NFL
New Orleans assistant head coach Joe Vitt says evidence recently made public in the NFL’s bounty investigation falsely portrays him pledging $5,000 for knocking then Vikings quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2010 NFC title game. In a statement issued by the Saints, Vitt said he never pledged money for any type of performance incentives, let alone the cash-for-hits bounty program the NFL says the Saints ran from 2009-11 under former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Vitt also said he told commissioner Roger Goodell he would take a lie detector test if anyone doubted his assertion that he never pledged to a pay-for-performance pool . . . Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is calling off a proposed hearing on bounties in professional sports because he is satisfied with Goodell’s response to the issue, including setting up an anonymous hotline for players to report bounty-related activity . . . Vikings receiver Percy Harvin, unhappy with several issues, has requested a trade, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. After participating in a light walkthrough Wednesday morning, Harvin missed the afternoon session. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said the organization has no interest in trading Harvin and will work to resolve any issues . . . Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is still working toward a full recovery after left knee surgery, saying his body is “just not there yet.’’ . . . Defensive tackle Marcus Stroud is planning to sign a one-day contract with the Jaguars before retiring after a 10-year career with the Jaguars and Bills.
Johnson, Maddon at odds over pine tar
BASEBALL
Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Rays manager Joe Maddon should “read the rulebook’’ in the wake of Johnson’s decision to challenge Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta’s glove Tuesday. Peralta was ejected after umpires found pine tar on his glove and he expects to be suspended. Maddon said players police themselves and have essentially decided using pine tar is OK, even if it’s officially cheating . . . Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will undergo surgery on his left groin area Thursday. His return is unknown. Injured May 30, the two-time All-Star took himself out of a game last Wednesday at Triple A Colorado Springs after feeling not quite right . . . Braves righthander Brandon Beachy, who is 5-5 and tied for the major league lead with a 2.00 ERA, will have reconstructive surgery on his right elbow Thursday and miss the rest of the season . . . Tigers closer Jose Valverde has a sprained right wrist and will use an immobilizer for two or three days . . . Righthander Roy Oswalt will make his Rangers debut Friday against the Rockies.
IOC holds up 2014 Olympic ticket sales
MISCELLANY
The IOC postponed the ticket sales process for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia in the wake of corruption allegations involving black market tickets for the London Olympics, saying the delay is “purely precautionary.’’ . . . Allyson Felix will run in the 100- and 200-meter sprints at the Olympic Trials starting Friday at Eugene, Ore., giving herself a chance for two medals in London but forgoing the 400 meters, on which she had focused much of the past year . . . The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is determining whether to file charges based on date-rape allegations against Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty by a woman he met in a bar and a decision is expected by week’s end . . . Five-time champion Venus Williams and four-time Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters are unseeded at Wimbledon for the first time in more than a decade. Seedings were announced for the Grand Slam tournament that starts Monday, with top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic heading the men’s list and Maria Sharapova leading the women’s - both for the first time. Gael Monfils withdrew because of a knee injury . . . Andy Roddick reached the quarterfinals of the Eastbourne Championships in Eastbourne, England, needing eight match points to overpower Jeremy Chardy, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6). Defending champion Andreas Seppi topped Carlos Berlocq, 7-6 (2), 6-3, while second-seeded Marcel Granollers fell to Denis Istomin, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2). Marion Bartoli advanced after defeating Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-2, 6-2, while Christina McHale fell, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova . . . Top seed David Ferrer beat Leonardo Mayer, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the Unicef Open quarterfinals in Den Bosch, Netherlands . . . Manny Pacquiao favors a rematch with Timothy Bradley after a five-judge panel unanimously favored him in a video review, rather than Bradley giving up the WBO welterweight title he won on a split decision, because “people may think I just usurped it.’’ . . . In the MLS, Will Bruin scored twice, and the host Houston Dynamo came from a two-goal deficit to tie Toronto FC, 3-3 . . . Landon Donovan scored twice to fuel a two-goal rally and lift the Los Angeles Galaxy over Real Salt Lake, 3-2, in Sandy, Utah . . . Chris Wondolowski scored on a penalty kick in stoppage time as the San Jose Earthquakes edged the Colorado Rapids, 2-1, in Commerce, Colo. . . . Sporting Kansas City’s Jacob Peterson scored in the eighth minute and Patrick Ianni’s goal a few minutes later gave host Seattle Sounders a 1-1 tie . . . Juan Pablo Angel scored in the 82d minute to give Chivas USA its second home win of the year, 2-1, over the Montreal Impact . . . In WNBA action, Sammy Prahalis’s tiebreaking layup with 23 seconds left helped host Phoenix Mercury past the Washington Mystics, 80-77 . . . Ex-NBA and ABA player Dennis Hamilton died Monday, according to Arizona State, where he played in college. He was 68.