Curtis Brinkley

Mystery solved, but questions remain in the shooting last month of NFL player Curtis Brinkley. The man who allegedly shot Brinkley, 23, while the player was seated in a parked car in Elkins Park turned himself in late Saturday, and a relative said he was known to the Brinkley family. Anthony Peterson, 23, of 19th Street near Pacific in Tioga, is the boyfriend of Brinkley's sister, Niveka Cason-Johnson, said Brinkley's grandmother Marge Cason. The couple are parents of Brinkley's 1-year-old nephew, she said.

Just four years removed from setting Philadelphia's high school rushing record, Curtis Brinkley sits in a crowded cafeteria, shaking his head with an insulted look. The mere question of whether he has lost any confidence from the October afternoon in 2003 when he broke former Frankford running back Eddie Gaskins' record as a West Catholic senior was not worth entertaining. "I haven't changed as a football player," Brinkley said. "Things don't move as fast as you want sometimes.

The area's most potent offensive threat ran into the immovable object last night at William Tennent High. The victor was the defense. Host Archbishop Wood shut down standout Curtis Brinkley and used an interception return by Tim Kilkenny to stay undefeated with a 20-7 Catholic League Blue Division win over West Catholic. The Vikings (8-0 overall) improved to 7-0 in the division and wrapped up the top seed in the divisional playoffs. West Catholic (4-5 overall) fell to 4-3 and probably needs a win Saturday against Kennedy-Kenrick to reach the postseason.

CURTIS BRINKLEY is a lucky man. Brinkley, a 2004 West Catholic High graduate and holder of two city-leagues football records that include season and career rushing yardage, was shot shortly after midnight yesterday while waiting to pick up his sister from work in Elkins Park. Late yesterday, he was released from the intensive-care unit of Albert Einstein Medical Center and was listed in good condition. But it could have been much worse. The bullets hit Brinkley in the shoulder, sending bone fragments through his back.

The sound of gunshots might have faded from the memory of NFL running back Curtis Brinkley as he focuses on the football season, but his being shot was replayed Thursday in a Norristown courtroom. Anthony Peterson Jr., 25, the boyfriend of Brinkley's sister, admitted that the three bullets he fired into a dark car in Elkins Park in July 2009 were meant for a man she was seeing - not Curtis Brinkley. But two of the rounds struck the newly signed free agent for the San Diego Chargers in the shoulder as he waited for his sister to finish work at an adult day-care center, and forced him to fight back from what could have been a career-ending injury.

Syracuse running back Curtis Brinkley, a West Catholic product, suffered a broken right tibia that will require surgery and prevent him from playing again this season, but Brinkley is expected to make a full recovery. "It's not career-ending," coach Greg Robinson said. "A broken bone is a broken bone. Many, many players have come back from that. " Brinkley suffered the injury Saturday with 4:29 left in the first quarter after a 2-yard run up the middle in the Orange's 20-12 win over Buffalo.

As Curtis Brinkley passed through the narrow streets of East Falls' Abbottsford public housing development, a group of boys rushed to his side. The children slapped fives and stared with admiration at their neighborhood hero, the football player who wants nothing more than to show them the way out. Brinkley, 18, a recent West Catholic graduate, became well-known around the city last fall when he set six city rushing records as the Burrs' quick,...

Curtis Brinkley will be back next fall. The Catholic League's athletic directors agreed at their monthly meeting yesterday to give Brinkley, the talented West Catholic running back, eligibility for next season. Brinkley finished last season with a single-season city record of 2,813 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. Now he can set his sights on the city career rushing record of 6,122 yards, set by Frankford's Eddie Gaskins, whose final season was 1997. Brinkley finished last season with 5,119 career rushing yards.

NOW LIVING his life as a San Diego Chargers halfback, Curtis Brinkley had a heck of a night in Monday's 35-14 win over the Broncos. Even if it only was for one play. Brinkley, a 2004 West Catholic gridiron standout who still holds the city rushing record, made his NFL debut Monday night just hours removed from the Chargers' practice squad. According to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune , Brink-ley made his debut in the fourth quarter with under 2 minutes remaining as a back to block and chew clock.

For the better part of the first half in the Big 33 Football Classic last night, West Catholic running back Curtis Brinkley stood on an unfamiliar spot: the sideline. Brinkley stalked the sideline at HersheyPark Stadium with his gold helmet in hand, always on call, shadowing a coach and waiting for his chance. When he got it, he stood out. While pop star Hilary Duff performed next door at the Giant Center, Brinkley was as big a show in Hershey. Brinkley, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back, finished the game between Ohio and Pennsylvania all-stars with 48 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries in Pennsylvania's 34-30 loss to its geographical neighbor.

NOW LIVING his life as a San Diego Chargers halfback, Curtis Brinkley had a heck of a night in Monday's 35-14 win over the Broncos. Even if it only was for one play. Brinkley, a 2004 West Catholic gridiron standout who still holds the city rushing record, made his NFL debut Monday night just hours removed from the Chargers' practice squad. According to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune , Brink-ley made his debut in the fourth quarter with under 2 minutes remaining as a back to block and chew clock.

The sound of gunshots might have faded from the memory of NFL running back Curtis Brinkley as he focuses on the football season, but his being shot was replayed Thursday in a Norristown courtroom. Anthony Peterson Jr., 25, the boyfriend of Brinkley's sister, admitted that the three bullets he fired into a dark car in Elkins Park in July 2009 were meant for a man she was seeing - not Curtis Brinkley. But two of the rounds struck the newly signed free agent for the San Diego Chargers in the shoulder as he waited for his sister to finish work at an adult day-care center, and forced him to fight back from what could have been a career-ending injury.

THE NIGHT IT happened, Margie Cason had just seen her grandson, Curtis Brinkley. He had left her house to pick up his sister from work. But what happened then was so strange: There she was, typing away at her computer, when suddenly she broke out in a deep sweat. She became dizzy, feeling as if she was going to pass out, and called upstairs to her son to bring her a glass of water. Her son said she should go lay down. But as she went to do just that, the telephone rang: A hysterical voice on the phone told her that Curtis had been shot.

Sidelined NFL rookie Curtis Brinkley is ramping up physical therapy on his injured right shoulder, hoping to be ready for winter training with the San Diego Chargers, he said yesterday. In Elkins Park to attend the preliminary hearing of his alleged assailant, Brinkley said he had bounced back from surgery July 21 to remove fragments of a bullet from his shoulder and chest. Brinkley, a running back, had signed a two-year contract as a free agent to play for the Chargers. He was due back at training camp July 25 after a break, but never made it. On July 10, he was shot while sitting in a car outside an adult-care center in Elkins Park, waiting for his sister to finish a midnight shift.

Police say they believe a case of mistaken identity is behind the shooting of rookie NFL running back Curtis Brinkley as he waited to pick up his sister from work early July 10 in Elkins Park. The accused gunman, Anthony Peterson Jr., thought he was targeting a suitor of Brinkley's sister when he fired three rounds at Brinkley, who sat in a parked car, police said. Brinkley's sister was identified as Peterson's girlfriend and the mother of his 1-year-old son, according to court papers.

Mystery solved, but questions remain in the shooting last month of NFL player Curtis Brinkley. The man who allegedly shot Brinkley, 23, while the player was seated in a parked car in Elkins Park turned himself in late Saturday, and a relative said he was known to the Brinkley family. Anthony Peterson, 23, of 19th Street near Pacific in Tioga, is the boyfriend of Brinkley's sister, Niveka Cason-Johnson, said Brinkley's grandmother Marge Cason. The couple are parents of Brinkley's 1-year-old nephew, she said.

He'll live. The question is, when will he be able to play football again? Curtis Brinkley, 23, former star running back at West Catholic High School and newly signed free agent with the San Diego Chargers, narrowly survived an attempt on his life early yesterday while he sat in a car on a leafy suburban street. As Brinkley idled at a curb, waiting to pick up his sister after her work shift at an adult-care center in Elkins Park, a gunman walked across the intersection of Ashbourne Road and Spring Avenue.

CURTIS BRINKLEY is a lucky man. Brinkley, a 2004 West Catholic High graduate and holder of two city-leagues football records that include season and career rushing yardage, was shot shortly after midnight yesterday while waiting to pick up his sister from work in Elkins Park. Late yesterday, he was released from the intensive-care unit of Albert Einstein Medical Center and was listed in good condition. But it could have been much worse. The bullets hit Brinkley in the shoulder, sending bone fragments through his back.

Curtis Brinkley is playing his best football since his days at West Catholic High School. So, he says, watch out, Penn State. "A big team coming in like that is an opportunity for you to make your name as a team and as an individual," Brinkley said this week. "I'm looking forward to it. " Brinkley, a senior, is about the only Syracuse player who can be confident headed into tomorrow's game against 17th-ranked Penn State at the Carrier Dome. The former all-time city rushing leader played two of the better games of his college career while the Orange scuffled in losses to Northwestern and Akron.

Former West Catholic High star Curtis Brinkley said yesterday he is hurting, and he wasn't just referring to his broken right tibia. The Syracuse running back met the media for the first time since suffering the injury Oct. 20 in the Orange's win over Buffalo. Leaning on a pair of crutches, the junior made his way into the cafeteria where the players conduct their weekly interviews and spoke candidly about the latest setback in his star-crossed college career. "Physically and mentally, I'm in a lot of pain right now," said Brinkley, who had started every game this season and was Syracuse's second-leading rusher a year ago. "It's another setback.