COLLEGE FOOTBALL

GEORGIA TECH RECEIVER JOHNSON ENTERS NFL DRAFT

Georgia Tech’s star receiver, Calvin Johnson, announced yesterday that he will give up his senior season to enter the NFL draft, fully aware that he should be one of the top players selected.

Even his parents, who are adamant that he get his college degree, knew there was no use putting off the pros any longer.

“It’s one of those situations where he’s got to maximize the moment,” Calvin Johnson Sr. said. “These opportunities don’t come along very often.”

Almost from the day he stepped on campus, the younger Johnson was expected to last only three seasons with the Yellow Jackets. It was immediately clear that he was a rare combination of size (6-foot-5, 235 pounds), athleticism and hand-eye coordination.

FOOTBALL

SEAHAWKS’ JACKSON UNLIKELY TO PLAY SUNDAY AT CHICAGO

Seahwaks leading receiver Darrell Jackson is unlikely to play in Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game at Chicago.

Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said yesterday on his KIRO radio show in Seattle that Jackson worsened a turf toe ligament strain on his left foot during Saturday’s win against Dallas. Jackson led the NFL in touchdown receptions before he was injured December 10. He started against the Cowboys, despite missing the previous three games and all of last week’s practices. He ran 14 plays in the first quarter, but he had only five in second period and one in the third.

BASKETBALL

BUCKS’ REDD OUT 4-6 WEEKS WITH KNEE INJURY

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd will be out four-to-six weeks with a left knee injury, the team announced yesterday.

Redd, the NBA’s fifth-leading scorer at 27.7 points a game, hurt the knee during the Bucks’ 95-86 loss to Cleveland on Friday night. He strained his patellar tendon, which connects the kneecap to the shin bone. After evaluation and further testing by the team’s medical staff, Redd will undergo rehabilitation for up to six weeks.

-Associated Press