Steelers’ Lloyd Will Be Second Only to Seau

The contract linebacker Greg Lloyd signed Friday with the Pittsburgh Steelers is worth $11.2 million, Lloyd’s agent Dick Bell said. The three-year contract, which goes into effect next season, will make Lloyd the Steelers’ highest-paid player.

Lloyd, 31, will get a reported $3.7 million annually, making him the second highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. Junior Seau of the San Diego Chargers currently makes $4 million a year.

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The Chicago Bears signed former Dallas Cowboy linebacker Gregg Briggs and waived seldom-used quarterback Shane Matthews. . . . Doug Pelfrey, who set records for the Cincinnati Bengals with 121 points and 29 field goals last season, signed a one-year, $361,000 contract with the team. . . . The New York Giants released tackle Doug Riesenberg, who started all 16 games last season despite being hampered by knee problems.

Basketball

Brad Daugherty said he has not retired, contradicting statements he made Wednesday about his future with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A back injury has kept Daugherty off the court for more than two years, and doctors have told the Cleveland center that he should pursue another career. But Daugherty said he is not ruling out a return.

“I just want to make sure I have all my eggs in one basket before I make any kind of decision. I’m still waiting on information,” he said.

The contract John Calipari signed to coach the New Jersey Nets also carries the title of executive vice president of basketball operations. Also, Calipari said he would like to see Massachusetts assistant James Flint succeed him as coach at the school.

Pete Carril, who retired as coach at Princeton, will join the Sacramento Kings as an assistant. King Vice President Geoff Petrie played for Carril at Princeton.

Former Ohio State basketball player Scott Gradney pleaded guilty to two counts of petty theft in car break-ins on campus. He will appear before Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Janet Jackson July 9 for sentencing. The judge said Gradney could face up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine on each count.

Gradney, a freshman from Louisville, Ky., and Jami Bosley, a freshman from Massillon, Ohio, were dismissed from the team May 24--the fourth and fifth players dismissed from the team in a 26-month period because of skirmishes with the law.

Motor Sports

Andre Ribeiro lead a group of hard-driving Brazilians to the front in provisional qualifying for the ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix.

Ribeiro had a lap of 104.963 mph on the 2.1-mile Belle Isle road course where the race will be run Sunday. Compatriots Christian Fittipaldi and Gil de Ferran were next at 104.124 and 104.112.

David Empringham earned the provisional pole for the PPG-Firestone Indy Lights at Detroit.

NASCAR will allow the Chevrolet Monte Carlos to add an additional quarter-inch to both the front air dam and rear spoiler for the upcoming races at Pocono, Pa., and Michigan. The change comes only two events after NASCAR allowed the Ford Thunderbirds that race in its Winston Cup series to lower their roofs half an inch.

Honda’s Miguel Duhamel topped a rain-shortened provisional AMA Superbike qualifying session with a lap of 106.850 mph at Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wis. Duhamel, the defending AMA Superbike Champion, turned a lap on the four-mile road course in 2 minutes 14.769 seconds. Qualifying continues today for the running Sunday of the Coca-Cola Super Cycle Classic. . . . Tom Kendall took the 22nd pole of his career with a speed of 74.929 mph in qualifying for the Motor City 100 SCCA Trans-Am race at Detroit.

Soccer

The European Championships begin today in London with England facing Switzerland at Wembley Stadium. The 31-game trek will be played in eight cities.

Police are bracing for problems throughout the three-week event and have already seized a cache of firearms and hundreds of gas canisters believed destined for sale to soccer hooligans.

Four men were arrested Friday in Walsall, England, and charged with possession and conspiracy to supply the 500 canisters, which are considered prohibited weapons.

Walsall is just north of Birmingham and site of five matches, the first Monday, when the Netherlands plays Scotland. In addition to the gas canisters, a loaded semi-automatic pistol was recovered, and a 22-caliber air rifle with a sniper long-range attachment.

Miscellany

Louisiana State and Miami, both undefeated in the College World Series at Omaha, square off today in the championship game.

Bob Bockrath, athletic director at Texas Tech since 1993, took the same post at Alabama. Bockrath, 53, replaces interim athletic director Glen Tuckett, who took over when Hootie Ingram resigned in the wake of NCAA sanctions against the Crimson Tide.

Former San Francisco Giant Willie McCovey was sentenced to two years’ probation for evading taxes on baseball memorabilia. . . . The Ice Dogs officially changed their address, moving their offices from the Sports Arena to the Long Beach Arena. . . . UCLA men’s soccer Coach Sigi Schmidt was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. . . . Swimmer Annette Salmeen was named the UCLA’s all-university athlete of the year. . . . UCLA’s Coralie Simmons, Jennifer McFerrin and Nicole Pay, who led the Bruins to the national title, were named first-team All-American by the American Water Polo Coaches Assn. Payne was named national player of the year. UCLA’s Catherine von Schwartz was named to the second team.