*NBA: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) urged the National Basketball Association on Wednesday to repeal its requirement that players be at least 19 years old and a year out of high school before entering the league, calling the restriction unfair. Cohen sent identical letters to NBA Commissioner David Stern and union leader Billy Hunter asking that they scrap the requirement in the next collective bargaining agreement. … LeBron James has been released from the Cleveland Clinic after a five-hour procedure to remove a benign growth from his jaw a day earlier. The Cavaliers said James returned home Wednesday and is recovering well. He has had the condition for several months but opted to put off surgery until the Cavaliers completed their season. … Celtics guard Tony Allen has had surgery on his right ankle and leg Wednesday. … Knicks forward Wilson Chandler had surgery to remove bone spurs in his left ankle and is expected to be sidelined at least a month. … Former DePaul coach Joey Meyer has signed a two-year contract to coach the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Developmental League. It’s his third D-League job, following stints with the Asheville Altitude and Tulsa 66ers.
*NFL: Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will have surgery on his right ankle Friday. Westbrook missed one game last season with a high ankle sprain. He had minor knee surgery after the NFC championship game. … The league and its players’ union opened talks Wednesday in a bid to avoid a work stoppage in 2011, when the current labor contract expires. Commissioner Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, the new executive director of the NFL Players Association, were both present at the meeting. … Yahoo Inc. has sued the NFL Players Association to try to ensure it won’t be sued for using player statistics, photos and other data for its popular online fantasy football game. The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Minneapolis alleges that a licensing arm of the players union has threatened to sue if Yahoo does not pay it royalties for the use of publicly available player data.
*ALSO : Owner A.J. Foyt has hired his grandson, A.J. Foyt IV, to drive the No. 14 car in this weekend’s IndyCar race at Texas Motor Speedway. The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner has changed drivers twice since Vitor Meira broke two vertebrae in his back during a scary crash at Indy. Meira is expected to miss three to four months but is not scheduled for surgery. … A field of more than 40,000 is expected to participate in the 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 1. New York Road Runners announced the largest field ever on Wednesday. … Cycling’s governing body cleared Astana to race Wednesday after Lance Armstrong’s team guaranteed its immediate finances.
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EDITED BY BOB FOLTMAN FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
