Off the wire

FOOTBALL

Cowboys DT Brent retires

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent retired from football Thursday, saying “doing the right things in life” is more important as he prepares to defend himself against a manslaughter charge in the drunken-driving crash that killed a teammate. Brent said he had “given a lot of thought” to his decision. His football career has been on hold since the Dec. 8 crash that killed Jerry Brown, a practice squad player, college teammate and close friend. Brent is charged with intoxication manslaughter and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, though he could also get probation. Suburban Dallas police accused Brent of driving with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit the night of the crash. He has also tested positive twice for marijuana while out on bond, and was briefly jailed after the second test. Brent is again out on bond, but under stricter conditions that include monitoring for drugs and alcohol.

Indianapolis Colts tight end Weslye Saunders has been suspended eight games without pay after violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. League officials did not say Thursday what substance was found in Saunders’ test. He can practice with the team during training camp and can play in preseason games. He won’t be eligible again until Nov. 4. It is the third time in less than a month that a Colts player has run into off the-field trouble. In June, the league announced receiver LaVon Brazill was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. And earlier this month, backup safety Joe Lefeged was arrested in Washington on a gun possession charge. He has not been disciplined by the league.

The Music City Bowl and Gator Bowl have teamed up to pick a school from the Big Ten Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference as one team in their games in a six-year deal starting in 2014. The partnership makes the two bowls among the few postseason games linked to multiple conferences and gives them more flexibility to match teams.

GOLF

Summerhays fires 63 Even after a rain delay, Daniel Summerhays kept firing at pins Thursday and tops the leaderboard at the Sanderson Farms Championship at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss. Summerhays, who squandered the final-round lead in last week’s John Deere Classic, had seven birdies and an eagle for a 9-under 63 in the opening round. Will Claxton, Michael Bradley and Jonathan Randolph were tied for second, each with a 6-under 66. Glen Day (Little Rock) had five birdies and three bogeys for a 2-under 70. Scott Gardiner (Farmington) had four birdies and three bogeys for a 1-under 71. Rain kept the afternoon group from finishing its round.

Ben Martin took a share of the clubhouse lead Thursday, along with Chris Smith and Tyrone Van Aswegen, at the Midwest Classic at Overland Park, Kan. Each shot a 6-under 65 in the first round of play at the Nicklaus Golf Club at Lions-Gate. Ron Whittaker (Little Rock) had five birdies and a bogey for a 4-under 67. He is tied in a pack for fifth place. Brenden Pappas (Arkansas Razorbacks) had two birdies and four bogeys for a 2-over 73.

Alison Walshe, chasing her first victory in four years on the LPGA Tour, shot a 6-under 65 to take a one stroke lead Thursday after the opening round of the steamy Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio. Walshe, in the top 20 on tour in putting statistics, needed only 22 putts to negotiate hot and humid Highland Meadows. Paula Creamer, the 2008 winner of what used to be known as the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, played later in the day and shot a 66 that left her tied with teenager Lexi Thompson and Canadian Jessica Shepley. Top-ranked Inbee Park birdied her final two holes for a 67. Defending champ So Yeon Ryu had a 68, and Se Ri Pak, a five-time winner of the tournament, opened with a 69. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) had three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under 70. Karen Stupples (Arkansas State) had three birdies and three bogeys for an even-par round of 71.

TENNIS Federer cruises by Hajek Top-seeded Roger Federer cruised past Czech qualifier Jan Hajek 6-4, 6-3 Thursday to reach the German Tennis Championships quarterfinals at Hamburg. The four-time Hamburg champion is playing his first tournament since losing in the second round of Wimbledon. Federer won only three of 13 break points and needed six match points to close out the match. He did it with his seventh ace, shortly after producing a spectacular overhead winner with a flick of the wrist while stepping back in the final game. The 17-time Grand Slam champion needed five set points to end the first set, finally earning it when Hajek netted a forehand. Federer has dropped to No. 5, his lowest ranking in a decade. He will play Florian Mayer of Germany, who beat 11th-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain 7-6 (1), 6-2. Second-seeded Tommy Haas also advanced after beating Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 6-2, 6-4.

Top-ranked Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams are among five past champions getting direct entry into the U.S. Open women’s main draw. They’re also two of 10 Americans in the provisional field, the most of any country. The U.S. Tennis Association said Thursday that 100 of the top 102 in the WTA rankings are in the field. Serena Williams has won four of her 16 Grand Slam singles titles at Flushing Meadows, including last year, while Venus Williams won the tournament in 2000 and 2001.

BASKETBALL Delle Donne to start

Elena Delle Donne became the first rookie to lead the WNBA All-Star voting when the starters were announced Thursday night. Delle Donne received 35,646 votes, nearly 2,000 more than Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker. The Chicago Sky first-year player, who was the No. 2 pick in the WNBA Draft in April, will be joined on the Eastern Conference squad by teammate Epiphanny Prince. New York’s Cappie Pondexter, Indiana’s Tamika Catchings and Atlanta’s Angel McCoughtry also will be in the starting lineup. Parker is joined in the West by Phoenix teammates Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi as well as Minnesota Lynx stars Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus. The All-Star game will take place July 27, and the reserves will be announced Tuesday.

CYCLING Stage victory ‘magical’

L’ALPE D’HUEZ, France - After five grueling hours of riding, as he strained and sweated to victory in an eye-popping Tour de France stage with crowds that turned cycling’s most famous climb into a huge and raucous high-mountain party, Christophe Riblon didn’t want it to stop.

Winning a Tour stage is always special. Becoming the first French stage winner at the 100th Tour was doubly special.

Doing all this Thursday in front of thousands of screaming fans, several rows deep up 21 steep hairpin bends in the Alps, Riblon wanted the pleasure to last.

“It was as if the crowds were carrying me. Magical,” Riblon said. “The last kilometer wasn’t long enough. I so would have liked to have profited more from that moment with the crowds. It was incredible. I would have liked for it to go on for 10 kilometers like that.”

Stage 18 was the one that most set hearts racing and tongues wagging when organizers unveiled the race route last October.It sent the riders not once but twice up the legendary climb to the ski station of L’Alpe d’Huez.

Between the two ascents, the route hared down a sinewy, narrow and risky descent with no safety barriers that some riders, including Tour champion-in-the-making Chris Froome, felt was dangerous.

The gamble could have backfired had a rider plunged off a missed bend. But feared storms didn’t materialize Thursday, so the roads didn’t become overly treacherous. The racing proved engrossing.

Watching the riders’ high wire act on the Col de Sarenne descent, especially a heart-in mouth moment when Froome’s rival Alberto Contador zipped past him as they sped downhill, was an adrenaline high.

After his aggressive downhill from Sarenne, Contador labored on the last uphill. He finished 11th. Froome was seventh. His overall lead grew to 5 minutes, 11 seconds over Contador. Colombian Nairo Quintana moved up to third overall, 5:32 behind Froome.