DENVER - Colorado receiver Jeremy Bloom was denied an injunction against the NCAA on Thursday, hurting his bid to play football while collecting endorsement money from his pro skiing career.
The Colorado Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that Bloom failed to show he would probably win his case or that the NCAA was inconsistent in applying its rules.
Bloom's attorney, Peter Rush, said the decision does not preclude a trial. He said previous NCAA rulings are inconsistent with its current stance in Bloom's case.
"It is still my intention to play college football," Bloom said in a statement. "It is the NCAA's responsibility to determine if I will be eligible for collegiate competition next fall."
NCAA spokesman Jeff Howard said rules bar endorsement earnings, though student-athletes can earn a salary if they compete in a different sport. He said it is up to Bloom to decide what he wants to do and warned he could be sanctioned if he accepts endorsements.
Rush has filed an affidavit from San Diego Chargers wide receiver Tim Dwight in support of Bloom. Dwight said the NCAA allowed him to run track at Iowa and keep money from endorsements he made while playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
The NCAA said the cases are different because Dwight stopped accepting endorsement money when an NCAA reinstatement process began.
Arkansas AD admits to using slur
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles acknowledged during Nolan Richardson's trial against the university he used a racial slur at a banquet in 2000.
Broyles testified he "regrettably" used the word in front of people attending the banquet when he repeated a question by Razorback Foundation board member Jim Lindsey. Lindsey, a former Arkansas football player, is a wealthy developer on the university's board.
According to Broyles, the question was about the differences of slurs used by people of different races. During a break in testimony, Broyles said it was the only time he ever used the slur.
Richardson was fired as basketball coach March 1, 2002. He filed a discrimination lawsuit claiming wrongful termination against the university, its leaders and the nonprofit Razorback Foundation. Richardson said he was fired because he is black and outspoken. The school said Richardson was fired because he asked to have his contract bought out, which it took as a sign he had lost confidence in the program.
In other testimony, Broyles said he held the football and basketball programs to different standards because of the different qualities of opponents and nature of the sports. Richardson attorney John Walker said football coach Houston Nutt received a $100,000 bonus one year after beating Alabama, but weeks after the basketball team beat a nationally ranked Crimson Tide team, Richardson was fired.
Broyles also said he gave Richardson a positive evaluation in 2001 in an effort to boost recruiting for the Razorbacks' program, not because Richardson was doing a good job.
CANISIUS DEATH: Junior forward Richard Jones died suddenly because of a genetically enlarged heart, an Erie (N.Y.) County medical examiner determined in an autopsy. The medical examiner's ruling, which listed "natural causes" as the reason for death, was released by the school at the request of the player's family. Jones, 21, collapsed Wednesday about 20 minutes after beginning a workout, which was under the supervision of the coaching staff, with several teammates.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: LSU center Treynell Clavelle and guard Amber Long will transfer, coach Pokey Chatman said. Clavelle averaged 3.7 points and 3.3 and will enroll at Louisiana-Lafayette. Long averaged 1.4 points in a limited role for the Tigers as a freshman.
Also, former Washington Mystics general manager Melissa McFerrin was named coach at American University. McFerrin joins the Eagles after two seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota, where she helped the Golden Gophers reach the Final Four this past season.
PRICE LAWSUIT: A federal judge cleared the way for Sports Illustrated to appeal a decision that would have forced the magazine to reveal sources used in a story about former Alabama football coach Mike Price. In December, U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith ruled Alabama's law allowing media outlets to protect sources' identities did not apply to magazines. Price filed a $20-million lawsuit against Time Inc., which publishes SI, over a story about the night of heavy drinking that led to Price's firing last year.
GOLF: The Florida State women (308) were eighth in the NCAA East Region at Howey-In-the-Hills, 22 shots behind leader Duke. Miami (309) was ninth and Florida (310) 10th.
SOFTBALL: Megan Brown tied a school record with her 30th win of the year and hit a two-run double in her first plate appearance of the season, but Stacey Bronson's clutch pitching in the final two innings gave host Florida Southern a 3-2 win against Tampa in the second round of the NCAA Division II South Region tournament. The top-seeded Moccasins (49-5) scored all three runs in the second. Julianne Coleman also had 30 wins in a season. The Spartans missed several opportunities, stranding 11 runners and twice leaving the bases loaded.
