sports in brief

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 6, 2008

Local & state: KSHSAA Coaching School on tap

Former Texas A&M and Alabama football coach Dennis Franchione and Wichita State men's basketball coach Gregg Marshall will be among the headliners in the 76th annual Kansas State High School Activities Association Coaching School, on tap today through Friday at the Capitol Plaza Hotel/Maner Conference Center.

Franchione, a Kansas native, will speak today and Thursday, while Marshall will appear Thursday.

Local high school head coaches scheduled to speak include Topeka High tennis coach Duane Pomeroy, Hayden volleyball coach Jesica Farmer-Walter, Seaman football coach Blake Pierce and Shawnee Heights volleyball coach Kerry Kapfer.

Washburn volleyball coach Chris Herron also is scheduled to appear at the coaching school.

The KSHSAA Coaching School is only open to registered coaches.

Football: Favre leaves Lambeau, maybe Packers

The bond between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers appears to be broken beyond repair.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday evening that after approximately six hours of what he called "brutally honest" conversations with Favre over the past two days, the three-time MVP just isn't in the right mind-set to be part of the team.

Even with the chance to win his starting job back potentially on the table, McCarthy said Favre couldn't seem to get past emotional wounds that were opened as tensions mounted in recent weeks.

"The football team's moving forward," McCarthy said. "The train has left the station, whatever analogy you want. He needs to jump on the train and let's go. Or, if we can't get past things that have happened, I have to keep the train moving."

THE DENVER BRONCOS will start the season without wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for three games for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Marshall was summoned to Goodell's New York offices on July 18 to explain a series of off-the-field misdeeds over the past year, most notably his March 6 arrest on a domestic violence warrant filed by his former girlfriend in Atlanta.

CLEVELAND BROWNS safety Gary Baxter, attempting a comeback from two freak knee injuries, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday.

Baxter, who tore both patellar tendons on the same play in a 2006 game against Denver, had loose cartilage removed during the procedure at the Cleveland Clinic, coach Romeo Crennel said.

PRO BOWLER JOSHUA CRIBBS has made an unexpected return at the Cleveland Browns.

Cribbs, one of the NFL's premier special teams players who took back two kickoffs and a punt for touchdowns last season, said Tuesday that his agent has asked the club to restructure the six- year contract extension he signed during the 2006 season.

That might be asking a lot since Cribbs, considered the AFC's top return man, still has five years remaining on the deal, which is worth around $6 million.

CHRIS GRAY, Seattle's record holder for consecutive games played at 121 from 1999 to 2006, is retiring because of a lower back and spine injury that had doctors telling him he risked paralysis if he continued playing.

Gray made his announcement nine days after he felt his back pop while hitting a blocking sled in training camp. Then Saturday, three team doctors told him he should quit while he could literally walk away.

Steve Smith apologized to his Carolina Panthers' teammates, coaches and fans Monday, three days after he punched teammate Ken Lucas at practice, leaving the starting cornerback with a broken nose that will require surgery.

Smith, who was suspended without pay for the first two regular- season games, spoke to reporters for about four minutes after his first practice with the team since the incident. He did not answer questions.

Steven Jackson's holdout is headed for the two-week mark, and it appears little or no progress is being made.

The St. Louis Rams running back was absent for Tuesday's morning practice, the 16th workout he's missed in training camp and the 12th day of camp for which he has not been present.

This missed workout, though, could hold more weight than others. According to NFL rules, a player must be in camp 30 days before the start of the regular season or risk losing an accrued season of experience.

General: NBA veteran Boykins signs with Italian team

Unrestricted free agent Earl Boykins signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal Tuesday to play with Virtus Bologna of the Italian league, the latest NBA player to sign a deal with an overseas club.

Andy Bountogianis of the Cleveland-based Mark Termini Associates Inc. sports agency, confirmed the signing.

The 32-year-old point guard will be the highest-paid player in Italy for the 2008-09 season. He also will participate in the sponsorship and marketing income of the team.

From staff and wire reports