New Sex Abuse Scandal Rocks Hockey

Another sex-abuse scandal has jolted Canadian hockey.

There are allegations that staff at Maple Leaf Gardens, one of the sport’s hallowed arenas, lured boys into sex with offers of free tickets and player autographs.

One alleged victim says he was part of a sex ring from 1975 to 1982 in which group sex took place in back rooms of the building, sometimes during Toronto Maple Leaf games.

A former arena maintenance worker, Gordon Stuckless, appeared in court Wednesday in Toronto on charges of indecent assault and gross indecency and was ordered held pending a bail hearing.

The one complainant to come forward in public is Martin Kruze, 34, who says the abuse started when he was 13 in 1975 and continued until 1982.

It is the second major sex-abuse case this year to tarnish Canadian hockey.

In January, a once-highly respected junior league coach, Graham James, was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for repeated sexual abuse of two of his players over a period of years.

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Two people who were at a party with Lawrence Phillips filed lawsuits accusing the St. Louis Ram running back of assault, battery and false imprisonment.

The former Nebraska player was arrested early Sunday at the party in Omaha and charged with disorderly conduct. Police said partygoers restrained him from attacking officers. Phillips was released on bail pending a hearing.

The lawsuits, filed by Lisa Bateman and Arthur Stallworth, seek unspecified damages. The two also filed separate suits against former Nebraska football player Clinton Childs.

Bateman’s lawsuit alleged Phillips touched intimate parts of her body with his hands and a champagne bottle.

In his lawsuits, Stallworth accused Phillips and Childs of beating him at the party. Stallworth is Bateman’s boyfriend.

The lawsuits allege that Childs and Phillips confined Bateman and Stallworth without their consent.

Phillips’ arrest came as he was on probation in California for drunk driving, and that arrest occurred while he was on probation in Nebraska for assaulting his former girlfriend.

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In a case being watched by schools throughout the country, Brown University has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its appeal of a sexual discrimination lawsuit brought by female athletes.

The Ivy League school wants overturned a decision by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. In a 2-1 ruling, the court found Brown gave more opportunities to male athletes--a violation of Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sexual discrimination at schools receiving federal money.

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Stephen Gaines, a former Texas Tech lineman, has sued the school, claiming coaches used him for his playing ability, then discarded him when he lost his senior season to academic ineligibility.

Pro Football

The San Francisco 49ers and free agent offensive lineman Kevin Gogan reached contract terms. When the team will sign him and how the club clears room under the salary cap remain to be seen.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ search for a quarterback to replace Steve Bono continued as the team interviewed free-agent backup Elvis Grbac. Grbac did not work out, but met with Chief Coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Boxing

USA Boxing, which runs amateur boxing in the United States, agreed to repay $1.3 million in misused Olympic grants. USA Boxing and the U.S. Olympic Committee reached agreement on the repayment after the federation’s board approved a take-it-or-leave-it offer made by the USOC last weekend.

Buster Douglas, former heavyweight boxing champion, will meet Byron Scott on March 30 at Uncasville, Conn.

Miscellany

FIFA proposed that the 1999 Women’s Soccer World Championships in the United States start about June 21 and end about July 10. Qualifying games will start in August and continue through November 1998. . . . The Women’s National Basketball Assn. released its first schedule, and the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty--matching Lisa Leslie against Rebecca Lobo--were awarded the league-opening game June 21, at the Forum.

Names in the News

Top-seeded Goran Ivanisevic and third-seeded Thomas Enqvist joined Boris Becker on the sidelines of the European Community Championship in Antwerp, Belgium. Ivanisevic withdrew because of a shoulder injury before playing Guy Forget. Enqvist lost to Spain’s Francisco Clavet, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Becker withdrew because of a sore wrist, and defending champion Michael Stich lost in the first round.

Iulia Negura, European cross-country champion, drew a two-year suspension from the Romanian track and field federation for testing positive for steroids.