Bengals’ Rey Maualuga pleads guilty to drunk driving

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga pleaded guilty to drunk driving Tuesday in Covington, Ky., and received a suspended sentence.

The rookie linebacker from USC was arrested Friday after police said he hit a parking meter and two parked cars in northern Kentucky. He was charged with drunk and careless driving, and a court hearing was scheduled for Feb. 25.

He changed his plea to guilty on the drunk-driving charge Tuesday and received a suspended seven-day jail sentence. The careless driving charge was dropped. Maualuga had his driver’s license suspended for 90 days and was ordered to participate in an alcohol and drug education program.

Maualuga also was put on probation for two years and ordered to pay $884 in fines plus court costs. He’ll also have to make restitution for damages from the accident, which haven’t been determined yet.

In a statement released through his agents, Maualuga apologized “for letting everyone down and making a terrible decision to drive under the influence. I wanted to acknowledge fault quickly and accept the consequences for my actions, which are the same that anyone else facing these charges would receive.”

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez will have surgery on his left knee and is expected to be ready in time for training camp. The team said that the operation will repair the patella ligament that holds the kneecap in place.

Sanchez dislocated the kneecap during fall practice before his junior season at USC.

Jets Coach Rex Ryan has been fined $50,000 by the team for making an obscene gesture at a mixed martial arts event last weekend. The team’s decision comes after a smiling Ryan was caught gesturing by a cellphone camera at the competition in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday night.

Coach Gary Kubiak has agreed to a new contract that will keep him with the Houston Texans through the 2012 season, according to media reports.

BASEBALL

Dodgers sign pitcher Weaver

Jeff Weaver has signed to return to the Dodgers on a minor league contract, the club announced.

Weaver will earn a base salary of $800,000 if he makes the major league roster, according to a baseball source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk about details of the deal.

Weaver, 33, went into spring training on a minor league contract a year ago and emerged as one of the pleasant surprises of the season. He was 6-4 with a 3.65 earned-run average in 28 appearances.

The Dodgers also reached agreement on a minor league deal with utilityman Alfredo Amezaga. Amezaga, 32, has played shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions in his eight-year career, but is recovering from microfracture knee surgery.

Amezaga started running only three weeks ago, but his agent, Mike Nicotera, said he hopes to be ready by opening day.

Amezaga will receive a base salary of $650,000 if he makes the major league roster and can earn an additional $800,000 in incentives based on games played and plate appearances.

-- Dylan Hernandez ETC.

Chivas USA signs Romero

In its most significant move of the Major League Soccer off-season, Chivas USA has signed El Salvador national team midfielder Osael Romero. The 23-year-old has scored eight goals in 37 appearances for El Salvador and took part in the national team’s 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Chivas USA acquired Romero’s rights from FC Dallas.

-- Grahame L. Jones U.S. soccer forward Charlie Davies has undergone elbow surgery as part of his recuperation from injuries sustained in a car crash in October.