Johnson Says He Won’t Race for U.S. Ski Team

Olympic downhill champion Bill Johnson said he will not take part in any more U.S. Ski Team competitions and called the amateur credo of the Olympic Games a joke.

“It’s the way I feel,” said Johnson in Portland, Ore., Friday before playing in a celebrity golf tournament. “I’m tired of giving my money to the U.S. Ski Team.”

Johnson said his anger reached a peak Wednesday night when CBS-TV aired “Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story.” He said he was obligated by contracts to pay $25,000 from his share of residuals to the U.S. Ski Team.

“When that starts to happen, it is time to get out,” Johnson said. “I won’t ski with the U.S. team next year. I would like to be quoted on that.”

As for the Olympic Games, he said: “There are no amateurs at the top levels of any of the sports. I would say the top 20 in every sport get money of some kind.

“It’s hypocrisy, the way the associations and federations operate. To talk about amateurs at the Olympics is a joke.”

Johnson is planning to continue skiing.

“There is some serious work going on to establish a pro tour of downhill racers,” he said. “There was talk of it a year ago, but it didn’t get off the ground. Now, I think it has a chance.”

The Atlanta Falcons cut rookie free agent Carl Butler, a running back from Michigan State, after a physical examination revealed he has a glass eye, a spokesman for the club said.

Butler, 5-11 and 222, reported to the Falcons’ minicamp Friday along with other rookies, but “he didn’t pass his physical because that was the situation,” a spokesman said.

The Falcons were not aware of Butler’s eye problem when they signed him, Dickinson said. “Apparently . . . his agent wasn’t aware of it, either. It’s something he apparently played with at Michigan State, but not a whole lot of people knew about it.”

Falcon officials were not “willing to take the risk of what might happen if he loses that other eye,” the spokesman said.

Jackie Joyner won three events and Gail Devers two to lead UCLA to the team title in the Western Collegiate Athletic Assn. track and field championships at Drake Stadium.

Joyner won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.31, the 400-meter hurdles in 55.87 and the long jump at 21-11. Devers won the 100 meters in 11.29 and the 200 in 23.12.

Skip Trial led all the way to win the $30,000 Preakness Prep at Pimlico Race Course, and two other 3-year-olds also emerged from the the race as contenders for the $350,000-added Preakness May 18 at Pimlico.

Skip Trial was timed in 1:42 2/5 for the 1 1/16 miles. Favored Roo Art was second and Sparrowvon third.

Texas high school athletes broke two national prep records and tied a third at the University Interscholastic League track and field meet in Austin, Tex.

Dallas Roosevelt’s Roy Martin won the 200 meters in 20 seconds flat. Carl Lewis’ American record is 19.75. The world record is 19.72 by Italy’s Pietro Mennea.

Tanya Davis of Houston Sterling broke Carol Lewis’ 100-meter low hurdles record of 13.6 seconds with a time of 13.2.

Dallas Roosevelt, anchored by Martin, tied the national prep 400-meter relay record of 40.2 seconds by Dallas Lincoln (1970).

Names in the News

Former University of Kentucky football coach Fran Curci was named athletic director at the University of Tampa. Curci also is a former coach at Tampa and had a 10-1 record in 1970.

World Boxing Council welterweight champion Milton McCrory withdrew from his scheduled junior middleweight debut May 24 at Las Vegas. David Braxton, a stablemate of McCrory, instead will fight Alfonso Long of Los Angeles. McCrory will fight two days later, at Miami Beach, against Jose Luis Santana.

Fight promoter Al Goossen, 69, died Saturday after suffering a heart attack at his North Hollywood home. Memorial mass will be celebrated Monday at 8 p.m. at the St. Francis de Sales Church, 13370 Valleyheart Dr., Sherman Oaks.