Sidelined: Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt says second-year defensive end Greg Romeus is out for six to eight months with torn ligaments in his left knee, including an anterior cruciate ligament. Vitt also says quarterback Chase Daniel, who had been working with the first team during Drew Brees’ contract holdout, also has sat out some of this week after spraining his right thumb when it hit a helmet on a throw. Daniel has a hairline fracture that will prevent him from throwing for nearly three weeks, but Vitt says it won’t require surgery and that Daniel is expected back for training camp. Romeus is now likely to miss his second full season since being drafted.
That’s worth some money: Americans barely increased their spending at retail businesses in April and May, constrained by weak job creation and paltry wage increases. A sharp drop in gas prices pulled down overall sales in both months by 0.2%, the Commerce Department reports today. But excluding volatile gas station sales, retail sales grew modestly in May and only dipped in April. The report could lead economists to lower their assessments for April-June economic growth. Read the full story from The Associated Press here.
Casting the net: Proposals for Internet addresses ending in “.pizza,” ”.space” and “.auto” are among the nearly 2,000 submitted as part of the largest expansion in the online address system. Apple, Sony and American Express are among companies that are seeking names with their brands. Google and Amazon.com sought dozens of names, including “.app,” and “.play.” The wine company Gallo Vineyards Inc. wants “.barefoot.” The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers announced the proposals for Internet suffixes—the “.com” part of an Internet address—in London today. They now go through a review process that could take months or years. Read the full story here.
