American Football: Orlando Brown's controversial shove of a referee cost the Cleveland Browns tackle an indefinite suspension from the NFL.
In Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the giant Brown became upset when referee Jeff Triplette inadvertently hit him in the eye with a flag that indicated Cleveland lineman Jim Bundren's false start penalty.
Brown received treatment on the field and walked to the sideline as the eye swelled immediately. He returned to the field before a play was run, pushed Triplette to the ground and pointed at the referee.
Stunned by Brown's actions, several Cleveland players restrained their teammate, who was ejected.
Gymnastics: The president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation (FRG), Nicolae Vieru, has been sacked by the country's sports minister for punishing Romanian star Corina Ungureanu for appearing nude in Playboy.
The FRG decided not to pay the 20-year-old brunette, who has now retired from the sport, a bonus for being part of October's world championship winning team because they said she had violated the sport's ethics for posing nude in Playboy's Romanian edition.
However, his actions were widely cricised by the media and also by Sports Minister Crin Antonescu, who accused the FRG of "excessive puritanism".
Athletics: Australian Olympic sprinter Paul Henderson will face an Athletics Australia drugs tribunal after losing an appeal over a positive test.
Henderson, a member of the Australian 4 x 100m relay team at the 1996 Atlanta Games, had gone to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) after returning a positive test to the banned drugs norethandolone and nandrolone.
Golf: British Open champion Paul Lawrie, who leaves on Monday for the start of a new career based in America, and club manufacturers Wilson have mutally agreed to end their seven-year association.
Lawrie is in Phoenix, Arizona, next week for the Tiger Woods-organised Williams World Challenge between 12 of the game's leading lights. First prize is £625,000 and even last place is worth £75,000.
Meanwhile, Peter McEvoy, who led Britain and Ireland's men to the world amateur team title in Chile last year and to victory over America in the Walker Cup at Nairn this September, has been reappointed captain. McEvoy will take charge of the side for the St Andrews Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Turnberry on June 30th-July 1st, the defence of the world crown in Berlin on August 31st-September 3rd and the 2001 Walker Cup contest in Georgia.
Rugby: Former Australia coach Greg Smith is on the short-list of four to succeed Brad Johnson as Fiji's new coach. Former All Black captain Andy Leslie and Counties Manukau coach Mac MacCillion from New Zealand are also in the running for the job.
