Off the wire

— BASKETBALL Terps' coach gets extension

Maryland men's basketball Coach Gary Williams has received a one-year extension on his contract, which could keep him at the job into 2013. Williams' contract includes automatic extensions for achieving benchmark standards by the Terrapins, both athletically and academically. Williams is entering his 21st season as head coach at his alma mater. The extension takes the term of his contract through June 30, 2013. He is the winningest coach in Maryland history (418) and ranks sixth nationally among active coaches with 625 victories (625-357) in 31 seasons overall.

FOOTBALL Ex-Lion Rogers pleads guilty

Former Detroit Lions and Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers pleaded guilty Monday to a drunken-driving charge, operating a vehicle while visibly impaired. The 28-year-old Saginaw, Mich., native was arrested last Wednesday after police offices say he failed sobriety tests in the Detroit suburb of Novi. Sentencing was set for Nov. 10. Defense attorney Justin Barnett said he expects Rogers to receive probation. The second overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft went to jail for a 30-day sentence this year after violating probation in a domestic violence case.

MMA Walker signs contract

Herschel Walker is starting a new career in mixed martial arts. The 47-year-old former NFL running back said Monday that he has signed a multifight contract with promoter Strikeforce. Walker will begin a 12-week training camp next month in San Jose, Calif. The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner already holds a fifth-degree black belt in tae kwon do.

Former welterweight and super welterweight world champion Ricardo Mayorga will venture into mixed martial arts. In a news conference Monday, Mayorga, 35, said he anticipates his first MMA fight early next year. Mayorga, of Nicaragua, is in a legal dispute with promoter Don King and seeks a release from his boxing contract for an opportunity at an MMA career. Mayorga said he has not retired from boxing. In addition to pursuing his MMA aspirations, Mayorga would like to box again once he settles his legal dispute with King. Mayorga's last fight was a 12th-round knockout loss against Shane Mosley in September 2008. Mayorga, whose boxing record is 28-7-1 with 22 KOs, won the World Boxing Council welterweight title with a third-round technical knockout over Vernon Forrest in 2003 and lost the belt against Cory Spinks in a title unification fight the following year. In 2005, Mayorga defeated Michelle Piccirillo for the vacant WBC super-welterweight belt but lost the title in his first defense against Oscar De La Hoya.

TENNIS Nadal pulls out of Thai Open

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Thailand Open due to an injury sustained at the U.S. Open earlier this month. Nadal was advised by his doctor to withdraw from the Sept. 26-Oct. 4 tournament to recover from a stomach muscle problem, Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand, said Monday. An ultrasound found that Nadal had an "acute rupture of his right abdominal muscle" that will require physiotherapy, rest and medication for "two to three weeks," the chief doctor of the Spanish Tennis Federation said in a statement released by tournament organizers on Monday. Nadal lost his U.S. Open semifinal in straight sets to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who went on to capture his first Grand Slam title with an upset victory over top-ranked Roger Federer in the final. Nadal was forced to skip a title defense at Wimbledon because of sore knees.

Fifth-seeded Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland advanced to the second round of the Tashkent (Uzbekistan) Open by beating Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia 6-3, 7-5 Monday. Eighth-seeded Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan also advanced, beating Neuza Silva of Portugal 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan and Shahar Peer of Israel, who won her first title in three years at the Guangzhou Open in China last weekend, are also in the field of the $220,000 WTA Tour event.

Peter Luczak of Australia beat Karol Beck of Slovakia 7-5, 7-6 (6) Monday in the first round of the BCR Open Romania in Bucharest. Beck was up 5-1 in the second set before the 70th-ranked Australian rallied to win four consecutive games. The two-set match took 2 1 /2 hours.

HOCKEY Islanders' Morency suspended

New York Islanders forward Pascal Morency has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and five regular-season games after leaving the bench to start a fight in a game against the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. The NHL announced the suspension Monday. Morency has sat out two games and will miss New York's final three preseason games. Morency jumped off the bench after Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf knocked out Islanders forward Kyle Okposo with a hit in the second period of the Flames' victory Thursday. He started a brawl that included New York goalie Martin Biron. Okposo was immobilized and removed from the ice on a stretcher.

MOTOR SPORTS Bans given for F1 crash

Flavio Briatore has been banned indefinitely from Formula One activities, and team Renault received a suspended ban from the World Motor Sport Council on Monday in Paris for a crash ordered by top team officials during last year's Singapore Open. Nelson Piquet Jr., who received immunity from FIA, was told to crash in the race to help teammate Fernando Alonso win. The introduction of the safety car on the 13th lap after Piquet's crash helped Alonso win the race, as he had just made an early pit stop and could move up the field when the other cars had to refuel. Alonso, who attended the hearing in Paris, was cleared of any wrongdoing. Briatore quit as team principal last week. Engineering executive director Pat Symonds, who also left Renault last week, was banned for five years after expressing his "eternal regret and shame" that he participated in the conspiracy. Renault would be permanently disqualified from the sport if it breaks the FIA's rules within the next two years.

MOTOR SPORTS NASCAR asks for evaluations of Mayfield

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR asked a federal judge Monday to order a mental and physical examination on suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield to determine if he has a substanceabuse problem and/or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The filing in U.S. District Court includes three affidavits and one deposition from four people who claim to have witnessed Mayfield using methamphetamines multiple times since 1999.

The deposition is from former brother-in-law David Keith, who testified he witnessed Mayfield snort methamphetamine in his house, garage and car from 1998 through 2000. The deposition was taken Aug. 19, with attorneys for NASCAR and Mayfield in attendance, and Keith testifiedthe drivers' drug use escalated to daily usage.

NASCAR suspended Mayfield for failing a random drug test collected May 1 and said he twice tested positive for methamphetamines. Mayfield has denied using the illegal drug.

He is suing NASCAR, alleging his positive test result from May 1 came from the mix of the prescription drug Adderallfor ADHD and the allergy medication Claritin-D.

NASCAR asked U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen to order Mayfield to report for a psychiatric, neuropsychological and physical examination in November. NASCAR selected the physicians it wants to examine Mayfield.

Mayfield did not respond to a request for a comment.

Sports, Pages 14 on 09/22/2009

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