In brief: Colts sign veteran QB as insurance
NFL: The Indianapolis Colts are bringing one veteran quarterback out of retirement.
No, not Brett Favre.
The Colts agreed to terms Wednesday with Kerry Collins, making him the likely starter in case Peyton Manning hasn’t completely recovered from offseason neck surgery when the season opens Sept. 11.
Collins said he has been given no indication that Manning won’t play at Houston.
“Hopefully, Peyton will be back, but if he’s not maybe I can be one of the guys that can help this ballclub,” Collins said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday night. “The biggest draw for me coming here was just being with a team that I have a lot of respect for and a lot of history with, and really to be with a great team and play with one of greatest quarterbacks of all time.”
Collins agreed to a one-year contract and acknowledged he could be talked into staying longer than 2011.
Not everyone in the Colts locker room is enamored with the move.
“We don’t even know him, we ain’t vanilla, man, we ain’t no simple offense,” receiver Reggie Wayne said. “So for him to come in here and be the starter, I don’t see it. I think that’s a step back.”
• Extension for Scandrick: The Dallas Cowboys signed cornerback Orlando Scandrick to a five-year contract extension. The deal is worth $27 million.
• Meeting focuses on HGH testing: The NFL and the players’ union remain at an impasse on HGH testing with just two weeks remaining before the season kicks off.
A person familiar with the talks said the union was not satisfied with World Anti-Doping Agency’s ADA’s information on the procedures it uses and the reliability of the blood test. WADA handles drug testing for the Olympics.
• Lawsuit against NFL dismissed: A group of retired players decided to dismiss its lawsuit against the NFL now that the lockout is over.
Hall of Famer Carl Eller, Priest Holmes and several other retired players had accused the players’ union and the NFL of illegally negotiating terms of a collective bargaining agreement on their behalf.
• Talib rejoins Buccaneers: Cornerback Aqib Talib has rejoined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after missing one day of practice to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the player’s role in an offseason shooting in Texas.
Talib is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police say they believe the 25-year-old player and his mother shot at a man.
Montana advances to LLWS bracket finals
Little League: Ben Askelson homered to left field and Billings vaulted into the U.S. final of the Little League World Series with a 1-0, seven-inning victory over Huntington Beach, Calif., in South Williamsport, Pa.
The Montana team rests until Saturday, while California must face Pennsylvania today.
• Home run propels Mexico: Bruno Ruiz hit a solo homer in the ninth and Mexicali, Mexico, beat Maracay, Venezuela, 2-1 in South Williamsport, Pa., to advance to Saturday’s international final. Venezuela plays Japan today.
NCAA hits Pearl with three-year penalty
Miscellany: The NCAA said it wanted to send a clear message by slapping Bruce Pearl with a three-year show-cause penalty: Coaches are responsible for their programs.
The sanctions make it harder for the former Tennessee men’s basketball coach to get another college job anytime soon. Pearl is banned from recruiting during the next three years.
• Police search Jefferson’s apartment: Authorities say they searched the apartment of LSU starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson in connection with a bar fight last week that injured four people.
Investigators left with several bags of evidence, which police say could help prove or disprove allegations against Jefferson.
• Harvick wins race: Kevin Harvick raced to his third straight NASCAR Trucks victory, holding off John Sauter at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. Todd Bodine was third.
• Uncle Mo returns: Uncle Mo returns to race Saturday for the first time since being sidelined with a life-threatening liver disease more than four months ago. The early Kentucky Derby favorite before his illness, Uncle Mo was made the 9-5 favorite in the $250,000 King’s Bishop, a 7-furlong Grade 1 race in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.