McMahon Not Worth Money to Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings, deeming Jim McMahon too expensive, Monday cut the quarterback they had hoped would put them in the Super Bowl.

McMahon, who will turn 35 before next season, could still return to the Vikings, but on their terms. Now an unrestricted free agent, McMahon might rejoin former Chicago Bear defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, coach of the Phoenix Cardinals.

McMahon would have made about $2.1 million this year had the Vikings retained him. A clause in his contract gave the Vikings until today to make a decision.

Former USC quarterback Sean Salisbury, who has started eight games for the Vikings over the last two seasons, is a free agent, but the Vikings have the right to match any offer he receives. New Orleans, Washington and Atlanta reportedly are among the teams interested in him.

The Vikings, who hold exclusive rights to young quarterbacks Gino Torretta and Brad Johnson, are pursuing other veteran quarterbacks. The Rams’ Jim Everett has been mentioned as one of the possibilities.

*

The Atlanta Falcons, maneuvering to stay under the NFL salary cap, let wide receiver Michael Haynes go to the New Orleans Saints. Haynes was a transitional player for the Falcons, meaning after he signed the Saints’ offer sheet for $10 million over four years, the Falcons had the right of first refusal. To keep him they would have had to match the Saints’ offer.

*

The New York Jets have signed defensive lineman Donald Evans of the Pittsburgh Steelers to a deal expected to pay him $3.45 million over three years. Evans, signed by the Steelers as a free agent in 1990 after being cut by Philadelphia, started all but two games the last four seasons for Pittsburgh. . . . The San Diego Chargers reportedly have reached an agreement with Phoenix free-agent defensive tackle Reuben Davis on a three-year, $4.5-million contract.

Boxing

Melchor Cob Castro of Mexico scored a unanimous decision over Domingo Sosa of the Dominican Republic in a 10-round flyweight bout at the Forum.

There were no knockdowns, and neither fighter appeared seriously hurt at any time. Cob Castro improved his record to 40-4-4 with 17 knockouts. Sosa is 26-3 with 18 knockouts.

Jurisprudence

Three former University of Washington athletes were convicted in Eugene, Ore., of third-degree sex abuse.

Defensive end Charles Douglas Barnes, 20, of Carson, Calif.; starting wide receiver Jason Paul Shelley, 19, of Vallejo, Calif., and point guard Prentiss Lavell Perkins, 21, of Minneapolis, were charged with groping a University of Oregon student in a dormitory room and taking a piece of jewelry last fall.

Shelley and Perkins were suspended for other incidents in Seattle and were kicked out of the Washington athletic program after their arrests last fall. Barnes has been suspended from the football program indefinitely.

Olympics

The National Rifle Assn. withdrew as the official governing body of the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, ending years of arguments over whether the NRA used the athletes for promotional purposes.

The NRA decision preempted an announcement by the U.S. Olympic Committee that a USOC panel unanimously recommended last Friday that the NRA’s official sponsorship be revoked. The five-member panel said that the NRA has exerted too much control over the independent governing body it had appointed to oversee the team, in violation of Olympic regulations.

Names in the News

Senior forward Mark Boyd, who averaged 11.9 points and 6.3 rebounds, has been voted USC’s most valuable men’s basketball player. . . . Billy Mantle, 36, son of Mickey Mantle, died after collapsing at a drug-and-alcohol rehabilitation facility near Dallas. The cause of death was not known, pending tests. . . . Martin Buser, the 1992 winner, stretched his lead in the Iditarod sled dog race to nearly a checkpoint over several other former winners. . . . Georgia State has promoted assistant basketball coach Carter Wilson to replace Bob Reinhart, who was fired after his second consecutive 13-14 season. . . . John Lilley, 21, who played for the U.S. Olympic hockey team at Lillehammer, will join the Mighty Ducks today after being called up from minor league affiliate San Diego.

Sprinter Gail Devers was named the North American winner in the Amateur Athletic Foundation’s World Trophy selections. Other winners: Wang Junxia, a runner from China; Franziska van Almsick, a swimmer from Germany; Danyon Loader, a swimmer from New Zealand; Maria Mutola, a runner from Mozambique, and Felix Savon, a boxer from Cuba.