NBA Players File Antitrust Suit

In an effort to overturn the NBA’s salary-cap system and prevent a possible lockout, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and five other players filed an antitrust suit against the league Wednesday in federal court in Minneapolis.

The 27-page class action, filed against the league and its 29 teams, claimed the salary cap and draft are illegal because the previous contract has expired and the union no longer represents a majority of the players.

“My argument should carry a little force in this business,” Jordan said during a conference call.

Baseball

Mickey Mantle was discharged from a Dallas hospital after showing significant improvement from liver transplant surgery nearly three weeks ago.

NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol apologized for calling the Fox Network “a pushcart.” NBC and ABC announced Friday they were dropping out of the Baseball Network after this season, and Ebersol speculated on the possibility of baseball signing with Fox for 1996.

Jurisprudence

In testimony, Dennis Rodman portrayed himself in court as the victim of women who are drawn to his wealth and celebrity, then accuse him of giving them diseases and fathering their children. The San Antonio Spur star is being sued in U.S. District Court in Atlanta for unspecified damages by Lisa Beth Judd, a former Atlanta Hawk cheerleader, who claims he gave her herpes on Jan. 14, 1993.

A McKinney, Tex., grand jury declined to indict Dallas Cowboy offensive tackle Erik Williams on sexual assault allegations. . . . A Rome prosecutor asked for jail terms for past and present officials of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) in connection with cost overruns during soccer’s 1990 World Cup.

Pro Football

The Rams are going to get their Anaheim Stadium lockers after all, a spokeswoman said. The Rams tried to remove the lockers on June 19 during their move to St. Louis, but were thwarted by stadium officials.

The Atlanta Falcons signed quarterback Browning Nagle to a two-year contract. . . . ESPN signed Sterling Sharpe, the former Green Bay Packer receiver who suffered a neck injury last season, to a one-year contract as studio commentator. . . . The San Francisco 49ers released John Taylor, but continued to negotiate with the veteran wide receiver’s agents.

Miscellany

A record $600 million in commercial time has been sold for NBC’s telecast of the Olympic Games in Atlanta, more than a year in advance of the event. . . . Russia agreed to International Tennis Federation demands that the Russia-Germany Davis Cup semifinal be played in Moscow, ending months of debate. Top Russian players, who had threatened to boycott the match if it were played anywhere but the Black Sea resort of Sochi, said they would accept the decision. . . . Dino Radja and Arijan Komazec combined for 45 points as Croatia cruised to an 81-72 victory over France at the European Championship in Athens. . . . Prince George’s County Council in Upper Marlboro, Md., has put Jack Kent Cooke’s proposal to build a 78,600-seat stadium for the Washington Redskins on a fast track, scheduling a public hearing for next month. . . . The NHL appears ready to shut down for two weeks in 1998 to allow players to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Names in the News

Mighty Duck forward Garry Valk was awarded $430,000 in his arbitration case, but the club might not want to re-sign him at that price. . . . Former NHL defenseman Craig Hartsburg is expected to be the Chicago Blackhawks’ new coach, a team source said. . . . Britain’s Tony Jarrett edged American champion Roger Kingdom in the 110 high hurdles in a Grand Prix track and field meet at Helsinki, Finland. . . . Nigeria’s Davidson Ezinwa remained unbeaten this season by winning the men’s 100 meters in Innsbruck, Austria. . . . Leroy Burrell, the world record-holder in the 100 meters, said he will not run again this year to rest his injured foot.