Pedestrian hit by Stallworth wasn’t in crosswalk

A pedestrian wasn’t in a crosswalk when Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed him with his Bentley, according to a report released Tuesday by police in Miami Beach, Fla.

According to the report, Stallworth told officers he flashed his lights to try to warn 59-year-old Mario Reyes, a construction crane operator who was rushing to catch a bus after getting off work about 7:15 a.m. March 14.

Police said Stallworth was driving about 50 mph in a 40 mph zone.

They are investigating whether alcohol played a role in the accident. No charges have been filed against Stallworth pending the outcome of blood tests.

•Safety rules passed: NFL owners passed four player safety rules for next season and adjusted the calls on the kind of tackle that injured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the 2008 opener.

Defenders who are knocked to the ground no longer can lunge into quarterbacks if the play is still going on.

Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard did just that on the hit that ended Brady’s season almost before it began.

That adjustment was not a rule change and did not require an owners vote.

But four other rules were adopted by the 32 teams:

•The initial force of a blindside block can’t be delivered by a helmet, forearm or shoulder to an opponent’s head or neck. It will be a 15-yard penalty.

•Initial contact to the head of a defenseless receiver also will draw a 15-yard penalty.

•On kickoffs, no blocking wedge of more than two players will be allowed. A 15-yard penalty will go to a violating team.

•Also on kickoffs, the kicking team can’t have more than five players bunched together pursuing an onside kick. It will be a 5-yard penalty.

•Gonzalez wants trade: Contrary to remarks by Kansas City owner Clark Hunt, Tony Gonzalez wants to be traded if the right deal can be made, a person close to the Pro Bowl tight end told the Associated Press.

Baseball

Hamels tests elbow

Phillies ace Cole Hamels pitched in a minor league game, his first start since experiencing elbow tightness last week.

Hamels threw 32/3 scoreless innings against Pittsburgh Pirates minor leaguers at Philadelphia’s spring training complex. “It felt good,” Hamels said.

•Prospect’s wife suspected: A 2-month-old is back in the arms of her parents and the wife of a top Pittsburgh Pirates minor league prospect is suspected of taking the infant from a health clinic outside Tampa, Fla., authorities said.

Amalia Tabata Pereira, 43, was being questioned by Florida detectives in Manatee County, where the girl was found unharmed Tuesday afternoon, a day after she was taken from the clinic.

Plant City Chief of Police Bill McDaniel said authorities are looking to charge Pereira with false imprisonment.

She is the wife of Jose Tabata, 20, an outfielder and one of the top three prospects for the Pirates.

•Marlins players excited: The buzz in the Florida Marlins’ clubhouse was about opening day in 2012.

That’s when the team’s new ballpark with a retractable roof is scheduled to open following approval of the project by the Miami-Dade County Commission.

“I’m so happy for the Marlins,” All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez said. “They’ve been after it for a long time, and finally they got it.”

NBA

Jazz top Rockets

Ronnie Brewer scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half and the Utah Jazz ended Houston’s four-game winning streak, beating the Rockets 99-86 in Salt Lake City.

The Jazz pulled within one-half game of Denver for the Northwest Division lead and knocked the Rockets back to second in the Southwest.

•Lakers rout Thunder: Kobe Bryant scored 19 points before taking the fourth quarter off, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 107-89 road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers closed within one game of idle Cleveland for the best record in the NBA.

•Iverson verdict upheld: NBA star Allen Iverson must pay $260,000 for standing idly by and watching his bodyguard beat up another man in a 2005 bar fight in Washington, D.C., a federal appeals court ruled.

Iverson was attempting to have the verdict decided by a jury in 2007 thrown out.

NHL

Big night for Tanguay

Alex Tanguay had two goals and three assists and the Montreal Canadiens snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the visiting Atlanta Thrashers.

•Red Wings win: Valtteri Filppula scored with 1:26 left in the game and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in Edmonton, Alberta, to move back into first place overall in the NHL.

Miscellany

Alabama eyes Grant

Anthony Grant, who has led Virginia Commonwealth University to the NCAA tournament twice in the past three seasons, is again a popular figure as major conference schools look for a coach.

Alabama athletic director Mal Moore received permission from VCU’s Norwood Teague over the weekend to speak to Grant about its coaching vacancy.

•Last musher finishes: The last musher has reached the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race finish line.

Rookie Timothy Hunt finished early Tuesday morning, the 52nd musher to arrive in Nome, Alaska.

•Rocky Mountain men win title: Devin Uskoski had 20 points and 24 rebounds, and Rocky Mountain College (28-9) won its first national championship in any sport by beating Columbia College (30-8) 77-61 in the NAIA title game in Kansas City, Mo.

•Union women champs: Josephine Owino had 27 points and nine rebounds to lead Union (37-1) to its fourth NAIA women’s basketball national championship with a 73-63 victory over rival Lambuth (29-6) in Jackson, Tenn.