IRVING, Texas — A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant was permanently paralyzed from the waist down after his spine was severed during the collapse of the team's tent-like practice structure in a severe storm.

The team announced Rich Behm was in stable condition at Parkland Hospital yesterday after surgery to stabilize a fracture to the thoracic spine.

The 33-year-old Behm was among a dozen people hurt in the accident Saturday, and was one of three Cowboys staffers who remained hospitalized.

Joe DeCamillis, 43, the team's new special teams coach, sustained a fracture of one of his cervical vertebrae without paralysis. He was in stable condition at Parkland and scheduled for surgery today.

Assistant athletic trainer Greg Gaither, 35, had surgery Saturday night to repair a fracture to the tibia and fibula in his right leg. He is expected to be released from the Baylor Regional Medical Center later this week.

"To the Behm family we extend our love, comfort, and the full support of every person and resource within the organization," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement.

Behm has a brother who works in the Cowboys television department.

About 70 people, including 27 players attending a rookie minicamp, were in the structure when the storm hit. Wind in the area around that time was clocked at 64 mph, a single mph shy of the threshold for a weak tornado.

National Weather Service officials said a "microburst" may have pushed the wind beyond 70 mph at the top of the structure that was built in 2003.

CARDINALS

WARNER RECOVERING FAST

Kurt Warner says he's ahead of schedule in his recovery from surgery to repair a hip injury that bothered him much of last season.

Despite the injury, Warner had one of the best seasons of his career and only got better in the playoffs, where he directed the Arizona Cardinals to a spirited 27-23 loss to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

Warner took part in Arizona's minicamp over the weekend, but on a limited basis.

"I didn't do everything," he said after the Cardinals wrapped up the three-day camp yesterday. "I probably could have done most things. We didn't really push it as far as running and rolling out and doing that kind of stuff, because I really haven't run at all. We were limited there just to be cautious."

The 37-year-old quarterback underwent arthroscopic surgery on March 17 to repair a torn labrum and remove some loose fragments in his left hip.

ELSEWHERE

Saints: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Biren Ealy and tight end Kolomona Kapanui were charged yesterday with obscenity, disturbing the peace and lewd conduct for allegedly being drunk, urinating in public and exposing themselves in River Ridge, La.

Ealy, 6-foot-3, 207-pound receiver, and Kapanui, a 6-3, 270-pound tight end, were acquired this year as free agents. Kapanui, a Kamehameha Schools graduate from Palolo, is in his first season with Saints after playing at West Texas A&M.

Chargers: Running back LaDainian Tomlinson participated in all three days of the Chargers' minicamp in San Diego and looked spry yesterday after a groin injury kept him from the team's final playoff game last season. "L.T. looks great," coach Norv Turner yesterday. "He has been out here running for a month, so he didn't show anything different."