Off the wire

FOOTBALL

Cowboys' Hardy back

Greg Hardy has returned from a four-game suspension over his role in a domestic violence case, and the Dallas defensive end is making it clear that his focus is on football. Meeting with reporters Tuesday for the first time since signing with the Cowboys as a free agent in March, Hardy answered almost every question about the episode in North Carolina last year with a reference to football. Even when asked if he planned to get involved with any charities associated with domestic violence, Hardy said, "I feel the best way to win a game is stick to the game plan." If Hardy plays for the Cowboys (2-2) on Sunday against Super Bowl champion New England (3-0), it will be his first game since last year's season opener with Carolina.

• The staph infection that ended New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells' season is MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant form of the infection that can create a life-threating situation and is highly contagious, according to a source. According to Healthline.com, "MRSA is spread by coming in contact with an infected person or by exposure to an MRSA-contaminated object or surface that an infected person touches." As such, the Giants scrubbed and disinfected their locker rooms, training rooms and meeting rooms this week after Fells' infection came to light. Several NFL teams have had difficulty eradicating MRSA in the past decade including Washington, the Browns and the Buccaneers. Former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes' career ended and he became seriously ill due to a MRSA infection he acquired with the Bucs.

• The Minnesota Vikings have traded linebacker Gerald Hodges to the San Francisco 49ers for rookie center Nick Easton and a sixth-round draft pick. Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman announced the deal Tuesday. Hodges, a backup outside linebacker in Minnesota's 4-3 scheme his first two seasons, was the starter this season at middle linebacker in the base defense. Rookie Eric Kendricks replaced him in the nickel package, though. Kendricks has developed enough that the Vikings considered Hodges expendable at a position of depth. The Vikings traded a sixth-round pick for guard Jeremiah Sirles, so they got one back. Easton was acquired by the 49ers in a deal with the Baltimore Ravens last month. He was undrafted out of Harvard.

• Chicago Bears center Will Montgomery will miss the remainder of the season because of a broken left fibula. The team placed Montgomery on injured reserve Tuesday. He broke his leg early in Sunday's 22-20 win over the Oakland Raiders, forcing the Bears to juggle an already short-handed line. Matt Slauson shifted from left guard and spent most of the game at center. Newly acquired Patrick Omameh came in at Slauson's regular spot. The Bears already were without starting left tackle Jermon Bushrod because of a concussion and shoulder injury. Montgomery has appeared in 110 games and made 75 starts -- 58 at center -- for Carolina (2006), the New York Jets (2007-08), Washington (2008-13), Denver (2014) and Chicago (2015).

BASKETBALL

Hornets' star forward out

The Charlotte Hornets have announced that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday night to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The team wasn't saying how long he'll be out. Kidd-Gilchrist, who dislocated the shoulder in Saturday night's preseason game against Orlando, was slated to start at small forward this season. Hornets Coach Steve Clifford said the injury is a "hit," but a chance for others to emerge. Clifford hasn't decided who'll replace Kidd-Gilchrist but says Nicolas Batum is expected to see more action than first expected at small forward. Batum was going to start at shooting guard. The injury opens the door for P.J. Hairston or Jeremy Lamb to start at the No. 2 spot. Kidd-Gilchrist is considered Charlotte's top defensive player.

MOTOR SPORTS

Gordon: Tire man could help

Jeff Gordon said he believes his new front tire changer can both improve his pit crew and give Hendrick Motorsports some important insider information. Nick Odell, considered one of the best tire changers in NASCAR, was released from Joe Gibbs Racing after the opening race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Pursued by all the top teams, Odell signed with Hendrick Motorsports and made his debut Sunday with Gordon's crew. Gordon said he believes Odell can aid the entire Hendrick organization with knowledge of the air guns being used at JGR. The Gibbs crews have consistently been among the best, and many have attributed their success to advanced technology in the development of their air guns. Dale Earnhardt Jr. estimated teams are spending $1 million annually to develop the air guns.

• First, Kevin Harvick embarrassed the field with a dominating victory at Dover. Then his victory celebration made some of his competitors wonder if the reigning Sprint Cup champion had something to hide. Many believe Harvick backed his car into the wall during his celebratory burnout, creating damage to his Chevrolet. Harvick on Tuesday denied any knowledge of hitting the wall, but some wondered if the action was done to limit NASCAR's ability to inspect the car after the race. Brad Keselowski said Tuesday it was "absolutely" common for drivers to intentionally damage their cars after a race, while Denny Hamlin called on NASCAR to figure out a way to keep cars intact for the technical inspection.

• Formula One commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone said Tuesday that the motorsport series could be sold this year and there are three interested buyers. Speaking to The Associated Press, Ecclestone, 84, did not identify the potential new owners but said he wants to remain in his current role, running F1 on a day-to-day basis. F1's largest and controlling shareholder is currently investment fund CVC Capital Partners, whose co-chairman is Donald Mackenzie. When asked about the prospect of F1 being sold this year, Ecclestone told the AP by phone: "I think so, maybe this year. There are three people mentioned to buy. So it's a case of whether CVC or Mr. Mackenzie wants to sell." Ecclestone earlier this year raised the prospect of buying back F1 himself. "We'll see," Ecclestone said when asked if he was one of the three interested parties. The AP reported in June that F1 is a takeover target for Qatar Sports Investments, which has French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain in its investment portfolio and linked up with Miami Dolphins owner RSE Ventures to consider a bid. Ecclestone has a 5.3 percent stake in F1, while CVC owns 35.5 percent after initially gaining control of the sport in 2006 for around $2 billion.

HOCKEY

Devils to retire No. 30

The New Jersey Devils will retire the No. 30 jersey of goaltender Martin Brodeur. The Devils announced Tuesday they also will erect a statue of their longtime goaltender during ceremonies at the game on Feb. 9 against the Edmonton Oilers. Brodeur played 21 seasons for New Jersey, leading the Devils to three Stanley Cup titles and winning the Vezina Trophy four times as the NHL's top goalie. Brodeur retired last season after playing seven games with the St. Louis Blues, where he now serves as an assistant general manager. He left the game with NHL records for games played (1,266), wins (691) and shutouts (125). In his last season in New Jersey, Brodeur compiled a 19-14-16 record with a .901 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average in 39 games.

FANTASY SPORTS

AG begins investigation

The New York state’s attorney general on Tuesday sent letters to daily fantasy sports websites Draft-Kings and FanDuel demanding they turn over details of any investigations into their employees, saying they “may have gained an unfair, financial advantage in a contest known as Daily Fantasy Football.” The letters were prompted by media reports a DraftKings employee may have had access to valuable company data before winning second place in a FanDuel contest. The incident has been likened to insider trading. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, in opening his investigation, said DraftKings and FanDuel employees may have exploited their access to nonpublic data. There’s no evidence that the information led to the DraftKings employee’s win, and a FanDuel spokesman said she did not believe there was an attempt to manipulate the contest. Schneiderman wants the companies to explain their policies and/or practices prohibiting employees from playing daily fantasy sports, whose participants put together virtual teams based on real players and compete for points based on the players’ statistics. In the letters, Schneiderman asked for the names, job titles and descriptions of employees who compile and aggregate data including pricing algorithms and athletes’ ownership percentages for past contests.

Sports on 10/07/2015

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