Hurricane Is No Excuse to Johnson

Hurricane Georges may have merely skirted most of South Florida, but its torrential rain and howling winds left two Miami Dolphin players stranded.

Cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Jerry Wilson were absent Monday as the Dolphins returned from a three-day weekend to begin preparations for this Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. Their absence drew fines and the ire of Coach Jimmy Johnson.

“We had a couple of players not able to get back because the airport was closed,” Johnson said. “I told them Thursday that if you’re going out of town, make sure you have alternate plans in getting back. They didn’t do it, so they’ll be fined.”

Surtain is a New Orleans native and Wilson is from Lake Charles, La., which received a glancing blow from Hurricane Georges when it plowed into the Mississippi Gulf Coast late Sunday. Both players were fined nearly $4,000.

The storm also left the New Orleans Saints and many of their fans stranded trying to return from Sunday’s game at Indianapolis, which was won 19-13 by the Saints in overtime. New Orleans’ airport was closed as the storm neared.

The Saints’ home field, the Louisiana Superdome, was also used by about 10,000 people as a shelter.

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San Diego Charger quarterback Ryan Leaf, in the midst of a tumultuous eight days that included two disastrous performances and a tirade against a reporter, read a statement saying he had been “selfish” and had “let my personal shortcomings get in the way of my professional behavior.”

Leaf said the decision to make a statement was heavily influenced by his father.

“He almost wrote it for me,” Leaf said. “But I had to come in and write it myself.”

Charger Coach Kevin Gilbride hopes the media embarrassment is behind them.

“Hopefully, he will conduct himself in a way that will not interfere with his preparation or anybody else’s,” Gilbride said.

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Jason Garrett will make at least one more start as Dallas Cowboy quarterback in a place of Troy Aikman, who is recovering from a broken collarbone suffered in Week 2. Aikman plans to return for the Cowboys’ game against the Carolina Panthers at Texas Stadium in two weeks. Garrett’s late interception in the end zone prevented the Cowboys from attempting a field goal that could have tied Sunday’s game with the Oakland Raiders. Dallas lost, 13-12, the final score coming on a concession safety. . . . John Elway, who did not suit up for Denver’s 38-16 victory over Washington because of a hamstring injury that forced him to leave two previous game, is listed as day to day. Bubby Brister took over for Elway and threw two touchdown passes and had no interceptions as the Broncos improved to 4-0. . . . San Francisco 49er left tackle Dave Fiore will be sidelined eight to 10 weeks because of an injury to his right knee. Fiore suffered a dislocated kneecap and torn medial collateral ligament in a pileup while pass blocking in the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ 31-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. . . . Tom Tumulty, the Cincinnati Bengals’ second-most experienced linebacker, is out for the season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.