ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 15, 1996 TAG: 9611150048
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: IN SPORTS
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
The Dallas Cowboys are without two of their top defensive players following back surgery Thursday on Charles Haley and discovery of a second fracture in the shoulder of Brock Marion.
Haley, a Pro Bowl defensive end, had a disk fragment removed from his lower back during an operation in California performed by Dr. Robert Watkins. This was the third time in four years Watkins has operated on Haley's back.
The NFL team is hinting Haley, an 11-year veteran who has often talked about retiring, might have played his last game. A news release issued Thursday night said no timetable is set for his recovery, ``or his possible return to football.''
Marion was expected to be out for about three weeks with a left shoulder blade fracture sustained on the final play of Sunday's 20-17 overtime victory over San Francisco. But a CAT scan revealed a second fracture in the joint, forcing him out for the year. George Teague will replace him in the starting lineup.
ETC.
*A St.Louis jury awarded $175,000 to a former minor-league goalie injured in a 1990 skirmish with St.Louis Blues enforcer Tony Twist.
Attorneys for the NHL team said the case could spur a barrage of sports-related lawsuits and will appeal. Steve McKichan, who played for the Virginia Lancers during the 1989-90 season, claimed his goaltending career was cut short when Twist deliberately injured him in an International Hockey League game six years ago.
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Haleyby CNB