In Brief

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Notre Dame tight end Rudolph to have season-ending surgery

Notre Dame star tight end Kyle Rudolph will have season-ending surgery Friday to repair a torn hamstring, coach Brian Kelly said Wednesday.

Rudolph, injured in last week's win over Pittsburgh, will then probably need six months of rehabilitation. The 6-foot-6-inch, 265-pound junior, a top NFL prospect, has been a starter for the Irish since his freshman season. He had 28 catches and three touchdowns this season.

Also: Illinois offensive lineman Hugh Thornton was ordered to perform community service for violating the terms of his court supervision by using a friend's ID to get into a campus bar.

A Champaign County, Ill., judge sentenced the 19-year-old sophomore to 100 hours of community service and to pay $1,143 to the bar for damage caused by a fight in which he was allegedly involved. Both incidents occurred Sept. 26. Illinois spokesman Kent Brown said Thornton will play Saturday at No. 13 Michigan State after being suspended for two earlier games.

Thornton was on supervision for his 2009 arrest for unlawful consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Idaho's third-leading receiver, Maurice Shaw, was arrested on a drunken driving charge. Washington State University police arrested Shaw early Saturday in Pullman, Wash., after he failed a field sobriety test.

Idaho sports information director Becky Paull said the situation is being dealt with internally.

Freshman quarterback Chase Rettig has recovered from a sprained left ankle and is ready to start for Boston College's game against No. 14 Florida State.

SOCCER

Court holds up Red Sox owners' efforts to buy Liverpool team

Liverpool's proposed sale to the owners of the Boston Red Sox was stymied when its current American owners obtained an injunction in Texas blocking the deal for the English soccer club -- just as it was about to be approved.

Co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. announced the temporary restraining order by telephone to the three nonowning board members, who were meeting in London to complete a 300 million pound ($476 million) sale to New England Sports Ventures.

The Liverpool board responded by saying it had "resolved to complete the sale" and called the injunction "unwarranted and damaging." It said it would move swiftly to have the injunction "removed."

Hicks and Gillett called the attempted sale an "epic swindle" that undervalues the storied Premier League club. The Dallas court will hold a hearing on the case on Oct. 25, they said.

Hicks and Gillett, who said Liverpool should consider other potentially more lucrative offers, turned to the Texas court after a High Court judge in London ruled against their previous attempts to block the sale.

John Henry, the financier who heads NESV, arrived at the hastily called board meeting hoping to quickly complete the sale after the ruling in the British court. Hours later, the injunction was granted in Dallas.

MISCELLANEOUS

Renowned U.S. sprinter Smith to auction off 1968 gold medal

Former U.S. track star Tommie Smith is selling the gold medal he won at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where his Black Power salute on the podium shocked the sports world.

The former San Jose State runner has put his gold medal for the 200 meters and his spikes up for auction at New York-based M.I.T. Memorabilia. The bidding started at $250,000, and the sale is scheduled to close Nov. 4.

The 66-year-old Smith, who now lives in Georgia, declined comment to the San Jose Mercury News. M.I.T.'s Gary Zimet said Smith is selling the medal for the money, but also because he wants to share it with the public.

Also: The UNLV women's golf team took fifth at the 16-team Dale McNamara Invitational in Owasso, Okla.

The Rebels shot 18-over-par 306 in the third round for a 41-over 905 total, five strokes behind second-place Oklahoma State and Texas, but Oklahoma ran away with the team title at 13-over 877.

For the third straight tournament, UNLV's Therese Koelbaek took third individually, shooting 75 for a 2-over 218 total. Teammate Kristen Schelling tied for ninth at 223 in the 90-player field. Oklahoma's Ellen Mueller won at 7-under 209.

Roger Federer marked a winning return to play with another between-the-legs shot in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over American John Isner at the Shanghai Masters in Shanghai, China.

Federer played his first match since the U.S. Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

Andy Roddick retired from his match against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez because of a thigh injury while leading, 6-3, 2-3.

New Jersey Devils forward Brian Rolston will be out four to six weeks after he undergoes surgery today to repair a sports hernia.