LONDON — The first 70,000 tickets for the NFL’s third regular-season game in London have been sold, with 20,000 bought in the first seven minutes of availability, the NFL said Tuesday.
The New England Patriots face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 25 at Wembley Stadium. The previous two NFL games were also sellouts.
“The response is indicative of the must-see nature of our game,” NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said.
In addition to those already sold, more tickets have recently been made available to the public, though the NFL did not say how many. Later, fans in New England and Tampa Bay will have a chance to purchase tickets.
The NFL first staged a regular-season game in London in 2007, when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Last year, New Orleans beat San Diego 37-32.
Shooting trial begins
PHILADELPHIA — The trial of a Philadelphia man shot with a gun owned by Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison and accused of lying to police begins today.
Dwight Dixon is due in Philadelphia municipal court on three charges of making false sworn statements. Dixon initially told police he was shot during a robbery but later accused Harrison of shooting him. Attorney Robert Gamburg says Dixon did not immediately identify Harrison because he was afraid of him.
Three weeks ago, the Philadelphia District Attorney announced it was clear Harrison’s gun was used in the shooting last April 28 but that there was not enough evidence to determine who fired it.
Colts trim jobs
INDIANAPOLIS — Add the Indianapolis Colts to the growing list of job-cutting sports companies.
The team announced its job cuts on Tuesday, issuing a two-sentence statement. Team officials declined to say how many jobs were cut, but the Indianapolis Star reported the number is approximately 25.
The move comes three weeks after team president Bill Polian said the Colts will face a severe squeeze under this year’s $123 million salary cap.
The cuts are hardly a surprise given the tough economic times that have hit other sports entities. The league offices for Major League Baseball and the NFL have already announced job cuts, and the Colts neighbors — the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway — have done the same. Other NFL teams, including the Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, also have announced job cuts.
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