SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO FOOTBALL; A Close Call For Herschel Walker

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported today that Minnesota Viking running back Herschel Walker was taken by ambulance to Irving (Tex.) Community Hospital early Sunday morning after his wife, Cindy, found him unconscious in the garage of their home. Walker told the newspaper yesterday that he was suffering no after-effects from carbon-monoxide poisoning he sustained while sitting in his car in the closed garage.

"He was treated in the emergency room about 3 A.M., and released at about 6 A.M.," a hospital spokeswoman, Sharon Peters, told the paper. "It is not a serious thing at all."

Walker said he had started his car in the closed garage and was preparing to leave his home when he paused to hear a favorite song on his cassette deck. A tiring weekend of travel may have contributed to his falling asleep, he said, adding that he had also been under stress because his grandparents are sick.

"I think I fell asleep, but to be honest, I don't know how long I was out of it," Walker said. "It's just been one negative thing after another."

Walker said he had been asked if the incident was an attempt to take his own life. "People will make something out of nothing," he said. "But suicide? It wasn't anything like that."

Walker, a restricted free agent, is involved in contract negotiations with the Vikings. Yesterday, he disputed reports that he was asking for $2.25 million to play in 1991. "We have not put any demands on the table," he said. (AP)