Roethlisberger Says He Was Seconds From Dying

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday night that he was told he was “seconds, maybe a minute away from dying” immediately after his motorcycle accident last month.

Roethlisberger, in his first interview since the June 12 accident, told ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that he doesn’t remember much about the accident.

He did, however, remember what he was told by people at the scene.

“They told me that I was literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat and it was draining blood right into my stomach and luckily the paramedic noticed it and stopped it or else I would have had too much blood in my stomach,” he said.

Roethlisberger underwent seven hours of surgery to repair a broken jaw and other facial bones.

Roethlisberger was cited for not wearing a helmet when the accident happened.

“That day I wasn’t, I forgot it. I literally forgot it,” he said.

HORSE RACING

Barbaro Is Facing Tough Odds in Recovery

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was in guarded condition Wednesday and faces “tough odds” as he tries to recover from complications that required additional surgery last week on his shattered right hind leg, said Dean Richardson, the colt’s veterinarian.

“As we said yesterday, Barbaro’s condition is potentially serious, and we are aggressively seeking all treatment options,” said Richardson, chief of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square.

-- Robyn Norwood

TENNIS

Serena Williams to Return Next Week

Serena Williams will play her first match in six months when she returns to the tour at the Cincinnati hard-court tournament next week.

The event will be part of her effort to be ready for the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 28.

Pete Sampras will kick off the first night of the JPMorgan Chase Open with an exhibition against former rival Jim Courier.

Sampras and Courier will play Aug. 7 at the Home Depot Center at 7 p.m.

They will play a best-of-three set match to start the night session of the WTA Tour event, which will be in its fourth year in Carson.

Mariano Puerta, a French Open finalist in 2005, had his eight-year suspension for using a banned substance reduced to two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

-- Lisa Dillman

JURISPRUDENCE

Police Arrest Suspect in Stabbing of Green

Police arrested a suspect in the stabbing of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roderick Green in a bowling alley parking lot. Chase M. Williams of Pikesville, Md., was arrested without incident in Baltimore.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes entered a written plea of not guilty to disorderly conduct charges in Miami.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

NCAA Receives Request to Reinstate Jarrett

USC’s request for the reinstatement of eligibility of All-American receiver Dwayne Jarrett has been received by the NCAA, according to an NCAA spokesman.

Jarrett, a junior, was ruled ineligible in June after the NCAA determined he violated an “extra benefits” rule last season when he shared an apartment with former quarterback Matt Leinart.

Erik Christianson, spokesman for the NCAA, said he could not comment specifically about Jarrett’s case.

Former USC defensive lineman Frostee Rucker, charged with two misdemeanor counts of spousal battery and two misdemeanor counts of vandalism in connection with an alleged altercation last August, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Los Angeles Superior Court.

-- Gary Klein

Minnesota running back Gary Russell won’t return to the team this year.... Former USC wide receiver Whitney Lewis is expected to enroll at Division I-AA Northern Iowa and play for the Panthers this season.

MISCELLANY

Nevada Amends Rules to Make Boxing Safer

Nevada passed a series of rule changes in hopes of making boxing safer after two fighters died in Las Vegas last year.

The new rules will allow approved sports drinks to be used ringside in addition to water, mandate three doctors at ringside instead of two and require all boxers to be examined in the ring immediately after bouts conclude.

Commissioners also supported the idea of fining boxers 10% of their purse if they fail to make a specified weight during their first attempted weigh-in.

Danica Patrick didn’t take offense when informed of a fellow IRL driver’s comments that she would be a good NASCAR driver because she is already plenty aggressive in open-wheel racing when it’s “the right time of the month.”

Ed Carpenter made the comment during a radio appearance to promote Saturday night’s Firestone Indy 200.

“That sounds like a good joke to me; it’s pretty funny to me,” Patrick said.

“No big deal. Ed is a really nice guy. There’s no drama there. I think it’s funny. I’m glad he’s showing some personality.”

Basketball standouts Greg Oden from Indianapolis Lawrence North and Tina Charles from Queens, N.Y., Christ the King were selected the Gatorade high school male and female athletes of the year during a ceremony in Hollywood.