Cox Hit With Another Fine

Chicago Bear linebacker Bryan Cox, already fined $10,000 by his team, was one of 12 players fined by the league Thursday for their roles in a fight.

Six players each from the Bears and Green Bay Packers were fined amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for the incident in Monday night’s game at Green Bay. A total of $34,500 in fines was levied.

Hit for the largest fines of $5,000 were Cox, Chicago teammate John Thierry and the Packers’ Earl Dotson, all for fighting.

Packer quarterback Brett Favre and running back Dorsey Levens were each assessed $1,000 for unnecessarily entering a fight area.

Jim Flanigan, Carl Simpson, Barry Minter and Alonzo Spellman of Chicago and Aaron Taylor, Jeff Thomason and Frank Winters of Green Bay were fined $2,500 each for unnecessarily entering a fight area and actively participating.

The fight occurred in the fourth quarter near the Bears’ goal line when Cox and Flanigan came to the aid of Thierry, who was on the ground after being shoved by Winters.

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Nine votes were cast using the names of dead residents in the San Francisco 49er stadium election victory, a much smaller number than claimed by initiative opponents, the San Francisco Examiner reported.

The Examiner found that votes were cast by people who died between 1991 and January of this year. Eight were cast at the polls and a ninth was an absentee ballot.

In the June election, voters approved--by only about 1,500 votes--$100 million in bonds to build a new 49ers stadium and adjoining mall. Opponents claimed the 49ers rigged the election.

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Tampa Bay linebacker Hardy Nickerson was fined $5,000 by the NFL for a hit on San Francisco backup quarterback Jeff Brohm during the Buccaneers’ 13-6 season-opening victory. Nickerson was fined for violating a rule against spearing on a play the league deemed as unnecessary roughness. . . . Carolina quarterback Kerry Collins, whose jaw was broken by Denver linebacker Bill Romanowski on Aug. 9, could be back in uniform for the Panthers’ game at Atlanta. Coach Dom Capers said Collins, who began working out with the team last week, might be designated as the Panthers’ emergency quarterback. This designation allows Collins to travel with his teammates, suit up, practice with them before the game and stay with them on the sidelines during the game. . . . New York Giants cornerback Phillippi Sparks returned to practice and there is an outside chance he may play against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Less than two weeks ago, it was disclosed that Sparks had viral hepatitis and would probably be sidelined three to six weeks. . . . Buccaneer safety John Lynch signed a four-year, $7-million contract extension that runs through the 2000 season. The deal includes a $1.25-million signing bonus.