Threats Against Stadiums a Hoax

Internet threats of “dirty bomb” attacks at NFL stadiums this weekend were a hoax inspired by a writing competition between two men trying to come up with scary threats, a law enforcement official said Thursday.

The threats, which were posted on a website last week and mentioned stadiums in seven cities, were deemed to be false by the FBI after agents questioned a 20-year-old Milwaukee man.

“This is a hoax,” said special agent Richard Kolko, a spokesman at the FBI’s Washington headquarters. A joint statement from the FBI and Homeland Security said fans “should be reassured of their security as they continue to attend sporting events this weekend.”

An FBI official in Washington, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation, said the Milwaukee man acknowledged posting the phony stadium threat as part of a “writing duel” with a man from the Brownsville, Texas, area to see who could post the scariest threat.

The Texas man corroborated the story during questioning Thursday by FBI agents, the official said. Investigators also searched the Milwaukee man’s computer, the official added.

No decision has been made yet on whether charges will be filed, the official said. In Houston, FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap said officials are not investigating any connections to the NFL scare in that jurisdiction.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said stadiums are well protected through “comprehensive security procedures.”

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New York Jets running back Curtis Martin expressed his desire to resume his playing career and put his knee injury behind him.

Martin, sidelined because of a right knee injury since the end of last season, was eligible to come off the physically-unable-to-perform list Monday, but the team announced he’d remain on it until at least after the Jets’ game at Cleveland on Oct. 29.

“That’s the hardest part about this deal for me is that I just can’t will myself to do things right now,” Martin said.

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Chicago Bears safety Mike Brown was put on injured reserve after surgery a day earlier to repair ligament damage in the foot. He was injured in a pileup during Monday night’s victory over Arizona and his season is over.

It’s the third time in as many seasons that Brown has been forced to the sidelines because of a leg injury. Brown sat out 14 games because of a torn right Achilles’ tendon in 2004, and the Bears went 5-11. Brown sat out the last four regular-season games a year ago because of a calf injury and then was forced out of a playoff loss to Carolina in the second quarter when he re-injured it.

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Chris Perry, the running back who excels on passing downs, has rejoined the Cincinnati Bengals and is hoping to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

Perry had been sidelined for the first five games because of knee and ankle operations.

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Carolina Panthers cornerback Reggie Howard, who had played little this season, left the team for personal reasons.