Dallas Officer Indicted in Irvin Plot

Former Dallas police officer Johnnie Hernandez was indicted Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to kill Cowboy star receiver Michael Irvin.

Grand jurors indicted Hernandez, 28, on one count of criminal solicitation of capital murder and one count of bribery, a charge unrelated to the alleged Irvin scheme.

Prosecutors say Hernandez, released from jail on bond Tuesday, gave an undercover Drug Enforcement Agent a $2,960 down payment on a contract to kill Irvin.

The bribery charge came to light during the investigation into the alleged plot. A police affidavit said Hernandez sold classified criminal records of an unidentified person to an undercover officer for $300.

Hernandez is set to stand trial Aug. 5. If convicted, he faces up to 99 years in prison. Irvin has been subpoenaed to testify.

Hernandez’s attorney, Frank Perez, said the indictments “came as no surprise” and that the defense will be ready to go to trial next month as scheduled. Prosecutors refused comment, citing a new gag order imposed by state District Judge Jack Hampton.

Hernandez reportedly wanted Irvin killed because his girlfriend, topless dancer Rachelle Smith, said the Cowboy star threatened her. Both Hernandez and Smith were subpoenaed as witnesses in Irvin’s recent cocaine-possession trial.

Pro Football

New York Jet Coach Rich Kotite has resorted to name-dropping in an effort to help former USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson understand the importance of training camp for a rookie. Johnson and the Jets are at an impasse in negotiations, and veterans report Saturday.

“Al Toon held out and when he came in, he got hurt,” Kotite said. “Wesley Walker held out and when he came in, he got hurt.”

Kotite says a holdout often yields an injury once a player is signed.

“These things happen regardless of how hard they’re working out on their own.” he said. “It’s not the same as the regimentation and structuring in any football program.”

Former UCLA running back Karim Abdul-Jabbar got Miami Dolphin Coach Jimmy Johnson’s message, loud and clear.

After Johnson said further delay in reporting might bury him deeper on the depth chart, Abdul-Jabbar pressured his agent, Eugene Parker, to get the deal done and quickly and succeeded, signing a reported three-year, $920,000 contract.

Johnson had said the rookie was in danger of dropping to No. 5 on the depth chart.

The St. Louis Rams upgraded their offer to holdout quarterback Mark Rypien, but Coach Rich Brooks said that if he doesn’t accept it today “it doesn’t look very good.” The Rams refused to disclose the latest offer. Rypien, 33, who made $700,000 last year, was originally offered $300,000 with incentives.

The Denver Broncos released starting defensive tackle James Jones and his $1.25-million contract to free up money in a bid to sign defensive tackle Jumpy Geathers, an Atlanta Falcon free agent, and their other draft choices.

Wide receiver Chuck Levy, suspended Aug. 25, 1995 for marijuana use, rejoined the Arizona Cardinals. . . . Seattle waived center Jim Sweeney, who started all 16 games last season, after he refused to accept a salary cut and demotion to a backup role. Kevin Mawae will replace him as a starter.

Golf

Brandie Burton and Mardi Lunn shot five-under-par 67s in Agawam, Mass., to share the first-round lead in the LPGA Friendly’s Classic. Margaret Platt, Marianne Morris and Dottie Pepper were at 68. Two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Annika Sorenstam of Sweden paced a group at 69.

Mike Sullivan capped a seven-under-par 65 with three consecutive birdies and took a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic in Madison, Miss. Sullivan leads Kirk Triplett, Robert Gamez, Dudley Hart, Bryan Gorman and Hisayuki Sasak.

Tennis

Top-seeded Irina Spirlea of Romania was ejected from the Palermo Grand Prix women’s tennis tournament in Sicily for insulting the referee. She was also fined $10,000.

Spirlea, the defending champion who won the first set, 7-5, but lost the second, 7-6 (8-6) to Belgian Stephanie De Ville, sharply disputed a line call with the score tied 15-15 in the deciding set, prompting her ouster.

Thomas Muster of Austria polished off Galo Blanco of Spain, 6-3, 6-0, in 65 minutes and moved into the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup tournament in Stuttgart, Germany. Muster, seeded first, will play eighth-seeded Francisco Clavet of Spain in today’s quarterfinals. Clavet ousted Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden, 6-3, 6-1. French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia got past Mikael Tillstroem of Sweden, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). Unseeded Alexander Volkov of Russia upset fourth-seeded Stefan Edberg, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Boxing

A House subcommittee moved toward making it harder for fighters to elude medical suspensions by crossing state lines or boxing under another name by voting, 11-10, to impose national standards on the sport condemned by some members as “a swamp.” The bill would require the results of all fights to be reported to certified registries, require all professional fights be supervised by a state boxing commission, and require states to issue identification cards with photographs and Social Security numbers. The goal is to track boxers and weed out those willing to risk brain damage by crossing a state line or using a different name to fight while under suspension for medical problems, drug use or some other reason.

Miscellany

The Oklahoma-based Miami Indian tribe withdrew its longtime support for Miami University’s use of Redskins as a nickname for sports teams, the university said in Oxford, Ohio, prompting the university’s board of trustees to say it will consider in September whether to drop the moniker at the end of the next school year, as the tribe requested. The tribe had supported it since 1972.