Dave Duerson’s family sues NFL over his suicide

The family of former Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the NFL on Thursday that claims the league did not do enough to prevent or treat the concussions that severely damaged Duerson’s brain before he killed himself last year.

The suit was filed in Chicago on behalf of Duerson’s son Tregg and three other children. Duerson died Feb. 17, 2011, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.

The lawsuit accuses the NFL of negligently causing the brain damage that led Duerson to take his own life at the age of 50 by not warning him of the negative effects of concussions.

Attorney Thomas Demetrio, who is representing Duerson’s family, said the NFL should have been a leader in educating current and former players about head injuries.

The NFL said in a statement that it had not yet seen the lawsuit.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is doing his part to help the team get under the 2012 salary cap.

The Pro Bowl player joined linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley and cornerback Ike Taylor in restructuring his contract to make sure the perennial AFC contenders get under the cap by March 13.

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Quarterback Trent Edwards and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a one-year contract. Edwards has not played in the NFL since 2010.

ETC.

Russian sets pole vault record

Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva broke her indoor world record, clearing 16 feet 51/4 inches in the XL Galan meet at Stockholm. That beat the old mark by half an inch.

The two-time Olympic champion cleared the bar on her second attempt at Globe Arena. Her previous record was set in 2009 in Donetsk, Ukraine.

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Will Claxton shot a four-under-par 66 in windy conditions and took a one-stroke lead after the first round of the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic at Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Charles Howell, Greg Owen, John Huh, Marc Turnesa, Alejandro Canizares, Matt Every and Mark D. Anderson were tied for second place.

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Times sports columnist Bill Dwyre won first place in the annual Golf Writers Assn. of America writing contest for his daily news story on Darren Clarke’s victory in the British Open.

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Top-seeded John Isner beat fellow American Donald Young, 7-6 (3), 6-4, and reached the quarterfinals of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships at Memphis, Tenn.

Earlier, Sam Querrey beat seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson, 7-6 (4), 6-4, to move into the quarterfinals.

Querrey, the tournament’s 2010 champion and a wild-card entry this week, will face No. 3-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who defeated American Ryan Sweeting, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

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French qualifier Albano Olivetti, ranked 388th and playing in the main draw of an ATP event for the first time, stunned Mardy Fish, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in the second round of the Open 13 at Marseille, France.

Olivetti will meet Michael Llodra in an all-French quarterfinal. Llodra defeated sixth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5).

Juan Martin Del Potro also advanced to the quarterfinals when a right foot injury forced Nikolay Davydenko of Russia to retire with the match tied at one set apiece.

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Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates, and U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur lost to Jelena Jankovic.

Wozniacki ousted Ana Ivanovic, 6-3, 7-5, in a meeting of former No. 1s, after Jankovic stopped Stosur, 6-4, 6-2.

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The Sparks acquired forward-center Nicky Anosike from the Washington Mystics in exchange for guard Natasha Lacy and forward LaToya Pringle. The team also signed point guard Sharnee Zoll to a free-agent contract.

Anosike, 6 feet 4, has averaged 9.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in her four-year WNBA career.

Zoll, 5 feet 7, has spent the last four seasons playing overseas.

—Melissa Rohlin