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© St. Petersburg Times, published December 14, 2001
TAMPA -- The attorney for South Florida player Lee Roy Selmon Jr. said he will file a response today in Hillsborough Circuit Court to the civil complaint brought against his client in late October.
Selmon, 20, was arrested Oct. 16 and charged with aggravated battery against Clint H. Lowman. The civil complaint was filed Oct. 31. Selmon had 20 days to respond, but Marcelino Huerta, Selmon's attorney, said he was granted an extension until today.
Lowman, a Hillsborough Community College student and St. Petersburg resident, alleges that Selmon, the son of USF's athletic director, attacked him at a party near the USF campus. Lowman suffered multiple broken facial bones.
Selmon, a graduate of Sickles High, played two seasons on the defensive line before redshirting this season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Selmon's father and USF coach Jim Leavitt have said they believe Selmon is innocent.
The lawsuit also names the apartment complex, at 3714 Jefferson Commons Drive, as a co-defendant.
AN O'LEARY OOPS: Notre Dame coach George O'Leary never earned a letter playing football at New Hampshire, even though his biography says he was awarded three.
In his bio in Georgia Tech's media guide, it states O'Leary earned three letters at New Hampshire at offensive line and fullback. O'Leary went to New Hampshire two years, and never made it into a game.
Notre Dame put the erroneous information in its release about hiring O'Leary.
John Heisler, Notre Dame associate athletic director, said O'Leary told him he was unaware of the error.
"It sounds like at some point somebody in our business put that in there and it wasn't right. Who knows why," Heisler said. "There was no intent to deceive anyone here."
The mistake dates at least to the 1987 Georgia Tech media guide, when O'Leary was defensive coordinator.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Maryland's Ralph Friedgen, who was named the AP coach of the year after leading the Terrapins to the ACC title and a berth in the Orange Bowl against Florida, is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson coaching award. Illinois' Ron Turner and Washington State's Mike Price are the others vying for the award that will be presented by the Football Writers Association of America on Jan. 10. Of the AP award, Friedgen said: "I'm very proud for the school, our assistant coaches, our players and our administration. I really think they all are represented by this award." Miami's Larry Coker was second with 14 votes, BYU first-year coach Gary Crowton was third with four votes and Colorado's Gary Barnett had three.
BOISE STATE: Quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and faces up to six months in jail if convicted. He was found unconscious behind the wheel of an idling car last month. The Boise city attorney's office said Dinwiddie was under the influence of GHB, known as the "date-rape drug."
KANSAS: New coach Mark Mangino hired SMU assistant Pat Henderson as secondary coach. Mangino will retain defensive line coach Travis Jones and tight ends and special-teams coach Clint Bowen.
KENTUCKY: Three players pleaded innocent to arson charges after a fire in a dormitory caused the evacuation of the building.
The three players, all freshmen who were redshirted, were in the Fayette County Detention Center. Bond was set at $5,000 each.
The three were suspended indefinitely pending the outcome of the investigation. Defensive back Brett Hamblen, 19, and defensive lineman Ben Scott, 19, were standout performers at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Ky. Offensive lineman Jeremy Darveau, 20, is from Hilton Head, S.C.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE: Virginia Tech assistant Rickey Bustle was named coach. Bustle will stay with the Hokies to call plays against Florida State in the Gator Bowl.
MIAMI: Quarterback Ken Dorsey and safety Edward Reed shared the team MVP award.
MISSISSIPPI: Defensive coordinator Don Lindsey is leaving after one season. Coach David Cutcliffe did not say whether Lindsey was fired or resigned.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: Safety Walter Burdett was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana after a traffic stop Tuesday.
-- Information from Times wires was used in this report.