Broncos’ Plummer Fined for Gesture

Denver Bronco quarterback Jake Plummer was fined $5,000 by the NFL on Friday for making an obscene gesture during last week’s game against Miami.

Plummer and Coach Mike Shanahan refused to comment on the fine. Plummer apologized after the game, then during interviews Wednesday said he wasn’t perfect and promised he’d never make the same mistake.

“You know people do things that they regret,” he said. “As long as you can learn a lesson from it and stand up and be a man about what your actions were and move on, that’s the true lesson you learn from it.”

Plummer reached his hand behind his helmet and made the gesture upon reaching the bench after throwing a first-quarter interception during the 20-17 win over the Dolphins.

The much-maligned quarterback has thrown six interceptions and no touchdown passes in Denver’s last two games. His 17 interceptions this season are the second most in the NFL.

Denver is 8-5, tied with Baltimore, but the Ravens have a tiebreaker edge for the AFC’s final playoff spot. The Broncos play Sunday at Kansas City.

Despite Plummer’s troubles, both Shanahan and owner Pat Bowlen said this week that the Broncos intended to keep the quarterback for the long term. To keep him, they must pay a $6-million roster bonus in the upcoming off-season.

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Tennessee Titan quarterback Steve McNair will miss the final three games of the season and undergo surgery to strengthen the bruised sternum that has plagued him most of the year.

Coach Jeff Fisher said the decision was made Friday morning. Fisher said a chief consideration was that McNair, the NFL’s co-most valuable player last season, would need the surgery even if he didn’t play football again to fix the damage caused by three injuries to his sternum.

“Basically, Steve does not have a solid bony surface throughout the length of his sternum,” Fisher said.

McNair has missed five games and parts of two others this season for the Titans (4-9).

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The Dolphins will put their courtship of Louisiana State Coach Nick Saban on hold to comply with the NFL’s hiring policy by interviewing a minority candidate, a team source told Associated Press.

Such an interview could delay offering the job to Saban until next week, but he remains the front-runner to become the Dolphins’ coach, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman said he believed the Dolphins were about to make an offer and Saban was interested in the job.

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Denver defensive lineman Luther Elliss will miss the rest of the season because of a herniated disk in his lower back. Elliss has missed Denver’s last four games because of an injured calf. On Thursday, he sat out practice with severe back spasms. On Friday, the team announced he was through for the year and put him on injured reserve. Also Friday, the Broncos placed defensive back Willie Middlebrooks on injured reserve with a leg injury. The team did not announce their replacements on the roster.

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St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger still has soreness in his sprained right shoulder, making it unlikely that he will play Sunday against Arizona.

Bulger threw three days this week but not Friday, saying he didn’t feel comfortable yet. The Rams (6-7) had been more optimistic earlier in the week, but Bulger is sore and has trouble following through on throws.

Backup Chris Chandler, who threw six interceptions during a loss to Carolina last Sunday, is expected to make his second straight start.

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Minnesota Viking cornerback Antoine Winfield will miss his second straight game, sitting out Sunday’s contest against Detroit because of a high ankle sprain. ... Tennessee running back Chris Brown will not play Sunday against the Oakland Raiders because of a turf toe injury. ... The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released defensive tackle Jon Bradley and replaced him by activating defensive tackle Keith Wright from the practice squad. ... The Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts will begin the 2005 exhibition season Aug. 6 in the American Bowl in Tokyo, the 12th time an NFL game will be played in the city.