Leaf, Elway Ready to Play

Rookie quarterback Ryan Leaf was discharged from a hospital Friday morning, practiced and said he will play in the San Diego Chargers’ game at Kansas City on Sunday.

“I’ll be ready to go Sunday,” said Leaf, who was admitted Thursday morning with what the club said was a viral infection. “I just felt a little weak today but I still threw the ball around hard; maybe my drop was a little slow. But Sunday I should be fine and well-rested.”

Leaf said he had an infection from a turf burn suffered last Sunday against Tennessee.

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John Elway will be ready to play Sunday at Oakland, Denver Coach Mike Shanahan said.

Elway, who suffered a strained right hamstring last Sunday against Dallas, took virtually all the snaps with the first team in Friday’s 75-minute practice.

“He looked good and, in fact, it didn’t bother him at all,” Shanahan said. “John will be ready to go.”

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Raymont Harris will start at running back in place of Dorsey Levens for the Green Bay Packers when they play at Cincinnati on Sunday, Coach Mike Holmgren said.

Harris was with the Chicago Bears last season and rushed for 1,033 yards before breaking his left leg in Week 13.

Holmgren said special teams star Travis Jervey will also see time at running back and fullback William Henderson will work out of one-back sets at times.

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The NFL players’ union, taking up the case of the late Leon Bender, wants the Oakland Raiders to pay the player’s family the balance of his $1.2-million signing bonus.

Bender, the 31st pick in the April draft, died May 30 in Marietta, Ga., at the home of an associate of his agent. An autopsy revealed he died a natural death related to a seizure disorder that had shadowed him for years.

Bender was paid $600,000 of the bonus when he signed a five-year, $3.45-million contract shortly after the draft. The rest was due Tuesday, but the Raiders did not make the payment to Bender’s estate.

Late Friday, the Raiders notified the union that they deny responsibility for the remaining $600,000 of Bender’s bonus. Bruce Allen, a Raiders’ senior assistant, said the team was leaving the matter in the hands of the league’s management counsel.

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The San Francisco 49ers assured Mayor Willie Brown and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue they plan to stay in the city and go forward with a new stadium.

A week after reports that the 49ers might back out because of huge cost overruns, team President Larry Thrailkill met with the mayor and the commissioner at City Hall.

“We reported to the mayor that the San Francisco 49ers are committed to being in San Francisco,” Thrailkill said. “We reported to the mayor we’re committed to building a stadium for $325 million and we’re committed to working with the city.”

Doubts arose about the combined $525-million stadium-and-shopping mall project when Thrailkill, citing consultants’ reports, said last week that projected costs for the stadium alone were soaring to $500 million.

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New York Giant cornerback Jason Sehorn underwent surgery to repair an injury to his right knee that he suffered Aug. 20 returning the opening kickoff of an exhibition game. Sehorn, a five-year veteran from USC, has been put on injured reserve for the season.