Associated Press
WASHINGTON ó The NFL Players Association retained an international investment bank to help it decide whether the league’s offer to reveal more financial information during negotiations will be enough to satisfy the union’s call for full disclosure.
Zeroing in on the crux of the labor dispute ó how to split $9 billion in revenues ó one NFLPA executive committee member, Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, said in a telephone interview Tuesday with The Associated Press and NFL Network that what the NFL has turned over to the union so far “hasn’t been sufficient.
Another executive committee member, Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, said as he left Tuesday’s 91/2-hour mediation session that the bank would “help judge how helpful the material they were offering to give us” would be.
The current collective bargaining agreement was set to expire last week, but two extensions now have pushed the cutoff to the end of Friday.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ó After four years in retirement, former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber is looking to get back into the NFL.
It won’t be with the Giants, though.
The Giants acknowledged on Tuesday that the 35-year-old Barber has asked to be taken off the reserve-retirement list and that they will release him once the league allows it. Barber is the Giants’ career rushing leader with 10,449 yards, 22nd best in league history.
COLLEGE HOOPS
LUBBOCK, Texas ó Texas Tech fired Pat Knight, ending a disappointing three-year run for a coach who failed to lead the Red Raiders to the NCAA tournament after taking over for his famous father.
Knight, who will coach the Red Raiders at this weekís Big 12 tournament and then step down, praised his bosses for the way they let him go. It was, after all, different from the way his father, Bob Knight, was ousted at Indiana more than a decade ago.
Knight, 50-60 in his first Division I coaching job and third full season, was glad his dismissal came before the tournament because of all the potentially negative media chatter about a pending firing.
LAWRENCE, Kan. ó Kansasí Bill Self, whose remarkable run of seven consecutive Big 12 championships has astounded his rivals and probably spoiled his fans, was selected the Associated Press Big 12 coach of the year.
BASEBALL
SAN FRANCISCO ó Longtime San Francisco Giants clubhouse manager Mike Murphy will testify about Barry Bondsí hat size, a Nike employee will discuss the sluggerís feet and prosecutors will show the jury photographs of Bondsí growing physique during his career, court papers showed.
Bonds has been indicted on four counts of making false statements to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice for telling the grand jury he never took steroids or human growth hormone from Anderson, took only vitamins from Anderson and was injected only by physicians.
HOCKEY
ST. LOUIS ó Rather than retire the No. 7 jersey, the St. Louis Blues honored four former players who wore that number with distinction: Red Berenson, Garry Unger, Joe Mullen and Keith Tkachuk.
HORSE RACING
LEXINGTON, Ky. ó Rachel Alexandra is going to be a mom. The 2009 Horse of the Year is in foal with an expected due date of Feb. 1, 2012.
Stonestreet Farm announced the pregnancy two weeks after the 2009 Preakness winner was bred to two-time Horse of the Year winner and stablemate Curlin.