Battalion
Sports
Page 13 ‘Wednesday, September 15, 1999
owboys’ Lett suspended for seven games
RVING (AP) — Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle
n Lett will miss the next seven games as punish-
for his fifth violation of the NFL’s substance
se policy.
ett, 30, had been suspended indefinitely since
4 and missed the team’s opening win at Wash-
on on Sunday.
he NFL’s ruling, announced today, will allow the
ner Pro Bowler to rejoin the Cowboys for the Nov.
00,000 have |4 home game against Green Bay — if he has no fur-
e cut off frog
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4 he
ited to West Mr violations,
ependence irM’We’re disappointed, but I’m glad we have a de-
m soldiers beBtive time we can expect him back,” Cowboys own-
tlence followiir Jerry Jones said. “We’re disappointed we don’t
e Aug. 30 to lave him now.”
ionesia, theifiCommissioner Paul Tagliabue also told Lett he will
d Agricultu:, >e suspended for at least one year should he violate
â–  substance-abuse policy again,
npossible to concurrently banned from the team’s workouts and
led in thepasiBmises, Lett is allowed to return Nov. 9.
nates have rMLett’s absence Sunday contributed to a defensive
)00. Bakdown that allowed the Redskins to score 32
:s were wouritraight points. The Cowboys won in overtime 41-35.
iter the crowB
:> cars and <
e.
Jones said Tagliabue took his time weighing sever
al factors in a decision that could set a precedent for
other players who reach this stage in the league’s af
ter-care program.
“We’re disappointed,
but I’m glad we have a
definitive time we can
expect him back.”
-JERRY JONES
COWBOYS OWNER
The commissioner could have given Lett up to a
lifetime ban but instead opted to double the penalty
he gave the previous five-time violator, Clayton
Holmes.
The precedent “was not set” with Holmes, Jones said.
Lett was not immediately available for comment.
His agent, Jim Steiner of St. Louis, said he was sur
prised that Jones made the announcement and de
clined further comment until he had spoken with Lett
or Jones.
This is the fourth season in the last five that Lett
has missed games because of suspensions.
He missed four games in 1995 after testing positive
for marijuana, then the last three games of 1996 and
the first 13 of 1997 after testing positive for cocaine.
Dallas has gone 11-9 without him.
When he plays, the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Lett re
mains a dominant force. He has made the Pro Bowl in
his last two full seasons, 1994 and 1998.
Last year, he had 51 tackles, four sacks, 20 quarter
back pressures and a team-high seven tackles for losses.
Confidentiality rules prohibit the NFL from com
menting on specific cases. However, according to the
league’s substance abuse policy, a player would have
to violate the rules five times to be treated the way Lett
has been.
Because the first two violations do not result in sus
pensions, they are not publicized. The third violation
is a four-game suspension and the fourth violation
draws a ban of at least one year. Punishment for the
fifth violation is at the commissioner’s discretion.
Tagliabue considered several factors, including how
many tests Lett has passed since he was reinstated in
November 1997 and how cooperative he’s been with
the process. Lett has been tested up to 10 times a
month for the last two years.
The Cowboys made Lett a seventh-round draft pick
out of Emporia State in 1991. He quickly blossomed
into a key player in their defensive line rotation and
was part of the Super Bowl champion teams in 1992,
’93 and ’95.
Lett also is remembered for two on-field gaffes.
In the 1993 Super Bowl, Lett set a record for re
turning a fumble 64 yards — but he needed 65 for a
touchdown. Thinking he would score easily, Lett was
raising the ball in celebration when Buffalo’s Don
Beebe swatted it away from behind at the goal line.
The following November, in a snowy Thanksgiving
Day game against the Miami Dolphins, Lett mistak
enly tried picking up a missed field goal instead of let
ting it become a dead ball. He ended up knocking it
to a Dolphin, setting up Miami’s successful second
chance kick for the victory.
aplt
bteele, Bears still reeling
WACO (AP) — Joe Jackson is
ing to avoid contact with foot-
pall fans this week, but that’s not
he
Km
STEELE
ause ne is
â– aid of being
'•inted about
Bylor’s two last-
make a land Bond losses,
and sherpa'Blnstead, Jack-
ach the sueB said he and
B Bears fear
resident spei-Biething much
h Asian leati®Brse than
fic Econom ridicule — pity,
yesterday inB “You get tired of being con
it with Print- |oled,” the sophomore center said,
f Clinton’ssbfVou hear ’get ’em next time’ a lot,
tad jet boatt^ut that’s not something that you
y was pro want to hear.”
dent JiangL'l people are finding it easier than
) visit New. 'ever to feel sorry for Baylor after
New Zeal; TSaturday’s bizarre 27-24 loss to
ed by tl: ' JJKLV. With less than 20 seconds to
bar nuc- H play, Baylor had a three-point lead
Zealand' and the ball inside the Rebels’ 10-
yard-line.
-- # .But instead of having his quar-
1 g Mback take a knee and run out the
lil II® k, first-year coach Kevin Steele
elected to go for one more score by
calling a running play. The Bears
paid the price when Darrel Bush
fumbled into the end zone and
UNLV’s Kevin Thomas returned it
for a game-winning touchdown.
“It was kind of weird to hear
30,000 jaws drop at the same time,”
Jackson said. “That was really tough.”
Baylor kicker Kyle Atteberry,
who missed an extra point on the
last play of overtime in the Bears’
opening-week loss to Boston Col
lege, said it has taken several days
for the reality of the sudden UNLV
loss to sink in.
“Everybody was just shocked,”
Atteberry said. “You’ve got to go
through some personal time of
mourning, but you’ve only got a
short while to think about it be
cause we play again this week.”
Now, the Bears are trying to pick
up the pieces in time to salvage
what they insist can still be a suc
cessful season. Players and coach
es all said that process starts with
forgetting about the past two
weeks, even though questions
about the losses are sure to follow
them for the rest of the year.
Steele, who took full responsi
bility for the defeat Saturday and
called it “a stupid mistake on my
part,” said Tliesday he no longer
will talk with the media about the
final play of the UNLV game.
“We have rectified it as a team,”
Steele said. “We’ve challenged
each other, it’s been a great bond
ing experience and it’s over with.”
Although Steele has received
criticism from the public about his
decision to run the ball on the last
play, he has received nothing but
support from the Baylor players
and assistant coaches.
Even defensive coordinator
Brick Haley, whose unit was not on
the field when the game-winning
touchdown occurred, said he
agreed with Steele’s call.
“If you question what happened
on that last play, that’s like taking
the sword out of these guys’
hands,” Haley said. “We say. we
want to build an attitude, and you
can’t do that by taking a knee.”
Cornhusker Evans quits team
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebras
ka’s football team has a new look,
with running back DeAngelo Evans
quitting the
squad and coach
Frank Solich go
ing with a new
quarterback.
Evans, off to a
slow start in his
junior season
with the No. 4
Cornhuskers,
missed practice
and a team meeting Monday.
“DeAngelo Evans has decided
to quit playing football,” Solich said
yesterday at a news conference.
It was a difficult decision for
Evans and for the team, Solich
said. He said he did not think
Evans had plans to transfer to an
other school.
Solich also said yesterday
EVANS
sophomore Eric Crouch will
start at quarterback against
Southern Mississippi on Satur
day, and junior Bobby New-
combe will start as a receiver
and return punts.
Solich said he wants both play
ers, who have vied for the starting
spot at quarterback, to be on the
field for the Cornhuskers.
The 5-foot-10,215-pound Evans
has had numerous injuries limit
ing his playing career at Nebraska.
He carried 148 times and
gained 776 yards as a true fresh
man in 1996. But he missed 1997
with a pelvic injury.
His 1998 season also was cut
short. He missed the first three
games with a knee injury.
When he returned to action,
he carried the ball 38 times for
218 yards and four touchdowns
in three games. But he sat out the
rest of the year with an injured
big toe and bruised tailbone.
Evans had knee surgery after
the 1998 season and had hoped to
return to full speed this fall and re
gain his starting position.
He regained the starting spot,
but in two games this season, he
carried just 19 times for 74 yards
and no touchdowns.
Evans’ decision comes after
other players’ rumbling over play
ing time.
Two weeks ago, Solich visited
backup quarterback Eric Crouch
in Omaha after the sophomore re
portedly became upset when ju
nior Bobby Newcombe was
named the starter.
Last week, backup I-back Cor-
rell Buckhalter, the team’s leading
rusher last season, left practice for
three days, apparently upset over
the lack of playing time.
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lech RB Williams may sit out another week
UBBOCK (AP) — Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes
Id need an especially clear crystal ball to discern
fate of star running back Ricky Williams,
s the team heads into its third
e of the season, Williams is still
sing the sprained left knee that
ed him to sit out this weekend’s
17 victory over Louisiana-
[ayette.
[If Williams were in Lubbock, team
tors could take a simple MRI and
ermine whether he is ready to trot
k out on the field Saturday,
put Williams has been in Dallas
]ce Sunday with his ailing mother. He has not un
done a medical exam since last week. As of late af-
noon yesterday, the team was uncertain when or if
will play again this season.
Tm no doctor, so I don’t like to step out on a limb
try to say whether I think he is going to come back
|when,” Dykes said. “We have to let the doctors look
WILLIAMS
at him and until he gets back from Dallas, we don’t
know when that’s going to happen.”
Williams has played every game at Tech (1-1) the
past two seasons, rushing for 1,582 yards and 13
touchdowns last year. He also was on pace to eclipse
the all-time rushing record held by Texas’ former run
ning back of the same name.
Tech’s Williams injured his knee in the first half of
the season opener against Arizona State University.
When the ASU defense collapsed the Tech offensive
line on top of Williams, he simply bandaged his left
knee and returned to play minutes later.
In the second half, he told trainers he felt the knee
give out and was helped off the field.
The prospect of playing without Williams has the
team worried.
“You always wish you had your best option avail
able and on the field,” quarterback Rob Peters said.
“We don’t know for sure what we are capable of with
out him. But we’ve got to play football and win, not
worry about people who aren’t on the field.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chicago Bears quarterback
Cade McNown and Washington Redskins running back
Skip Hicks were among five men charged Monday with
illegally possessing handicapped
parking placards while they played
football at UCLA.
The misdemeanor charges filed by
the City Attorney’s Office brought to
19 the number of current and former
> ^ i Bruins alleged to be part of the hand-
y/ icapped parking scam.
Also named in the new charges were
MCNOWN Larry Atkins, Odadele Ayanbadejo and
Eric Whitfield.
The five were scheduled for arraignment yesterday
morning in Los Angeles Municipal Court, along with
five other defendants named in charges filed July 8.
On July 28, nine defendants pleaded guilty to
the misdemeanor charge of illegally possessing a
handicap placard.
Municipal Court Judge Sam Ohta ordered each to
pay $14,485 in fines and perform 200 hours of com
munity service.
McNown, Hicks and Whitfield were alleged to have
illegally obtained the handicapped parking placards
in 1996; and Ayanbadejo and Atkins in 1997.
Hicks had spoken of the situation at the start of
training camp in July.
U I was young. You do
some things you regret
when you’re young...I
shouldn’t have had one
in the first place.”
- SKIP HICKS
REDSKINS RUNNING BACK
“I was young. You do some things you regret when
you’re young. Yes, I had one. I never parked in a hand
icapped spot, but I guess that doesn’t matter. I should
n’t have had one in the first place,” he said. “... It’s one
of those things where you’ve got to say I’m sorry, learn
from your mistakes and move on. ”
lead
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OUR
Yi'itrx nf 11 Nino
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INTUBK
&lood Drive - Sponsored b'f APO
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Ciet >[our millennium T-shirt
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