Ram Coach Martz’s Heart Issue Worsens

Mike Martz is out indefinitely as coach of the St. Louis Rams because of a bacterial infection of the heart.

Martz was told by a specialist Monday that his condition, which kept him out of two practices last week, had worsened. The 54-year-old has been ill for more than a month and was tested for endocarditis, a bacterial infection of the lining of the heart or a heart valve.

After the Rams’ 37-31 loss Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks, Martz said he shouldn’t have been on the sideline. St. Louis dropped to 2-3.

Ram President John Shaw said Monday that Martz would be hospitalized four to 12 days but would not speculate on the length of his absence. Shaw said he wasn’t told the specific name of the illness, but was led to believe that Martz’s heart valve had weakened since last week.

“I think he was concerned he was letting down a lot of people, but also had concern about the gravity of the situation,” Shaw said.

Assistant head coach Joe Vitt will take over as coach. Martz told his players during a brief but emotional team meeting that he would step aside, Vitt said.

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Running back Najeh Davenport underwent season-ending surgery to repair his broken right ankle and the Green Bay Packers put him on injured reserve.

The Packers, who are off this weekend, probably won’t replace him on the roster until next week.

Davenport is the third Green Bay player to go on injured reserve this season, joining wide receivers Javon Walker, who blew out a knee in the opener, and Terrence Murphy, who bruised his spinal cord.

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New Orleans Saint running back Deuce McAllister probably will sit out the rest of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Sunday at Green Bay.

Coach Jim Haslett said McAllister got a second opinion Monday in San Antonio. He’ll get a third opinion from Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., later this week.

“If that’s the case, a torn ligament, he’s out for the year,” Haslett said.

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Seattle Seahawk wide receiver Darrell Jackson is scheduled to have surgery on his right knee Wednesday to remove loose cartilage from an old injury. Coach Mike Holmgren said the team would be without Jackson for “a few weeks.”

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Cleveland Brown rookie receiver Braylon Edwards remained in a hospital, recovering from surgery to eradicate an infection in his right arm that kept him out of a 20-10 win over Chicago and could sideline him longer.

The team was awaiting lab results to determine the nature of Edwards’ infection, which caused abnormal swelling near his elbow and prompted a team doctor to perform surgery Saturday.

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Running back Ricky Williams returned to the Miami Dolphins after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy.

Williams took part in the team’s brief walkthrough session. He’ll rejoin practice Wednesday and probably play Sunday at Tampa Bay -- his first game since December 2003.