Bledsoe to Miss at Least Three Weeks

Drew Bledsoe expects to miss at least three games after being released from a hospital Thursday after a hit that caused bleeding in his chest cavity.

The New England Patriot quarterback said he felt all right but still experiences pain when he takes a deep breath. He was well enough to watch part of practice after leaving Massachusetts General Hospital.

“It could be as short as three weeks. It could be longer than that,” Bledsoe said. “For the next two weeks, they really don’t want me to do anything. No heavy lifting. No strenuous activity.”

Bledsoe said an artery near his rib cage was partially torn, but he didn’t have a collapsed lung and never feared for his life, although the injury is unusual for a football player.

Tom Brady will start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

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The NFL, instituting a plan it confirmed three weeks ago, sent a memo to its 31 teams announcing it has added the stimulant ephedrine to its list of banned substances.

In issuing the ban on ephedrine, a substance commonly found in performance-enhancing supplements sold over the counter, the NFL is the first professional league to follow the lead of the NCAA and International Olympic Committee.

But testing players for ephedrine will not begin until further consultations between the league and the NFL Players Assn., and no penalty has been established for use of the substance.

“It was never our intention to start it right away,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said. “A policy like this you have to phase in.”

The NFL’s new policy bans the use or distribution of products that include ephedrine, unless they are prescribed for medical use by a team physician. Also, teams and players are banned from endorsing manufacturers or distributors of those substances.

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New York Giant punter Rodney Williams escaped serious injury when his sports utility vehicle rolled over several times on the New Jersey Turnpike. Williams had only scrapes on his back and a welt on an arm after an accident with a taxi Tuesday afternoon. ... Atlanta Falcon receiver Tony Martin learned he will be sidelined for almost a month because of a broken right collarbone. ... Denver Bronco safety Eric Brown will have to pay a $24,588 fine after losing his appeal for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Green Bay Packer wide receiver Antonio Freeman in Denver’s second exhibition game. ... Defensive tackle Tim Bowens, who had arthroscopic left knee surgery on Sept. 14 to repair cartilage damage, practiced with Miami’s first-team defense and Coach Dave Wannstedt said the 320-pound run stopper will start against the St. Louis Rams. ... For the first time, the Jacksonville Jaguars failed to sell enough tickets to prevent a local television blackout for a regular-season game.