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by Matthew McGuire
TMS Campus
January 15, 2001
Two football players from Texas
Christian University filed a comp
taint with the U.S. Department of
ducation alleging that two of their
former coaches racially discrimi
nated and harassed them for more
than two years.
Dennis Franchione and Mark
Parks, who have since become the
`head coach and linebacker coach at
the University of Alabama, both
deny the.allegations.
"The investigations have uncov,
ered no evidence of haralment or
'4liscrimination of any sort, imd I am
confident this situation will be re.
, Solved soon." said Dennis
Franchione in a statement released
by the University of Alabama.
The complaint does not identify
the players, though brothers Adrian
and Allen Lewis told the Associated
'Press that they filed the complaint.
The brothers who have a black fa
ther and white mother describe
years of abuse and mistreatment
Ditka changes his tune, turning
on the praise for Fassel, Giants
by Steve Zipay
Newsday
January 16,2001
CBS studio analyst Mike Ditka,
who angered Giants Coach Jim
Passel by telling viewers in Novem
ber that "everybody thinks the Giants
are soft," changed his tune Tuesday.
"I don't see that there's a more de
serving team," to be in Super Bowl
XXV, Ditka said. "They're the most
balanced team coming out of the
NFC."
Ditka, who will be in Tampa as part
of CBS' pregame programming, said
he thought Fassel's approach in at
tacking the Vikings secondary last
Sunday "maybe was the best coach
ing job offensively I've seen all year.
... They saw the weakness, they ex
ploited the weakness and they didn't
stop, they kept bombing away. I don't
think in an NFC Championship
game, a lot of teams would have
come out and thrown the ball around
like they did. They'd play it close to
the vest and let the defense win it."
Because both the Giants and
Ravens defenses are stifling, the
former Bears and Saints coach also
said that Vegas was wrong in mak
ing the Giants 2 1/2-point underdogs.
The teams "are so evenly matched,
the game may come down to one play
here or there," he said.
Ditka also backtracked on his com
ments about the Ravens defense not
matching up to the 1985 Bears. "I
said a couple weeks ago before you
can be compared the to the best they'd
Modell earns first Super Bowl trip
by Jason Cole
Knight Ridder Newspapers
January 16, 2001
OAKLAND, Calif. - Baltimore
owner Art Modell can remember ev
ery bitter moment, down to the play
calls.
Twenty years ago against the Oak
land Raiders it was Red Right 80 on
a cold day in Cleveland. In the 1987
AFC Championship Game, there was
Earnest Byner's fumble.
But for Modell, the hurt runs
deeper, He was vilified in Cleveland
and around the NFL for his disloy
alty to the sacred Browns, moving the
team in 1996 for money.
But on Sunday, Baltimore domi
nated Oakland 16-3 at Network As
sociates Coliseum to set up the team's
first ever trip to the Super Bowl on
Jan. 28 where the Ravens will face
the Giants, 41-0 winners over the Vi
kings.
Modell remained stoic because
now there is a sweet memory to sooth
the hurt
"Forever," the 75-year-old Modell
said when asked how long he has
lived with the memories. "You live
with it forever. It never escapes you.
Just like Shannon Sharpe's 96-yard
from Franchione and Pmts.
At one point Pints allegedly said,
"All you people care about is , chas.
ing [women), fine clothes, fancy
cars and good times." . Allen Lewis
told, the Associated Press that
Pranchione would often ask the
brothers if they "were white or
black today."
The U.S. Department of Educa.
lion received the complaint Nov.
15, 2000, and is still investigating.
Franchione said he learned about
the complaint during the recent
holiday break after he had moved
to Alabama and participated in an
internal investigation at MI He
had also been in contact with rep-
resentatives from the office ; for civil
rights in Fort Worth.
"I have coached 28 years with a
mission of developing people first
and football players second. In that
spirit, I could not live with Myself
if I mistreated a person due to race,
or for any, other reason.... I'do not
understand how the two players at
TCU came to"feelas_they did, and I
feel badly that they believed they
had been mistreated"
have to win the Super Bowl. I'm
gonna retract that," he said. "Not
only do these guys play well indi
vidually, the scheme they play is
probably as good as I've seen in the
last couple years. What Marvin
Lewis does is make you think con
stantly on offense who you're gonna
block. They jump around a lot, move
around like Buddy (Ryan) had our
guys move around, and get every
mismatch they can. The only chance
you've got is to spread this defense
out."
So, for the Giants, the unlikely Su
per hero could be Joe Jurevicius or
Ron Dixon, Ditka predicted. "I can
see the third and fourth receivers of
the Giants, whether it be Jurevicius
or Dixon, somebody stepping up in
that area. I really see that. If they play
the way I think they're gonna play,
that's the guys they're gonna try to
get the ball to. There's no question
they're gonna be covered by safeties
and that's not the strength of any
body, a safety covering a receiver
man-to-man."
Finally, Ditka praised Giants QB
Kerry Collins: "When we made a de
cision to go after him (with the
Saints), we felt he was best athlete
available at that position. Had he not
had those problems, he probably
would never have left New Orleans.
The biggest compliment to Kerry is
that he straightened out his life....
He's playing substance-free and he's
playing great. Nobody ever ques
tioned his athletic ability. I couldn't
be happier."
play will not escape me. But the
losses are more profound."
Thanks to Sharpe and the play of
the NFL's stingiest defense led by
former University of Miami standout
Ray Lewis, Modell has a chance for
redemption, a chance to erase all the
bad plays and nasty words he has
seen and heard.
The Ravens' five-year history is an
asterisk in the annals of the NFL be
cause they really are the Cleveland
Browns of old. Modell, who bought
the franchise in 1961, won an NFL
Championship in 1964. Since then,
it has been heartbreak.
Heartbreak ended courtesy of
Sharpe's NFL postseason record 96-
yard reception for a touchdown with
11:08 remaining in the first half to
give Baltimore a 7-0 lead. That was
more than enough for a stifling de
fense that held Oakland, the No. 1
rushing team in the NFL, to 24 yards
on 17 carries.
The Ravens defense also came up
with five turnovers against a Raiders
team that gave up only 20 this sea-
"Shannon came to me in the third
quarter and said, "I don't know how
much we've got left,"' Lewis said. "I
just said, "Don't worry about it.'"
NATIONAL SPORTS
Angels' next designated hitter: Jose Canseco
by Chris Foster
Los Angeles Times
January 16, 2001
ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Anaheim
Angels are expected to announce the
signing of Jose Canseco to an incen
tive-laden one-year contract Tues
day, a baseball source said.
Canseco will receive the major
league minimum $200,000 with in
centives that could take him over $5
million, according to the source.
Canseco played in 98 games with
the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New
York Yankees last season, but the
Yankees gave Canseco a $500,000
buyout rather than pick up his $4
million option for next season.
Signing the 36-year-old Canseco
is a low-risk move by the Angels,
who were in dire need of a designated
Hamilton
skating a
by Helene Elliott
Los Angeles Times
January 16, 2001
Scott Hamilton will miss the
friends he made in 15 years of tour
ing with Stars on Ice, the show he
co-founded and nurtured, and the
friends he made during more than
30 years of figure skating.
But after the four-time U.S. and
world champion and 1984 Olym
pic gold medalist does his last back
flip and skates off the ice April 7,
he will most miss the little moments
that wove the tapestry of his life.
"I'll miss the goofy stuff, the stuff
behind the scenes,"he said. "And
the view from center ice after the
last solo. It really is unbelievable,
standing there and having the spot
light on you, taking the last bow of
the show. The other 21 hours, ev
erything has been crazy, but that last
bow, those simple pleasures, make
it worthwhile."
Almost four years after he was
diagnosed with testicular cancer
and a year after he was hobbled by
a painful ankle injury, Hamilton be
lieves he is skating better than ever.
That's saying a lot: His dizzying
spins, soaring jumps and unflag
ging exuberance have long en
deared him to judges and fans.
"Last year, I couldn't put weight
on my ankle at all," he said. "This
year, it was like the sunshine came
through and the angels sang and all
of a sudden I can do a lutz again. I
was like, 'Yeah!'"
And because he is skating so well
and is free of pain aside from
the soreness to be expected in a 42-
year-old athlete who skates taxing
routines five nights a week he's
confident it's the right time to go.
Hamilton is not sure what he will
do next. Maybe stage a Broadway-
Lewis was right. He had 10 tack
les and recovered a fumble; Duane
Starks had two interceptions; and
Jamie Sharper had two sacks and an
interception for a defense that set an
NFL record this season by allowing
just 165 points in 16 games, 20
points fewer than the 1985 Chicago
Bears.
The Super Bowl likely will put a
huge spotlight on Lewis, the NFL's
defensive player of the year.
Lewis was arrested after the Su
per Bowl in Atlanta last year and
charged with murder in the stabbing
of two men outside a night club. He
eventually pleaded guilty to obstruc
tion of justice and received proba
tion.
"What I went through this
offseason was like pure hell," Lewis
said. "My teammates didn't care
about that. My teammates listened
to me and said, "It's over now. For
get that distraction, wear it down. It's
a closed chapter."
Lewis said going to Tampa "to
play 20 minutes from my home town
(Lakeland, Ha.) is unbelievable. It
hasn't really settled in yet."
The Ravens dominated from the
start, but couldn't capitalize on great
field position.
hitter. Scott Spiezio was the Angels
most frequently used DH last season
but hit only .224 with six home runs
in 50 games.
The Angels have been burned in the
past by aging sluggers, having signed
Eddie Murray in 1997 and Cecil
Fielder in 1998. But Canseco comes
with high-end potential with mini
mum financial risk.
He missed two months last season
because of a heel injury and has also
been bothered by back problems in
recent seasons. As a result, Canseco
hit .252 with 15 home runs and drove
in 49 runs in 98 games with the Devil
Rays and Yankees last season. Still,
he did finish third in the American
League with 46 home runs and had
107 runs batted in 151 games with
Toronto in 1998, the only time since
1991 he has played a full season.
ready to bid figure
fond farewell
type show. Maybe more work as a
skating commentator for CBS.
Maybe something he hasn't thought
of yet.
Whatever he chooses, he will em
bark with happy memories and with
confidence castmates such as 1998
Olympic gold medalists Tara
Lipinski and Ilia Kulik will build on
his legacy of showmanship, skill and
respect for the audience.
"I've done this long enough,"
Hamilton said during a quick visit
to Los Angeles, where he has a home
and indulges his passion for golf.
"It's time to reinvent myself. I love
this tour so much that I think it's time
to for me to let it go.
"I've learned this year the way to
lead is to be the last one, to try to
find ways of supporting and present
ing the other skaters. The best thing
for me to do is step away. My spot
will be taken by the next person.
These guys (Lipinski and Kulik)
have their careers ahead of them and
they need time to explore the levels
they can reach.
"It's just time, physically and life
wise. There are things I've put on
hold for a long time in the name of
my career and some of them can't
wait anymore. I want to have a fam
ily and children, and I don't want the
mother of my children to be chang
ing two sets of diapers at the same
time."
The show also features 1992
Olympic gold medalist Kristi
Yamaguchi, four-time world cham
pion Kurt Browning of Canada,
1994 world champion Yuka Sato of
Japan, three-time U.S. pair champi
ons Jenni Meno and Todd Sand of
Costa Mesa and two-time U.S. ice
dance champions Renee Roca and
Gorsha Sur. Two-time Olympic
champion Ekaterina Gordeeva, a co
headliner since 1991, is on sabbati-
Late in the first quarter, Robert
Bailey intercepted Rich Gannon at the
Oakland 19. But the Ravens gained
just one yard in three plays and Matt
Stover's field-goal attempt from 36
yards hit the right upright.
"The nature of our defense, you get
a feel of having control of the game
defensively," Baltimore coach Brian
Billick said. "That dictates what you
do offensively. We've gotten into that
patter, that routing. I'm going to have
to burn my diploma from BYU. I may
never throw the ball again."
On three occasions the Ravens had
the ball inside the Oakland 20-yard
line, Billick didn't throw into the end
"If they're not the best defense ever,
they're right up there at the top," Oak
land coach Jon Gruden said.
The defense allowed Billick to play
one of the most conservative games
in the history of the league.
Baltimore was facing a third-and-18
play from its own 4-yard line. They
called a play that Billick termed
"Double rip slant" out of a four-re
ceiver formation. That basically meant
the two inside receivers ran slants.
The play is designed to get 10 or 12
yards and just get the Ravens out of a
hole. From the Raiders perspective,
Canseco joins a lineup already
loaded with power hitters. The Angels
were third in the league with 236 home
runs. Troy Glaus led the league with
47, Mo Vaughn had 36, Garret Ander
son 35 and Tim Salmon 34. Darin
Erstad had 25 home runs.
By adding Canseco to that already
potent lineup, the Angels might be
banking that run-production can off
set a group of starting pitchers made
up of young arms and questionable
arms. Pat Rapp and Ismael Valdes were
the only veteran pitchers the Angels
signed during the off-season.
Canseco ranks 23rd on the all-time
list with 446 home runs. He was named
the league's rookie of the year in 1986
and most valuable player in 1988 while
with Oakland, where he teamed with
Mark McGwire to form the Bash
Brothers.
A portion of the proceeds from
ticket sales will be donated to Target
House, a residence for children and
their families who are being treated
for life-threatening illnesses at St.
Jude Children's Research Hospital in
Memphis, Tenn.
Hamilton broke into the elite skat
ing ranks in the 19705. He initially
won notice because of his diminutive
size a childhood intestinal disor
der stunted his growth and limited his
height to 5-foot-3 but he won ac
colades for his skills.
After his 1984 victory at Sarajevo,
he started Stars on Ice and helped de
velop it. "It's a show. It's not just
people skating and doing numbers
and getting off the ice," Lipinski said.
Each skater has a solo and appears
in ensemble routines. The music in
cludes jazz, classical, pop and rock,
reflecting the tastes of different gen
erations of skaters.
Hamilton laughs at the variation in
clothes, musical preferences and
daily wake-up calls among cast mem
bers. The bond uniting what he af
fectionately calls "our dysfunctional
family" is his professionalism, gen
erous spirit and ability to get along
with everyone in what can be a catty
and cutthroat sport.
To each skater, his advice differs.
To Lipinski, it was "11 o'clock al
ways comes," reassurance that if she
makes a mistake, the performance
will end and she will have a chance
to do better the next night.
"You learn a lot from him, and
that's another reason why I came to
this tour," said Lipinski, who is skat
ing back to peak form after Septem
ber hip surgery. "You see a lot of skat
ers, they're great skaters but they just
skate. Here, you just have to go out
and watch Scott every night and you
learn things."
they were salivating at the chance to
have Baltimore punter Kyle
Richardson, who was blocked twice
in the previous game against Tennes
see, kick out of the end zone.
But quarterback Trent Dilfer saw
strong safety Marquez Pope lined up
against Sharpe, making Sharpe the
automatic target on the play.
"I like Shannon matched up with
any safety in this league," Dilfer said.
Pope botched the coverage. He was
in position to drop Sharpe for roughly
a 6-yard gain, but hesitated. Sharpe
ran past him.
No matter, Raiders safety Anthony
Dorsett should have been there for the
stop. Except Dorsett cheated up on the
play instead of playing safe. That left
Dorsett with a terrible angle on
Sharpe. Wide receiver Brandon
Stokley then came up with the key
block, taking out defensive back Tory
James.
Sharpe then finished the longest
touchdown pass in NFL playoff his-
"We had to take the crowd out of
it," Sharpe said. "I got so sick of hear
ing about the Black Hole (the nick
name for Network Associates Coli
seum). So when we scored that touch
down, I just took a shovel and cov-
111 , ;, •
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2001
NesL►y absent
to meet with
NBA officials
by Steve Wyche
The washington Post
tannery 16, 2001
WASHINGTON - Washington
`Wizards forward Tyrone Nesby,
who;was sent to the locker room
by Coach Leonard Hamilton af
ter a shouting match during the
rust quarter of Monday's 101-95
- loss to Milwaukee, was excused
from practice Tuesday to meet
with NBA officials regarding a
legal matter, a source said.
Wizards management and
Hamilton said that they have
known for more than a week that
~Nesby had to miss practice, al-
Month theY didk not divulge that
he had, to meet with league offi
cials. A source close to the situa
tion said that Nesby had to meet
with league officials who handle
legal issues.
Forward Michael Smith, who
was arrested early New Year's
Day for misdemeanor assault at
a Washington nightclub, and
point guard Rod Strickland, who
was arrested Jan. 7 and charged
with driving under the influence,
had Otetings with NBA officials
, regarding their arrests last week.
Ne-shrs absence had nothing
to do with his verbal clash with
Handlton, the coach said.
"He had a prearranged, ex
cused absence." Hamilton said.
`We expected him not to be here.
This has nothing to do other than
him Saving an excused absence.
Otherwise, he would have been
at practice:"
There is a possibility'that
Nesby could be fined for his out
burst on Monday, but he will not
be suspended, a team official
AtOrk:4l:: ••• •
Nesby was
(• . t •
meetini-with NBA officials.
Ne`4it‘ has not been iii trouble .
Striae :40 Wizards, acquired him
a trade with the Los Angeles
; Clipper's •this season, a team
soured kaid.
Nesby will join the team
Wednesday night in New Jersey,
where die Wizards (7-32) face the
Nets (12-26), Hamilton left open
the possibility that Nesby could
lose his starting job to Gerard
King or Felipe Lopez. The Nets
start
.6 -foot-l0 Keith Van`Horn at
small forward so it is more likely
that if Nesby is replaced as a
starter, it would be by King, who
is 6-9.
ered up the hole."
From there, the defense took over.
The Raiders, who had averaged 38
points over their past seven home
games, had one first down in the first
half. Of eight possessions in the half,
six ended in punts and two in inter-
ceptions.
The Ravens' other scores came off
Stover's field goals of 31, 28 and 29
yards.
"What does crow taste like? All of
you got to eat crow tonight," Sharpe
said. "We're going to Tampa to put
this offense on display. We're not that
good, but we're effective."
So dominant were the Ravens that
when Lewis was asked about when
he felt the defense had control, he re
sponded: "When we walked on the
field."
The Ravens knocked Gannon out
of the game twice. The first time
when when defensive tackle Tony
Sirgusa fell on him in the first half,
hurting his left shoulder. The second
time in the fourth quarter for just plain
poor play.
That left Modell to his stage at
midfield to accept the AFC Champi
onship trophy.
And a chance to forget.