Notre Dame Found Guilty in Age Discrimination Suit
A U.S. District Court jury in Lafayette, Ind., on Wednesday found Notre Dame guilty of age discrimination, awarding a former assistant football coach about $86,000 in back pay and damages.
Former offensive line coach Joe Moore, 66, sat stoically as the verdict was read. He didn’t even crack a smile as the jury awarded him $42,935.28 in back pay and then doubled that amount by finding Notre Dame knowingly disregarded the law.
Irish Coach Bob Davie said he was relieved the trial was over.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to what I do best--coaching football,” he said.
Moore also is seeking pay for the years he expected to continue coaching at Notre Dame past the date Davie fired him in December 1996. A July 28 hearing was scheduled in a South Bend federal court to determine whether any such pay will be awarded.
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A sexual assault case against two Oregon State football players has been dropped after the alleged victim declined to assist prosecutors in the case.
Jason Dandridge, 20, the Beavers’ No. 1 running back, and freshman recruit Calvin Carlyle, 18, were arrested June 25 on sexual assault, sodomy and unlawful sexual penetration charges.
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The Rhode Island Ethics Commission said it was all right for Rhode Island to hire its basketball coach’s son as an assistant.
The decision apparently ended speculation that hiring Jim Harrick Jr. would violate state rules banning nepotism. Former UCLA coach Jim Harrick Sr. has been coach at Rhode Island for a year. The younger Harrick is an assistant at Marshall.
Rhode Island established a search committee to decide whom to hire for two assistant-coaching vacancies.
Hockey
Goalie Curtis Joseph left the Edmonton Oilers for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he signed for $24 million over four years.
Joseph was on the verge of signing with the New York Rangers before the team re-signed Mike Richter for $21.8-million over four years after having him reject at least two previous offers.
The Philadelphia Flyers signed Ron Hextall to a one-year contract extension that will keep the 34-year-old goalie with the Flyers through 2000.
The Kings reached a new one-year agreement with the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the International Hockey League. Based on the agreement, the Kings will maintain six players with the Ice Dogs during the 1998-99 season.
Tennis
Team captain Billie Jean King announced that Mary Joe Fernandez will join the U.S. Federation Cup team in its semifinal match against Spain in Madrid on July 25-26. Meanwhile, Anna Kournikova of Russia aggravated a thumb injury preparing for an exhibition at Mahwah, N.J., and will be sidelined several weeks, forcing her to miss the Federation Cup.
Basketball
The ABL announced that two games of its five-game playoff finals series the next two seasons will be carried by CBS. However, the ABL is purchasing the air time for the games, league chief Gary Cavalli acknowledged.
The league’s regular-season TV package will be announced next week. Cavalli said it’s “safe to assume” regular-season games will remain on cable stations.
Cycling
The yellow jersey keeps being passed around at the Tour de France. Australian Stuart O’Grady became the fourth overall leader in five days. O’Grady won two intermediate sprints and was third in another to gain 14 extra seconds. Jeroen Blijlevens of the Netherlands won the overall stage with a sprint finish, closing out the 157-mile leg from Plouay to Cholet.
Pro Football
After a 15-year NFL career, special teams star Bill Bates has decided to become a full-time coach in hopes of helping new head Coach Chan Gailey turn the Dallas Cowboys back into a Super Bowl contender.
Miscellany
A drunk driver who lost control of his car hit a group of bystanders and injured 10 people during World Cup celebrations on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, police said.
The driver, a 33-year-old Kenyan-born lawyer, had a blood alcohol level of .91 grams per liter, nearly twice the legal amount in France, police said. He was charged Wednesday with deliberate violence.
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Randy Harvey is on vacation.