Judge rules against retired NFL players
NFL: A lawsuit filed against the NFL Players Association by retirees was dismissed Tuesday by a federal judge, who said she’s “empathetic to their concerns” but ruled they had no legal right to hundreds of millions of dollars in additional post-career benefits they claimed they lost during lockout talks last year.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson issued her order from St. Paul, Minn.
Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller, a former Minnesota Vikings star, was the lead plaintiff in the complaint that argued current players and their attorneys had no right to bargain with NFL owners about retiree benefits because they weren’t legally a union last summer.
Michael Hausfeld, the lead lawyer for the retired players, said his group plans to appeal Nelson’s decision to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.
In an interview from his office in Washington, Hausfeld called Nelson’s findings “elucidating and disappointing overall.” There were several dozen ex-players, many of them Hall of Famers, on the lawsuit who felt they were cheated by the current players. They estimated they were promised between $300 million and $500 million in additional benefits in the early stages of collective bargaining agreement talks and didn’t get them when the labor dispute was settled last summer.
They contended they were pushed out of negotiations to streamline the mediation process despite a court order for their inclusion. Those labor talks led to the new CBA between the owners and players and saved the 2011 season.
The lawsuit named NFLPA boss DeMaurice Smith, New England quarterback Tom Brady and former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel. Brady and Vrabel were plaintiffs on the antitrust lawsuit filed by the current players against the NFL in March before the lockout.
The union’s response to the complaint was filed under seal, and the NFLPA has declined to comment on the case.
Prosecution rests case against Clemens
BASEBALL: It took 23 witnesses over 19 days of testimony for prosecutors to make their case against Roger Clemens, with three jurors and two minor pieces of the indictment dismissed by the time they were done. With the overlong-running trial now in its seventh week and Clemens’ lawyers starting to take their turn, the case remains focused on the credibility of one person — Brian McNamee.
The government rested in the perjury trial of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, wrapping up with a witness from Wall Street and two from the FBI. Two invoked the name of McNamee, the longtime Clemens strength coach who says he injected the ex-pitcher with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and with human growth hormone in 2000.
The defense is expected to take about two weeks to call its witnesses. The trial has already exceeded the original estimate of four to six weeks stated by the judge at the start of jury selection.
Clemens is charged with two counts of perjury, three counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of Congress. All relate to his testimony at a hearing in February 2008 and his deposition that preceded it.
The heart of the case is the allegation that Clemens lied when he said he had never used steroids or HGH, but the obstruction count included 15 statements, or “acts,” in which Clemens is alleged to have misled Congress on a variety of issues. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton dismissed two of those acts Tuesday.
Thirteen alleged misleading statements remain in the charges. The government needs to prove only one to gain a conviction for obstruction of Congress.
Alabama leads SEC rivals in NCAA golf
GOLF: Freshman Justin Thomas shot a 70 to help Alabama take a three-shot lead over SEC rivals Florida and Auburn after the first round at the NCAA Division I men’s championships at Pacific Palisades, Calif.
The Crimson Tide shot a 1-over 285.
UCLA’s Anton Arboleda had the best score of the day, a 4-under 67, and leads by a shot over Corey Conners of Kent State and Tyler McCumber of Florida.
Washington is 20th at 296. UW’s Chris Williams of Moscow, Idaho, shot a 75 and is tied for 81st.
• Couples back as captain: Fred Couples returns for a third stint as U.S. captain for the Presidents Cup, with a different captain trying to beat him.
Nick Price, a three-time major champion from Zimbabwe, has been selected to lead the International team in 2013. Greg Norman was the International team captain the last two times.
The Presidents Cup will be played Oct. 3-6 at Muirfield Village.
Tinkle’s new contract has ‘money games’
MISCELLANY: The new three-year contract for Montana men’s basketball coach Wayne Tinkle includes a requirement that the Griz generate at least $80,000 each year in game guarantees.
It also allows Tinkle and his assistants to share any additional money up to $150,000 brought in by the so-called “money games.”
The contract sets Tinkle’s base pay at $135,000 a year, along with various benefits including a $500 monthly vehicle allowance, pay for appearing on coaches’ shows and bonuses for his team’s academic and athletic success.
“Money games” are road games played against larger schools in exchange for a guaranteed payment to the visiting school. In recent years, Montana has played Colorado State, UCLA, Oregon and Washington.
“I like playing bigger teams anyway,” Tinkle said. “It’s a good experience for our guys.”
The Griz beat UCLA during the 2010-11 season and Oregon the year before.
• Iowa State coach receives raise: Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg’s successful second season landed him a new contract with a hefty raise.
The school announced that the former Cyclones star and longtime NBA player has agreed to an eight-year deal worth an average of $1.5 million
The Cyclones won 23 games last season and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005, beating Connecticut before losing to eventual national champion Kentucky.
• Butler joining A-10 early: Butler is leaving the Horizon League and joining the Atlantic 10 sooner than expected.
School officials say the two leagues were able to accommodate a quicker move.
The Atlantic 10 says it will compete as a 16-team league.