Tyson Loses Lawsuit; Must Pay Rooney $4.4 Million

Mike Tyson was ordered by a federal jury Monday to pay his former trainer, Kevin Rooney, more than $4.4 million, a ruling denounced by the heavyweight boxing champion and his activist supporters.

Rooney had sued Tyson for $49 million, claiming the boxer had broken a lifetime contract by firing him in 1988.

Outside the courthouse at Albany, N.Y., about two dozen demonstrators brought to Albany by New York City activist Al Sharpton to support Tyson chanted “No Justice! No Peace!”

“An all-white jury has just robbed Mike Tyson of human status,” Sharpton said of the decision by the jury of five women and three men.

Tyson, who is black, promised he would appeal what he called a “peculiar” and “unjust” verdict. But he would not comment when asked if he thought the decision was racially motivated.

Tyson also said he would have given Rooney $4 million if he had just asked for it.

Rooney said he was satisfied with the award of $4,415,651.

Basketball

Reggie Miller, the Indiana Pacers’ all-time scoring leader, signed a contract and joined the team for the start of training camp in North Carolina.

At a news conference earlier, Coach Larry Brown had said he expected the signing and anticipated that Miller would make the team’s flight.

“I don’t think he would have flown in last night or gone through physicals today without wanting to be here,” Brown said.

Before the signing was confirmed by the Pacers, Brown praised Pacer owners Herb and Mel Simon, along with club president Donnie Walsh, for signing Miller, Dale Davis and Antonio Davis. All three had become free agents.

“Having the two Davises signed, and Reggie, were things we wanted to see happen,” Brown said. “We’re in a small market. It’s not something to get easily accomplished.”

Miller was not immediately available for comment.

Jermar Welch, a 6-foot-6 forward from Canyon Springs High, said he would accept a scholarship to play basketball for Cal State Northridge. Welch also took recruiting trips to USC and Cal State Fullerton.

Welch sat out last season after transferring from Moreno Valley High.

A week after denying an improper meeting with a basketball recruit, Purdue assistant coach Frank Kendrick admitted he had given the recruit a ride from Mackey Arena to a nearby hotel in June. Purdue Athletic Director Morgan Burke called it a minor violation but said he had reported it to the NCAA.

Tennis

Thomas Muster, who stomped off the court during a Davis Cup match with Brazil and called the fans “animals,” will go to London next week to argue his case before the International Tennis Federation at Vienna, Austria. Muster, the world’s No. 3 player, will be joined by his coach and Austrian teammates and officials.

Mats Wilander, unable to keep up with Dutchman Sjeng Schalken, 20, lost, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round of the Singapore Open.

Swedes Mikael Tillstrom and Magnus Gustafsson won opening-round matches in the $750,000 Lyon Grand Prix in France. Tillstrom defeated Belgian Filip Dewulf, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3), and Gustafsson downed American Richey Reneberg, 7-5, 6-2.

Kimberly Po defeated Nathalie Tauziat of France, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, and set up a second-round match with Steffi Graf in the $450,000 Leipzig WTA tournament at Leipzig, Germany.

Miscellany

Former Los Angeles sportscaster Dick Schad, 73, the last announcer to do play-by-play on a Laker game other than Chick Hearn, has died after a lengthy illness.

Schad was called in to work a Laker game in Las Vegas on Nov. 20, 1965, when because of bad weather Hearn was grounded in Arkansas after a USC football game. Hearn hasn’t missed a game since.

Services for Schad, from Arroyo Grande, in the San Luis Obispo area, will be held today in Grove Beach.

Wayne Fuson, sports editor of The Indianapolis News for more than three decades and one of the driving forces behind bringing pro basketball to Indiana, died at 71 in Indianapolis.

Beth Calcante, a former All-American softball player from Cal State Northridge, has resigned as coach of the Westlake High softball team. Westlake was 14-11 in Calcante’s only season.