Mighty Ducks Sign Free-Agent Rychel

The Mighty Ducks signed free-agent left wing Warren Rychel to a reported three-year, $1.5-million deal.

Rychel, who played for the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche last season, is expected to replace one of the Ducks’ enforcers, Todd Ewen.

Ewen turned down a $700,000 offer from the team and is expected to sign with the San Jose Sharks for about $900,000.

“We made overtures to Todd and when that didn’t work out, we signed Warren,” Duck General Manager Jack Ferreira said. “We feel he can fill that role.”

*

Steven King, who had two goals in seven games for the Mighty Ducks last season, signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. King, 27, missed the 1994-95 season following reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder. He spent most of last season with Baltimore in the American Hockey League, leading the Bandits with 40 goals and 21 assists. Terms were not disclosed.

*

The Kings signed free-agent left wing Brent Grieve to a one year contract. Grieve, 27, had been with the Chicago Blackhawks organization and was loaned to the Kings’ International Hockey League affiliate, the Phoenix Roadrunners, for the final 13 games of last season. His contract is a two-way agreement with the Kings and Roadrunners.

College Football

Nebraska coach Tom Osborne has told the NFL he will not allow scouts on campus this season for a “combination of things,” including the drafting and release of former lineman Christian Peter by the New England Patriots.

“We will continue to make film available to the pro scouts as well as injury information and any other relevant information that goes into the professional draft,” Osborne said Tuesday in a written statement.

But since most “personnel decisions” are based on film evaluations of players, Osborne said, the scouts will not be allowed to watch practice during two separate weeks, as they had before this season.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has received a letter from Osborne outlining the ban and other issues, league spokesman Greg Aiello said. He could not speculate on what the response might be.

“I don’t know that it [the ban] is unprecedented, but I’m not sure,” Aiello said from New York. “The commissioner will respond.”

Fred Taylor, a top running back for Florida who allegedly took part in a scheme to steal and sell textbooks, reportedly could be suspended for as many as four games, including the Gators’ showdown with Tennessee.

The Florida Times-Union, citing an unidentified source, said Tuesday the student judicial affairs committee met last week and suspended him through September.

College Basketball

Six basketball players, including Marcus Camby, are receiving payments to settle invasion-of-privacy complaints against the University of Massachusetts.

The settlement was announced jointly Tuesday by the university and a Washington, D.C., lawyer for the players. Massachusetts spokesperson Kay Scanlan and the player’s lawyer, Daniel Segal, refused to say how much money the players are receiving.

As part of the settlement, the university said it “regrets” the leaking of the players’ grades to the media.

The players’ complaints stem from newspaper reports in October 1994 that several players on the team were in academic trouble.

Tennis

Thomas Muster, playing on a surface he loves but in a match he wanted no part of, lost in doubles at the $435,000 Generali Open in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

Not even a clay court and a home crowd was enough to inspire Muster, who teamed with Clemens Trimmel and lost to fellow Austrians Georg Blumauer and Gerald Mandl, 2-6, 7-6, (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).

“I would prefer not to play doubles at all,” he said. “I could then rest up for the singles.”

Muster, the top-seeded singles player in this event, opens Today against Emilio Sanchez of Spain.

A written declaration by Steffi Graf’s father about his part in a tax evasion case won’t be enough to get him out of jail, a prosecutor says.

Mannheim prosecutor Peter Wechsung also said Tuesday that because of secrecy laws on tax information, he could not reveal details in the two-page document received by his office from Peter Graf.

Boxing

Madison Square Garden vice president John Cirillo said Tuesday the venue has improved its security after a riot marred the fight between Riddick Bowe and Andrew Golota, and vowed such an incident will never happen again.

The riot on July 11 spilled from the ring to the stands, injuring 14 and raising many questions about the security measures employed by the Garden for boxing.

“We said at the time after the despicable incident that we were not going to allow a few thugs to jeopardize our commitment to boxing,” Cirillo said. “ We have worked around the clock on new security measures and we will be ready to make sure an incident like that never happens again.”

The Garden’s next event is Aug. 20 when Buster Mathis Jr. fights Lou Savarese in a nationally televised heavyweight bout.

The Garden’s most recent boxing event, in which Goleta was disqualified, ended in a riot in the main 20,000-seat arena. The Mathis Jr.-Savarese fight will be in the arena’s adjoining 5,100-seat theater.

Southland

Andrea Gaston, a two-time California State Amateur champion, has been name associate head coach of USC’s women’s golf team.