Houston Texans cut Ed Reed, put Arian Foster on injured reserve

The Houston Texans released nine-time Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed and put running back Arian Foster on injured reserve Tuesday, the latest blows in a disaster of a season.

Reed missed the first two games after hip surgery and was recently relegated to a backup role. On Friday, he expressed his displeasure at not starting. On Sunday, after Houston’s seventh straight loss, he publicly criticized the team and said it had been outplayed and outcoached in the team’s first full game without Coach Gary Kubiak, who is recovering from a mini-stroke.

Interim Coach Wade Phillips, the team’s defensive coordinator, seemed unhappy when asked about Reed’s comments on Monday.

The 35-year-old Reed was signed to a three-year, $15-million contract in the off-season after he’d spent his entire 11-year career with Baltimore. The Texans courted him in an effort to beef up what they saw as an elite defensive unit that needed an upgrade in the secondary to make an expected run at the Super Bowl.

But Reed never showed the playmaking ability he had become known for in Baltimore and had just 16 tackles this season.

The move could mean the end of the career of a player many believe is the best to ever play his position.

And the Texans now lose Foster, who needs back surgery. He didn’t practice last week after injuring his back on Houston’s first series against Indianapolis.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was arrested in outside Kansas City, Mo., over the weekend on charges of speeding and possessing marijuana, throwing his status for a pivotal AFC West showdown against the Denver Broncos into question.

Broncos Coach John Fox who is convalescing from surgery to fix a genetic heart defect, said he hopes to return to the sideline this season.

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The San Francisco 49ers released wide receiver and return man Kyle Williams on Tuesday after three-plus seasons. Williams’ agent, Wynn Silberman, said he had been told of the move by the reigning NFC champions, though the 49ers had yet to formally announce Williams’ departure.

Williams missed last season’s run to the Super Bowl because of a serious knee injury but had remained a key member of the team.

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The Atlanta Falcons have lost another player for the season, placing offensive tackle Sam Baker on injured reserve. Baker, considered the team’s best offensive lineman, was plagued by a knee injury and had missed five games this season.

BASEBALL

Phillies sign Marlon Byrd

Marlon Byrd and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed Tuesday to a $16-million, two-year contract, a deal that came less than a year after he was playing in Mexico’s winter league.

The 36-year-old outfielder hit a career-high 24 home runs last season for the New York Mets and Pittsburgh, which acquired him on Aug. 27. He batted .364 with one homer and five runs batted in in six playoff games after hitting .291 during the season with 88 RBIs, one short of his career best.

“Marlon adds a significant upgrade both offensively and defensively to our outfield,” Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement.

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The Cincinnati Reds have reached agreement with catcher Brayan Pena on a two-year deal.

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The Texas Rangers have completed their coaching staff by hiring Bengie Molina as first base coach and catching instructor. The Rangers also said triple-A manager Bobby Jones will be the assistant hitting coach.

ETC.

NHL looking at extending OT to cut down on shootouts

NHL general managers showed there is interest in extending the extra period to cut down on the number of shootouts by possibly changing the structure of overtime in regular-season games.

Overtime was one of many topics discussed at Tuesday’s annual general managers meeting after Hockey Hall of Fame induction night, along with fighting, hybrid icing and the playoff format that was introduced for this season.

No formal rule changes came about, though the purpose of the get-together is more to set up the next meeting in March.

Forty of the first 262 games this season have gone to a shootout. GMs have been discussing making overtime 10 minutes to cut down on shootouts “to some degree,” said Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings.

Holland proposed five minutes of four-on-four and then three minutes of three-on-three, but Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues and others want simply 10 minutes of four-on-four.

“I think there was an appetite in the room from all the managers and also from [Commissioner Gary Bettman] to look at a way to extend overtime,” Holland said.

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Former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, 22, disclosed he has multiple sclerosis but the NASCAR driver said he’s been cleared by doctors to continue racing.

“There are currently no symptoms and I’m committed to take the best care of my body as possible,” said Bayne, who became the youngest Daytona 500 in history when he won the Sprint Cup Series race in 2011 at age 20.

Bayne mainly competes in NASCAR’s second-level Nationwide Series — where he’s currently sixth in the title standings — with occasional starts in the premier Cup series.

—Jim Peltz

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The Chicago Bulls said Derrick Rose is day to day with a sore right hamstring.

Rose winced after he drove down the lane for a twisting layup with 3:39 left during Chicago’s 96-81 victory over Cleveland on Monday night. He remained in the game for a short time before Coach Tom Thibodeau called for a timeout to put in Kirk Hinrich.

Rose called it a minor sprain after the game, and the 2011 NBA MVP thought he would be able to play Friday night at Toronto.