NCAA finds Jarrett violated benefit rules
Southern California’s Dwayne Jarrett violated NCAA rules by not paying enough rent for the apartment he shared with Matt Leinart and was declared ineligible – though the All-America receiver might not miss any playing time.
Jarrett must apply for reinstatement with the NCAA before he can play this season and he might have to repay several thousand dollars to Leinart’s father, who paid most of the rent.
NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said Friday a case like this can be resolved in three ways: a student-athlete can be denied reinstatement; regain eligibility with no conditions attached; or be required to miss games and/or pay back the extra benefit.
USC’s compliance office requested the NCAA’s assistance in determining whether a violation had occurred because Jarrett paid less than half of what Leinart’s father said was a $3,866-per-month lease.
•Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns apologized in his first public statement since being charged with assaulting his wife last month.
Droughns is charged with one count of assault and two counts of harassment. An arrest report said Droughns threw his wife, Kellie, out the door of their suburban Denver home May 12 after she said she wanted a divorce.
• Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson pulled groin muscles during minicamp and was taken off the field on a cart.
•San Diego Chargers center Nick Hardwick agreed to a six-year contract that will run through the 2011 season.
Tennis
Nadal loses for first time in three months
French Open champion Rafael Nadal lost for the first time in nearly three months when he retired in the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club in London with a sore left shoulder.
The top-seeded Spaniard won the first set 6-3 against Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who won the second by the same score. Nadal needed treatment on his serving shoulder during changeovers, and retired after the second set.
•Roger Federer saved four match points and overcame 57 unforced errors to beat Olivier Rochus 6-7 (2), 7-6 (9), 7-6 (5) at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, for his 39th straight win on grass.
Federer can equal Bjorn Borg’s record of 41 straight wins on grass if he wins the title Sunday. Borg set his mark from 1976-81.
•Mark Philippoussis, the 2003 Wimbledon runner-up, was one of eight men who received wild-card invitations to play in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Jelena Dokic, a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2000, was given a wild-card entry into the women’s qualifying event.
College basketball
SDSU’s Heath steps out of draft
Brandon Heath, the Mountain West Conference player of the year, withdrew his name from the NBA draft and will return to San Diego State for his senior season. Heath didn’t hire an agent, and the decision to withdraw before the Sunday deadline allows Heath to retain his eligibility.
•Villanova point guard Kyle Lowry will remain in the NBA draft and forego his final two years of eligibility.
•South Carolina forward Renaldo Balkman has hired an agent and will enter the NBA draft later this month.
•Rice guard Morris Almond withdrew his name from NBA draft consideration and will return for his senior season.
•Ohio State’s 7-foot prize recruit Greg Oden had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist and is expected to be out of basketball at least several months.