Davis to Panthers; Maryland May Be Raider

Pro Bowl cornerback Eric Davis is leaving the Bay area, but defensive lineman Russell Maryland may soon be arriving.

Davis, a free agent, left the San Francisco 49ers late Tuesday to sign with the Carolina Panthers. Maryland, a Dallas Cowboy, has been made an offer by the Oakland Raiders that the Cowboys can’t counter because they don’t have enough room under the salary cap.

“Russell feels tremendous sadness to be leaving Dallas,” agent Leigh Steinberg told the Dallas Morning News. “This is a situation where the salary cap penalizes a good team and a good player unnecessarily. If it were not for the cap, Russell Maryland would have been very content to spend his whole career playing for Dallas.”

If Maryland leaves, as expected, that would give the Raiders two former Cowboys in one week. On Tuesday, the team gave cornerback Larry Brown, the Super Bowl MVP, a five-year, $12.5-million deal that includes a $3.5-million bonus.

Davis, 28, will be beginning his seventh season. He has grown in stature in recent years, but San Francisco apparently was unable to come up with the money needed to keep him because of salary-cap problems.

The Panthers signed Davis to a multiyear deal, but terms were not disclosed.

“It was a good fit,” Davis said. “It’s just a question of playing football now.”

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The Seattle Seahawks signed free-agent safety Darryl Williams to a four-year, $7.1-million contract. The former Cincinnati Bengal played for Seahawk Coach Dennis Erickson when Erickson was head coach at the University of Miami.

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When the NFL returns to Cleveland in 1999, it will be in an open-air stadium alongside blustery Lake Erie. The city could not justify the additional $80-million expense of a dome, according to Mayor Michael R. White, and instead will build a $220-million open-air stadium for the new Browns, who will replace the Baltimore-bound team. It’s still unclear whether Cleveland will get an existing franchise or an expansion team.

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The Indianapolis Colts signed free-agent offensive lineman Jay Leeuwenburg. He is the sixth former Chicago Bear signed by Indianapolis since Bill Tobin, the former Chicago player personnel director, became director of football operations for the Colts two years ago. The others are quarterbacks Jim Harbaugh and Paul Justin, receiver Wendell Davis, punter Chris Gardocki and defensive back David Tate.

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Free-agent quarterback Erik Wilhelm signed a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, who are looking for a backup to Jeff Blake. The team’s former No. 1 quarterback, David Klingler, is a free agent hoping to start for another team.

Jurisprudence

Warren Moon says he probably was responsible for his wife’s scratches and bruises during an argument last summer, but the Minnesota Viking quarterback contends he was trying to calm her and didn’t intend harm.

“She just kind of went ballistic,” testified Moon at his trial in Richmond, Texas, on misdemeanor assault charges.

Two Clemson football players were released from jail and two others remained behind bars after a judge set their bonds at $20,000 on charges of raping a student on campus.

If convicted on the charges of criminal sexual conduct and conspiracy, the players, who have been suspended indefinitely from the team, could receive as many as 35 years in prison.

Eric Bernard Williams and Adrian Kennell Dingle posted bond to get out of the Pickens County jail. Still there are Christopher Rice and Bennie K. Zeigler.

Tennis

Pete Sampras, in his first match since regaining his No. 1 ranking, used his big serve to defeat Richey Reneberg, 6-3, 7-5 (7-4), in the second round of the Kroger-St. Jude tournament at Memphis.

Reneberg broke Sampras to go up, 2-4, in the second set. He then held serve and led, 2-5, before Sampras rocketed two of his 19 aces to hold serve. The world’s top-ranked player broke Reneberg, then used a couple more aces to hold his own serve and level the set at 5-5.

Romanian Adrian Voinea upset Alberto Costa of Spain, 6-3, 6-1, in the $1-million European Community Championships at Antwerp, Belgium. It was the eighth first-round match in which lower-ranked players defeated their higher-ranked opponents.

Track and Field

Savieri Ngidhi of Nigeria, the leader in the 1996 Grand Prix standings at 800 meters, has been added to Saturday’s Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet at the Sports Arena. Also added are 19-foot pole vaulters Brent Burns and Billy Payne.

Miscellany

Eight cities were named as franchise sites by the American Basketball League, a new women’s pro venture. Teams playing in San Jose, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, Portland, Ore.; Columbus, Ohio; Richmond, Va.; and Hartford/Springfield will begin a 40-game season in October. There will be tryouts in May and a draft in June. Thirty-five players have signed with the ABL, including 10 members of the U.S. national team.

Long Beach Athletic Director Dave O’Brien is among the leading candidates for the same post at William & Mary.