Injured Cam Newton won't play Sunday for Panthers

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said yesterday that quarterback Derek Anderson will start Sunday against the Bucs in place of Cam Newton, who is recovering from an automobile accident Tuesday that left him with two fractures in his lower back.

Rivera said he visited Newton Tuesday at the hospital, and "in true Cam fashion, he was disappointed for his teammates. He feels like he is letting us all down."

He said Newton flashed his smile, and "when he did that, you knew everything was going to be OK."

Newton's teammate Byron Bell said he began praying when he heard of the accident. "My only concern was 'Is he alive?' " Bell said. "I'm not worried if Cam is playing Sunday, I just want him to be fine."

Rivera said it's highly unlikely Newton will suit up Sunday. He was discharged from the hospital yesterday and was not at the team's facility. When Newton missed the season opener with a rib injury, Anderson's two touchdown passes led Carolina to a 20-14 win.

Lewis makes third apology

With 4-foot-3 Cleveland television personality John Rinaldi in the audience, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis apologized a third time for calling Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel "a midget" Monday night. Lewis said his comment "was dumb and caused a lot of uproar."

The 6-foot rookie will make his first start Sunday against the Bengals.

Rinaldi, an entertainer, not a journalist, asked Lewis how the Bengals will have to adjust given the height difference between Manziel and former starter Brian Hoyer. Rinaldi also asked about how Hoyer, who's 6-2, "likes to stand tall" in the pocket while Manziel moves around.

Manziel said Lewis' remark didn't offend him and that he found the attention to his height amusing. "I'm not going to sprout 5 inches over the course of the week," he said.

Manziel's promotion led to a 41-percent jump in resale ticket prices. The average listing for the Browns' home game rose to $174.58 from $123.78.

$153G donated to Talley

Former Bills linebacker Darryl Talley accepted nearly $153,000 in donations generated in two weeks by an impromptu Internet fundraiser after revelations of health problems he considers side effects from a 14-year NFL career.