In Brief

FOOTBALL

Former All-Pro Vrabel retires
to coach alma mater Ohio State

Former All-Pro outside linebacker Mike Vrabel believes his 14 years in the NFL will help him as an assistant coach at his alma mater.

After several days of speculation, Vrabel officially retired from the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday and also announced he was returning to Ohio State as a linebackers coach. He'll take the spot vacated by his former roommate and teammate, Luke Fickell, who was elevated to head coach after Jim Tressel was forced to resign on May 30.

Vrabel believes his playing days relate and translate to his new job. But that doesn't mean he'll often be sporting the three Super Bowl rings he won with the New England Patriots.

"People know that you won the Super Bowl and you helped contribute to a championship team," he said. "I don't anticipate, you know, putting three rings on and going out on a recruiting trip."

The 35-year-old Vrabel played four years for the Pittsburgh Steelers, eight seasons with the Patriots and, for the past two years, the Kansas City Chiefs. He said working with so many young players on the Chiefs roster was good preparation for a coaching career.

Also: ESPN is suing Ohio State, alleging the school violated state public records law by denying requests for items related to an NCAA investigation that has led to the loss of football coach Jim Tressel and star quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

The lawsuit filed in the Ohio Supreme Court asks justices to order the university to release the records and pay attorney fees and court costs. Among records sought are correspondences referring to Ted Sarniak, reportedly a mentor of Pryor in his hometown Jeannette, Pa.

A California deputy shot and killed a former running back for the Cincinnati Bengals in front of a Bakersfield convenience store after he allegedly hit an officer with a bag holding two cans of beer.

David Lee "Deacon" Turner, 56, played with the Bengals from 1978 to 1980 and had a long arrest history after his playing career was finished.

Deputies who were investigating reports of teenagers asking adults to buy alcohol and cigarettes approached Turner on Sunday as he left the convenience store with his 19-year-old son and a 16-year-old juvenile.

The deputies detained Turner while they investigated. The sheriff's office said Turner initially complied but then decided to leave, and the scuffle occurred when deputies tried to stop the former NFL player. Deputy Aaron Nadal was hit on the back of the head with a bag holding two, 24-ounce cans of beer before Deputy Wesley Kraft drew his handgun and fired twice at Turner, authorities said.

MISCELLANEOUS

Tour cyclists Contador, Schleck
prepare for taxing stretch run

Defending champion Alberto Contador and main rival Andy Schleck have yet to properly test each other in this year's Tour de France -- they have been too busy avoiding serious injury in nine days of manic racing, which came to a temporary halt with a rest day in Thiezac.

Although Contador already has crashed twice, the Spaniard was somewhat lucky to escape with just a bruised right knee, given that several other riders had to drop out with more serious injuries. They include Kazakh star Alexandre Vinokourov (broken thighbone) and Britain's Bradley Wiggins (broken collarbone).

Schleck is 1 minute, 30 seconds ahead of Contador in the overall standings, and 11 seconds behind two-time Tour runner-up Cadel Evans of Australia, the other main contender.

Also, Alexandr Kolobnev of Russia became the first cyclist at this year's Tour de France to fail a doping test, the International Cycling Union said. Kolobnev was in 69th place heading into today's 10th stage, but his Katusha team issued a statement saying he is out of the Tour after deciding to "suspend himself according to UCI rules."

Also: Police charged three parents -- including the town prosecutor -- with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct after a brawl during a youth baseball tournament put a player in a hospital, a Castle Rock, Colo., city official said.

The fight involved at least six adults during a game for 12-year-olds, and police were still trying to sort out what triggered the brawl and who was involved, KUSA-TV reported.

The defendants insisted they were trying to protect their children from attack.

Jaroslav Jirik, the first Czech allowed to play in the NHL during the country's communist era, died in a plane crash. He was 71.

Jirik died in the city of Brno, about 125 miles from Prague. His ultralight one-seater crashed shortly after takeoff from the Brno Medlanky airport and caught fire, police said.

A hospital official says former Argentina star and coach Diego Maradona sustained only minor injuries when his car and a bus collided in Buenos Aires, Argentina.