IN BRIEF

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Longhorns star Charles to enter NFL Draft

Texas junior running back Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 1,619 yards this season, announced Wednesday he will leave the Longhorns to enter the NFL Draft.

Charles joined Ricky Williams, Earl Campbell and Cedric Benson as the only Longhorns to rush for more than 1,500 yards in a season.

Also: Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker will remain at UCLA under new coach Rick Neuheisel.

Walker, 47, served as interim coach in UCLA's 17-16 loss to No. 19 Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl after Karl Dorrell was fired on Dec. 3.

Virginia guard Branden Albert will forgo his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.

BASEBALL

Leyritz had suspended license before accident

Former World Series star Jim Leyritz had a suspended license before he was charged with driving under the influence and killing a woman last week in Florida.

New York State suspended the Florida license a month before the crash. Florida officials said Leyritz's license is still valid in the state, but they planned to suspend it soon, the state motor vehicles department said.

The 44-year-old ex-catcher was charged with DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage, police said. His 2006 Ford Expedition crashed at an intersection Friday, hitting the car of Fredia Ann Veitch, who was ejected from her 2000 Mitsubishi Montero and died at Broward General Medical Center.

Also: The Las Vegas 51s will bring back manager Lorenzo Bundy for his second season with the team.

The 51s also will retain hitting coach Mike Easler, and Jim Slaton is the team's new pitching coach.

Outfielder Reed Johnson and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a one-year contract worth $3,275,000.

MISCELLANEOUS

Gatlin to challenge four-year suspension

Olympic champion sprinter Justin Gatlin will challenge his four-year doping suspension and might take the case to federal court.

A three-member arbitration panel voted 2-1 to suspend Gatlin, who faced a possible eight-year ban for his second doping offense, in a 53-page ruling released Tuesday.

Under the panel's ruling, Gatlin would be eligible to run May 25, 2010. That would prevent him from defending his 100-meter title at the Beijing Olympics this August. If the sprinter can get his first offense erased, it probably would result in a two-year ban that would expire this May, a month before the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Also: A high school basketball player died after he collapsed during a game in Little Rock, Ark.

Anthony Hobbs, a 16-year-old junior at Parkview High School, collapsed during the first quarter as he was heading to the bench.

Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest had surgery on his right elbow and will miss three to four weeks.

Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and John Paddock of the Ottawa Senators were selected to coach the NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta on Jan. 27.

Las Vegas Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan will be one of the coaches for the National Conference at the ECHL All-Star Game in Stockton, Calif., on Jan. 23.

Serena Williams and Mardy Fish won singles matches in Perth, Australia, to give the United States a victory over Australia and a spot in Friday's Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis final. Williams beat Alicia Molik 6-2 7-6 (7), and Fish beat Peter Luczak, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10).