IN BRIEF
FOX CHAPEL — The 2012 Senior Players Championship, one of five majors on the PGA Champions Tour, will take place June 28 through July 1 at Fox Chapel Country Club.
The top 78 money winners on the men’s pro tour for golfers over 50 will vie for a $2.7 million purse. Fred Couples is the event’s defending champion.
This tournament will be viewed in 144 countries on the Golf Channel. Fox Chapel CC members will be welcome to join one of several volunteer committees that will be formed in January.
Other majors on the PGA Champions Tour include The Tradition, Senior PGA Championship, Senior British Open and U.S. Senior Open.
Packers QB named athlete of yearGREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers was selected the 2011 Male Athlete of the Year in voting by members of The Associated Press after his MVP performance in the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl victory in February and his stellar play during the team's long unbeaten run this season.Rodgers received 112 votes out of the 212 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander was second with 50 votes.
NFL changing concussion examsNEW YORK — The NFL is changing how it handles concussion examinations after Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy went back into a Dec. 8 game without being tested for one.A certified athletic trainer, paid by the league, will be at each game to monitor play and provide medical staffs with “any relevant information that may assist them in determining the most appropriate evaluation and treatment,” the NFL said in a statement. The trainers will not diagnose nor prescribe treatment and can't order that players be removed from a game.Their presence is intended to assist team medical staffs in addressing a variety of injuries.
Rams' Pettis gets suspensionST. LOUIS — St. Louis Rams rookie receiver Austin Pettis has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances.Pettis, a third-round pick from Boise State, made three starts and had 27 catches for 256 yards
Griffin III named top college gridderWACO, Texas — Robert Griffin III was selected The Associated Press college football player of the year, adding another award to his impressive postseason haul.The Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor won in a landslide over Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Griffin guided Baylor to a 9-3 season, passing for 3,998 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Lakers' Bryant has wrist injuryLOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant sat out the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason finale against the Clippers because of a torn ligament in his right wrist, and his status for the season opener Sunday is up in the air.