COLLEGE FOOTBALL : THE BOWLS: 1986 : College Bowl Notebook

At New Orleans, a judge said Roland Barbay can practice with his Louisiana State teammates in preparation for the Sugar Bowl, but put off a ruling on whether Barbay could play in the game after testing positive for steroid use.

State Judge Gerald Federoff set a hearing for 1 p.m. today on Barbay’s challenge of a National Collegiate Athletic Assn. ruling that he is ineligible for the Thursday game. And he issued a temporary restraining order allowing Barbay, who is usually LSU’s starting defensive end, to practice.

Barbay, a fifth-year senior, was one of 11 players across the nation ruled ineligible for post-season play after using anabolic steroids.

Barbay maintains that he used steroids prescribed by his doctor last March to help strengthen his left knee, which was operated on in 1984.

“He took the steroids for medicinal reasons, for rehabilitative purposes,” attorney Nick Noriea said after filing Barbay’s challenge earlier in the day.

University of Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson has suspended reserve defensive end Greg Mark and reserve running back Steve Staffier from the Fiesta Bowl between the Hurricanes and Penn State, according to a published report.

The Miami News reported that Mark and another player, later identified as Staffier, did not accompany the team to Tempe, Ariz. Johnson would not divulge why the two were suspended, nor would he comment on whether the suspensions were related to the NCAA-administered drug tests given to athletes on bowl-bound teams earlier this month.

“He is not here because of disciplinary reasons,” Johnson said of Mark. “That’s all I will say on it.”

Mark was one of several players involved in a scandal earlier this year at Miami involving the use of long-distance phone lines. Mark and other teammates had obtained an access code for long distance calls and had made free calls throughout the country.

Staffier, of Winthrop, Mass., is a 5-10, 183-pound junior who primarily has been a special teams player.

Also in New Orleans, disturbing-the-peace charges were dismissed against nine Nebraska football players and two graduate assistants in connection with a French Quarter incident on Christmas Eve.

Police Superintendent Warren Woodfork said his decision to dismiss the charges followed an internal affairs probe and discussions with city leaders and Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne.

“I met with the coach, and after an investigation conducted by internal affairs, I thought it was in the best interest of the city, the police department and the team just to drop the charges,” Woodfork said.

Osborne barred his players from the French Quarter following the arrests and reports from teammates of police harassment.

Assistant Athletic Director Don Bryant said the arrests were only one of several allegations of abuse that Cornhusker football players made about French Quarter police since they arrived last week.

LSU head coach Bill Arnsparger imposed a 2 a.m. curfew on the Tigers.