SIDELINES : Tampa Owner Adjusts to New Hip

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse says he’s coming along fine after implant surgery to receive an experimental hip coated with a synthetic bone-like material.

The 71-year-old NFL club owner is getting around with a walker or crutches. If X-rays look promising, doctors figure he should be able to put full weight on his left leg in two or three weeks.

“Everything’s going along great,” Culverhouse said. He was among the first to undergo the surgery. The artificial hip was implanted Feb. 14 at The Florida Orthopaedics Institute.