Giants quarterback Eli Manning will not play Saturday

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will not play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Manning left Monday’s 31-16 exhibition win against the New York Jets with a cut on his forehead that required 12 stitches to close.

Giants Coach Tom Coughlin ruled Manning out after practice because the stitches will affect his ability to wear his helmet.

“The helmet kind of hits you lower in the forehead, so it wouldn’t be right on the stitches,” Manning said. “I don’t think it will be too painful to wear a helmet, but we’re just being safe right now.”

Meanwhile, backup quarterback Jim Sorgi, who is dealing with shoulder and rib injuries, is uncertain for Saturday’s game, leaving Rhett Bomar as the only healthy quarterback in camp.

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New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan said he thinks he was unfairly judged by Tony Dungy, who criticized Ryan for repeatedly cursing during the first episode of the HBO series “Hard Knocks.”

“I’ve been a big admirer of Tony Dungy, and I’m sure a lot of people are,” Ryan said. “I felt that he unfairly judged me. That was disappointing to me.”

Ryan said he left a message with Dungy inviting the former Tampa Bay and Indianapolis coach to spend a day with Ryan and the Jets.

“I think maybe he’ll have a different take on it when he see us,” Ryan said.

Dungy said on Dan Patrick’s radio show this week that Commissioner Roger Goodell should discuss the excessive swearing with Ryan.

“I’m always going to be myself, and I’m a good person,” Ryan said. “Just because someone cusses or whatever doesn’t make him a bad person. Just because a guy doesn’t cuss doesn’t make him a good person. I’ll stand by my merits.”

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Rookie quarterback Tim Tebow sat out the Denver Broncos’ practice with an apparent rib injury, probably suffered on his touchdown run against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Tebow was on the field for the start of practice but was holding his side and met with a trainer about 15 minutes in. He then headed to the locker room.

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Quarterback Jeff Garcia, a four-time Pro Bowl selection during his career with San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, signed with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.

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Wide receiver Brandon Jones, the San Francisco 49ers’ most expensive free-agent acquisition in 2009, was waived by the team.

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Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd is out indefinitely after having surgery for a groin injury and might miss the season opener.

Coach Chan Gailey said the injury is related to the one that Byrd suffered at the end of last season.

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Dallas Cowboys left guard Kyle Kosier could be out from four to six weeks after suffering what is believed to be a strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

Kosier was hurt during practice Wednesday when he got tangled up with a teammate while trying to make a block. He was scheduled to have an MRI exam.

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The Seattle Seahawks traded defensive end Lawrence Jackson to the Detroit Lions for an undisclosed pick in the 2011 draft.

Jackson was drafted by the Seahawks with the 28th overall pick in 2008. He started 24 of the 31 games he played for Seattle and compiled 61 tackles, including 49 solo, with 6 1/2 sacks.

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The Miami Dolphins signed veteran guard Randy Thomas and waived wide receiver Ryan Grice-Mullen.

A veteran of 11 NFL seasons, Thomas, who was drafted out of Mississippi State by the New York Jets in the second round of the 1999 draft, has started 143 games in his career.

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The Chicago Bears agreed to terms on a one-year contract with quarterback Matt Gutierrez and a two-year deal with defensive back Aaron Webster. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth skipped practice because of dehydration.

ETC.

Justine Henin will miss the rest of the 2010 season because of damaged ligaments in her elbow. The former No. 1-ranked women’s player and seven-time Grand Slam winner said on her website that she was hurt at Wimbledon in July and will be sidelined until at least October.

“I took several medical examinations and it is going in the right direction,” Henin said. “But it is still a slow recovery, so I need to be patient again until the end of 2010.”

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Nicolas Anelka has described the French Football Federation as a “bunch of clowns” after they handed the striker an 18-game international ban for his role in the national team’s World Cup revolt in South Africa.

The 31-year-old was handed the suspension by an FFF disciplinary commission on Tuesday, a decision derided by Anelka, who said he never intended to play for France again anyway.

For me, that commission thing is absolute nonsense, an aberration, a farce, an attempt not to lose face,” Anelka was quoted as saying by daily France Soir on Wednesday.

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The United States will play an exhibition match against Poland at Soldier Field in Chicago on Oct. 9. The nations have played 16 times before, with the teams even at 7-7-2.

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The Valero Texas Open will move to April 14-17 in 2011, the week after The Masters, according to a report by the San Antonio Express-News. The move will also put the tournament at the AT&T Oaks Course near the end of San Antonios Fiesta celebration that runs from April 7-17. The Heritage, which traditionally follows The Masters, reportedly will be moved to April or May.

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Fans at this week’s Wyndham Championship will be allowed to carry mobile devices, including cell phones, but must be used only in designated areas. “If we’re trying to attract more people to our tournaments, we have to tear down the barrier to those who can’t be out of touch with their families or business world for four to eight hours or longer,” tournament director Mark Brazil told USA Today. “We think this is overdue. This will allow people the freedom they enjoy most anywhere else.”

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CVS won’t renew its title sponsorship of the LPGA tournament in Danville, Calif., in 2011, according to Golfweek.com.

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China’s deputy sports minister Cui Dalin, the architect of the medal table-topping triumph at the Beijing Olympics, has retired at the age of 60, state media reported Wednesday. Cui was in charge of competitive sports in the state system for the four years running up to what he described as “an historic breakthrough” at the 2008 Olympics, where Chinese athletes won 51 golds and 100 medals in all.

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The USC men’s basketball team will face national heavyweights Kansas, Texas and Tennessee, plus make a trip to Springfield, Mass., for the Hall of Fame Classic tournament, during its 2010-11 season, according to the schedule the team released.

The Trojans are coming off a 16-14 season and replace three starters and four of its top six scorers. USC’s touted recruiting class should receive ample playing time during Coach Kevin O’Neill’s first year of postseason eligibility after the team accepted a self-imposed postseason ban last year relating to allegations of scandal surrounding former star O.J. Mayo.

USC’s season begins Nov. 13 with a home game against UC Irvine.

-- Baxter Holmes