STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State football coach Joe Paterno
has decided to retire at the end of the season, his long career
brought down by his failure to do more about an allegation of child
sex abuse against a former assistant.
Paterno said in a statement Wednesday he is "absolutely
devastated" by the developments in the case of Jerry Sandusky, a
former defensive coordinator accused of molesting eight boys over
15 years.
Paterno says the board of trustees should "not spend a single
minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters
to address."
"This is a tragedy," Paterno says. "It is one of the great
sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had
done more."
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's House has given final
legislative approval to a bill that lets the University of North
Dakota retire its Fighting Sioux nickname.
The House voted 63-31 on Wednesday to repeal a law that requires
UND to keep the nickname and an American Indian logo.
The bill says UND can't approve another nickname before January
2015.
The measure now goes to Gov. Jack Dalrymple (DAL'-rihm-puhl).
The governor has said he'll sign it.
UND wants to drop the nickname and logo to end NCAA sanctions
against the school. The association says the nickname is offensive
to American Indians.
NEW YORK (AP) - The deadline is later today for NBA players to
accept the league's recent proposal for a labor settlement.
Players' association president Derek Fisher says the current offer
on the table from the NBA is "one that we cannot accept." If the
players don't accept the current offer, commissioner David Stern
says the next offer is expected to call for rolling back players'
salaries.
UNDATED (AP) - Magic Johnson says it is "ridiculous" to
suggest that NBA commissioner David Stern is racist. The former
All-Pro guard of the Lakers was responding to comments made by
attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who is representing the NBA players'
association, that owners are treating players like "plantation
workers".
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A major college basketball star from the 1940's
has passed away. "Easy Ed" Macauley, who also starred in the NBA,
was 83. Macauley played for the Billikens of St. Louis University
and the school announced his death.
UNDATED (AP) - A person familiar with the negotiations tells The
Associated Press that Terry Francona, the former manager of the
Boston Red Sox, has interviewed for the same job with the St. Louis
Cardinals. Francona managed the Red Sox for eight seasons and left
after they blew a nine-game lead in the American League wild card
race in September.
