In Brief
FOOTBALL
Hall of Famer Selmon recalled
for his great humility, humanity
Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon was remembered Friday as a ferocious football player whose gentleness and commitment to helping people off the field defined him as a man.
The 1979 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and former University of South Florida athletic director died Sunday, two days after suffering a stroke at his home. He was 56.
"He was a man of great dignity, great humility, great humanity, and we will miss him," USF president Judy Genshaft told hundreds of friends, family and former teammates during a three-hour service at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla. "He set the standard, and now it is our turn to carry it forward."
Selmon was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 draft, the first-ever player selected by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers following a standout college career at Oklahoma, where he and older brother Dewey Selmon helped the Sooners win national championships in 1974 and 1975.
A second funeral will be held today in Oklahoma City, near the small town of Eufaula, where Selmon was born.
Also: Court documents show suspended Louisiana State quarterback Jordan Jefferson and reserve linebacker Josh Johns told police they were not part of a bar fight that led to their arrests on felony battery charges.
The players have not spoken publicly about the fight, and police have not disclosed what the players told them when questioned about the brawl in a bar parking lot near campus.
The documents, obtained by The Associated Press, are affidavits that police filed when asking a judge to grant search warrants for the players' apartments. The affidavits say both players acknowledged being at the scene of the Aug. 19 fight, but "denied any involvement in the altercation."
Ohio State announced that three football players suspended for taking $200 at a Cleveland charity event earlier this year will miss today's Toledo game.
Adding to the football team's recent troubles, a statement by the NCAA indicated the university will face more scrutiny over the most recent rules transgression. The "facts submitted by the university have raised further questions that need to be answered before the reinstatement process is complete," the NCAA said.
The university said starting tailback Jordan Hall and cornerback Travis Howard and backup safety Corey Brown won't play in the 15th-ranked Buckeyes' game against Toledo.
Miami quarterback Jacory Harris publicly apologized to the university and its fans for his role in an extra-benefits scandal and acknowledged making mistakes as a freshman.
It was the first time Harris had spoken out about the investigation since the NCAA ordered him and seven other players to sit out at least one game for taking gifts from former booster and convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro. In all, 12 players had to make charitable donations after an investigation by the university and NCAA found those players took money or gifts.
Harris will resume playing when Miami hosts Ohio State on Sept. 17.
Suspended Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso was reinstated for today's home opener against UNR.
Alonso was suspended indefinitely by Ducks coach Chip Kelly following an alcohol-related offense in the offseason.
Brett Greenwood, a former starting safety at Iowa, was hospitalized after collapsing during a workout in Bettendorf, Iowa.
A spokeswoman for Trinity Medical Center said Greenwood was taken there in critical condition. He's since been transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. That hospital said it could not provide any information.
GOLF
U.S. Walker Cup team to use
Sept. 11 letter for inspiration
U.S Walker Cup captain Jim Holtgrieve plans to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this weekend when his golfers play a team from Britain and Ireland in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Holtgrieve says he has a "special letter" that he'll read to the team Sunday morning.
The Walker Cup is named after the grandfather of former President George H.W. Bush and great-grandfather of George W. Bush.
The match-play tournament opens today at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club with four morning alternate-shot matches and eight afternoon singles matches. On Sunday, there are four morning alternate-shot matches and 10 afternoon singles matches.
Jordan Speith and Peter Uihlein lead the U.S. team.
Also: Stacy Lewis and Yani Tseng shot 5-under 66s and were tied for the first-round lead at the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Ark.
Tseng, the world's No. 1 player and the defending champion, eagled the par-5 18th hole with a downhill 6-foot putt to cap her round. Lewis, playing one group behind, birdied the 18th with a 5-foot putt to tie for the lead.
Lewis, a former All-American at Arkansas and the hometown favorite, had three birdies in her last four holes.
Stephen Dodd of Wales shot 6 under for the first 13 holes of his second round to stand at 8 under for the tournament before darkness forced 78 players to abandon their rounds at the KLM Open in Hilversum, Netherlands.
Shiv Kapur of India shot 3-under 67 to take the clubhouse lead at 7-under 133, and U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy surged into contention with a 65 in his second round.
MISCELLANEOUS
Russian jet's engines working
at time of crash, experts say
All three engines on a Russian jet that slammed into a riverbank were operating up until the moment of the crash, and the plane's stabilizer and flaps were in a proper position for takeoff, Russian experts said.
Still, the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee, which is conducting the crash probe, had no conclusions yet about the cause of the crash that killed 43 people, mostly members of a top Russian hockey team, including former Las Vegas Thunder players Ruslan Salei and Pavol Demitra.
The comments came as aviation experts examined flight data recorders from the crashed plane and began safety checks on Yak-42 jets nationwide.
The chartered Yak-42 jet crashed Wednesday into the sides of the Volga River on a sunny, clear day moments after taking off near Yaroslavl, a city 150 miles northeast of Moscow.
Also: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger skated for the first time since offseason back surgery.
Pronger missed the majority of the past postseason and had surgery to remove a herniated disc from his spinal cord.
Three-time national champion Connecticut signed a deal with Morale Entertainment Foundation to play in the second edition of the Carrier Classic basketball game in 2012 aboard an aircraft carrier on San Diego Bay.
Mike Whalen, director of the Morale Entertainment Foundation, said UConn's opponent could be Kansas, Texas, Florida, Arizona or Illinois.
The inaugural Carrier Classic will be played Nov. 11 -- Veterans Day -- between North Carolina and Michigan State on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson at North Island Naval Air Station, across the bay from downtown San Diego.
Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers are interested in signing David Beckham when his Major League Soccer contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy expires at the end of the year.
The 36-year-old midfielder trained with Tottenham during the last MLS offseason, and manager Harry Redknapp is interested in signing him in January.
The UNLV volleyball team gave up a two-game lead, but ultimately held on to beat Southern Utah in five games, 25-17, 25-21, 22-24, 18-25, 15-9, in the UNLV Invitational at Cox Pavilion.
Makenzie Moea'i led UNLV (4-3) with 17 kills, and Candice Thomas (13), Madeline Westman (12) and Sekola Falemaka (11) also reached double-digit kills. Stephanie Thelen had 55 assists, and Daryn Glenn had 15 digs.
San Francisco scored twice in the final 14 minutes to beat the UNLV men's soccer team 2-1 in the UNLV Invitational at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
Junior Robert Garcia gave the Rebels (1-3) the lead in the 21st minute, but the Dons (1-3) picked up their first victory of the season on goals by Sixto Porras in the 77th minute and Miguel Aguilar in the 86th.
The UNLV women's soccer team lost to Pacific 2-0 at Stockton, Calif. Pacific got both its goals in the first half, with Alex Topp's score in the 10th minute proving to be the game winner.
The Rebels (2-4-1) were outshot 11-6.
