Sports

Foster on heart surgery report: My ‘blood pumper’ is fine

Texans running back Arian Foster said he has not spoken with his doctors about “any surgery,” disputing a report he was likely to undergo a heart procedure in about a month.

“I am feeling well and am as exuberant as ever,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The NFL Network reported Thursday Foster was considering an ablation procedure because of a heart condition that forced him from a game late this season. Such a procedure involves use of a catheter to correct structural problems that can lead to an abnormal heartbeat, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website.

“As of now, I have no complications with my blood pumper,” Foster said. “There was a casual conversation with a reporter about my particular condition that turned public. But I have not, nor do I plan to any time in the near future, have conversations with my doctors about any surgery.”

During the third quarter of Houston’s 23-6 loss to Minnesota on Dec. 23, Foster left the game because of an irregular heartbeat. Coach Gary Kubiak said Foster also experienced the problem in a practice.

Texans general manager Rick Smith said in a statement yesterday the team is “comfortable” with the health of their 26-year-old running back.

COWBOYS: Dallas owner Jerry Jones apparently hears the criticism that he’s calling all the shots for the Cowboys again and undermining coach Jason Garrett as a result.

In an interview for the team’s website, Jones said Garrett has a strong voice in an overhaul of the coaching staff and his third-year coach is “the right man putting this together.”

Jones, the team’s general manager, also said Garrett will decide who calls the offensive plays in 2013. Jones indicated during Senior Bowl workouts that Garrett would no longer run the offense on game days, leading to speculation the coach was being stripped of those duties at the same time his staff was being dismantled.

As assistants were fired and replacements announced, even former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman, a three-time Super Bowl winner, joined a chorus saying it looked like Jones was making the decisions after the owner vowed to make things “uncomfortable” following consecutive 8-8 seasons with losses in playoffs-or-bust finales under Garrett.

While there’s still a strong chance Dallas will have a new play-caller, Jones insists that all the changes come with Garrett’s blessing.

“However he comes up with how he wants to design how the offense runs, coupled with the fact that we’ve made the changes defensively and with special teams, I’m going to be excited about it,” Jones said. “We’ve got the right man putting this together in Jason Garrett.”

RAMS: A panel of arbitrators ruled in favor of a $700 million plan by the Rams to renovate the Edward Jones Dome.

The team announced the arbiters chose the Rams’ proposal for upgrades to the team’s home over another plan by the city’s stadium authority. The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission proposed $124 million in renovations.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff said in a statement the decision “acknowledges that significant improvements are required to put the Edward Jones Dome on equal standing with most National Football League stadiums.”