Foley Is Out for the Season
San Diego Chargers linebacker Steve Foley will miss the season after being shot near his suburban home by an off-duty police officer.
Foley was put on the non-football injured reserve list on Monday, a day after he was shot by an off-duty Coronado officer and a week before the Chargers open at Oakland.
The outside linebacker, who was being counted on to help anchor the toughest run defense in the NFL, remained hospitalized in stable condition, according to his agent, David Levine.
But Levine said information remained sketchy, and his access to Foley had been limited.
On Sunday, Levine said he’d been told Foley was shot three times, in the arm, leg and chest. On Monday, he said he wasn’t certain where Foley was shot.
Based on the medical information he was given, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith decided to put Foley on non-football injured reserve.
“I can’t reveal all of that information except that I had enough information that I had to make a football decision,” Smith said. “I had to ask, ‘What’s the timetable?’ We felt in the best interest of him and the team, that he would be out of action for the year.”
There was no new information released Monday about the shooting.
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Terrell Owens got in plenty of work during practice, then stayed late to run some extra routes for quarterback Drew Bledsoe. He came away sounding confident that he’ll be over his hamstring injury and in the starting lineup when the Dallas Cowboys face the Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sunday.
“I feel great,” he said. “I’m ready to go.”
Coach Bill Parcells said he’s preparing two other receivers to handle Owens’ role in case his injury flares up again.
“We’ll see where we are and what role he can handle,” Parcells said. “If he’s healthy, I’d be inclined to play him.”
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Unless there are some unexpected medical complications, Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward expects Ben Roethlisberger to play in the second game of the season Sept. 18 in Jacksonville.
Roethlisberger will sit out the opener after an emergency appendectomy. Ward, who had the same procedure four years ago, said he would be surprised if the Steelers quarterback misses a second game.
Ward also had his appendectomy during the preseason but returned 17 days later to make eight catches in the Steelers’ opener against New England.
Ward said he was still in pain, but not to the point it affected his play.
“You’re not going to be 100% -- you just went under the knife -- and it all depends on how much pain tolerance he has,” Ward said. “Ben’s a guy who’s played with pain before.”
The quarterback was released from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian on Monday after his third operation in less than a year.
Coach Bill Cowher said he wouldn’t discuss Roethlisberger’s playing status until next week.
“He’s doing fine and eating well and walking around. ... He’s eager to get back,” Cowher said. “The best thing about it is the surgery went well.”
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Adam Vinatieri slipped a brace onto his non-kicking foot, then pronounced himself ready to play in the Indianapolis Colts’ opener Sunday at New York.
“I feel pretty good, actually,” he said in his first comments since hurting the foot last month. “I’m getting some work in this week, and I’ll be ready to go for the weekend.”
Vinatieri has a sprained ligament and a small bone chip in his left foot.
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Running back Ron Dayne signed with the Houston Texans. Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner from Wisconsin, was cut by the Denver Broncos on Saturday.... Injury-plagued running back Lee Suggs signed with the Miami Dolphins two days after being released by Cleveland.