Bears' Johnson hit with eight-game ban

NFL
Tank Johnson is the latest NFL player to feel the impact of commissioner Roger Goodell's crackdown on off-field misbehavior. The Chicago Bears' defensive tackle was suspended yesterday for the first eight games of the 2007 season, the third player sidelined under Goodell's toughened personal-conduct policy. Johnson, who recently spent two months in the Cook County (Ill.) jail for violating probation on a gun charge, joins Tennessee's Adam "Pacman" Jones, suspended for the entire season, and Cincinnati's Chris Henry, out eight games. Johnson, who will be allowed to attend training camp and play in the preseason, seemed to accept his punishment. "I think it's an opportunity for me to move forward," he said in Lake Forest, Ill., where the Bears are conducting offseason workouts. "It's not my call to say whether it's fair or unfair. But Roger Goodell's a fair man; I know that. He took everything into consideration that he and I talked about, and what he came up with is what he came up with it. If it's in the best interest of the NFL, then I'm all for it, too."

Sam Adams, a 350-pound defensive tackle who has played in three Pro Bowls, signed with the Denver Broncos after spending last season with Cincinnati. Adams previously played for Buffalo, Oakland, Baltimore, and Seattle. Adams, who will turn 34 this month, is known as a run-stuffer but also has 44 career sacks, fourth among active defensive tackles . . . Michael Vick's house in Virginia that has been the subject of a dogfighting investigation was broken into between May 7 and May 18, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its website. Three plasma televisions, two floor buffers, a wet/dry vacuum, an upright washer and dryer, and a leather sofa valued at $17,550 were stolen, the newspaper said, citing a police report . . . The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed running back Verron Haynes to a one-year contract . . . Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jack Trudeau, 44, was charged with refusing to give police officers a list of teenagers attending a weekend party at his home involving underaged drinking. Officers arrested Trudeau and 13 teenagers early Saturday after complaints about a loud party at his home in a northern Indianapolis suburb of Zionsville. Police said the party was for Trudeau's daughter and other students from Indianapolis Park Tudor High School.

Baseball

Phillip Wellman, the manager of the Double A Mississippi Braves who went wild with an on-field tantrum during his team's 7-6 loss at Chattanooga Friday, was suspended for three games by the Atlanta Braves. Wellman's tirade, played extensively on ESPN and other networks throughout the weekend, took him on a tour of the diamond as he covered home plate with dirt, threw a base, and crawled to the mound. Wellman and the club declined comment . . . Andy Pettitte was feeling better and plans to make his next scheduled start for the New York Yankees after leaving Sunday's game against the Red Sox with a stiff lower back. Pettitte is scheduled to throw in the bullpen tomorrow and start Friday against Pittsburgh . . . The Cincinnati Reds plan to recall outfielder Josh Hamilton and reliever Todd Coffey from Triple A Louisville for today's game in St. Louis. Hamilton was the National League's Rookie of the Month in April but has been on the disabled list since May 22 after a bout with gastroenteritis . . . Clete Boyer, the third baseman for the champion Yankees teams of the early 1960s, died yesterday in an Atlanta hospital from complications of a brain hemorrhage. He was 70. (Obituary, C8.)

Golf

Michelle Wie played in the pro-am at the LPGA Championship at Havre de Grace, Md., and worked briefly with her swing coach, and her agent said there was a "good chance" the 17-year-old would play in the second major of the year. Wie, who sat out four months with injuries to both wrists, withdrew after 16 holes of the Ginn Tribute last week in South Carolina, citing her wrists. She was 14 over par, and risked violating the LPGA Tour's rule that non-members who don't break 88 are banned for the year . . . Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke failed to qualify for a major championship for the first time in 10 years when he did not earn one of nine spots available in a European qualifier for the US Open. Clarke, who went 3-0 last year in the Ryder Cup, shot 75-72 at Walton Heath at Tadworth, England.

Miscellany

A St. Paul woman was arrested in connection with the beating death of former NBA player and Villanova star Howard Porter. The 33-year-old woman was arrested Sunday night, according to St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh. Walsh would not comment on whether there were more suspects. Porter, 58, worked as a probation officer for Ramsey County and was found severely beaten in a north Minneapolis alley May 19. He died a week later at a Twin Cities hospital . . . Monica Abbott threw her fourth straight shutout, and Tennessee got home runs from Alexia Clay and Shannon Doepking to beat defending champion Arizona, 3-0, in the opening game of the Women's College World Series finals at Oklahoma City . . . Jene'e Jemison, a 6-foot-3-inch center/forward from Wabash (Ill.) Valley College, has transferred to the University of Massachusetts and will have three seasons of women's basketball eligibility remaining . . . Eight New England colleges and universities formally announced the creation of the Division 3 New England Athletic Conference: Bay Path, Becker, Daniel Webster, Elms, Lesley, Mitchell, Newbury, and Wheelock.