The San Diego Chargers made two surprise moves in the hours before free agency began, deciding to keep speedy little Darren Sproles and releasing veteran defensive tackle Jamal Williams.
The Chargers placed the maximum first- and third-round tender on Sproles on Thursday, offering him a contract for $7,283,000 for next season. If Sproles signs an offer sheet with another team, San Diego would have the right to match the offer or receive first- and third-round draft picks as compensation for losing him.
Six days ago, a person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Chargers hadn't made it official, told the Associated Press that the team had decided not to tender Sproles, allowing him to test the free-agent market.
Williams has been one of San Diego's key run-stuffers for 12 seasons. He suffered a triceps injury in the 2009 season opener and missed the rest of the year. He also has a history of knee injuries.
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The New York Jets released cornerback Lito Sheppard after one disappointing and injury-plagued season. The move was expected since Sheppard was due a $10-million roster bonus.
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The Cincinnati Bengals released receiver Laveranues Coles, exactly one year after they signed him to a four-year deal hoping he could replace T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Coles had only 43 catches for 514 yards and a touchdown last season, when the Bengals' passing game was a big disappointment.
JURISPRUDENCE
A deposition in a civil lawsuit against Reggie Bush has been postponed because of a delay in the arrival of legal paperwork, the attorney for plaintiff Lloyd Lake said.
Lake is suing Bush for nearly $300,000 that he has claimed he gave the former USC running back while Bush was playing for the Trojans in 2004 and 2005. Former business partner Michael Michaels settled out of court with Bush for a reported $200,000 to $300,000.
Michaels was scheduled to be deposed Friday in San Diego. But Lake's attorney, Brian Watkins, said it was postponed because an appeals court document permitting the oft-delayed proceeding to move forward would not arrive until Friday, or possibly next week.
USC last month appeared before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in regard to allegations that Bush and former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo received extra benefits while they were at USC.
Michaels' deposition could be taken into account by the NCAA, which is expected to rule on USC's case in six to eight weeks.
-- Gary Klein
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A Michigan woman is suing the Ducks and their general manager, Bob Murray, for injuries she said she suffered last year at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena during the Ducks' Game 7 loss to the Red Wings in the second round of the playoffs. Rachel Paris, 55, was working as a TV stage manager for the May 14 game when, according to the lawsuit, Murray "in a fit of rage" hit her with a chair in the press box. She is asking for more than $75,000 in damages. At the time of the incident, Paris acknowledged she had been openly rooting for the Red Wings but declined to file a complaint; Detroit police interviewed Murray but did not charge him. The Ducks on Thursday declined to comment on the lawsuit.
BASKETBALL
Allen Iverson's wife filed for divorce the same day the Philadelphia 76ers announced that the All-Star guard would not return for the rest of the season.
Tawanna Iverson said their 8 1/2 -year marriage is "irretrievably broken," in papers filed Tuesday in Fulton County (Ga.) Superior Court. She asks for full custody of the couple's five children, child support and alimony.
After rejoining the 76ers as a free agent in December, Iverson returned to Atlanta in February to be with his family and deal with an undisclosed illness affecting his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah.
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Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry is scheduled to have surgery Friday after taking an elbow to the face during a game. The team said a timetable for Terry's return would be determined after the surgery.
Terry's left eye was nearly swollen shut when he left the Dallas locker room after Wednesday night's 112-109 victory over Minnesota.
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Baylor dunking sensation Brittney Griner will be suspended at least one game, and possibly longer, after punching an opposing player in the face. Big 12 spokeswoman Joni Lehmann said Thursday that NCAA rules require Griner to sit out No. 14 Baylor's regular-season finale against Texas on Sunday because of a "fighting act" that led to her ejection. The freshman punched Texas Tech's Jordan Barncastle after the two players tangled in the second half of Baylor's 69-60 win in Lubbock on Wednesday night.
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