IN BRIEF

DRUGS AND SPORTS

Judge denies plea deal in steroids leak case

A San Francisco federal judge took the unusual step Thursday of rejecting a plea deal for an attorney who admitted leaking the grand jury testimony of elite athletes to two newspaper reporters.

Troy Ellerman's lawyer and federal prosecutors had agreed on a range of punishments, from 15 to 24 months, after Ellerman pleaded guilty to allowing two San Francisco Chronicle reporters to view transcripts of grand jury testimony from Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and other athletes embroiled in the government's steroids investigation.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said both recommendations were too low and that, as a lawyer, Ellerman "should be held to a higher standard of conduct."

"The court hereby rejects the plea agreement and refuses to be bound thereby," White said, declaring that Ellerman had "corrupted several different aspects of the criminal justice system," particularly the grand jury.

Also: Oklahoma identified two drinks containing amino acids as the impermissible nutritional supplements it provided to football players last season, resulting in a secondary violation of NCAA rules.

The university said it gave players Cytomax and Endurox R4, which it identified as "ready-to-drink health supplements." Oklahoma said both supplements "are permissible substances for NCAA student-athletes to ingest, although it is impermissible for NCAA members to provide the products to student-athletes."

Cycling's governing body recommended a two-year doping ban for Ivan Basso, the star Italian rider who won the 2006 Giro d'Italia.

The Italian Olympic Committee's doping prosecutors asked last month that Basso be banned for 21 months. Basso has a hearing scheduled before the Italian cycling federation today, after which his ban will be decided.

MISCELLANEOUS

Roddick wins with help from replay system

Andy Roddick benefited from the replay system at Queen's Club, then held on to beat Alex Bogdanovic of Britain 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the third round of the Wimbledon warmup tournament.

Roddick, who had 22 aces, was tied at 5-5 in the tiebreaker when he challenged a call. The decision was overturned, giving the American a set point and taking away a match point for his 117th-ranked opponent.

Also: North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams will be the featured speaker at UNR's 39th annual governor's dinner on July 21, school officials said.

Williams, a six-time national coach of the year who was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year, is only the third coach to lead two schools to an NCAA championship game.

The dinner fundraiser for the school's athletic program will be held at the Governor's Mansion in Carson City.

Former NBA player Byron Houston was arrested on an indecent exposure charge.

A woman called police around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday to report that a man was masturbating at an intersection in northwestern Oklahoma City, police Master Sgt. Gary Knight said. Officers found Houston in the driver's seat of a vehicle with his underwear on the floorboard, and the woman positively identified him, Knight said.

Jockey Andrew Lakeman, 32, is paralyzed from the waist down following a spill during a May 25 race at Belmont Park, the Daily Racing Form reported.

Brigham Young hired former Cougars point guard Terry Nashif as an assistant men's basketball coach.

Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg will resign next month to take a job with the Big Ten Network.