Marshall Joins Victims of NFL Salary Cap

The New York Jets released defensive lineman Leonard Marshall on Saturday, a little more than a year after signing him to a three-year, $4.5-million free-agent contract.

General Manager Dick Steinberg said a combination of the salary cap and Marshall’s injuries forced the decision.

After 10 years and two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants, Marshall, 32, signed with the Jets. He started the first 12 games, then suffered an injured left forearm in Game 12 against Indianapolis and sat out the rest of the season.

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The Philadelphia Eagles responded to salary-cap restrictions by cutting 11 veterans, including strong safety Andre Waters, quarterback Ken O’Brien, wide receiver James Lofton and defensive tackle Keith Millard, along with offensive linemen Brian Baldinger, Ron Hallstrom and Mike Schad.

Basketball

Recently fired Clipper coach Bob Weiss met with Charlotte Hornet officials about joining the club as an assistant coach, a television analyst or a combination of both.

Kara Wolters, a freshman from the University of Connecticut, scored 26 points to lead the defending champion United States to a 97-47 victory over New Zealand in the women’s world basketball championships at Hobart, Australia, clinching the top spot in Group A for the United States.

Auto Racing

Raul Boesel drove a fast lap of 161.364 m.p.h. to win the pole position for today’s Miller Genuine Draft 200 Indy car race at Milwaukee for the second consecutive year.

Mike Wallace got a fast pit stop with 66 laps remaining and used the time advantage to win his first NASCAR Busch Grand National series race, the Goodwrench 200 at Dover, Del. Wallace earned $16,540 in his Chevrolet and averaged 96.013 m.p.h. for the 200-mile race over the one-mile oval, leading Terry Labonte over the finish line by three car lengths.

Wayne McCarthy of Tahlequah, Okla., driving on a track in Bolivar, Mo., died after being injured when his stock car slammed into a wall during a heat race.

Miscellany

Ike Quartey (26-0) of Ghana knocked out Crisanto Espana (30-1) of Venezuela 57 seconds into the 11th round and won the World Boxing Assn. welterweight title at Levallois-Perret, France.

Ethiopia’s Haile Gebreselasie broke the world record in the men’s 5,000 meters, running it in 12 minutes 56.96 seconds at the Adriaan Paulen Memorial meet in Hengelo, the Netherlands. His run was 1.45 seconds better than the record of Said Aouita of Morocco.

In other events, Leroy Burrell of the United States won the 100 meters easily in 10.08 seconds and Carl Lewis led the Santa Monica Track Club to victory in the 4x100 meter-relay in a stadium-record time of 38.29.

Pat C Rendezvous, a 2-year-old brindle, won her 33rd consecutive race at West Palm Beach, Fla., to set a world greyhound record. The old record of 32 was set by English greyhound Ballyregan Bob in 1986. “You take another dog that was doing this and it would get so nervous and just wouldn’t handle it,” trainer Bill Reeves said as cameras flashed around his dog.

Maxi boat Uruguay Natural came to the aid of stricken Whitbread 60 Heineken when it passed over a spare rudder, 700 nautical miles from Southampton, England, the end of the Whitbread round the world yacht race. The all-female crew on Heineken lost a rudder Thursday for the third time in the race.