Marinovich Draws Felony Drug Charge

Former Raider and USC quarterback Todd Marinovich has been charged with felony marijuana cultivation and two drug-related misdemeanors.

The misdemeanor charges, filed Tuesday, related to a syringe and prescription drugs not in Marinovich’s name that were found by Orange County deputies who arrested him March 24 after he called 911 from his Dana Point home to report a friend was unconscious there. Paramedics found John Valdez, who was hospitalized and later recovered.

Marinovich, 27, will be arraigned April 22.

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Lawrence Phillips, the troubled running back from West Covina who plays for the St. Louis Rams, was released from jail after serving 23 days of a 30-day sentence for violation of probation.

He was picked up in Lincoln, Neb., by new Ram Coach Dick Vermeil.

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A 26-year-old woman who has accused Cleveland relief pitcher Jose Mesa of rape told a Cuyahoga County court that she had arranged a meeting of her, a friend and Mesa because “I guess I wanted to meet him and maybe hang out with it him. He’s one of my favorite baseball players. I love baseball.”

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Five former University of Rhode Island football players were sentenced to community service and banned from college sports for a year for taking part in an October attack on a campus fraternity house.

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Boxing promoter Don King was arraigned on charges of insurance fraud stemming from a proposed 1991 fight between Julio Cesar Chavez and Harold Brazier, which was canceled because of an injury.

This is the second attempt at trying King on the charges. The first trial ended in a hung jury, and last week King’s business, Don King Productions Inc., was added to the indictment.

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Heavyweight boxer Donovan “Razor” Ruddock has been released from a jail in Plantation, Fla., after turning himself in on a robbery arrest warrant.

Ruddock was charged with robbing a 2-karat diamond ring off the finger of Alexandria Williams, the mother of his child, in his residence on Dec. 1, according to Sgt. James Reynolds of the Plantation Police Department.

Basketball

Jim O’Brien, who coached Boston College for 11 years, signed a five-year contract to replace Randy Ayers as coach at Ohio State after two candidates had turned the job down.

The deal includes a base salary of $150,000, and with everything added comes to about $650,000 a year, according to reports.

Kevin Bannon, who rebuilt Rider’s basketball program and took the Broncs to two NCAA tournament appearances in eight years, is expected to be named coach at Rutgers.

Mike MacDonald, who has been an assistant at Canisius for nine years, was made the head coach, succeeding John Beilein, who has taken the coaching job at Richmond.

Citing family reasons, Kermit Davis Jr., who had coached at Idaho for one season, is leaving the Vandals to become associate coach at Louisiana State, on the staff of John Brady.

Miscellany

Hakan Sukur headed in a goal seven minutes into the second half to give Turkey (2-1-1) a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands (4-1) in World Cup soccer qualifying.

In other games, Macedonia (3-2-1) got penalty kicks by Mitko Stojkovski in the 28th and 44th minutes of a 3-2 upset of Ireland (2-1-1) in a game in which two players were ejected after a brawl; Ulf Kirsten scored three times for Germany (2-0-2) in a 3-2 victory over Albania (0-4-1), and Poland (1-1-1) and Italy (4-0-1) played to a scoreless tie.

The United States drew China, Ghana and Ireland as its first-round opponents for the FIFA World Youth Championship in June in Malaysia.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario began defense of her Family Circle tennis title with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Sarah Pitkowski at Hilton Head Island, S.C. . . . The Houston Comets won the top pick in the Women’s NBA draft lottery on April 28, and the Los Angeles Sparks will pick third in the four-round draft. . . . The 1998 Tour de France will begin in Ireland.

Football

The Washington state Senate narrowly passed a package of taxes to finance a new $425-million football stadium demanded by billionaire Paul Allen as part of his plan to buy the Seattle Seahawks.

Kicker Jon Baker, 24, has been signed by the San Francisco 49ers to a two-year contract that will pay him the NFL minimum, $164,000, this season.

Astrodome USA owner Drayton McLane said the Oilers’ offer of dropping a $2.5-million lawsuit for an early release from their stadium lease is unsatisfactory.