Vikings’ Davis Arrested on DWI Charge

Tight end John Davis of the Minnesota Vikings was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after police in Wayzata, Minn., found him asleep in his car in the middle of a county road.

Davis was arrested at about 4 a.m. Monday when officers responded to a tip from a snowplow driver. They found him in the car with the engine running, Police Chief Kevin Kelleher said.

Davis was booked at the police department and released without bail. He refused a Breathalyzer test but was cooperative, Kelleher said.

Davis was scheduled to appear in court Dec. 18 on charges of driving while intoxicated, failure to submit to a chemical test and careless driving, all misdemeanors.

Davis’ agent, Mark Alexander Balic, confirmed his client was stopped by police, but said he wasn’t aware of an arrest.

“John told me that he was out late at night and he was tired and pulled to the side of the road and fell asleep, which we all probably have done,” Balic said. “John said there’s nothing else to it.”

Davis, in his fifth NFL season and first with the Vikings, has 16 receptions for 199 yards and one touchdown this season.

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Kickoff returner Tony Horne of the St. Louis Rams will be sidelined an estimated six weeks because of ligament damage to his left big toe.

Coach Mike Martz described the injury as “severe turf toe.” Horne suffered the injury fielding the ball on a 54-yard return in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 33-20 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Doctors had not determined whether surgery was required. Martz said he was considering putting Horne on injured reserve, which would sideline him for the rest of the season.

“I’ve thought about that all day today,” Martz said. “It’s hard to project just how long he’ll be out.”

Horne is averaging 24.2 yards a return, including a 103-yard touchdown runback against the Atlanta Falcons. He has scored on four returns the last two seasons, tying him with Ron Brown for the franchise record.

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Wearing a cast on his right forearm that extends beyond his elbow, Dallas Cowboy safety Darren Woodson said he won’t play Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings.

“There’s no way I can hit someone right now,” Woodson said, adding he can’t even raise his right arm above his shoulder because of the pain.

Woodson, an all-pro in three of his previous eight seasons, said he’s not sure how long the broken bone will keep him sidelined. He’ll have a cast for four to six weeks, although possibly a smaller one.

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Garrison Hearst was added to the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster, although Coach Steve Mariucci said the running back has only an outside chance of playing this season. Hearst, however, said he has no doubt he will return to the field--in 2001 at the latest. . . . John Goeller, the Philadelphia Eagles’ director of college scouting, died from a heart attack Sunday night at his home near Indianapolis. He was 45.