Arian Foster rips Thursday night games as dangerous, hypocritical

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster on Monday called the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" games hypocritical during a time when the league supposedly is promoting player safety.
"They emphasize concussions when they start getting hit with lawsuits and they care about the players' safety, but 'Thursday Night Football' is putting every player on the football field in danger," Foster said, via The Houston Chronicle.
The Texans, who play the Colts in three days, are coming off a 20-17 overtime loss against the Cowboys.
Despite five lopsided games so far this season on Thursday nights, CBS and the league-owned network's broadcast delivered increases in ratings and viewers from last year. The popularity of such games isn't sitting well with the players, according to Foster.
"I don't know a player that likes it," Foster said. "I really don't know a fan that likes it, either. I think it's just the league's way of trying to generate more revenue."

Slumping Puig benched by Dodgers for NLDS Game 4

ST. LOUIS (AP) Slumping All-Star Yasiel Puig was benched by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday for Game 4 of their NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
''What can I do? I wasn't in the lineup,'' Puig said through an interpreter. ''That was a decision they made. Whether it was the manager's decision or anyone, they made that decision.
''Now it's my responsibility to be supportive from the dugout.''
Manager Don Mattingly said he thought Andre Ethier was a better option. Eithier often has been the odd-man out in a crowded outfield.
''He just had a tough game,'' closer Kenley Jansen said. ''But Yasiel, he's learned a lot, I feel like. He's been doing much better in the postseason, even though the numbers don't show, probably.''
Cardinals pitchers handled him last year in the NL Championship Series, too, holding the rookie to a .227 average with 10 strikeouts in 22 at-bats.

Ex-NFL RB Johnson arrested, charged with battery at Florida nightclub

MIAMI -- Former NFL running back Larry Johnson has been arrested on aggravated battery charges after an altercation at a South Beach nightclub.
Miami-Dade County jail records show that Johnson was booked at 7:33 a.m. Tuesday. He was being held on $7,500 bail.
A Miami Beach police report says that Johnson cut another man with a broken bottle at a club in the Delano Hotel. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.
The 34-year-old Johnson played in the NFL from 2003 to 2011 after starring at Penn State. His best years were with the Kansas City Chiefs, when he rushed for more than 1,700 yards in both 2005 and 2006.
He ended his career with the Miami Dolphins and also played for the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals.

Dodgers to go with Kershaw on short rest in Game 4

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Don Mattingly decided not to postpone the intrigue over Clayton Kershaw.The Los Angeles Dodgers manager said Monday he'll go with Kershaw on three days' rest in Game 4 of their NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals

Survive and advance: Harvick taking week-to-week approach to Chase

One week at a time.
Survive and advance.
That's how Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick is approaching the new format for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, a format that features three elimination rounds of three races each and a winner-take-all battle among four title contenders at next month's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"It's just week-to-week at this point," Harvick said Monday afternoon during an exclusive interview with FOXSports.com. "You just never know what's going to happen. We've got to keep grinding it out. That's really what it's all about. It's really just about surviving at this point and trying to get yourself to Homestead and then go from there."

UFC's Piotr Hallmann tests positive for steroids, suspended nine months

Another week, another positive drug test.
Piotr Hallmann, who co-headlined UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski last month in Brazil, was popped by the Brazilian MMA athletic commission for drostanolone after his bout with Gleison Tibau, according to MMAjunkie.com's Steven Marrocco.
Hallmann, who lost the fight by split decision, will be suspended for nine months by the CABMMA. All fighters on the Sept. 13 card were subject to standard fight-night tests and four were selected at random for HGH and EPO testing.
Hallmann and Tibau each won $50,000 for their Fight of the Night performance. Hallmann's bonus will likely be forfeited.

Michael Phelps suspended by USA Swimming for 6 months, dropped from 2015 Worlds team

Michael Phelps' comeback took a major hit on Monday, with USA Swimming suspending the 18-time Olympic champion for six months and forcing him to withdraw from next year's world championships.
Phelps also lost six months of funding from the sport's national governing body as a result of his second DUI arrest. The 29-year-old swimmer is banned from participating in USA Swimming-sanctioned meets through April 6, 2015.Phelps can still train with his North Baltimore club, but he had already qualified for the world championships in Russia next August, which is the biggest international meet leading up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.