Aktuelle News! » witzki had 21 points Tuesday night to pass Os

INDIANAPOLIS -- NFL sacks champion Robert Mathis admits he made a mistake late last season. Now its going to cost him -- four games and four paychecks. The Colts career sacks leader was suspended Friday by the NFL after violating the leagues ban on performance-enhancing substances. What exactly Mathis tested positive for remains a mystery but the linebacker said in a statement he was seeking fertility assistance. He acknowledged that he and his wife are expecting a baby. "I am deeply saddened that this situation will prevent me from contributing to my team for four games, and I regret that I didnt cross check what my doctor told me before I took the medication, " Mathis said. "I hope that my fans will understand the unique circumstances involved here and continue to know that I am a man of integrity who would never intentionally circumvent the performance enhancing substance policy agreed to by the NFL and my union." Mathis said Commissioner Roger Goodell denied Mathis request to not issue a suspension based on the circumstances. The league issued a statement Friday night about the case: "As Mr. Mathiss agent acknowledged today, his client failed to follow the protocols in the policy that the NFL and NFLPA agreed upon to address precisely these kinds of claims," the NFL said. "That policy also prescribes the disciplinary consequences of a positive test. The policy does not provide - nor should it provide - for the commissioner to override the policys procedures and assess discipline on an after-the-fact, ad hoc basis. Here Mr. Mathis actually withdrew his appeal and accepted discipline at the unions suggestion. His hearing took place only after the Players Association requested that the appeal be reinstated. "The drug for which Mr. Mathis tested positive is not approved by the FDA for fertility in males and is a performance-enhancing drug that has been prohibited for years. Importantly, Mr. Mathis did not consult with the policys independent administrator, a physician jointly approved by the NFL and NFL Players Association. Nor did he consult with his team doctor, the teams training staff, the NFLPA, the league office or the hotline established under the policy to give confidential information to players. Each of these sources would have warned against using this substance. "A cornerstone of the program is that a player is responsible for what is in his body. Consistent application of the policys procedures is critical to the integrity of the program." If the NFLs decision stands, and they almost always do, Mathis would not be eligible to rejoin the Colts until Sept. 29. He is allowed to participate in the teams off-season workouts, training camp and preseason games. The Colts quickly issued a statement saying they would support Mathis, one of the teams elder statesmen and most respected leaders. Mathis set a single-season record with 19 1/2 sacks last season and also broke Dwight Freeneys franchise career record for sacks. In 11 NFL seasons, Mathis has 111 career sacks. "We nevertheless wish to assure Robert and our fans that he remains an honoured and cherished member of the Colts family and that we support him as he deals with this difficult challenge," Mathis said. Its another black eye for a franchise whose owner, Jim Irsay, was arrested near his suburban Indy home in March and preliminarily charged with four felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanour driving while intoxicated charge. Irsay sought medical help two days later and did not return to the team until last weekends draft. Irsay has not spoken publicly about what happened. Mathis was considered an undersized defensive end when the Colts took him in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. It didnt take long, though, for Mathis and Freeney to form one of the NFLs most feared pass-rushing combinations. With Mathis developing his own spin moves to match Freeney, and Freeney developing his own tomahawks chop, imitating Mathis, the two close friends not only put quarterbacks on the ground, they forced fumbles at the leagues highest rate, too. Both emerged as perennial Pro Bowlers, but when they were asked to move to linebacker in new coach Chuck Paganos 3-4 defence, Mathis thrived and Freeney struggled. When the Colts announced last year that they would not re-sign Freeney, many thought Mathis would struggle. Instead, he had the best season of his career and became the first winner of the Deacon Jones Award. Defending that title might be next to impossible in 2014 -- unless he wins an appeal. "We are thrilled that we will be welcoming a new (family) member in several months, but I apologize to my teammates, coaches and Colts fans that I will not be able to contribute to my team for the first four weeks of the 2014 season," Mathis said. "I will work extremely hard during that time to stay in top football shape and will be prepared to contribute immediately upon my return." Hyun-Jin Ryu Womens Jersey . Its the second straight year he has decided not to play as he cuts back his schedule. Stricker was replaced in the field by Ryo Ishikawa of Japan. Maury Wills Womens Jersey . That little deal worked out in a big way for the Mavericks. Nowitzki had 21 points Tuesday night to pass Oscar Robertson for 10th on the NBAs career scoring list, leading the Mavs to a 95-83 victory over the Utah Jazz. http://www.ladodgersprostore.us/Enrique-...dodgers-jersey/. Joakim Nordstrom and Garret Ross also scored for Chicago and Corey Crawford made 30 saves. Tomas Tatar scored twice for Red Wings (2-3-0), Jonathan Ericsson added a goal and Gustav Nyquist had three assists. Jackie Robinson Womens Jersey . "This is my city," the Toronto native said upon his arrival Wednesday night. And the 35-year-old former league MVP says he is hoping to making 2014 a memorable year. Corey Seager Womens Jersey . These teams will see plenty of each other in the next few weeks as three of the Canucks next nine games are against the Wild (after today they meet February 9th in Minnesota and again February 16th at Rogers Arena). PITTSBURGH -- Olli Maattas slap shot beat Michal Neuvirth with less than 2 minutes remaining and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied by the Washington Capitals 4-3 Wednesday night. Maattas fourth goal of the season gave Pittsburgh its only lead as the Penguins won their 13th straight home game, a club record. Jussi Jokinen, Taylor Pyatt and Kris Letang also scored for the Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots to pick up his NHL-leading 27th victory. Alexander Ovechkins 34th goal of the season gave Washington a 3-2 lead midway through the third period but the Capitals collapsed over the final 10 minutes. Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera also scored for Washington, which lost for the seventh time in nine games. Neuvirth made 33 stops, but didnt see Maattas blast from the point with 1:54 left. Pittsburgh extended its lead over the rest of the field in the Metropolitan Division to a whopping 18 points over Washington and Philadelphia by continuing to find a way to win at Consol Energy Center. Over much of the first two periods it was difficult to tell which team was coming off a shootout loss in a different building the night before and which one was playing for the first time this week. Washington has one of the games top power plays, but Laich provided a short-handed tally when he took advantage of a turnover by Letang to ignite a two-on-two break that ended with Laich all alone in front of Fleury. A flick of Laichs wrist later the Penguins were trailing, a rarity during their run of home dominance. Letang atoned 9:53 into the second period, ending a Pittsburgh rush by taking a deft drop pass from Sidney Crosby and throwing a puck att the net that deflected off two Capitals before sneaking by Neuvirth to tie it.dddddddddddd Crosbys assist extended his home points streak to 17 games, the second-longest of his career. Chimera put Washington back in front less than five minutes later, easily tapping in a centring pass from Marcus Johansson. Pittsburgh pulled even with 3:52 left in the second as Pyatt scored for the first time since April 23, 2013, when he was a fourth-line forward for the New York Rangers. Maatta did the hard work, faking a shot from the point then skating around a fallen defender before setting Pyatt up in the left circle. It set the stage for another frenetic finish for a rivalry that should be rekindled anew with the two teams back in the same division under the NHLs realignment. Ovechkin put Washington back in front 8:35 into the third with a remarkable goal. He had his stick smacked out of his hands during a Washington rush then scrambled to pick it up just in time to receive a pass from Johansson. Fleury was no match for Ovechkins wrist shot as the Capitals went in front for the third time. And the last time. Brandon Sutter threaded a beautiful backhand pass through the crease to Jokinen for the Finnish Olympians 13th goal of the year 11:35 into the third before Maatta, a 19-year-old rookie who also will play for Finland in Sochi, provided the most electric moment of his breakout season. NOTES: The Penguins have won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams. ... Pittsburgh F Craig Adams played in his 254th straight game, tied for the fourth-longest streak in club history. ... Ovechkin has 23 goals in 33 regular-season games against Pittsburgh. ... ' ' '