KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Priest Holmes retired, ending a short comeback hailed as one of the most improbable in NFL history.

The 34-year-old three-time Pro Bowl running back said he experienced “symptoms” during last Sunday’s game in Indianapolis similar to those he felt more than two years ago when head and neck injuries put him out of the game for 22 months.

He refused to be specific. Holmes did mention during an often rambling series of answers that paralysis had been a possibility if he kept playing.

“Much of that is, I guess you could say, in the past,” he said. “Just to know the symptoms were similar to the ones before. But to be technical, to go into medical terms, I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”

His teammates seemed unanimous in their respect for the man who holds team career records for yards rushing.

“It’s probably the best decision that he could make for himself, for the rest of his life and for his family,” said wide receiver Eddie Kennison.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Bradford cleared to play Saturday

NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was cleared to play Saturday against Oklahoma State.

Bradford, the nation’s top-rated passer, sustained a concussion last weekend at Texas Tech, but doctors determined he’s healthy enough to face the Cowboys.

“Everything has checked out and barring any unforeseen circumstances Sam will play this week,” Sooners coach Bob Stoops said in a statement.

Bradford was injured in Oklahoma’s 34-27 loss at Texas Tech, which probably knocked the Sooners out of national title contention. He has thrown for 2,520 yards and 28 touchdowns with only six interceptions this season.

North Carolina gives Davis extension

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina and coach Butch Davis agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2014 season. Davis also will receive a raise of $291,000 that will push his annual income to about $2.1 million.

Davis is 3-8 in his first season in Chapel Hill, but had been rumored as a possible candidate at Arkansas — his home-state university — if the Razorbacks make a coaching change. Davis has repeatedly denied interest in any other jobs during the past month.

PRO BASKETBALL

Arenas undergoes surgery

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Washington Wizards leading scorer Gilbert Arenas had two different surgical procedures on his left knee and will miss about three months.

Arenas had been experiencing swelling and soreness in the knee which he had surgically repaired late last season. After sitting out the past two games, Arenas did not travel with the team to Charlotte and underwent an MRI that revealed a cartilage tear.

Team physician Dr. Marc Connell repaired a partial tear of the meniscus and performed microfracture surgery on a non-weight bearing bone on the side of his knee.

BASEBALL

Sentencing for Radomski is delayed

SAN FRANCISCO — The sentencing of former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski was postponed for a third time at federal prosecutors’ request.

As Radomski’s sentencing was postponed from Dec. 14 to Feb. 8 by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco, lawyers for Hearst Corp. filed a 66-page brief with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York asking that names of players implicated by Radomski in a federal agent’s sworn statement be made public.

Radomski pleaded guilty in April to selling drugs to numerous athletes and agreed to cooperate with federal authorities and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who is investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Mitchell is expected to release his report by year’s end.

The order signed by Illston said the postponement was to allow Radomski’s continued cooperation in the probe with prosecutors, who last week indicted Barry Bonds on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

SOCCER

England to miss European Championship

WEMBLEY, England — England will miss next year’s European Championship in a huge embarrassment to the nation that invented modern soccer.

Needing only a tie at home in its final qualifier, England allowed two quick goals, rallied with an equalizer off David Beckham’s cross and then lost to Croatia 3-2.

It’s the first major tournament England will miss since the 1994 World Cup, and is likely to lead to the departure of coach Steve McClaren, who benched Beckham for the first half and started relatively untested goalkeeper Scott Carson, whose blunder on his first touch led to the game’s first goal.

SAILING

VALENCIA, Spain — The 2009 America’s Cup was postponed because of an ongoing legal dispute between Golden Gate Yacht Club and two-time defending champion Alinghi’s Societe Nautique de Geneve over the rules for the next race.

“The ongoing uncertainty around the conclusion of the New York court case brought by BMW Oracle Racing leaves the organizers no choice but to delay the event, as many indicators demonstrate a lack of viability to stage the event in 2009 to the same standards as the 32nd America’s Cup,” America’s Cup Management said in a statement.

Golden Gate Yacht Club, the home of BMW Oracle Racing, contends that Desafio Espanol’s status as the official challenger — which allowed it to negotiate the format for the next America’s Cup — is illegal. The Americans want the right to replace the Spanish syndicate and draw up new rules for the next regatta with Alinghi.

Alinghi is considering pushing the competition back to 2010 or 2011.

“It is very disappointing to all of us at Alinghi that BMW Oracle has chosen ... to continue to hold the event to ransom by means of their court action,” Alinghi design team coordinator Grant Simmer said. “We look forward to the end of this uncertainty and to being able to get started with our plans to defend the America’s Cup.”

HOCKEY

ARLINGTON, Va. — Glen Hanlon was fired as coach of the NHL-worst Washington Capitals, with the team off to its slowest start in 26 years.

Hanlon, in his fourth season at the helm, was told of the decision a day after loud boos and chants of “Fire Hanlon!” echoed through the arena during a 5-1 home loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, Washington’s fifth consecutive defeat.

He will be replaced on an interim basis by Bruce Boudreau, the coach of the Hershey Bears, Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate.

Boudreau was to make his NHL coaching debut Friday at Philadelphia.

Boudreau, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks, is familiar with several of the Capitals’ players, having coached seven current members of the roster at Hershey, which he led to the 2006 Calder Cup title.

TRACK AND FIELD

MANCHESTER — Andrew Letherby won the Manchester Road Race for the second time, running just under 4.75 miles in 21 minutes, 53 seconds.

The 34-year-old Letherby, an Australian who lives in Boulder, Colo., also won the 2002 race. Martin Fagan of Providence, R.I., was second.

Amy Yoder Begley of Beaverton won the women’s division in 24:34. She was a 15-time NCAA All-American at the University of Arkansas.