Sports Briefs December 26, 2011
Football
New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs said he had an exchange with New York Jets coach Rex Ryan after the Giants' 29-14 win Saturday in which the coach approached him, used an expletive and said, "Wait till we win the Super Bowl."
Added Jacobs: "And I told him I'll punch him in the face. I told him out of all these Giants players on this team you're talking to the wrong one. And that was that."
Ryan acknowledged that he and Jacobs "had a private conversation. He doesn't like me; I respect him."
The back-and-forth went on even in the hours before the game, when Jacobs and kicker Lawrence Tynes both removed black curtains placed by the Jets over the Giants' Super Bowl logos. The Jets said it was simply their standard practice to cover those logos for every one of the team's home games, regardless of opponent, because it is the players' entrance.
• The Minnesota Vikings said an MRI showed that Adrian Peterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee druing Saturday's 33-26 win over against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md.
• Zane Johnson threw two touchdowns, including a 4-yarder late in the game, and No. 22 Southern Mississippi (7-6) earned a school-record 12th victory by holding off Nevada 24-17 in the Hawaii Bowl late Saturday night in Honolulu.
Davis overcame a shaky start for the Conference USA champion Golden Eagles (12-2), and the defense in the second half managed to shut down Nevada's potent pistol attack led by Lampford Mark.
• In a series of recent interviews with The Associated Press about head injuries, 23 of 44 NFL players - slightly more than half - say they would try to hide a concussion and stay in a game rather than pull themselves out.
Players generally indicated they are more aware now of the possible long-term effects of jarring hits to the helmet. A few say that while they would have tried to conceal a concussion during a game in 2009, now they would seek help.
Players also say they should be better protected from their own instincts. That is, more than two-thirds of the group would like to have independent neurologists on sidelines during games.
The AP spoke to at least one player from each of the league's 32 teams.
Basketball
Tu Holloway scored 21 points and No. 14 Xavier (9-3) ended a three-game losing streak with an 87-77 victory over Southern Illinois (3-8) on Sunday in the seventh-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
Before a sparse, morning crowd on Christmas Day, the Musketeers won for the first time since Dec. 10, when they beat Cincinnati in a game cut short in the closing seconds by brawling and mayhem on the court.
• NBA Commissioner David Stern opened his lockout-delayed season by hearing boos from Mavericks fans.
Stern was in Dallas for the NBA finals rematch between the Mavericks and Heat, and he was on the court for the start of the Mavs' banner-raising ceremony honoring their first championship. The jeers came as soon as he started speaking, but he quickly turned them into cheers by offering his congratulations to team owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban's often contentious relationship with Stern could've been as much of a reason for the boos as the lockout, which pushed the opener from Nov. 1 to Christmas and cut the season by 16 games.
Cuban and Miami's Micky Arison were among five owners who voted against the labor deal.
Hockey
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson received a contract extension from the team.
The Maple Leafs did not immediately respond to an email seeking confirmation.
The 56-year-old Wilson is in the final season of a four-year contract. The Leafs are sixth in the Eastern Conference with 40 points. Toronto has not made the playoffs in three previously seasons under Wilson, who is 119-120-42 with the Leafs.
Wilson, a defenseman as a player, was selected by the Leafs in the 1975 draft. He has a 637-546-101-88 coaching record with Anaheim, Washington, San Jose and Toronto. He is 47-48 in the playoffs.
- The Associated Press