New Sex Abuse Scandal Rocks Hockey

Another sex-abuse scandal has jolted Canadian hockey.

There are allegations that staff at Toronto’s 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 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. Stallworth, Bateman’s boyfriend, accused Phillips and Childs of beating him at the party. 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. Gogan had been playing with the Oakland Raiders.

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

Tennis

Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten added insult to Andre Agassi’s injury at Memphis, Tenn., by beating the world’s 14th-ranked player, 6-2, 6-4, for his first victory over a top 20 player. Agassi, seeded second, was trailing, 3-1, in the second set at the St. Jude Classic when he fell behind the baseline and reinjured his left ankle.

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.

Miscellany

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.

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. . . . Al Scates, UCLA men’s volleyball coach, won the 900th match of his career as the fifth-ranked Bruins defeated 12th-ranked USC, 15-9, 4-15, 15-5, 15-6. . . . The Women’s NBA released its first schedule, and the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty were awarded the league-opening game June 21 at the Forum. . . . Iulia Negura, European cross-country champion, drew a two-year suspension from the Romanian track and field federation for testing positive for steroids.