Bears suspend Harris for Lions game

The Chicago Bears suspended defensive tackle Tommie Harris for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions for breaking a team rule, coach Lovie Smith said yesterday. "He'll continue to rehab but won't practice with the football team this week," Smith said. "Monday he'll be back with the team, hopefully ready to go, and I'll kind of go from there." Harris didn't play over the weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles because of a knee injury. He will be replaced by Israel Idonije, with Anthony Adams also getting playing time . . . Receiver Lee Evans signed a four-year contract extension worth $37.25 million in a deal that prevents the Buffalo Bills star from becoming a free agent after this season. Evans, guaranteed to make $18.25 million in the new deal that runs through 2012, earned a significant raise over the base salary of $2.25 million he'll make this season . . . Offensive tackle Jordan Gross has started all 84 games over eight seasons for the Carolina Panthers since he was drafted. Now the streak is in jeopardy as he recovers from a concussion. Gross, who was knocked unconscious during last week's win against Atlanta, was held out of yesterday's workout. Coach John Fox hasn't ruled out him out for Sunday against Kansas City, saying he's "day to day."

New York Knicks forward Jared Jeffries fractured his left fibula at practice in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. The 6-foot-11-inch seventh-year pro pulled up in the backcourt and was immediately waved off the court by coach Mike D'Antoni. His lower leg was wrapped in an ice pack as he sat out the rest of practice until some light shooting at the end . . . University of Connecticut freshman forward Nate Miles, 20, told the Connecticut Post he doesn't know if he will appeal being expelled from school after being arrested for violating a Sept. 22 restraining order. According to the Hartford Courant, Miles's guardian, Sean Patterson, said, "In my mind, he was railroaded today." According to court documents, a woman claimed Miles had attempted to force her into having sex. He is accused of violating the order by placing a phone call to the woman less than 20 minutes after receiving it . . . The University of Massachusetts men's team will open its season against Arkansas-Monticello Nov. 11 at Southern Illinois University as part of the Carbondale Regional in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer . . . Boston University will open its season against George Washington University Nov. 14 at Agganis Arena.

Venus Williams reached the Porsche Grand Prix quarterfinals in Stuttgart, Germany, defeating Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-4, 6-2, one day after sister Serena was beaten and lost her No. 1 ranking. Venus Williams, seeded sixth, served 12 aces and won in 66 minutes. Williams, the Wimbledon champ, was joined in the quarterfinals by Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova, Jelena Jankovic, and Li Na . . . Andy Roddick and David Ferrer advanced to the quarterfinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo. Top-seeded Ferrer recovered from a slow start to defeat wild card Takao Suzuki, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, while second-seeded Roddick downed Jurgen Melzer, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. Ferrer will meet fifth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro, who defeated Jarkko Nieminen, 6-1, 6-3. Roddick will face Viktor Troicki, who advanced when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired with an abdominal strain. Tomas Berdych defeated Tommy Robredo, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. He'll face third seed Fernando Gonzalez, who beat Amer Delic, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Richard Gasquet and Rainer Schuettler will meet in the other quarterfinal. Gasquet crushed Kei Nishikori, 6-1, 6-2, while Schuettler defeated Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-7 (12-14), 6-4.

The US Olympic Committee has elected Larry Probst its new chairman to replace Peter Ueberroth on the board next month. The 58-year-old Probst, a longtime executive at EA Sports, was elected to the four-year term during a meeting in Colorado Springs. Ueberroth, who oversaw the restructuring of the USOC over the past few years, will stay on in a nonvoting capacity through next year . . . Former Olympic hurdles champion Anier Garcia of Cuba is retiring after battling a series of injuries. Garcia, 32, who beat Allen Johnson and two other Americans to win the 110-meter hurdles at the 2000 Sydney Games, said he was happy the Cuban team has already found his successor in world record-holder Dayron Robles, who won gold in the 110-meter hurdles in Beijing.

Operation Puerto, cycling's biggest doping investigation, has been shut down without a single conviction. Spanish media reported that Judge Antonio Serrano closed the case after seized samples showed levels of the endurance-boosting EPO that were too low to merit a health risk. Raids in Madrid and Zaragoza in May 2006 implicated 50 riders and turned up steroids, hormones, and EPO, nearly 100 bags of frozen blood, and equipment for treating blood . . . Kenny Cooper scored on a penalty kick in the 89th minute to help FC Dallas tie the San Jose Earthquakes, 1-1, in Frisco, Texas, and pull into a tie with Colorado and Real Salt Lake for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Former Melrose High star Ryan Johnson scored in the 58th minute for San Jose . . . The New York Islanders signed first-round draft pick Josh Bailey, 19, to a three-year, entry-level contract . . . Four-time America's Cup winner Simon Daubney was banned for two years after testing positive for cocaine ahead of Team Alinghi's victory last year.