Aikman May Have Played Last Game

Troy Aikman’s season is officially over. Next is a decision on whether his career is too.

Dallas Cowboy Coach Dave Campo said Tuesday that Aikman will miss the finale Monday night against the Tennessee Titans. The quarterback is recovering from his second concussion of the season, and 10th of his career, sustained Dec. 10.

“We as an organization and our trainers, in conjunction with doctors, felt the risks of playing the last game outweighed the rewards,” Campo said. “Troy agreed with that.”

Cowboy owner Jerry Jones said he and Aikman will meet soon after the season ends to discuss the future. A looming deadline is March 8; if Aikman is on the roster then, he gets a $7-million bonus.

“I don’t want to speculate on when a final decision will be made,” said Jones, adding that Aikman has always been willing to renegotiate his contract to help the salary cap. “We’ve got real flexibility as far as the agreement is concerned.”

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John Butler, as responsible as almost anyone for building the Buffalo Bills team that went to four consecutive Super Bowls, was fired as the team’s general manager.

Owner Ralph Wilson said he fired Butler because he couldn’t wait any longer for Butler to decide whether he would stay in Buffalo. Butler, whose contract expires after the season, has been courted by several teams, notably San Diego.

Wilson said he had no choice and that the two had as many as six contract negotiating sessions since training camp in July without any progress.

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The NFL is investigating the poor field conditions at Paul Brown Stadium, where Cincinnati Bengal players and opponents have complained about the treacherous footing.

The Bengals could be fined for leaving the field uncovered before their 17-14 victory Sunday over Jacksonville. A winter storm dumped an inch of snow and ice atop the already torn-up grass.

League rules demand that “all natural turf fields should be covered if precipitation is expected during the week preceding each game.” Rain and snow had been forecast for several days.

The Bengals waited until Thursday, when heavy rain moved in, to paint the yard lines. The paint didn’t dry and the team feared that covering the field with a tarp would smear the lines.

As a result, the field was left uncovered and the snow and ice made the yard lines indecipherable. The officials had the team paint orange sidelines and goal lines so they could get a sense of the field.

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New England Patriot cornerback Ty Law said that neither the Ecstasy he was carrying at the Canadian border nor the bag it was found in belonged to him and that he would take a drug test to prove he is clean.

Law said he went to a nightclub on the Canadian side of the border with friends after the Patriots’ 13-10 victory Sunday over the Bills. A friend of his friends offered him a ride to the airport, but when they reached the border in Niagara Falls, N.Y., at 5:30 a.m., there was a problem with the car’s registration and U.S. Customs began searching the vehicle.

After finding a marijuana cigarette on a woman in the vehicle, inspectors searched Law’s luggage and found three pills of MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy, and four partially crushed pills in Law’s bag. The pills were later tested and came up positive for Ecstasy.

The inspectors contacted federal prosecutors, who declined to prosecute because of the small quantity involved. Law was issued an administrative penalty of $700, which he paid before being released.

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Tampa Bay’s 38-35 victory over St. Louis generated a 15.2 rating and 26 share, giving “Monday Night Football” its highest TV rating since Week 1. . . . The Denver Broncos and the NFL have sent a letter to a commercial real estate agent asking him to take down a sign advertising a site for a potential sports bar because it features the team’s name. John Hanlon, a longtime Bronco fan, has put up a blue-and-orange sign reading, “Wanted Broncos Sports Bar On This Site.” The NFL says “using the Broncos’ name and colors give the false impression that the bar is or can be affiliated with the Broncos.”