Jocks and bikes

Published: June 13, 2006

The NFL's standard player contract prohibits any activity involving "significant risk of personal injury" -- outside of playing football. But many prominent athletes continue to ride motorcycles anyway, despite the personal risk and the possibility of losing salary. Some recent accidents involving NFL players and other athletes:

2006 -- Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was badly injured in a motorcycle crash Monday morning and underwent surgery. He was in serious but stable condition.

2006 -- Houston return specialist Jerome Mathis, a Pro Bowl player, injured his hands and got scrapes and bruises, causing him to miss some offseason work.

2005 -- Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. sustained internal injuries and damage to his right shoulder and right knee, forcing him to miss the season. With his leg still healing from a previous knee injury, he was learning how to ride his new sport bike in a parking lot when he hit a curb and was thrown over the handlebars.

2004 -- New York Jets cornerback Jamie Henderson missed the entire season while he rehabbed from injuries sustained in an April wreck. The Jets waived him after he failed a physical.

2003 -- Indy Racing League driver Dario Franchitti broke his back in a motorcycle accident and missed several races, including the Indianapolis 500.

2003 -- Chicago Bulls guard Jason Williams crashed his new motorcycle into a light pole, fracturing his pelvis, tearing knee ligaments and damaging nerves in his left leg. The former No. 2 NBA draft pick hasn't played in the NBA since but is still working on a comeback.

2001 -- Olympic skier Hermann Maier broke both legs in a wreck, nearly lost one and was told he would never walk again, let alone ski. He won two gold medals at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and added a silver and a bronze this year at the Turin Games.

2000 -- Tennessee safety Marcus Robertson needed 150 stitches in his face after a crash in December and missed the regular-season finale.

1998 -- Green Bay defensive lineman Jermaine Smith smashed his elbow in a June accident, prompting coach Mike Holmgren to prohibit kick returner Glyn Milburn from riding the Harley-Davidson he won as MVP of the American Bowl exhibition in Tokyo.

1997 -- Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Shawn Price injured his elbow in an offseason wreck and missed the beginning of the season.

By The Associated Press