Chiefs offensive tackle Jones retires
Lineman walks away after suffering sprained neck in Hall of Fame game
Kansas City, Mo. ? Oft-injured Chiefs offensive tackle Willie Jones, who sprained his neck and temporarily lost feeling in his body during the Hall of Fame game Aug. 4, announced his retirement Tuesday.
The 6-foot-6, 355-pound Jones lay motionless for nearly 10 minutes after a hit near the end of the second quarter against Green Bay. He suffered a similar injury Nov. 7 last year in practice and sat out the rest of the season.
“He was injured and that’s the last he played, but I can’t say for specific reasons that’s why he retired,” Chiefs spokesman Bob Moore said Tuesday. “Retirement was a decision he made. He obviously gave it some consideration.”
Jones appeared in 18 games over four seasons in the National Football League.
Lions
Allen Park, Mich. — Wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim will miss the remainder of the preseason after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Hakim, who missed the final six games of last season after dislocating his hip, has not appeared in either of Detroit’s exhibition games this season. He is now not expected to play until at least the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against Arizona.
Hakim, who was on crutches Tuesday, caught 37 passes for 541 yards last season before injuring his hip.
Eagles
Philadelphia — Defensive end Derrick Burgess injured his right foot in practice Tuesday, the same foot he broke in the season opener last year.
X-rays on Burgess’ foot were negative, but it’s not known how long he’ll be out. He didn’t practice Tuesday afternoon, and could miss Friday’s preseason game against New England.
Burgess had seven sacks, including one in the playoffs, in limited action as a rookie, and is being counted on to help replace three-time Pro Bowler Hugh Douglas, who left for Jacksonville through free agency.
49ers
San Francisco — Starting cornerback Jason Webster will be out four to eight weeks after being injured in practice.
With a hairline fracture of his leg, a torn knee capsule and ligament damage, Webster will miss up to six regular-season games, 49ers coach Dennis Erickson said Monday.
Webster was injured Sunday when he hyperextended his knee while defending rookie wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.
Webster, who returned to practice after a long recovery from ankle surgery, will be replaced by Mike Rumph, last year’s first-round pick who struggled in his rookie season.
Panthers
Spartanburg, S.C. — DeShaun Foster hopes his comeback with the Carolina Panthers will be pushed back another week.
After Tuesday’s practice, the running back said he would prefer to skip Saturday night’s third preseason game against the Green Bay Packers to give his knee another week to recover and to allow him to get in better football shape.
“Right now I want to play but it might be better for my health if I sit out one more week,” Foster said.
Foster hasn’t played since injuring his knee almost a year ago in a preseason game against the New England Patriots. He underwent surgery in November.
Bengals
Georgetown, Ky. — Cincinnati agreed Tuesday to hold training camp at Georgetown College for two more years while the sides work out some remaining issues.
The Bengals moved their training camp to the central Kentucky college in 1997 under a seven-year deal. The college built football fields and training camp facilities on an abandoned dairy farm.
The club wanted to see how first-year coach Marvin Lewis liked the facility before negotiating an extension.