Local Briefs
Basketball Stoner scores 12
Waynesburg Central graduate Nate Stoner was one of five Bethany College players in double figures Sunday in the Bison’s 123-105 win over visiting Mount Aloysius. Stoner scored 12 points, making 6-of-9 attempts from the field.
Football
Owens fined $35,000
IRVING, Texas (AP) – Terrell Owens has 35,000 reasons to never spit at an opponent again.
T.O. was fined $35,000 by the NFL on Monday for spitting in the face of Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall during Saturday night’s Cowboys-Falcons game.
Although it’s more than twice as much as the last fine for spitting, Dallas’ flamboyant receiver avoided a suspension. Owens wasn’t ejected at the time because officials didn’t see it.
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said Monday “we don’t condone that kind of activity, that’s for sure,” and added the team may also punish Owens.
“If we did, I wouldn’t make anybody aware of it,” Parcells said.
Owens told the NFL Network after the game: “I got frustrated and I apologize for that. It was a situation where he kept bugging me and getting in my face.”
But on Monday, he insisted it was an accident.
“When it happened, we were jawing in each other’s face, so it wasn’t anything intentional,” Owens said. “I didn’t intentionally spit in his face. He’s trying to make it seem like more than what it was by saying I hauled off and spit in his face. I feel like if I spit in his face … somebody would’ve seen it.”
A suspension would’ve hurt Dallas (9-5) more because Owens is the team’s leading receiver and the Cowboys go into their next game needing a win to lock up the NFC East title.
And, considering that game is against his former team, Philadelphia, and will be nationally televised on Christmas afternoon, sitting out would’ve been a blow to T.O.
The punishment hardly makes a dent in Owens’ wallet. He’s making $10 million this season as part of a three-year, $25 million contract signed in March.
Cardinal hire coach
Stanford hired former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh on Monday to take over its struggling football program.
Harbaugh had spent the last three years as head coach at the University of San Diego, a non-scholarship Division I-AA program. He led the Toreros to a 29-6 record, winning 27 of his final 29 games at San Diego.
The school planned to formally introduce Harbaugh at a news conference Tuesday. Phone messages left for Harbaugh were not immediately returned.
Harbaugh has the tough task of turning around the Cardinal, who set a school record for losses in a 1-11 season this year that led to the firing of coach Walt Harris.
Stanford has won just 16 games in the past five seasons under Harris and Buddy Teevens, and have to struggled to compete in the Pac-10 since Tyrone Willingham left for Notre Dame following the 2001 season.