Report Says NBA Players Against Decertification

A majority of NBA players voted against union decertification, according to broadcast reports.

WCBS-TV in New York, citing two independent sources, Monday night reported that the National Labor Relations Board will announce today that NBA Players Assn. members voted against the decertification movement, which was led by Michael Jordan.

In essence, the vote against decertification is a vote for the tentative six-year agreement reached last month.

NBA Commissioner David Stern has said that if the contract is not ratified, the season will not start on time, and could be canceled. If the union is broken up, the league could be subject to an antitrust suit seeking to end the current lockout and to abolish the league’s salary-cap system.

“We are cautiously optimistic about the results of the voting because we have always believed that a large turnout would favor the union and the deal,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik said. “Our best guess is that the number of players voting may exceed 300.”

About 425 players were eligible to vote.

Guard Mitch Richmond of the Sacramento Kings has already filed unfair labor practice charges against the league, citing Stern’s comments that the season was in jeopardy if the contract was not ratified, as putting undue pressure on players.

College Basketball

Forwards Jason Osborne, a junior, and Alex Sanders, a sophomore, are ineligible to play for Louisville during the 1995-96 basketball season after failing to meet academic requirements. Sanders sat out last season after failing to meet NCAA freshman academic requirements.

Golf

Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal has been forced to withdraw from the European Ryder Cup team because of an injury to his right foot. Olazabal was replaced by Ian Woosnam of Wales for the competition Sept. 22-24 at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y.

Jurisprudence

Pittsburgh Penguin strength coach John Welday and former defenseman Peter Taglianetti, now of the Boston Bruins, went on trial in Pittsburgh on charges of assaulting an art student in a bar last spring.

Phyliss Polaner, former publicist for Mike Tyson’s ex-wife, and the former heavyweight champion’s attorneys agreed on an out-of-court settlement in her civil suit charging him with sexual assault.

Names in the News

British driver Keith Odor, 33, died of injuries suffered in last weekend’s Super Touring Car race at Berlin. . . The Edmonton Oilers re-signed goaltender Bill Ranford to a $2.2-million, one-year contract. . . . All-Star defenseman Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers is expected to be sidelined the first two weeks of training camp because of a stress fracture of the right foot. . . Claude Lemieux, MVP of the playoffs for the Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, was suspended for failing to report to training camp. . . . Flyweight Mark Johnson, the World Boxing Council’s second-ranked contender at 26-1 with 18 knockouts, won his 25th consecutive fight by scoring a fourth-round knockout of Marcos Pacheco (24-11-2) at the Forum. . . . Steve Campbell of the United States upset third-seeded Alex Corretja of Spain, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round of the Club Colombia Tennis World Series in Bogota.