Jaguars Suffer Third Heat-Related Injury

The Jacksonville Jaguars had their third heat-related injury of training camp Wednesday when wide receiver Donald Hayes dropped to a knee at the end of practice.

The Jaguars had just completed a 90-minute practice session in Florida and were divided into position groups when Hayes dropped and began struggling with the 82-degree heat. Hayes, 28, never lost consciousness, but started to spasm from cramps.

Paramedics assisted the Jaguar medical staff and began giving fluids intravenously to Hayes, who weighs 220 pounds. He later was rushed into an ambulance before being transferred to Baptist Hospital.

Hayes was released from the hospital late Wednesday after receiving treatment. A Jaguar spokesman said Hayes would return to practice and his availability for Saturday’s exhibition game at Minnesota would be determined today or Friday.

“I don’t have an answer for it,” Coach Jack Del Rio said, referring to the three incidents.

Defensive tackle Larry Smith collapsed July 27 and was hospitalized overnight. Two days later, defensive tackle John Henderson was also taken to a hospital after experiencing shortness of breath. Both are back at practice, though Smith is currently limited to one practice a day.

The widow of Minnesota Viking lineman Korey Stringer has sued the NFL, accusing the league of fostering a “deadly culture” of abusive exercise that contributed to her husband’s death. A 335-pound All-Pro offensive lineman, Stringer collapsed two years ago at the Vikings’ training camp.

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Quarterback Jay Fiedler was held out of the Miami Dolphin practice with what the team described as back spasms.

Dolphin Coach Dave Wannstedt said he thinks the injury occurred while Fiedler was stretching before practice.

“I think he probably stretched too much and it just tightened up on him a little,” Wannstedt said. “It didn’t get hit. It didn’t do anything drastic. It tightened up on him a little bit and he was out of sync, so we decided to give him a little rest.”

Fiedler sat out six starts last season because of a broken right thumb.

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Quarterback Jeff Garcia will skip the San Francisco 49er exhibition opener against Kansas City on Saturday to rest his sore back.

The three-time All-Pro hurt his back in a workout a few days before training camp. He had been participating in nearly every practice at camp until Tuesday, when his back got stiff again.

Garcia missed the 49ers’ workouts Wednesday.

“We’ve been out here a lot of days and a lot of practices, and it stiffened up on him a little bit,” Coach Dennis Erickson said. “We’ve just got to be careful with it. He never had a problem with it, and all of a sudden yesterday it bothered him.”

Tim Rattay, Garcia’s seldom-used understudy for the last two seasons, will start against the Chiefs. Rattay will give way to Brandon Doman during the second quarter, and rookie Ken Dorsey probably will get his first NFL snaps in the fourth quarter.

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Indianapolis Colt backup quarterback Brock Huard broke a finger on his throwing hand and will sit out about two weeks.

Huard cracked a bone in his left index finger on the last play of Tuesday afternoon’s practice. Coach Tony Dungy did not say how the injury occurred.

Huard, expected to be Peyton Manning’s backup, dressed for but only watched the morning practice.

With Huard out for Saturday’s exhibition game with the Chicago Bears, former Arena League quarterback Jim Kubiak and undrafted college free agent James MacPherson are expected to take a lot of the snaps.

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Michael Strahan, who broke the little toe on his right foot in practice earlier this week, may still play in the New York Giants’ exhibition opener tonight against the New England Patriots.

If Strahan doesn’t play, second-round draft pick Osi Umenyiora will probably start at left end.

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Tom Ackerman, the only experienced center on the Tennessee Titans, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and will sit out two weeks.

Justin Hartwig, who moved to center from guard Monday, will start Saturday night in the Titans’ exhibition opener against the Cleveland Browns. Hartwig was the Titans’ sixth-round draft pick last year.

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Offensive lineman Gennaro DiNapoli signed with the Dallas Cowboys, who were looking for help because rookie Al Johnson has a knee injury.

The Cowboys also traded long snapper Jeff Grau to Tampa Bay for a conditional draft pick to make room on their roster, which is now at 82 players.

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Houston Texan starting center Steve McKinney injured his left knee during practice and will be out two to four weeks, according to team doctors.

McKinney sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the team’s practice with the Denver Broncos.