Brasseur, Eisler Trail Russians

The defending champion Canadian duo of Isabelle Brasseur, who is skating with a cracked rib suffered in the Lillehammer Olympic Games, and Lloyd Eisler trailed the Russian twosome of Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov after the short program in the pairs competition at the World Figure Skating Championships at Chiba, Japan.

“When you’re in competition, you don’t want to quit,” said Brasseur, who is skating against the advice of her coach and doctor.

Jenni Meno and Todd Sand of Costa Mesa, Calif.,were sixth and Kyoko Ina of Guttenberg, N.J., and Jason Dungjen of Troy, Mich., were 14th heading into tonight’s long program, which accounts for two-thirds of the total score.

Also today, Canada’s Elvis Stojko hopes to improve on a string of second places--at the Olympics, the 1993 World Championships and the 1993 national championships--when the men skate their short program.

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The attorney for Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s former husband, has told the Oregon State Bar that his critical remarks about her last month are protected by his right to free speech.

Ron Hoevet’s comments accusing Harding of complicity in the assault on rival Nancy Kerrigan had drawn 30 official complaints, many from other lawyers. The bar is considering whether to discipline Hoevet, one of Portland’s most prominent criminal attorneys.

In another development, Harding’s lawyer dismissed a report that the figure skater wants to skate in a competition in France in May. Bob Weaver said Harding might want to return to skating, but not as soon as May because of her probation for pleading guilty to having knowledge about the attack on Kerrigan.

Basketball

Jason Kidd, California’s sophomore All-American point guard, has scheduled a news conference today and reports in Bay Area newspapers have said that Kidd will skip his final two collegiate seasons to make himself available for the NBA draft.

Said Cal Coach Todd Bozeman, “I can’t comment on it because that would take away from (Kidd’s) announcement. But you can’t keep them in college forever. If you could, Lew Alcindor might have spent 10 seasons at UCLA.”

Bozeman added that another Cal player, junior forward Lamond Murray, would hold a news conference later. Murray, a third-team All-American, is also expected to leave Cal early to try his luck in the NBA.

Football

The Denver Broncos have turned down quarterback John Elway’s offer to take a salary cut so the team can maneuver under the NFL salary cap.

Elway will be paid $3 million for the 1994 season and, under NFL salary cap rules, his $6 million signing bonus is prorated against the length of a new four-year contract. That means he will account for $4.5 million of the Broncos’ $33.8 million available for player salaries.

Matt Simon, offensive coordinator at New Mexico, was hired as head coach at North Texas University, a Division I-AA school hoping to advance to Division I-A.

Kicker Eddie Murray became the third member of the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys to leave, signing a two-year, $1-million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tennis

Conchita Martinez, the defending champion and top-seeded player, beat Helen Kelesi of Canada in the second round of the $400,000 Virginia Slims of Houston, 6-3, 6-2.

Martinez, unbeaten in five matches in the Houston tournament, had four aces and won 69% of her first-serve points.

In other first-round matches, Veronika Martinek topped Dominique Monami, 6-2, 6-3; Bettina Fulco-Villella beat Laura Golarsa, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Wiltrud Probst defeated Caroline Kuhlman, 6-3, 6-4; and Sandra Cacic stopped Spain’s Virginia Ruano-Pascual, 7-5, 6-0.

Hockey

Chicago Blackhawk left wing Michel Goulet, who suffered a severe concussion in a game at Montreal’s Forum last Wednesday night, was released from a hospital in Montreal. “I don’t think I’ll be playing hockey before the playoffs,” Goulet said.

Southland Report

The Long Beach Sports Council has filed a $35,000 lawsuit against the Women’s Professional Volleyball Assn. to recover money the council says is owed from last summer’s Coors Light tournament in Long Beach.

The suit alleges that the WPVA breached its contract with the sports council by failing to pay costs and perform certain services.

UC Irvine women’s basketball assistant Marcus Carroll has been released from his contract after one season with the Anteaters.