Duper Arrested in Cocaine Sting in Florida

Former Miami Dolphin wide receiver Mark Duper and his brother-in-law were arrested early Friday in a sting operation in Pompano Beach, Fla.

According to spokesman Jim Shedd of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Duper and Brian Briggs attempted to buy a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine.

Duper, 35, and Briggs, 25, were charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute it and with possession of cocaine. Both were freed on $200,000 bond.

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Former players said reports of cash payoffs within the Miami football program were exaggerated, while university officials expressed surprise at the allegations and began to investigate.

Possible NCAA infractions from 1986 to 1992 surfaced in a story in the Miami Herald, which interviewed more than 30 former players.

According to their allegations, players won cash incentives ranging from $50 for a fumble recovery to $500 for a touchdown. Former Hurricanes playing in the NFL supposedly bankrolled the incentive pools, with help from rap star Luther Campbell.

Quarterback Steve Walsh, who led Miami to a 12-0 record and the national championship in 1987, said that time might have distorted memories.

“Things get exaggerated after the fact while looking back four and five years,” he said. “Maybe $250 for this was actually $20. I don’t buy it.”

He and former Miami tight end Randy Bethel confirmed a “hit pool,” funded by the players with the winnings going to the teammate who made the biggest hit in a game.

Coach Dennis Erickson said he knew about the pool, and he ordered it stopped in 1989.

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Buffalo Bill fans will get their money back from a travel agency that failed to provide them with Super Bowl tickets last January, lawyers said.

Small World Travel Agency of Buffalo and the New York attorney general’s office have tentatively settled claims by about 330 who booked trips to Atlanta but couldn’t attend the game because the travel agency ran short of tickets.

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Johnny Holland, the only Green Bay linebacker to play in every game last season, is retiring because of a herniated disk in his neck.

Basketball

Roy Tarpley, a former Dallas Maverick, is seeking to return to the NBA after two years in Greece. Tarpley was banned from the NBA on Oct. 16, 1991, because of his “third-strike” violation of its anti-drug policy.

Hockey

Terry Simpson, the third coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in the last three seasons, was fired after one season.

Auto Racing

Formula One car manufacturers, in a meeting at the headquarters of the Ferrari team in Maranello, Italy, agreed on new unannounced regulations designed to reduce the speed of the cars, which have been running in the 200-m.p.h. range.

The action was taken three weeks after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at the Grand Prix of San Marino and a week after Karl Wendlinger was injured in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix. Doctors said Wendlinger remains in a coma but that his neurological signs are improving.

Michael Brotherton and Kurt Johnson each produced the quickest passes in NHRA history in their respective categories during qualifying at the Mopar Parts Nationals in Englishtown, N.J. Brotherton made a pass of 4.690 seconds (295.95 m.p.h.) to lead top-fuel qualifying and Johnson became the first pro-stock driver to break the seven-second barrier with a pass of 6.988 seconds (196.54 m.p.h.).

Tennis

Gabriela Sabatini and Mary Joe Fernandez advanced to the semifinals of the Strasbourg Open in France. Sabatini defeated Iva Majoli, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, and Fernandez beat Lori McNeil, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Unseeded Lisa Raymond upset Magdalena Maleeva, 7-5, 6-4, to set up an all-American semifinal in the Eurocard Open at Lucerne, Switzerland, with defending champion Lindsay Davenport, Chanda Rubin and Amy Frazier.

Name in the News

Bill Pearce, 73, chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, died of a heart attack at Hilton Head, S.C.