Players Suspended in Phone Scam

Tennessee football Coach Phillip Fulmer said Wednesday he has suspended safety Jason Parker and defensive tackle Leland Taylor for the 1995 season, and 29 other scholarship athletes have been punished for their involvement in a $25,000 telephone scandal that covered 17,000 long-distance calls using the stolen charge account of an athletic department employee.

The actions of Fulmer and basketball Coach Kevin O’Neill are in addition to punishments recommended by the university, which has identified at least 56 students--including the athletes--who used the stolen access code.

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Basketball coaches Rick Barnes of Clemson and Dean Smith of North Carolina have been fined $2,500 each for their heated argument during the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. They will contribute the money to local charities of their choice.

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Troy Smith, 24, a former Louisville basketball player, has been granted early release from state prison from his 1994 sentence of five to 25 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Kelly Dwyer, 20, whom Smith picked up, then dropped to the floor, fracturing her skull during an argument.

Football

Raider tight end Jamie Williams, a 12-year veteran, is retiring at 35. A former St. Louis Cardinal, Houston Oiler and San Francisco 49er, Williams spent his final season with the Raiders, catching three passes for 25 yards.

Kicker Gary Anderson said his 13-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers has apparently ended after he rejected a contract that would have paid him at least $525,000 per year. . . . Mike Brown, president and part owner of the Cincinnati Bengals, will meet with John Moag Jr., chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, to hear an offer designed to lure the Bengals to Baltimore.

Boxing

Johnny Tapia, the World Boxing Organization super-flyweight champion who has been troubled in the past by cocaine use, allegedly pulled a gun during an early-morning quarrel with his wife Teresa, Albuquerque, N.M., police said.

Tapia, who has a 29-0-2 record, later failed to show up at a news conference that had been scheduled to announce his upcoming title defense against Arthur Johnson. Tapia, 28, was not arrested.

Promoter Bob Arum says he plans to go to court over the International Boxing Federation’s decision to order a mandatory rematch between heavyweight champion George Foreman and Germany’s Axel Schulz.

Names in the News

Sacramento King guard Bobby Hurley, trying to make a comeback after a near-fatal car accident, suffered a sprained ankle while working out in Jersey City, N.J. . . . Hank Steinbrecher, secretary general of the U.S. Soccer Federation, says he is going to Spain today to offer Brazil’s World Cup coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, a four-year contract to coach the U.S. national men’s team. . . . Shaun Van Allen, the Mighty Ducks’ second-leading scorer last season, has agreed to terms on a three-year contract. Van Allen had 29 points, behind only Paul Kariya’s 39. . . . The Florida Panthers have fired coach Roger Neilson even though the team finished only one point out of playoff contention in its first two seasons, Miami television station WTVJ reported early today. . . . Funeral services for long-time local boxing figure and record-keeper Dick Mastro will be held at 10 a.m today at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in North Hollywood. He was 82.