Steelers’ Smith out for season

Pittsburgh defensive end Aaron Smith is out for the rest of the season after tearing a biceps during the Steelers’ 34-13 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Smith, one of the Steelers’ most reliable players since breaking into the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick in 1999, tried to keep playing against the Patriots but had to be replaced several times.

Coach Mike Tomlin said he knew that was a bad sign.

“Being the guy he is, he continued on,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “He came out a few times, and that was worrisome because this guy doesn’t come out of games.”

The San Francisco 49ers moved quickly to deny the latest report on the perceived rift between Mike Nolan and Alex Smith, insisting the third-year coach and his franchise quarterback still can work together if both return to the team next year.

Smith criticized Nolan in comments to the San Jose Mercury News on Monday, just a few hours before Smith decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his separated right shoulder. Smith, who was injured Sept. 30 and hasn’t played in a month, said Nolan had tried to “undermine” him in the locker room, telling players Smith was using his injuries as an excuse for poor play.

In a statement issued by the 49ers on Tuesday, Smith said the article “does not reflect how I truly feel.”

Green Bay linebacker Nick Barnett pleaded not guilty to two charges of disorderly conduct stemming from a confrontation outside a nightclub in early June.

Tampa Bay tight end Jerramy Stevens was suspended without pay for one game for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. He was convicted in September of driving under the influence of alcohol in Scottsdale, Ariz.

St. Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere, 80, has been hospitalized in Los Angeles, said a family spokesman who would not disclose the illness or the name of the hospital.