Sports in Brief: Delay likely in Burress gun case

A lawyer for New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress said a hearing in his gun-possession case scheduled for today would be postponed.

Burress will appear in a New York courtroom, but "it's just a matter of getting a quick adjournment," his attorney, Ben Brafman said yesterday.

The star receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a nightclub in November. Burress has been charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. A conviction would carry a minimum prison sentence of 31/2 years.

Brafman would not say whether the postponement was a precursor to a plea bargain for Burris.

Ryan Moats said he accepts the apology offered by a Dallas police officer who stopped him with a drawn gun in a hospital parking lot as his mother-in-law was dying inside the building.

The former Eagles running back, now with the Houston Texans, said on ABC's Good Morning America that he hopes Officer Robert Powell was sincere in his apology.

Powell stopped Moats' SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center in suburban Plano on March 18 after the vehicle ran a red light.

The officer pulled out his gun and threatened Moats with jail as the player pleaded to be allowed to go inside the hospital. Moats' mother-in-law, 45-year-old Jonetta Collinsworth, died while Powell wrote Moats a ticket and lectured him.

Elsewhere: Offensive tackle Marvel Smith agreed to a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers after nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. . . . The New Orleans Saints re-signed backup quarterback Joey Harrington. . . . The Houston Texans signed free-agent defensive tackle Shaun Cody away from the Detroit Lions.

Colleges

Ohio State says it has sold the media rights for its sports programs in a 10-year deal guaranteeing the school $110 million.

The university said its partnership with IMG College and RadiOhio gives the companies the rights to manage and market publishing related to Ohio State sports, as well as radio game play-by-play and coaches' shows. The contract covers television rights not included in Big Ten Conference and NCAA contracts.

Elsewhere: Temple second baseman Carmen Del Mastro was named the Atlantic Ten player of the week. The senior from Roman Catholic batted .650 in five games.

Soccer

FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, called for an investigation into the stampede Sunday at Felix Houphouet-Boigny arena in Abidjan that left 19 people dead and more than 130 injured.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger joined the board of U.S. organizers bidding to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022. Next year's tournament is in South Africa, and Brazil will stage the World Cup in 2014.

Racing