Sports briefs 11/11/05

Football

• Steve Courson, the former offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers who developed a heart problem after becoming one of the first NFL players to acknowledge using steroids, was killed Thursday when a tree he was cutting fell on him.

Courson, 50, was using a chain saw to cut down a dead 44-foot tall tree with a circumference of 5 feet when it fell on him, according to state police. The accident happened around 1 p.m. at his home in Henry Clay Township in Fayette County, Pa.

Courson was an early outspoken opponent of steroid use in the NFL, though he had used them himself and blamed them on a heart condition he said placed him on a transplant list for four years. He credited diet and exercise with reversing the condition.

In recent years, Courson made as many as 100 speeches a year to youth and sports groups urging young athletes to not use steroids.

* The NFL and city officials have reached a preliminary agreement on terms to bring a team back to the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue made the announcement Thursday on the steps of City Hall. But he didn't identify a potential tenant or speculate when Los Angeles might get the team.

Motorsports

• Big-money teams will be allowed to field only four cars under a cap limit set by NASCAR on Thursday, a move that infuriated the five-car Roush Racing organization.

The limit goes into effect next season, but NASCAR said it would work to set a timeline for compliance for teams with more than four entries. At present time, Jack Roush is the only car owner with five teams and all of them are in the 10-man Chase for the championship that crowns the Nextel Cup champion.

-- From wire reports