Lawyer pleads guilty after leaks to reporters

A Colorado lawyer pleaded guilty Thursday to obstructing justice by leaking secret grand jury documents to two reporters covering the government’s probe of steroids in sports.

Troy Ellerman agreed to be sent to prison for as long as two years and fined up to $250,000 for the convictions.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White isn’t bound by the plea agreement and said he hasn’t decided whether to accept it. White said he could impose as much as a 15-year prison term at Ellerman’s sentencing, set for June 14.

At varying times, Ellerman represented two defendants in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid lab investigation and was privy to sensitive grand jury testimony that he leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Golf

Harrington takes lead

Padraig Harrington is a newcomer to the Nissan Open in Los Angeles, still not sure when to hit the brakes and when to fire at the flags. He chose the latter and zoomed past Phil Mickelson and everyone else at Riviera with an 8-under-par 63.

Harrington has a three-shot lead over Mickelson, Briny Baird and Pat Perez. Pullman native Kirk Triplett shot a 70.

•Paula Creamer shot a 5-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead with rookie Paige Mackenzie and veteran Sherri Steinhauer in the LPGA Tour’s season-opening SBS Open at Kahuku, Hawaii.

Julieta Granada was a stroke back at 68 along with Natalie Gulbis, Sung Ah Yim and Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash. Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum is tied for 35th at 72.

Football

Chargers, Ryan meet

Flashing a Super Bowl ring, Rex Ryan spoke about how he’d love to win an NFL championship with the San Diego Chargers.

“That would be something that we’d be targeting. We’d like to get several of those,” Ryan said after emerging from his interview with the Chargers.

Ryan is the son of former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan, who was the defensive coordinator when the 1985 Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl.

•While Jerry Jones expects Terrell Owens to still be with the Dallas Cowboys next season, the team owner stopped short of guaranteeing that before his induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame at Waco.

•Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher will be an analyst for CBS on the network’s “The NFL Today” studio show next season.

•A second son of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid was charged with drug violations, just days after the coach took a leave of absence to deal with family matters.

Garrett Reid, 23, was charged with 14 misdemeanor offenses stemming from a high-speed traffic accident in suburban Philadelphia on Jan. 30.

•New York Giants offensive tackle Bob Whitfield announced his retirement, ending a 15-year career with three teams that was highlighted by a Pro Bowl selection and a Super Bowl start.

Tennis

Blake tumbles

Croatian Ivo Karlovic, ranked 103rd in the world, upset second-seeded American James Blake 6-7 (4), 7-6 (11), 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the SAP Open at San Jose, Calif.