LITTLE ROCK — FOOTBALL

Jets cut five

The New York Jets cleared about $31 million in salary cap space by cutting veteran linebackers Bart Scott and Calvin Pace and three other players. Safety Eric Smith, backup offensive lineman Jason Smith, and tight end Josh Baker also were released Tuesday. The moves were expected because New York entered the offseason more than $20 million over the cap for the 2013 season. Scott has been slowed by injuries and had surgery in the offseason to repair torn ligaments in his right big toe. The 32-year-old linebacker had just 60 tackles last year and saw his streak of 119 consecutive games end because of the toe injury. Scott was due to make $6.9 million next season, and saves the Jets $7.1 million on the cap with his release. Pace, a 2003 first-round pick by Arizona, spent his first five seasons with the Cardinals before signing a six-year deal with the Jets in 2008. He had seven sacks in his first season in New York, and eight the following year, but struggled with various injuries and his role changed at times, limiting him to13 sacks - including just three last season - in the past three years.

The Kansas City Chiefs have released wide receiver Steve Breaston and tight end Kevin Boss. Breaston was lured to Kansas City in 2011 by former Coach Todd Haley and General Manager Scott Pioli, and signed a $22.5 million, five-year deal. But he fell out of favor last season under Coach Romeo Crennel, catching 7 passes for 74 yards in 10 games. Boss signed $9 million, three-year deal last offseason, but only had three catches for 65 yards before sustaining a season-ending concussion in Week 2 against Buffalo.

Billy Cannon’s family said the former LSU Heisman Trophy winner was hospitalized Tuesday after suffering a stroke. In an emailed statement, the family said Cannon, 75, “is alert and resting.” Cannon was transported by ambulance from the state penitentiary at Angola, La., at about 12:30 p.m., said Cathy Fontenot, a spokesman for the prison. Cannon has been director of the prison’s dental program for about 15 years. Hewon the 1959 Heisman Trophy after starring at LSU. He went on to a successful pro career in the American Football League with the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders, and after football went to dental school. In 1983, Cannon was arrested on federal counterfeiting charges. He ultimately pleaded guilty, served halfof a five-year sentence and came out broke. Though tarnished for a time, Cannon’s reputation has been rebuilt through his work at the penitentiary, where he tries to serve as a positive example for inmates, and through his routine participation in LSU events.

New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis says the club has cut veteran tight end David Thomas and third-year cornerback Johnny Patrick. The 6-3, 248-pound Thomas joined the Saints in a 2009 trade with New England. He missed much of 2011 because of two concussions, but returned in 2012 and played in 15 games, catching 11 passes for 86 yards and 4 touchdowns. The 5-11, 191-pound Patrick was New Orleans’ second third-round draft choice in 2011 and played in 24 games over two seasons with one start. He was credited with 29 tackles on defense and six on special teams.

BOXING Mayweather sets fight

Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight Robert Guerrero on May 4, and he’s changing television networks to do it. The boxing star dropped a surprise Tuesday while announcing his long-rumored next bout: After several years on HBO, Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) is moving to Showtime with a multifight deal. The fight against Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KOs), the WBC’s interim welterweight champion, likely will be at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

BASKETBALL Gray’s season over

Duke women’s star Chelsea Gray will miss the rest of the season with a dislocated right kneecap. Coach Joanne P. McCallie disclosed the severity of Gray’s injury Tuesday. The fifth-ranked Blue Devils’ point guard was hurt with 8:07 left in the first half of Sunday’s game against Wake Forest. She landed awkwardly on her knee while going for a rebound and was fouled by Dearica Hamby. Gray averages 12.6 points for Duke and leads the Atlantic Coast Conference with averages of 5.4 assists and 3.6 steals.

ATHLETICSMiami receives notice of allegations

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Miami has finally received its notice of allegations from the NCAA, a long-awaited document accuses the Hurricanes of a “lack of institutional control” within its athletic department.

The allegations arrived on Tuesday. The institutional-control charge is typically one of the most severe the NCAA can bring after an investigation of rules violations. The governing body for college athletics declined comment Tuesday, one day after revealing that it was erasing some elements of its case against Miami because the information was obtained in impermissible ways.

“We deeply regret any violations, but we have suffered enough,” Miami President Donna Shalala said in a statement Tuesday night.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that several former members of Miami coaching staffs are named in the notice of allegations, including Missouri basketball Coach Frank Haith, who was with the Hurricanes in 2004-2011.

Next up: The sanctions phase, where Miami’s penalties will be decided. The Hurricanes have already self-imposed several sanctions, including sitting out two bowl games and a conference football championship game. Shalala said Monday she believes those punishments should be enough.

This saga started in September 2010, when the university told the NCAA that convicted Ponzi scheme architect and former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro made allegations to the school against former players. Shapiro said he interacted mostly with football players and recruits, as well as a significantly smaller number ofmen’s basketball players.

Shapiro is serving a 20-year prison term for masterminding a $930 million fraud scheme.

“Many of the charges brought forth are based on the word of a man who made a fortune by lying,” Shalala wrote. “The NCAA enforcement staff acknowledged to the University that if Nevin Shapiro, a convicted con man, said something more than once, it considered the allegation ‘corroborated’ - an argument which is both ludicrous and counter to legal practice”

Miami wants to get through the sanctions portion of the process as quickly as possible. But typically, it takes about three months for a hearing, and then can take several weeks - if not months - more for the penalties to be handed down. The sides coming to a settlement beforehand is another possibility.

Shalala said Miami will work diligently to prepare a response to the allegations within 90 days.

“We trust that the Committee on Infractions will provide the fairness and integrity missing during the investigative process,” Shalala wrote.

Miami and the NCAA have gone back and forth on the wording of the notice of allegations for several weeks, and the longawaited letter was nearly delivered last month. That’s when the NCAA acknowledged that some mistakes were made by its own enforcement department. And that resulted in some allegations coming out of the letter.

It also led to yet another delay in the process, which many at Miami believe has dragged on for way too long.

“This cannot end quickly enough,” Miami football Coach Al Golden said earlier this month.

Sports, Pages 21 on 02/20/2013