Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — FOOTBALL Giants release two veterans

The New York Giants continued their roster purge after missing the playoffs, cutting halfback Ahmad Bradshaw and defensive tackle Chris Canty. The Giants announced the moves Wednesday. The release of the two starters came one day after New York let starting weakside linebacker Michael Boley go after four seasons. The three players were all veterans who contributed to the Giants’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots a year ago. They also had big salaries and battled injuries last season. Bradshaw, the Giants’ leading rusher the past three seasons, has been bothered by foot and ankle problems for years. Boley had shoulder and hamstring issues and Canty had knee problems.

The Cincinnati Bengals have moved assistant coach Hue Jackson into a new role, giving him the job of replacing the retired Jim Anderson as running backs coach. Jackson was an assistant defensive backs coach last season. The Bengals hired Adam Zimmer - son of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer - to fill that role Tuesday. Jackson was Oakland’s head coach in 2011, but was fired after an 8-8 season.

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed defensive end/linebacker Chris McCoy to a three-year contract and released tackle Demetress Bell. McCoy had five sacks in two seasons in the CFL with Calgary. McCoy was originally drafted by Miami in the seventh round in 2010. He spent his rookie season on the practice squads of Miami, Seattle and Houston. Bell was signed away from Buffalo last year to replace injured left tackle Jason Peters (Arkansas Razorbacks), but he lost his starting job in training camp.

Donald Driver rewrote the Green Bay Packers record books and Wednesday morning, the wide receiver might’ve rewritten the book on how a player should call it a career. Officially retiring after 14 seasons - all with the Packers, something that was extremely important to him - the franchise’sall-time leading receiver celebrated his career during an unprecedented event inside the Lambeau Field atrium with 1,500 fans, his family, Packers coaches, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Green Bay mayor Jim Schmitt and a handful of teammates. Driver said it was a tough decision but he’s ready for the next chapter in his life. He retires after catching 743 passes for 10,137 yards, making the team as a seventhround draft pick out of Alcorn State in 1999.

BASEBALL Helton arrested on DUI charge

The Colorado Rockies and star first baseman Todd Helton are facing the harsh reality on the eve of his farewell season that the longtime face of the franchise now has a police mug shot. The five-time All-Star was arrested about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Denver suburb of Thornton and charged with drunken driving and careless driving. Helton was arrested after someone called police to report a drunken driver, police said. They said Helton’s blood-alcohol content was over the legal limit but they haven’t released the number. Helton is a career .320 hitter. The 39-year-old played only 69 games last year before undergoing hip surgery in August.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez and the Milwaukee Brewers have finalized a $1.45 million, one-year contract. The deal, agreed to Jan. 29 and completed Wednesday, allows Gonzalez to earn an additional $800,000 in performance bonuses: $100,000each for 45, 60, 70 and 90 games played, and $100,000 apiece for 45, 60, 70 and 90 starts. Gonzalez, 35, hit .259 last year in his first season with the Brewers and had 4 home runs and 15 RBI in 81 at-bats.

The Cincinnati Reds have agreed to a one-year deal, $3.06 million deal with right-hander Mike Leake, avoiding salary arbitration with their fifth starter. The deal leaves three Reds still facing arbitration: starters Mat Latos and Homer Bailey and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Leake made $507,500 last season, when he went 8-9 with a 4.58 earned run average in 30 starts, a career high. He asked for $3.5 million in arbitration, and the club offered $2,650,000. He will compete with left-hander Aroldis Chapman for a spot in the rotation. He will make an additional $25,000 if he reaches 180 innings pitched.

BASKETBALL Gasol has torn plantar fascia

Pau Gasol has been diagnosed with a tear of the plantar fascia of his right foot a day after he said he felt a pop in the foot during the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The Lakers said Wednesday that a magnet resonance imaging revealed the injury. The team said the results will be sent to team doctors in Los Angeles for analysis and that Gasol will return today to be examined by team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo and foot specialist Dr. Kenneth Jung.

TENNIS Nadal wins in return

Rafael Nadal rebounded from a poor start to defeat Federico Delbonis of Argentina 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday in the second round of the VTR Open in Vina Del Mar, Chile. It was his first singles match since losing in Wimbledon more than seven months ago. Nadal also won in doubles Tuesday with partner Juan Monaco, but the singles debut was a bigger test for the Spaniard and his injured left knee, which kept him away from the competitive game since June 28.

SOCCERHonduras beats U.S in Cup qualifier

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Jerry Bengston took advantage of a defensive mix-up to score the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute, and Honduras rallied to beat the United States 2-1 on Wednesday in the opener of the final qualifying round for next year’s World Cup.

Clint Dempsey put the U.S. team ahead in the 36th minute but the Americans, using a newlook defense that featured Omar Gonzalez and Timmy Chandler, gave up the lead when Juan Carlos Garcia tied the score with a bicycle kick in the 40th at San Pedro Sula.

Bengston, who plays for Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, scored the winner when defender Geoff Cameron and goalkeeper Tim Howard went for a pass by Maynor Figueroa to Oscar Boniek Garcia. That allowed Garcia to tap the ball across to Bengston for a shot into an open net, and Gonzalez was too late to challenge him.

“Overall, there were too many mistakes done and too many players today just didn’t reachtheir usual potential,” U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “They stayed behind their own game, and therefore it’s really difficult coming away with a win here if you’re not having everybody 100 percent at their limits.”

Playing without Landon Donovan, a veteran of three World Cups who is unsure whether to continue his career, the 28th-ranked U.S. team was under pressure for much of the match. No. 59 Honduras had the better chances, forcing Howard into several difficult saves.

Gonzalez had a chance to redeem himself, getting his head on a corner kick by Graham Zusi in the final seconds of stoppage time, but his shot from the 6-yard box sailed well above the crossbar.

The United States, which had been 12-3-3 against Honduras, lost its final-round opener for the first time in five games since the “hexagonal” format was adopted in qualifying for the 1998 tournament. The Americans are seeking their seventh consecutive trip to soccer’s showcase.