IN BRIEF

BASKETBALL

Mavs' Howard shown disrespecting anthem

The battered reputation of Josh Howard took another hit this week when an online video surfaced showing the Dallas Mavericks forward disrespecting the national anthem.

In a video posted on YouTube, Howard is shown on a football field at a charity flag football game. As the national anthem plays in the background, Howard approaches a camera and says: " 'The Star Spangled Banner' is going on right now. I don't even celebrate that (expletive). I'm black."

Howard's agent, Jeff Schwartz, did not immediately return a phone call Wednesday seeking comment. Donnie Nelson, the Mavs' president of basketball operations, directed questions to team owner Mark Cuban, who in an e-mail declined to comment.

Also: Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas had a third operation on his bothersome left knee, once again throwing into doubt his status for the upcoming season.

Arenas had a "moderate amount of debris" removed from the knee after experiencing swelling and discomfort during his rehabilitation. The Wizards offered no timetable for his return, beyond the fact that he obviously won't be ready for the start of training camp next week.

But Arenas told The Washington Post that he plans to be back on the court in early December, which would rule him out for the first month of the season.

Philadelphia 76ers center Jason Smith underwent reconstructive surgery on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained early last month.

No timetable has been set for his return. Smith played in 76 games as a rookie, averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.

In the Las Vegas Summer League, he averaged 18.6 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Indiana State point guard Harry Marshall has been ruled academically ineligible for the fall semester.

The 6-foot junior started 25 of 31 games for Indiana State last season and ranked third in scoring at 10.1 points per game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Buckeyes' Wells doing some light running

Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells, sidelined since hurting his right foot in the Buckeyes' season opener against Youngstown State 21/2 weeks ago, is still taking baby steps with getting ready to play in a game.

Wells has run some drills with the rest of the Buckeyes backs but has not faced contact and has not done much other than gingerly running in a straight line.

"I did see him sweating," tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator John Peterson said with a grin after practice. "I saw a bunch of sweat on his head. So that was a good sign."

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Wells is questionable for the 13th-ranked Buckeyes' game Saturday against Troy.

Also: Oklahoma defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger will be out at least four weeks and could miss the remainder of the second-ranked Sooners' season with an injured left foot.

Coach Bob Stoops said Granger and doctors were determining whether to insert a pin, which would take him out of action for an extended period.

Two suspended Penn State players were charged with one count each of possession of a small amount of marijuana.

University police filed the misdemeanor charges against defensive linemen Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma, who have been held out of the last two games by coach Joe Paterno.

MISCELLANEOUS

Mechanical failure cited in Kalitta crash

Engine failure at 300 mph triggered a crash that killed top Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta in June.

The New Jersey State Police said investigators determined that "catastrophic mechanical failure" caused a fuel-fired explosion in Kalitta's Toyota Solara during a qualifying race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Trenton.

State police said the rear portion of the car's body separated, deploying the damaged parachute system. The car crashed into a pole and a boom truck, killing the 46-year-old Kalitta.

Also: NASCAR fined driver David Starr $10,000, suspended three crew members and penalized several others for fighting on pit road following a Craftsman Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Starr spun Todd Bodine with seven laps left in Saturday's race, and Bodine retaliated by tapping the back of Starr's truck after the race. That led to a fight on pit road, where Bodine's crew confronted Starr, and crew members from both teams had to be separated by NASCAR officials.

Cyclists could face a nervous wait over the next two weeks as the French Anti-Doping Agency retests blood samples from this year's Tour de France in a bid to catch more cyclists using the banned blood booster EPO.

More than six weeks after the doping-marred Tour ended, AFLD chief Pierre Bordry announced his lab is retesting blood samples from cyclists they suspect might have used CERA -- a third-generation form of EPO -- during the showcase event.

Alberto Contador of Spain maintained the overall lead in the Spanish Vuelta, and Wouter Weylandt won the 17th stage in Valladolid, Spain.

Contador leads with an overall time of 69 hours, 53 minutes, 52 seconds.

Churchill Downs has partnered with Kempton Park Racecourse in England to create the $150,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile race over Kempton's synthetic surface that will guarantee the winner a spot in next year's Derby.

Mark Roberts, a former teaching pro in Pittsburgh, has been named assistant coach for the UNLV women's tennis team.