In Brief

college athletics

Oklahoma regents expected to vote on Kruger's contract

The University of Oklahoma's Board of Regents is expected to vote Thursday on the contract terms of new Sooners basketball coach Lon Kruger.

The university has withheld details of the deal for Kruger, who reportedly doubled his salary to about $2.2 million annually when he was hired from UNLV by Oklahoma on April 1.

The agenda lists proposed salaries of $175,000 per year for newly hired assistants Lew Hill, Steve Henson and Chris Crutchfield, but the school is not disclosing Kruger's salary before the meeting. Kruger's director of basketball operations, Mike Shepherd, is set to make $100,000.

The university rejected an open records request for details of Kruger's contract, saying he is "not yet a formal employee," though he has been overseeing practices, recruiting players and drumming up support among students and fans.

Kruger is the only person listed among new appointees to the university -- for athletics and academics -- who doesn't have his proposed salary disclosed in the agenda. The university's open records said Kruger's deal is considered a job application and also falls under a protection for attorney-client privilege under the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

Also: UNLV junior Derek Ernst was named the Mountain West Conference men's golfer of the year for the second straight year.

Ernst, who won the MWC individual title Saturday, is fourth in the conference and first on the team with a 71.79 stroke average and has recorded 11 top-12 finishes and three top-fives.

Ernst and sophomore Kevin Penner were named to the all-conference team, and Blake Biddle was named freshman of the year. Ernst has made the team three straight years.

San Diego State's Ryan Donovan was named coach of the year.

UNLV senior third baseman Travis Feiner was named co-Mountain West baseball player of the week. He hit .444 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs.

UNLV second baseman Ashli Holland and pitcher Kylie Wagner were named the Mountain West's softball player and pitcher of the week. Holland hit .778 with four homers, nine RBIs and five runs. Wagner won two games.

pro basketball

Lakers' Bynum gets five-game suspension for flagrant foul

Lakers center Andrew Bynum was suspended for five games next season for his flagrant foul on Dallas guard J.J. Barea in Los Angeles' 122-86 loss Sunday that completed the Mavericks' 4-0 sweep in the NBA playoff series.

The NBA announced the suspension Tuesday, two days after Bynum was ejected for the foul late in the game. The league also fined Bynum $25,000 for ripping off his jersey while heading to the locker room, meaning the suspension will cost him more than $700,000.

Bynum expressed contrition for the episode after his exit interview at the Lakers' training complex earlier Tuesday, saying the foul was "terrible" and "unacceptable."

Bynum said his actions "don't represent me, my upbringing, this franchise or any of the Laker fans out there that want to watch us and want us to succeed," Bynum said. "I want to actually apologize to J.J. Barea for doing that. I'm just glad that he wasn't seriously injured in the event. All I can say is, I've looked at (a replay), it's terrible, and it definitely won't be happening again."

Bynum hit Barea with a flying elbow in the ribs while Barea drove to the basket for a layup. Bynum said he has tried to contact Barea to apologize personally.

Also: Larry Bird will remain with the Indiana Pacers as team president.

The Pacers made their first playoff appearance since 2006 in the final year of Bird's contract. They were 17-27 when they fired coach Jim O'Brien, but interim coach Frank Vogel went 20-18 and guided them to the playoffs, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round.

Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, a procedure that's expected to alleviate chronic knee pain. Recovery is expected to take four to six months for the former Duke star, who became a starter in February and scored in double figures in 22 of the final 28 games.

Miami Heat president Pat Riley and Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman were named co-recipients of the NBA Executive of the Year award for engineering overhauls that have propelled their teams to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

pro football

Vikings, Minneapolis suburb join forces for new stadium

The owners of the Minnesota Vikings said the team's future is in the suburbs, announcing a deal with Ramsey County to collaborate on a $1.1 billion retractable-roof football stadium about 10 miles north of their current home at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.

The deal between the Vikings and Ramsey County, announced to great fanfare at a news conference near the site, appeared to end the debate over the location of the team's long-sought stadium -- at least from the Vikings' perspective. But the team and its supporters still face a tough fight for approval in the dwindling days of Minnesota's legislative session.

The Vikings and Ramsey County proposed a stadium at the site of a former Army ammunition plant in the suburban city of Arden Hills. They said they want to build an $884 million stadium, with an additional $173 million for onsite infrastructure, parking and environmental cleanup, for a stadium that would open in spring 2015.

The Vikings would pay $407 million of construction costs, or 39 percent, and Ramsey County would pay $350 million (33 percent). But the necessary third leg of the funding, a proposed $300 million from the state of Minnesota plus an additional $100 million in transportation improvements to the area, was in question after a key state lawmaker called that total tab a "nonstarter."

Sen. Julie Rosen, the chief Senate sponsor of the bill, said there was no way she could get colleagues in the Legislature to support a state commitment higher than $300 million. She also pointed out state estimates pegged the transportation upgrades to cost at least $175 million.

Also: New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush insisted he was joking when he stirred up fans with posts on his Twitter account about enjoying free time during the NFL lockout.

Bush drew critical responses from several of his nearly 1.7 million Twitter followers when he posted: "Everybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot I'm making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! I'm good!" Bush then added in a second post moments later: "Right about now we would be slaving in 100 degree heat, practicing twice a day, while putting our bodies at risk for nothing."

The timing of the posts heightened criticism of Bush because he has been absent from workouts organized by quarterback Drew Brees that have drawn several dozen Saints players to Tulane's football facilities.

Alan Faneca, an eight-time All-Pro offensive guard, announced his retirement after 13 years in the NFL.

Faneca, 34, was the Pittsburgh Steelers' first-round draft pick in 1998. He played 10 seasons with Pittsburgh before signing a five-year, $40 million contract with the New York Jets in 2008. He was released in a salary dump after the 2009 season, and played with the Arizona Cardinals last year.

Faneca started every game for his last nine seasons and finished with a streak of 144 consecutive games played.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, who this year had a tryout with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer, has accepted a challenge from the Professional Bull Riders to ride a bull at the LucasOil Invitational this weekend in Duluth, Ga.

Ochocinco will make $10,000 if he rides a bull. If he stays aboard for the required eight seconds, the PBR will give him a new Ford F-150 and let him rename the bull.

Washington Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth did not grope a waitress at a hotel bar and intends to fight the accusations, his lawyer said in entering a not guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of sexual abuse. Haynesworth, who was not at his arraignment in D.C. Superior Court, is accused of sliding his credit card into the bra of a waitress and touching her breast during a birthday party at a Washington hotel in February.

Popular announcer Gus Johnson is joining Fox as its top college football play-by-play voice, after working for CBS since 1995. He called NFL games but was best known for the way his excitable style fit the NCAA Tournament.

miscellaneous

Nehro jockey, 24, found dead in vehicle at Churchill Downs

Jockey Michael Baze, who rode Kentucky Derby runner-up Nehro to his only victory, was found dead in his vehicle at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. There were no signs of foul play, and the case was being treated as a death investigation, a police spokeswoman said.

Baze, 24, rode Nehro to a victory Feb. 21 at Oaklawn. His last mount was April 29 at Keeneland, and he had 238 mounts this year, with 34 wins, 41 seconds and 38 thirds.

Corey Nakatani rode Nehro in Saturday's Derby.

Baze was a cousin of Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze, the all-time leading rider in thoroughbred racing.

Also: Soccer's governing body was hit with new corruption allegations when six FIFA executive committee members were accused of receiving or demanding bribes during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, according to evidence submitted to a British parliamentary inquiry by The Sunday Times newspaper.

The bidding contest was rocked even before the vote when The Sunday Times published in October details of an undercover investigation that led to two of FIFA's 24 executive committee members being suspended.

Manchester City qualified for the Champions League for the first time, beating Tottenham 1-0 in Manchester, England, to deny the London club a second successive season in Europe's elite team competition. The victory came on an own-goal by Peter Crouch.