Beckham LA Galaxy Story

LOS ANGELES (AP) - David Beckham has conquered the rest of the world as the most recognized soccer player around. Now, he's ready to take on America.

Wearing a black suit with white shirt and black tie, Beckham shared his thoughts a day after agreeing to a five-year contract with the LA Galaxy that could be worth $250 million.

"I'm coming there to make a difference. I'm coming there to play football," Beckham said Friday via satellite from Madrid. "I'm not saying me coming to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. ... But I think soccer has a huge, huge potential. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't believe in this project. This could create something that we've all never seen before."

Those who orchestrated the deal are convinced Beckham not only will raise soccer's profile in America but help the Galaxy win.

"David is still a very good player," said Tim Leiweke of AEG, the sports and entertainment company that runs the Galaxy. "Peyton Manning in football, the other football, Allen Iverson in basketball and Tiger Woods in golf are all the same age (31) as Beckham.

"Certainly, he will bring an audience, a fan base and an intensity to our sport that we've never had."

The Galaxy didn't say exactly what they'll pay him. The $250 million figure includes salary and commercial endorsements over the length of his contract. In other words, his move could be worth $1 million a week.

"I'm coming there not be a superstar," Beckham said. "I'm coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things."

He's also coming as the most recognizable soccer player in the world who just happens to be married to the former Posh Spice of The Spice Girls and counts Tom Cruise among his closest friends.

Beckham said he talked on the phone with Cruise the past two nights seeking advice about life in LA.

"He's a good friend of mine and I told him a deal may be near," Beckham said. "It's a big help to have friends in LA."

After all, Beckham's cult of personality has few believers in America. The superstar, whose best playing days are likely behind him, has helped sell millions of European tabloids but has been able to walk American streets in relative anonymity.

"I realize I'm not as recognized in the U.S. as I am around Europe, around other parts of the world," he said. "Hopefully playing for the Galaxy will change that."

His mandate calls for raising the profile of an average team in a soccer league that has little respect overseas and less recognition than the University of Southern California football team.

On Friday, Beckham returned to his daily routine training with Real Madrid for nearly two hours. The British player smiled to reporters upon his arrival and left the training ground in the outskirts of Madrid before his global news conference.

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In Los Angeles, the Beckham effect was felt immediately: The Galaxy sold 1,000 new season tickets Thursday morning. Their season begins April 8.

The team averages 22,000 to 24,000 fans in its 27,000-seat stadium in suburban Carson, although attendance was down last season when the Galaxy missed the playoffs.

"They know we Latinos are filling the soccer stadiums. That's why they want to bring stars here," said Juan Munguia, a 30-year-old Mexican hotel cook. "I will go just to see Beckham."

Already in the works is a 2008 Galaxy tour of Asia, where Beckham is wildly popular. A new team logo will be unveiled this summer and the Galaxy's owner is nearing a deal to slap a prime sponsor's name on its jerseys.

"We will absolutely market the Galaxy as a global brand," Leiweke said.

Beckham will become the biggest star to play U.S. professional soccer since Pele and Franz Beckenbauer were in the now-defunct North American Soccer League in the 1970s.

"David Beckham is a global sports icon who will transcend the sport of soccer in America," gushed Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber.

Beckham played at the Home Depot Center against the L.A. Galaxy in a 2005 friendly match that drew a huge crowd. (Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)

But Beckham hasn't won a major trophy since joining the Spanish team Real Madrid in 2003 from Manchester United, where he won six league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League title.

Beckham started only five of 25 matches for Real Madrid this season. He turned down a two-year contract extension from Real Madrid, where his fading skills left him on the bench.

Last Aug. 11, the former England captain was dropped from his national team altogether, signaling the end of his international career.

It came after a dismal 2006 World Cup. He led England to the quarterfinals last summer, scoring from a free kick in the second round to beat Ecuador 1-0. But he was taken off the field early in the second half against Portugal with ankle and Achilles tendon injuries, and then watched as his team was eliminated in a penalty shootout.

A day after the game, Beckham stepped down as captain of the team - a post he had held for 58 of his 94 international appearances.

But he'll start for the Galaxy.

"He's coming here to make a difference," Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said. "He's not coming here on vacation."

Beckham to quit Real and head for L.A.Galaxy

By Simon Baskett

MADRID (Reuters) - Former England captain David Beckham will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and sign a five-year deal for MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy, he told Reuters on Thursday.

"This week Real Madrid asked me to make a decision regarding my future and the offer to extend my contract for a further two seasons," said Beckham.

"After discussing several options with my family and my advisors to either stay here in Madrid or join other major British and European teams I have decided to join LA Galaxy and play in the MLS from August this year.

"I would like to thank supporters and the people of Madrid who have made my family and I so welcome in my time here making this an extremely difficult decision to make.

"I have enjoyed my time here enormously and I am extremely grateful to the club for giving me an opportunity to play for such a great team and their amazing fans."

ANOTHER CHALLENGE

In a televised interview provided by LA Galaxy, Beckham added: "Another challenge has come up and it is the right time for us to do it.

"I didn't want to go out there at 34 years old and for people to turn around and say he's only going there to get the money. It's not what I'm going out there to do.

"I'm going to hopefully build a club and a team that has a lot of potential. I think that is what excites me."

"Regrets? No. I have never had any regrets throughout my life and career and I never want to.

"I moved to Real Madrid in 2003. I have to say thank you to Florentino Perez for giving me the chance to actually play for this huge team and to play in that white shirt was an honor for four years.

"To play with the players I have played with, to play with Zidane was the biggest honor I have had in my career, to play with the likes of Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos you know, for me, there is no regrets there.

REAL CONFIRMATION

Real Madrid confirmed that Beckham would not renew his contract with the club.

"After a meeting this morning at the Bernabeu between the club and David Beckham's agents both parties decided that David would not extend his present contract with the club which ends on June 30, 2007," Real said on their Web site (www.realmadrid.com).

The 31-year-old, who joined Real from Manchester United in June 2003, is the most famous player to sign up for Major League Soccer since it began in 1996.

He is also the biggest name player to move to club soccer in the U.S. since the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff played in the long-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 1970s and early eighties.

HUGE DEAL

His deal is reported to be one of the biggest in global sport with Beckham set to earn more than $250 million over the duration of his contract following the removal of the salary cap in the MLS. Beckham will earn approximately one million dollars a week.

LA Galaxy had made public their interest in Beckham who runs a football academy that shares its home with the team and who has close links to the Anschutz Entertainment Group who own the club.

"David Beckham coming to MLS might be viewed by some as one of the most important moments for soccer in this country and perhaps the history of professional sport," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement.

"David transcends the sport and is a cultural icon. David is clearly one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. People are going to feel really good about David Beckham spending the rest of his career in the U.S."

The news ends months of speculation about the future of the midfielder whose contract with Real expires at the end of the season.

LOST PLACE

Having been first choice in the Real Madrid starting lineup since he moved to Spain, Beckham lost his place following the arrival of Italian coach Fabio Capello.

He has only started five of Real's 16 league games this season and was known to be frustrated with his lack of opportunities in the first team.

The former Manchester United player said he was now inspired by the challenge of cracking the American soccer market.

"I am proud to have played for two of the biggest clubs in football and I look forward to the new challenge of growing the world's most popular game in a country that is as passionate about its sport as my own.

But he insisted he would be giving his all for Real Madrid until the end of the season to try and win the major trophy that has eluded him since he joined the club in 2003.

"For the rest of this season I will continue to give 100 percent to my coach, team mates and fans and I believe Fabio Capello will bring this club and its supporters the success they truly deserve."

Arsenal dump Liverpool out of Cup

By Mandeep Sanghera

Arsenal produced three stylish goals as they dumped FA Cup holders Liverpool out of the competition with a stubborn and resilient third round performance.

Tomas Rosicky curled a sublime strike and squeezed in a shot from the edge of the box to put the visitors 2-0 ahead.

Liverpool hit back when Dirk Kuyt glanced in from point-blank range.

But Thierry Henry ended hopes of a Reds comeback when he robbed Jamie Carragher and slotted home to book Arsenal's place in Monday's fourth round draw.

Liverpool had plenty of possession early on but Arsenal had kept them at arm's length while waiting for the chance to counter-attack.

The home side were being denied the space and time to create a chance and had only a long range Steven Gerrard strike, which went comfortably wide, to show for their early efforts.

Arsenal's ploy almost reaped reward when a clever pass by Robin van Persie was slid into the piercing run of Rosicky, who lacked the bravery to try and squeeze the ball past on-rushing keeper Jerzy Dudek.

The match started to develop into a fractious affair as rash challenges, stray arms and simulation saw play interrupted on a regular basis.

Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso thought he should have had a penalty when he went over after minimal contact by Gilberto Silva tackle but only ended up getting booked for diving.

In amongst the set-pieces, Reds striker Peter Crouch ballooned a volley over and Alonso went close from 20-yards.

Arsenal had a strength to their play which critics have accused them of lacking and they blended that with the kind of flair they are famed for to take a 2-0 lead.

The visitors won possession in their own half and Rosicky exchanged a number of passes with Alexander Hleb down Arsenal's right flank.

The final act of the goal saw Hleb pull a low cross back to the near edge of the box and Rosicky curled a shot into the far side of the Reds goal.

The Czech Republic attacking midfielder added a second when Liverpool's defence stood off him and shot low into the corner.

An urgency in Liverpool's play after the break put Arsenal under relentless pressure.

And, while the visitors threatened on the counter-attack, they started to become overrun by the waves of attacks from the Reds.

The home side's efforts finally told when Kuyt flicked in a header and Aurelio sent an angled volley just wide as Liverpool's dominance was almost rewarded with an equaliser.

But Henry dispossessed Carragher on the left touchline and ran towards goal before cutting inside and sidefooting in to secure Arsenal's win.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez:
"It is a bad day for us. It was a difficult game but we were doing well and controlling the match in the first half but conceded two goals.

"It could have been a penalty but for me it is rather the game as a whole.

"We made mistakes and when you play against a good team they punish you. Now we have to think about the next game and keep going."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger:

"I felt we have shown character and good discipline. We were organised under pressure.

"We had two or three good chances on the break and scored one - then it was all over.

"They have an unbelievable crowd and the team gave everything. It takes a good team to beat them and we were that team."

Liverpool: Dudek, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise (Aurelio 60), Pennant, Alonso, Gerrard, Luis Garcia, Kuyt, Crouch.
Subs Not Used: Reina, Hyypia, Gonzalez, Bellamy.

Booked: Alonso.

Goals: Kuyt 71.

Arsenal: Almunia, Eboue (Hoyte 66), Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Silva, Flamini, Rosicky, Henry (Walcott 88), Van Persie (Julio Baptista 72).
Subs Not Used: Poom, Djourou.

Booked: Senderos, Clichy, Eboue.

Goals: Rosicky 37, 45, Henry 84.

Att: 43,619

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).

Nadal dumped as Malisse dominates

CHENNAI, India (Reuters) -- Belgian Xavier Malisse stunned world number two Rafael Nadal 6-4 7-6 to move into the final of the Chennai Open on Saturday.

He will face Stefan Koubek of Austria, who outplayed twice title winner and fifth-seed Carlos Moya of Spain 6-3 6-1.

Third-seeded Malisse produced a dominating all-court display, serving powerfully and breaking the top seed in the third game to clinch the first set.

The world number 37, a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2002, had to fight hard to keep the rampaging Mallorcan at bay in the second set.

The 26-year-old saved three set points each in the 10th and 12th games and played superbly in the tie-break to shut out the Spanish left-hander.

It was the Malisse's first win in three meetings over the 20-year-old Spaniard, who exited in the first round in his only previous appearance here as a rookie three years ago.

"It's my first victory against a player ranked as high as number two. I served very well, while for him nothing went right on set points," Malisse told a news conference.

Nadal, who won five titles in his first eight tournaments in 2006, has not reached a final since Wimbledon in July when he lost in four sets to Swiss ace Roger Federer.

Disappointed

"I am disappointed - it is important for me to reach more finals and win them," Nadal said.

"I had my chances in the second set but he (Malisse) was playing really well and served well," Nadal said.

"If I had won the second set, I would have won the third as I was feeling better and better."

Nadal plays in Sydney next week as he prepares for the season's first major, the Australian Open in Melbourne later this month.

"It was a good tournament here. I'll take it forward to Sydney and give my best at the Australian Open," Nadal said.

Koubek, 79th in the ATP rankings, will be chasing his fourth tour title after dashing No. 42 Moya's hopes of making the Chennai Open's final for the fourth consecutive year.

The top 10 all-time most unbreakable sports records

Andrew Segal / AskMen.com

Whenever the inevitable debate arises among sports fans concerning the record that is the least likely to ever be broken, many people are quick to cite Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak.

But there are many other — perhaps lesser-known — achievements by athletes or teams that are likely to still be standing well into the future. Here are the Top 10 unbreakable sports records.

10. Rocky Marciano's 49-0

Marciano began his professional career in 1947 by beating Lee Epperson, and over the next eight years, he proceeded to defeat all 49 of his opponents — 43 by knockout. In doing so, Marciano became the first heavyweight to go undefeated throughout his entire career.

Marciano's record was challenged in 1985 by Larry Holmes, who got to 48-0 before losing to Michael Spinks. However, with today's crop of heavyweights being underwhelming, his mark seems likely to stand the test of time.

9. Michael Schumacher's seven championships

Schumacher made his Formula 1 debut in 1991, and just one year later, he managed a third-place finish in the overall drivers' standings. By 1994, Schumacher had truly arrived, winning the first of his seven F1 points titles. He performed the feat again in 1995, then moved over to the Ferrari team and won each year between 2000 and 2004. His 2003 season victory moved him ahead of Juan Fangio, who finished atop the standings five times.

Schumi also holds the F1 record for most race wins with 85 (Alain Prost is a distant second with 51) and most wins in a season with 13. All three records are unlikely to be overturned.

8. Ty Cobb's .366 career batting average

The Georgia Peach played 24 seasons from 1905 to 1928, and outside of his rookie year, he never hit below .316. Regardless of one's opinion of Cobb as a person, his incredible statistics are indisputable: he hit over .380 nine times, batted above .400 three times, and finished with a career batting average of .366, well ahead of Rogers Hornsby, whose .358 places him second.

The closest active player was Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies, who entered the 2005 season hitting .339. However, that average has since fallen to .333, meaning that Cobb's lofty average is in no danger of being surpassed yet.

7. Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters

Nolan Ryan broke into baseball in 1966 as the second-youngest player in the league. By the time he retired as Major League Baseball's oldest in 1993, he had thrown seven no-hitters, making him by far the all-time record holder (Sandy Koufax sits second, with four). Ryan's first no-no came on May 15, 1973, and he recorded his second exactly two months later.

He then proceeded to record one in each of the next two seasons, threw another in 1981 to set the record, and then added one no-hitter per season in 1990 and 1991 (made all the more incredible by his advanced age of 43 and 44 years old, respectively) to seal his position on top.

Wayne Gretzky had a season for the ages in the mid-80s. (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)

6. Wayne Gretzky's 215-point season

While all of Gretzky's records seem unbreakable (with 2,857 points, he's nearly 1,000 ahead of second-place Mark Messier), this mark set in 1985-'86 simply can't be surpassed. A player not only needs scoring punch but durability; during this magical season, The Great One averaged 2.69 points per game. In NHL history, only Mario Lemieux has even come close to matching that pace over a campaign, but he didn't play all 80 games, as Gretzky did.

Last season, the San Jose Sharks' Joe Thorton led all NHL players with 125 points (in 81 games). Will anyone ever come close to The Great One's record? It's not likely.

5. Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point night

Like Gretzky's and some of the other records that follow on this list, Wilt's 100 points in a game will not be challenged simply because the sport has changed so much. In an era in which entire teams often struggle to score 100 points in a game, a repeat of what happened on March 2, 1962 isn't likely.

During the game, Chamberlain also set records for most field goals (36), free throws (28 of 32), points in a quarter (31), and points in a half (59), while breaking his own record of 78 points in a game set earlier that season. Incidentally, Wilt also holds another scoring record (20,000) that's unlikely to be broken, but we'll leave that for another article.

4. John Wooden's 88 straight wins

Another relic of a bygone era, this record harkens back to when college players stuck around for four years and turned their programs into dynasties. Under the tutelage of the Wizard of Westwood and with Bill Walton leading the way, the UCLA Bruins won 88 straight games — between two losses to Notre Dame on Jan. 23, 1971 and Jan. 19, 1974 — a span that included three of the record seven straight NCAA championships won by UCLA from 1967 to 1973.

To get an idea of just how hard these feats are to replicate, reflect on the fact that no team has gone undefeated for even a single season since 1976, and no other school has ever won more than two straight titles.

3. Cy Young's 511 wins

Young had the benefit of pitching from 1890 to 1911, an era in which hurlers could finish what they started. He picked up wins by throwing 749 complete games out of 815 starts on his way to setting a record that will undoubtedly never be topped. In 1903, Young got his 365th win, passing Pud Galvin for the record, and proceeded to add nearly 150 more victories for good measure.

A pitcher today would need to average 25 wins a season for 21 years to surpass Young; with an average of just 35 starts each year, that's an all-but-impossible task.

2. Jerry Rice's 22,895 receiving yards

This record, and the one that follows it for top spot, earn their positions by virtue of the fact that they were set quite recently, and yet are still of mythic proportions. In other words, Rice is playing the same style of game as current players, and yet he's so far above and beyond them that his accomplishments can't be touched.

This is the most iron-clad of Rice's records set during his career that began in 1985, although he also holds the records for most catches with 1,549 and touchdowns with 197. The next-closest player is Tim Brown, who is nearly 8,000 yards behind. Even for a young star like Randy Moss to catch Rice, he'd have to average nearly 1,400 yards per year for the next 10 seasons, at which point he'll be 38. Don't count on it.

1. Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games

Likewise, Ripken set his record in the modern era, and that lends it extra credence in the pantheon of sports accomplishments. Lou Gehrig's "Iron Man" record of 2,130 games was widely regarded as "unbreakable," but Ripken not only passed it on Sept. 6, 1995, he also added an extra 500 straight games before he finally decided to take the pressure off and end the streak. That move, on Sept. 20, 1998, brought to a close a remarkable run that had begun over 16 years earlier on May 30, 1982, and that included a string between June 5, 1982, and Sept. 14, 1987, in which Ripken played 8,243 straight innings.

Considering that only four players were present in all 162 of their team's games in 2004, Ripken's record looks even more impressive, and beyond challenge.

Cal Ripken celebrates breaking Lou Gehrig's record with the fans in Baltimore. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

Sports exploits

Tennis great Pete Sampras came close to making the list, with his 14 Grand Slam titles placing him tops among male players of all time. The same goes for Ted "the Splendid Splinter" Williams of the Boston Red Sox, who finished his career with an on-base percentage of .482.

But while challengers may take aim at Sampras' and Williams' marks, and at the other records mentioned above, it will take a truly phenomenal player to eclipse any of these incredible athletic achievements.

Broncos' Williams killed in limo shooting

DENVER (AP) - Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed early Monday when his white stretch Hummer was sprayed by bullets after a nightclub dispute following a New Year's Eve party.

Police have no motive and no indication the 24-year-old player was targeted in the drive-by shooting of the limousine. The burst of violence occurred hours after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention.

"All of us are devastated by this tragedy," Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement. "To lose a young player, and more important, a great young man such as Darrent Williams, is incomprehensible. To lose him in such a senseless manner as this is beyond words."

A little after 2 a.m., the limousine was fired on from a vehicle that pulled up along its side, hitting three people, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. As many as a dozen bullet holes were visible on the driver's side of the vehicle. One window was blown out.

A man and a woman, Brandon Flowers and Nicole Reindl, were wounded. They were taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital.

Coach Mike Shanahan said the killing left him "speechless with sadness."

"We all know that Darrent was an excellent player, but as a person, he was a first-class young man who brightened every room with his smile, attitude and personality," Shanahan said. "I cannot express how heartsick I feel at this loss."

Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed early Monday morning in a drive-by shooting. (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)

Jackson said there was a dispute at a nightclub several blocks from the shooting where Williams and his group had attended a party. He said the argument didn't specifically involve Williams, according to witnesses, and the confrontation wasn't physical, just taunts. He also said there were no shots fired from inside the limo.

"Why this happened, we're not sure," Jackson said.

Police were searching for a white Suburban or Tahoe with dark-tinted windows. Jackson wouldn't identify any of the other passengers nor would he confirm whether any other Broncos players were in the limo, which can hold 23 people.

The club identified by police advertised a New Year's Eve event celebrating the birthday of Denver Nuggets basketball player Kenyon Martin. The Nuggets canceled practice Monday.

Martin told The Denver Post that he and several Nuggets left the nightclub before midnight, before any problems arose. "I was there. He was there. I left. I saw him. That was about the extent of it," Martin told the newspaper.

Mark Warkentien, Denver's vice president of basketball operations, said police spoke with him but asked him not to comment. "We'll respectfully honor their request," Warkentien said. "And if the Denver police need us in any way, we'll cooperate fully."

The club — variously called Shelter or Safari — is on the second floor of a building in a once-seedy stretch south of downtown that has a growing number of trendy bars, clubs and restaurants. Outside, the building was unmarked except for a big sign from a former occupant, Jonas Bros Furs. Inside, the ceiling was strung with Christmas lights and set off with several fireplaces.

Hours after the shooting, the limo sat in a snowbank beside Speer Boulevard, a main street through downtown. Police and technicians worked amid snow and ice from recent storms, using small yellow plastic markers to indicate possible evidence.

A Denver police investigator places evidence markers next to the Hummer limousine in which Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed early Monday. Bullet holes can be seen in the door, and the rear passenger window is shot out. (Ed Andrieski / Associated Press)

"His heart was so big, he was always giving to those who didn't have," said Williams' mother, Rosalind Williams, who flew to Denver from Fort Worth. "It didn't even have to be for an agency or a charity. If he knew you didn't have, he'd hand it out of his pocket."

The previous active NFL player to die was Thomas Herrion of San Francisco. He had a heart attack following an exhibition game in Denver on Aug. 20, 2005.

Williams was a second-round draft choice in 2005 out of Oklahoma State and teamed with Champ Bailey to give Denver one of the NFL's top cornerback tandems. Williams finished the season with 88 tackles, 78 of them solo, and four interceptions.

His college coach, Mike Gundy, called the death a "tragic loss for the Broncos family, Oklahoma State University and anyone who knew Darrent Williams. It's a loss that goes far beyond the football field."

Players and coaches didn't have to report to work Monday but about 20 of them gathered at team headquarters to console each other, including receiver Javon Walker, who was in the limo when Williams was killed, according to several Denver media outlets.

Walker, who declined to speak with reporters, appeared to have blood spattered across his shirt when he arrived at the Broncos' facilities.

"Any time you lose a guy who was close to everyone, it hurts," punter Paul Ernster said. "From the get-go, he was like one of your good friends."

Anthony Criss, Williams' high school football coach in Fort Worth, Texas, said: "When he was younger, he always gravitated to the wrong crowd. I remember he went to church and the minister was talking to him about needing to pray and stop hanging around with the wrong people, and he started straightening up and doing the right thing."

In December, Williams spoke of returning to his hometown this offseason to talk to youngsters about staying out of gangs. Williams, who has two young children in the Fort Worth area, recently talked to Criss about establishing a free football camp for youth players.

"He wanted to be a good parent, a good father, a good example for his kids," Criss said. "He will be missed."

Williams' family was trying to arrange a funeral Saturday at the Great Commission Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

Last April, Nuggets guard Julius Hodge was shot while driving on Interstate 76 in Denver. In 2003, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, who played at Colorado State, was shot outside a Denver sports bar.

"Since then, I carry myself in a different type of way," Porter said Monday. "I respect my situation whenever I go out. I take a whole different outlook when I go out. I make sure I feel like I'm safe and if I'm not, I'm not going."