49ers’ Ownership Situation Confusing

Dueling news releases, conflicting opinions and an intra-family squabble have San Franciscans confused, and on Wednesday 49er President Carmen Policy felt it necessary to deny a report that the city’s football stadium project was in jeopardy.

“To my direct personal knowledge, it is not founded in fact,” Policy told radio station KGO-AM.

The conflict stems from a report Eddie DeBartolo’s sister, Denise DeBartolo York, might force a sale of the 49ers if her brother did not formally turn over control of the team. Eddie DeBartolo had agreed to resign after he was named as a target of a federal gambling corruption probe in Louisiana.

But he has apparently failed to sign the agreement.

DeBartolo York has disputed the report, but she also said that the team’s board of directors had agreed it “could not proceed on the San Francisco stadium project” until financial issues were resolved.

That statement apparently prompted Policy’s rebuttal on radio.

The San Francisco Examiner reported that NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue predicted the DeBartolos would resolve matters themselves, but said he would settle the rift if necessary.

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The Baltimore Ravens released troubled running back Bam Morris, who has led them in rushing the past two seasons but who is serving a four-month jail term in connection with an arrest for marijuana possession, and they said they are still trying to talk former Buffalo Bill quarterback Jim Kelly out of retirement.

Raven officials said that if Kelly, who spent last season as a television commentator, is willing and able to come back, he would be the No. 1 quarterback.

Baseball

The Milwaukee Brewers signed outfielder Jeromy Burnitz to a four-year, $14.5-million contract after he led them in home runs with 27 last season and became the third player in club history with at least 20 homers, 20 doubles and 20 stolen bases.

John Valentin, who once vowed to leave the Red Sox when he was ousted by shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, agreed to a $25-million, four-year contract with Boston that includes a team option for 2002.

Seattle Mariner shortstop Alex Rodriguez’s Miami house was robbed for the second time in the last couple of months. Someone broke into his suburban home, stealing $43,000 worth of clothes, two Rolex watches, three bottles of cognac worth $1,270 each, $2,500 in cigars, baseballs and $25,000 in cash, the Miami Herald reported.

The burglary followed another theft from Rodriguez during the holidays, in which several items of sports memorabilia, including Rodriguez’s 1996 All-Star game jersey, were stolen.

Jurisprudence

Jamel Joyner, 18, a former Iowa State wide receiver, pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary charges in connection with looting dormitory rooms after the building was evacuated during a fire last Nov. 1.

On the recommendation of a prosecutor, Joyner received a deferred judgment, meaning the charge will be taken off his record if he completes two years’ probation and stays out of trouble.

Denver Bronco quarterback John Elway filed a countersuit against American Honda Motor Co., after Honda tried to block the sale of his Denver-area auto dealerships to Republic Industries Inc., headed by Wayne Huizenga, owner of the Miami Dolphins. Honda sued Elway and Republic last month in federal court in Denver, saying the sale violated the auto maker’s contract limiting concentrated ownership of its dealerships.

Miami Dolphin linebacker Derrick Rodgers was arrested and booked for investigation of drunken driving after a confrontation on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

A U.S. judge in Florida has issued an injunction overturning a lifetime ban against Austrian tennis player Horst Skoff for alleged violations of the ATP tour’s drug-testing program, Skoff’s attorney said.

In a 17-page order, Broward County Circuit Judge John Luzzo ruled that Skoff probably would succeed in a $10-million lawsuit he filed against ATP Tour, Inc.

Track and Field

The International Amateur Athletic Federation has asked its arbitration panel to decide whether former world champion distance runner Mary Slaney is guilty of using a banned substance.

An IAAF spokesman said it would probably be months before the panel assembled all the necessary documents. Slaney tested positive at the 1996 U.S. championships for excessive levels of the male sex hormone testosterone. She has consistently denied taking any banned substance.

Women’s Basketball

Andrea Lloyd scored nine of her 16 points during a 15-0 run in the second quarter as the Columbus Quest (27-7) clinched the American Basketball League Eastern Conference championship with an 85-69 victory over the Seattle Reign before 3,031 at Columbus, Ohio.

Natalie Williams scored 27 points as the Portland Power defeated the visiting Colorado Xplosion, 74-72, before 4,750.

Winter Sports

Martina Ertl of Germany won the first World Cup giant slalom held at night, finishing with a two-run total of 2 minutes 6 seconds on the Gastrapput course at Are, Sweden. Her time was 0.86 of a second better than that of Sonja Nef of Switzerland.

Jayna Hefford had two assists and Kathy McCormack and Jennifer Botterill each had a goal and an assist to send Canada to a 4-2 victory over the United States in women’s hockey at Colorado Springs, Colo.

Canadian downhill skier Cary Mullen, still feeling the effects of a terrible crash in December in Colorado, has called off his bid to compete in the Olympics in Nagano, Japan.