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Scholarship transfer from Maryland accepted to USF

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published June 27, 2006

TAMPA - Former Maryland linebacker Marvin Peoples has been accepted to USF, the last step in his transfer on scholarship to the Bulls. Peoples, a three-star recruit out of Apopka last spring, said he'll start summer classes at USF on Monday.

He has written a letter to the NCAA seeking a hardship waiver allowing him to play in the fall.

COACHING POSITION: Calvin Smith, a gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics, has submitted his name to be considered for USF's opening for track coach.

Smith, 45, has worked as an assistant coach at Freedom High but is interested in returning to college.

USF is seeking a successor to Greg Thiel, who resigned last month and is now athletic director at The Cambridge School in Tampa.

AWARDS: USF linebacker Stephen Nicholas and offensive tackle Thed Watson have been named honorable mention preseason All-America by Street & Smith's magazine. The duo is also All-Big East in the magazine along with cornerback Mike Jenkins and receiver Amarri Jackson.

USF VOLLEYBALL: Coach Claire Lessinger announced the signing of outside hitter Jarka Havlickova.

CYCLING

Armstrong denies rumors of threats against LeMond

Lance Armstrong denied that he threatened three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond.

LeMond told French newspaper L'Equipe Dimanche he had testified in a legal dispute involving Armstrong.

"He threatened my wife, my business, my life," LeMond told the newspaper. "His biggest threat consisted of saying he would find 10 people to testify that I took EPO. Of course, he didn't find a single one."

DOPING: All 20 cyclists on Spanish cycling team Comunidad Valenciana expelled from next month's Tour de France voluntarily gave blood tests, looking to clear their names in a nationwide doping scandal.

NFL

Losses lead to lawsuit

Seven prof football players sued the NFL and the NFL Players Association, saying the organizations approved unfit financial advisers and caused them to lose $20-million.

The NFL and the union approved the services of Kirk Wright and Nelson Keith Bond, heads of the bankrupt hedge fund International Management Associates LLC, without doing background checks, the players said in a June 23 federal court suit in Atlanta.

ET cetera

ESPYS: Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan has been nominated for an ESPN ESPY award in the category of Best Coach/Manager. Other candidates for the ESPY award are Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cower; Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen; Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and George Mason men's basketball coach Jim Larranaga.

TRACK: Dwain Chambers' European 100-meter title was erased along with his other results in the past 1½ years because of the British sprinter's doping record. ... Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou dropped their doping appeals.

PARIMUTUELS: Qualifying for the St. Petersburg Derby at Derby Lane has been reduced to one round tonight with the top four in the two races advancing the championship. It also canceled the Wednesday night performance and will offer only matinee racing. ... John Velazquez was chosen chairman of the Jockeys' Guild board of directors.

--Times staff writer Greg Auman and information from Times wires contributed to this report.

[Last modified June 27, 2006, 01:00:57]