Jets strength coach is fined, suspended

New York Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi was suspended without pay for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs and fined $25,000 for tripping Miami special-teamer Nolan Carroll on the sideline during Sunday's game.

Around 6:30 p.m. yesterday, general manager Mike Tannenbaum informed Alosi, a Massapequa, N.Y., native and Hofstra alum, of the organization's decision. The suspension was effective immediately, and Alosi will not be granted access to the team's facility or allowed to interact with coaches and players.

"Sal feels terrible for what he did and yet he took ownership, which I respect,'' said Tannenbaum, who added that his conversation with Alosi was brief and to the point. "It's something we take very seriously here, and we are extremely disappointed with what he did. There is no place for it in the game, and he knows that. It's our job to hold him accountable for that.''

The Jets spoke to the NFL, but ultimately made the decision on their own. The league will not discipline Alosi further.

"At the end of the day, this was our punishment,'' Tannenbaum said.

Earlier in the day, an apologetic Alosi said: "I let everybody down yesterday with my actions. My actions were inexcusable and irresponsible.

"I wasn't thinking. If I could go back and do it again, I sure as heck would take a step back. It was just a situation where I wasn't thinking."

Carroll, a rookie, fell to the turf and lay there for several minutes grabbing one of his legs before walking off. He returned in the fourth quarter.

In other Jets news, coach Rex Ryan said he is standing by Mark Sanchez as his quarterback. Ryan had said he considered pulling Sanchez from Sunday's loss to Miami but insists that he still has confidence in him. Sanchez was 17-for-44 for 216 yards and an interception, his 12th of the season, in New York's 10-6 loss.

Also, the Jets announced that right tackle Damien Woody will have arthroscopic surgery tomorrow on his injured right knee, sidelining him for at least one game and possibly the rest of the regular season.

* Frigid air whipped through a desolate Metrodome as crews began inspecting the Minnesota stadium's nearly three decades-old roof after it collapsed under the weight of heavy snow that pounded the Twin Cities and forced the Vikings to move their game against the New York Giants to Detroit.

Vikings vice president for public affairs and stadium development Lester Bagley said the team is "determined" to host the Chicago Bears next Monday night. He said they'll likely take a "dual-track approach," trying to get the Metrodome ready while also preparing TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus to play outside if necessary.

* Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said that even if former starter Derek Anderson is cleared to play, rookie John Skelton will remain the starting quarterback. Skelton led the Cardinals to a 43-13 win over Denver, a game that Anderson missed due to a concussion.