Ravens’ Lewis will not face the Falcons

The Baltimore Ravens officially ruled out linebacker Ray Lewis for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons because of a swollen back.

Lewis underwent a minor surgical procedure to have a pocket of blood drained from his back earlier this week.

The seven-time All-Pro will sit out his second consecutive game. He severely bruised his back when he collided with teammate Ed Reed’s knee during a Nov. 5 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Team officials are hopeful that the surgery will allow Lewis to play next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu was upgraded to probable and is expected to start Sunday against the Cleveland Browns despite sustaining the sixth concussion of his career during last Sunday’s 38-31 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The All-Pro safety was listed as questionable on the Steelers’ first injury report of the week Wednesday. Also upgraded to probable was cornerback Deshea Townsend, who also received a concussion and injured an ankle against the Saints.

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Browns running back Reuben Droughns will be a game-time decision and cornerback Leigh Bodden will not play against the Steelers. Droughns, who wore a protective boot this week, injured his foot during last week’s 17-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He is listed as questionable. Bodden has a sprained ankle.

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Halfback Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants said that the NFL fined him between $5,000 and $10,000 for shoving a football underneath his jersey to celebrate a touchdown run against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.

Jacobs, who said he will appeal, insisted he was not celebrating. He said that when he puts the ball underneath his jersey to create a bulging stomach and then rubs it, he is acknowledging his wife, Kimberly, who is pregnant.

What confuses Jacobs is he did the same thing after scoring a touchdown against Tampa Bay on Oct. 29. The league did nothing then.

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The Denver Broncos must pay $220,000 to former receiver Ashley Lelie in connection with a dispute over his trade to Atlanta. The ruling was reported by the Denver Post, which said an arbitrator has ruled in favor of Lelie in his grievance against the team.

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A state appeals court threw out a jury’s $34.2-million award to the Oakland Raiders over accusations that managers of the Oakland Coliseum falsely promised a sold-out stadium to lure the team back to the Bay Area.

The case dates to 1995, when Raiders owner Al Davis maneuvered to get his team out of Los Angeles after revenues waned, the Coliseum’s foundation was shaken by an earthquake and a deal collapsed to build a new stadium.

The Oakland deal was first signed in 1995 and renegotiated a year later.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento said in a 2-1 ruling that because the Raiders agreed to the deal a second time, the team forfeited its right to sue for fraud.