included a $12.9 million signing bonus, but they have decided to move on.

Originally signed by the Cowboys in 2006 after a much-publicized release from Philadelphia, Owens caught 235 passes for 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns in three seasons with the Cowboys.

In 2007, Owens set the franchise record with 15 touchdown catches.

But in 2008, Owens was limited to 69 catches for 1,052 yards, his lowest total in a full season since 1999.

NFL

Cable praises missing player

Although Marquis Cooper spent only two months with the Oakland Raiders, he left an indelible impression that grew even sharper Wednesday as his teammates and coaches pondered his fate.

“His impact on this football team was tremendous, and not just as a football player,” Raiders coach Tom Cable said. “The type of man he is, and what he brought to this team, this locker room in terms of leadership … I think he was a part of the reason we kind of turned it around and had some success at the end of the year.

Cooper, the former University of Washington standout, has been missing since Saturday, when his boat overturned in rough seas off the Florida coast during a fishing trip with fellow NFL player Corey Smith and friends William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler. Only Schuyler was found clinging to the boat’s hull Monday, and the Coast Guard called off its search Tuesday.

Basketball

Idaho Vandals’ Hopson honored

Idaho Vandals junior guard Mac Hopson was honored as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All-District team, which recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes in collegiate men’s basketball.

Hopson leads the Vandals with 16.6 points per game, 5.8 assists and 1.7 steals. His 4.9 rebound average is second on the team. Hopson is one of 240 players lauded from 24 districts.