BBC to broadcast NFL Wembley clash between Chargers and Saints

TV deal: Fans who can't get Wembley tickets can watch the clash on the BBC and probably Sky as well, as they did when the New York Giants' beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10 last October

 

The Chargers-Saints game will start on one of the BBC's main channels, BBC Two, and switch after two hours to BBC Three, a digital channel with lower audience reach. BBC Two will also broadcast late-night highlights.

Last year's game between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins was broadcast live on Sky Sports, with BBC only showing highlights. It hasn't been announced yet whether Sky will also have live coverage of the Chargers-Saints game, though NFL sources have told Sportsmail that Sky will be given the green light.

The first batch of 40,000 tickets for the game sold out in 90 minutes last month. The BBC, which has a two-year deal with the NFL, broadcast last season's Super Bowl for the first time.

The NFL has committed to playing at least one game in Britain over each of the next three seasons, with the possibility of up to four games per season being mooted within the NFL's corridors of power.  

Owens admits he missed drugs test

Dallas Cowboys star receiver Terrell Owens acknowledged on Monday having missed a random drug test several weeks ago, blaming it on a "communication problem involving cell phone numbers."

He also said he was in New York last week talking about his absence with league officials the day he agreed to a £17.4million ($34m) new contract with the Cowboys.

Owens was not suspended or fined, although he could've been, according to ESPN.com, citing NFL, team and player sources.

The report also said Owens could face up to 24 tests per year as part of the league's "reasonable cause" testing program for performance-enhancing drugs. "I'm not really worried about anything," Owens said.

"It's not a big deal. Anything I do is going to grab headlines. I have nothing to hide. I've made a statement and that's it. It's basically a dead issue."

In the rest of the statement, Owens said: "It was openly discussed and cleared up in a meeting that I had at the NFL office last week. I have been in the NFL for over 12 years and have never had a positive test for substance of any kind. That includes tests that took place as recently as last month. The matter was resolved to everyone's satisfaction last Tuesday, and everyone has moved on."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also released a statement in which he referred to the testing issue as "a procedural matter that was resolved last week."

Owens received a £3.58m ($7 million) bonus and a £13.82 ($27m), three-year extension that keeps him with the Cowboys through 2011, the season he turns 38.

For all the outlandish things surrounding Owens in his career, most have stemmed from his flamboyant personality - such as squabbles with teammates and coaches, complaints about contracts and even a risque skit with one of TV's "Desperate Housewives."

Two years ago, he made headlines for what police initially considered a suicide attempt, but later was classified as an "accidental overdose" on prescription medicine.

Benson released by Chicago

The Chicago Bears released running back Cedric Benson on Monday following arrests for drunken driving and boating, general manager Jerry Angelo said.

"Cedric displayed a pattern of behavior we will not tolerate," Angelo said in a statement. Benson, 25, was the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft out of the University of Texas.

Benson's vehicle was stopped and he was arrested on Saturday in Austin, Texas, and charged with drunken driving.

A month earlier Benson was charged near Austin while boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest.  

Benson, 25, started 11 games last season, averaging 3.4 yards a carry with four touchdowns, but ended his season with a broken leg.

He played briefly in the 2007 Super Bowl before being injured in the Bears' loss to the Indianapolis Colts.