IN BRIEF : Cleveland Athletes in Call Girl Book

The names and addresses of two Cleveland Browns football players and a Cleveland Indians baseball player appear in a black book seized by police from the alleged ringleader of a prostitution ring, according to a published report.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Sunday a claim by police that prostitutes from a call girl ring also worked in other National Football League cities has prompted Browns officials to notify the NFL about the case.

Among the names in the black book are quarterback Bernie Kosar and cornerback Hanford Dixon of the Browns and Indians outfielder Mel Hall, the Plain Dealer said.

Kosar and Dixon declined to be interviewed.

Kevin Byrne, Browns spokesman, said the Browns’ director of security, Ted Chappelle, telephoned NFL security personnel on Wednesday to alert them to allegations that have surfaced since the Jan. 13 arrest of Karen M. Panek, 37.

Panek, who pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge of promoting prostitution, allegedly operated a ring involving about 40 suburban women under the guise of escort services in Cleveland and Akron. Panek’s lawyer, Stuart H. Lippe, has insisted that a black book containing about 100 names that was seized by police is only an address book.

Browns officials suggested that Dixon’s name was in the book because of his involvement with a March of Dimes fund-raising auction in which Panek bid $600 for a date with him. They said Panek became angry when Dixon refused to go through with the date.

Hall said he knew Panek only casually because they had once lived in the same building.

Browns owner Art Modell said he had agreed to talk about the appearance of players’ names in the black book “because this involves the reputations of some very important people to us.”

Byrne, who said he discussed the black book with Kosar last week, described the quarterback as extremely upset that his name had become associated with Panek by somehow getting into her black book. Byrne said Kosar had told him he didn’t remember ever meeting Panek and didn’t know why his name was in the book.