Suspension Lifted for San Diego State’s Jones

San Diego State running back George Jones will be permitted to play next week, after a four-week suspension for alleged NCAA rules violations, school officials announced Friday.

Jones, who last season ranked second nationally in scoring, at 11.5 points a game, and third in rushing, at 153.5 yards, was suspended indefinitely Sept. 13 for violations related to the use of a car.

But after a review, NCAA officials decided Friday to allow Jones to return to the field next week when the Aztecs play at New Mexico.

“We believe that the penalties imposed are appropriate,” Athletic Director Rick Bay said in a statement.

The NCAA also ruled that Jones must make fair-market restitution for the car while it was in his possession. He must also pay for repairs on the disputed vehicle, said university spokesman John Rosenthal.

Details of the car-leasing agreement were not available.

Jones carried 305 times for 1,842 yards and 23 touchdowns in 1995, breaking Marshall Faulk’s school and Western Athletic Conference record of 1,630 yards set in 1992.

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The University of Rhode Island kicked two football players off the team, suspended four others and forfeited its next game to punish 31 players for participating in an attack on a fraternity, university officials said.

The players met outside the Theta Delta Chi house, 15 entered and some of them beat three fraternity brothers Monday afternoon, campus police said.

Fraternity members said they believe the beatings were in retaliation for refusing to allow a player into a party Oct. 4.

Tennis

Jan Siemerink of the Netherlands ended Stefan Edberg’s run at the CA Trophy tournament in Vienna with a 5-7, 7-5, 7-4 victory in the quarterfinals.

Edberg, 30, who plans to retire at the end of the year, was coming off a three-set upset of top-seeded Thomas Muster.

Fifth-seeded Boris Becker of Germany advanced to the semifinals, but second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia lost to seventh-seeded Todd Martin, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, and third-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia lost to Arnaud Boetsch of France, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2). Becker defeated Mark Rosset of Switzerland, 7-6 (11-9), 7-5.

Siemerink and Boetsch, both unseeded, will meet in today’s semifinals.

A day after knocking off top-seeded and three-time defending champion Michael Chang, Martin Damm of the Czech Republic defeated Scott Draper of Australia, 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the Beijing Open in China. Third-seeded Hendrick Dreekmann of Germany lost to Thomas Johansson of Sweden, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1. Fourth-seeded Byron Black of Zimbabwe and Greg Rusedski of Britain also advanced.

Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport defeated Jana Novotna, 6-3, 6-4, and is the highest-seeded player in the semifinals of the Porsche Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany. Martina Hingis, 16, of Switzerland beat top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 6-1, 6-4, in 61 minutes; Anke Huber of Germany defeated second-seeded Conchita Martinez, 6-1, 6-3, and Judith Wiesner of Austria defeated third-seeded Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-4, 7-5.

Olympics

The International Olympic Committee said it is unlikely any sports will be eliminated for the Summer Games at Sydney, Australia, in 2000. The IOC also said that although Sydney organizers hoped to maintain a ceiling of 10,000 athletes for the Games, that number would probably be 400 to 600 higher.

IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said two sports--taekwondo and triathlon--will be added and the IOC plans to increase the number of women’s teams in field hockey and team handball.

Miscellany

Kansas City Chief running back Todd McNair has been found guilty of mistreating 17 pit bulls seized at his property and was fined $4,510. Municipal Judge J.R. Powell found McNair guilty on 17 counts of cruelty to animals after a daylong trial Thursday in East Greenwich Township, N.J.