Associated Press

MIAMI — Daunte Culpepper summed up his thoughts Thursday in two words, which ushered in the start of a new era for the former Pro Bowl quarterback.

"Farewell NFL," he wrote.

With that, a career once filled with such promise came to a most unceremonious end.

Culpepper, who starred for the Minnesota Vikings before a major knee injury in 2005 curtailed his career, announced his retirement in an e-mail Thursday morning, saying he's simply grown tired of fighting for one more opportunity.

- ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Kevin Everett will be honored while attending Buffalo's season opener against Seattle on Sunday, a year after the former Bills tight end sustained a severe life-threatening spinal cord injury.

Everett, who has since made a remarkable recovery, is scheduled to be present to receive the Professional Football Writers of America's Halas Award, which goes to the individual in the NFL who overcame the most adversity to succeed last season.

GOLF

ST. LOUIS — The first round of the BMW Championship was washed out by steady rain that deluged Bellerive Country Club on Thursday, another setback for a tournament plagued by bad timing. The opening round will be Friday, with 36 holes scheduled for Saturday to get it back on schedule.

"It's under water," said Slugger White, vice president of rules and competition for the PGA Tour. "It's as bad as I've seen in a long time."

NASCAR

RICHMOND, Va. — Besides the much-heralded Sprint Cup debut of Joey Logano at Richmond, another 18-year-old Gibbs driver, Marc Davis, will make his first start this weekend.

Davis is in the Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday at Gateway International Speedway, in a truck fielded by the new Randy Moss Motorsports team.

Davis, who is black, was originally signed by Gibbs as part of the Joe Gibbs Racing/Reggie White diversity program. It seems only appropriate that Davis is moving up with the team owned by Moss, a star wide receiver in the NFL.

"This is a big day for me," Davis said. "I have been preparing for it all my life, a chance to race in NASCAR on a national level"

BASEBALL

BALTIMORE — Todd Cruz, an infielder with the 1983 world champion Baltimore Orioles, has died. He was 52.Cruz died Tuesday while swimming at the apartment complex in which he lived in Bullhead City, Ariz.

- NEW YORK — Philadelphia Phillies third-base coach Steve Smith was suspended Thursday for two games and fined because of an argument with umpires during a game in Chicago last week.

NBA

PHILADELPHIA — Donyell Marshall grew up rooting for Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, he has a chance to finish his career with them.

"It was something that I always dreamed of doing since I was a little kid watching the Sixers win the championship in '83," Marshall said Wednesday.

"There would be no better ending to my career," Marshall said.

Marshall agreed to a one-year deal with Philadelphia this week and became the latest free agent to join a team pointed toward a run in the Eastern Conference.

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