Sports briefs: Patriots' Dennard accused of DUI

NFL • Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was arrested and accused of drunken driving Thursday in Nebraska while on probation for assaulting a police officer, the second New England player to get in serious legal trouble this summer.

Dennard's early-morning arrest in Lincoln, Neb., where he was a college star for the Cornhuskers, came 15 days after Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder and three days after Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the club will "be looking at our procedures and auditing how we do things" with regard to character reviews.

Dennard's arrest is his second in 15 months.

On Thursday, Dennard was pulled over while driving just before 2 a.m. and failed a field sobriety test, police said. A police spokeswoman said he was taken to a detoxification center but not jailed. He also was accused of refusing a chemical test and a driving infraction.

Devils star Kovalchuk retires

NHL • Star forward Ilya Kovalchuk stunned the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, retiring from the NHL to return to his native Russia.

The 30-year-old Kovalchuk walked away from the $77 million that was left on the 15-year contract he signed with New Jersey in 2010, including guaranteed annual salaries of at least $11 million over the next four seasons.

The Associated Press