THE SIDELINES : Cougar RB Dropped as Nominee

University of Houston running back Chuck Weatherspoon has been dropped as a nominee for the inaugural Doak Walker Award because he has been charged with assault, an official said.

Bill Lively, associate vice president for alumni affairs at Southern Methodist University, which sponsors the award, said Wednesday that Weatherspoon, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher for the Cougars, was dropped because of the assault charge involving another student on Sept. 15.