Jaguars’ Darius Is Fined $75,000

Safety Donovin Darius of the Jacksonville Jaguars was fined $75,000 by the NFL on Tuesday for a hit across the neck of Robert Ferguson that left the Green Bay Packer receiver temporarily paralyzed.

Darius, who was ejected from the game, wasn’t suspended because league disciplinarian Gene Washington noted that this was the first time the player had been fined for a violation.

The hit came in the fourth quarter of Jacksonville’s 28-25 win over the Packers.

Ferguson caught a pass over the middle, and Darius hit him across the helmet and neck with a forearm. Ferguson lay on the ground and was taken off the field, regaining feeling in his legs while in a hospital.

Ferguson said in an interview with Houston television station KRIV that he didn’t believe Darius meant to hurt him, but that the league took the appropriate action in imposing the fine.

“That’s a tackle that’s been outlawed for a while,” Ferguson said.

Darius, who earns more than $4 million a season, was ejected by referee Ed Hochuli.

Darius said in a statement that he spoke with Ferguson on Monday in the hospital.

“We had a good conversation in which he told me he has no hard feelings,” Darius said. “We agreed that it was a part of the game. The most important thing is that Robert is OK.”

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Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson and safety Marques Anderson returned to work and met with Coach Norv Turner a day after their arrest for public intoxication.

Turner would not say whether the team planned to take disciplinary action.

Anderson practiced, but Woodson was held out because of a knee injury and is doubtful for Saturday’s game at Kansas City.

Woodson and Anderson were arrested at 4:20 a.m. Monday in Oakland after refusing to leave the back seat of a woman’s car. They were jailed briefly.

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Kansas City released punter Steve Cheek and signed Nick Murphy, who played in three games for Baltimore this year.... Chicago put safety Cameron Worrell on injured reserve because of an ankle injury.

Jurisprudence

The Missouri Supreme Court rejected a request by defensive end Leonard Little of the St. Louis Rams to have a felony drunk-driving charge thrown out, declining to comment on his claim that the law behind the count is unconstitutional.

Little’s attorneys argued that under Missouri law, a jury, not a judge, should have decided whether Little was a persistent offender, given his conviction in a 1998 drunk-driving crash that killed a woman. He served three months in jail.

Little is scheduled to go on trial March 28 on charges that he was driving under the influence and speeding when stopped by police early on the morning of April 24 in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue. Police said he was traveling 78 mph in a 55-mph zone.

Police said he failed three field sobriety tests.

Miscellany

Masters champion Phil Mickelson will not play in the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua, Hawaii, to start the PGA Tour season Jan. 6.

The Galaxy will open its Major League Soccer home schedule in the Home Depot Center on April 9 against expansion club Real Salt Lake.

Chivas USA, the other expansion club, opens April 2 in the Home Depot Center against defending champion D.C. United.

The 2005 World Swimming Championships might be moved from Montreal after Canada’s federal government rejected a request for an additional $9.7 million to go along with the $35.7 million in public money the organizers already received.

California Speedway in Fontana said it will be the first speedway on the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series season schedule to implement Saturday qualifying during the Feb. 25-27 Tripleheader Weekend, which includes a Friday night Craftsman Truck Series race.

Qualifying for the Auto Club 500 is Feb. 26. It will be sandwiched between Busch Series qualifying earlier in the day and the Busch Series 300-mile race in midafternoon.

Also that day, Jeff Gordon, the Auto Club 500 champion in 2004, will be inducted into the speedway’s Walk of Fame.

Doug Huckaby, athletic director at Cal Baptist for the last six years, said he’s retiring effective in June.

Passings

Former professional boxing trainer Charlie Costantino, who retired two years ago, died Monday in Beverly Hills. He was 94.