WR Wallace a no-show as Steelers camp opens WR Wallace a no-show as Steelers camp opens ADVERTISING LATROBE, Pa. — For only the second time since 1997, Pittsburgh Steelers opened training camp without Hines Ward. But as notable as the
WR Wallace a no-show as Steelers camp opens
LATROBE, Pa. — For only the second time since 1997, Pittsburgh Steelers opened training camp without Hines Ward.
But as notable as the recently retired Ward’s absence was on Wednesday, it was a no-show by another receiver that stole the show on the annual reporting day at St. Vincent College.
Restricted free agent Mike Wallace’s training-camp holdout became official when he did not arrive by 3 p.m. to move into his dorm room and take part in coach Mike Tomlin’s conditioning test.
Wallace, a starter in the Pro Bowl last season, was offered a one-year, $2.7 million tender by Pittsburgh. He has not signed it and did not take part in any of the Steelers’ offseason workouts or minicamp.
Neither Wallace nor his agent, Bus Cook, had publicly stated whether he intended to report for the start of camp.
“Obviously, we have a desire for him to be here,” Tomlin said.
Bengals cornerback Kirkpatrick out with leg injury
CINCINNATI — Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who was selected in the first round by the Bengals, is expected to miss up to six weeks after fracturing a bone in his knee during a workout earlier this month.
The Bengals had no comment on the injury Wednesday, but may on Thursday, after the team reports to training camp and conducts physicals.
Kirkpatrick, who was the 17th overall selection in the draft, will be put on either the Active-Physically Unable to Perform or Active-Non-Football Injury list. Both designates players who are unable to practice as camp begins due to injury but may be activated as soon as they are medically cleared.
With Leon Hall coming back from an Achilles problem, there were already questions about the position, which has been hit by injuries the last two seasons. That continued this spring as Kirkpatrick, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Shaun Prater and Nate Clements all missed workouts. Clements was out for all of the workouts due to an abdominal strain.
Packers release veteran safety Peprah
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have released veteran safety Charlie Peprah a day before their first training camp practice, apparently over concern about a lingering knee injury .
The Packers announced the move Wednesday afternoon. Asked about Peprah’s status earlier in the day, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he was “waiting for more information” from Peprah’s physical exam.
Packers players reported to camp Wednesday morning for physicals and meetings. The first practice is Thursday morning.
The move leaves the Packers with even more questions at safety, where the team is looking for a replacement for Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins. The Packers released Collins in the offseason, concerned about his ability to safely return from a significant neck injury he sustained last season.
Peprah, who filled in last year after Collins was injured, was expected to compete with second-year player M.D. Jennings and rookie Jerron McMillian in training camp. Jennings played in 15 games last season and McMillian is a fourth-round pick out of Maine.
Veteran cornerback Charles Woodson is not expected to make a full-time move to safety, but could see his already versatile role in the defense change slightly.
Peprah appeared in 67 games with 26 starts during two separate stints in Green Bay, from 2006-08 and 2010-11; he played briefly for Atlanta in 2009.
NASCAR’s Allmendinger agrees to recovery program
Suspended driver A.J. Allmendinger said Wednesday that he will participate in NASCAR’s substance-abuse recovery program, a sign that he wants to get back to racing as soon as possible and avoid a fight over the accuracy of his failed drug test.
Allmendinger’s business manager, Tara Ragan, confirmed multiple media reports Wednesday that an amphetamine triggered the positive test. Ragan said Allmendinger was waiting for additional data from the laboratory that might help identify the source of the amphetamine.
“What is it, exactly? That, we still don’t know,” Ragan said.
Allmendinger previously had said he tested positive for a stimulant he had not identified, insisting he did not knowingly ingest a banned substance.
Penske Racing president Tim Cindric said the team has no reason to doubt Allmendinger’s assertion that he didn’t know why he failed the test. It isn’t clear whether that will be enough to save his job. In an interview with The Associated Press, Cindric said team officials plan to meet next week to discuss Allmendinger’s future.
Federer, Azarenka top seedings for London Olympics
WIMBLEDON, England — Roger Federer and Victoria Azarenka are seeded No. 1 for the Olympic singles tournaments at Wimbledon.
The International Tennis Federation says it awarded the seedings based on the ATP and WTA rankings of July 23. Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Novak Djokovic is seeded No. 2.
Local hope Andy Murray, who lost the Wimbledon final to Federer this month, is seeded No. 3. Rafael Nadal, the 2008 Olympic champion, withdrew from the London Games because of injury.
Wimbledon winner Serena Williams is seeded fourth in the women’s draw, behind Australian Open champion Azarenka, Wimbledon runner-up Agnieska Radwanska and French Open champion Maria Sharapova.
Serena and Venus Williams, bidding for a third Olympic doubles title, are unseeded in the women’s doubles.
US women open Olympics with 4-2 win over France
GLASGOW, Scotland — An early start to the Olympics turned into an early deficit for the U.S. women’s soccer team, which gave up two quick goals before unleashing an attack the rest of the world will find hard to stop.
Abby Wambach used her size and strength to put in a header, Alex Morgan scored twice and Carli Lloyd added another with a 25-yard rocket to help the two-time defending goal medalists rally for a 4-2 victory over France on Wednesday.
The Americans opened their London Games far from London and two days before the opening ceremony. Soccer starts its Olympics early so it has time to play a full tournament of games.
The Americans allowed more goals in the first 15 minutes than they had allowed in any game since the World Cup final loss to Japan last year. Gaetane Thiney scored in the 12th and Marie-Laure Delie added a second in the 14th, finding holes in a supposedly impenetrable defense — a potential cause for U.S. concern as the grueling tournament progresses.
But Wambach scored in the 19th, Morgan in the 32nd, Lloyd in the 56th and Morgan again in the 66th. Wambach now has 139 international goals in her pursuit of Mia Hamm’s record of 158, and 23-year-old “Baby Horse” Morgan — the second-youngest player on the team — has a remarkable 19 this year alone.
From wire sources
