Police Say Tuinei Died of Overdose

Mark Tuinei, former offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, died of an accidental drug overdose after taking a combination of heroin and a stimulant, according to the medical examiner in Plano, Texas.

Police chief Bruce Glasscock said his department’s investigation indicated that Tuinei had never before used heroin, although he didn’t say how that determination was made.

“What you had was a 39-year-old male, 6-5, in excess of 300 pounds, a healthy individual, took one shot of heroin and basically dropped dead as a result,” Glasscock said during a news conference.

Tuinei died Thursday morning. According to a police affidavit, Cowboy running back Nicky Sualua said Tuinei bought a small amount of heroin the previous evening and passed out after taking it at a North Dallas apartment.

The police chief declined to say whether Sualua was in legal jeopardy but Texas law has no provisions to prosecute Sualua for failing to seek immediate medical assistance for Tuinei.

Glasscock said police found a marijuana pipe, a marijuana cigarette and a tablet that appeared to be ecstasy, a mood-enhancing stimulant, at Tuinei’s Plano home.

Dr. William Rohr, Collin County’s medical examiner, said either the heroin or the ecstasy could have killed the former player.

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The Cleveland Browns agreed to a one-year, $1.3-million contract with free-agent linebacker Jamir Miller, who played the last five seasons for the Arizona Cardinals.

College Sports

Gene Keady, Purdue’s basketball coach, signed a one-year contract extension through the 2002-03 season that will increase his base salary to $185,000 a year. . . . Rashad Jones, an All-Coast Conference point guard for San Jose City College last season, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball for USC. As a 6-foot-2 sophomore, Jones averaged 15.7 points, six assists and three steals while leading his team to a 19-10 record.

Rick Chryst, marketing director for the Atlantic Coast Conference, became the new commissioner of the Mid-American Conference, nine days after Tom McElroy, senior associate commissioner of the Big East, backed out of the job. . . . The NCAA transferred more than $54.5 million to an account controlled by lawyers for former restricted-earnings coaches. The organization was found in violation of antitrust law for artificially capping the coaches’ salaries. The amount included $19,754 in interest because the NCAA was three days late in making the payment. . . . College football’s newest bowl game, the Mobile Alabama Bowl, announced a tie-in with Conference USA and the Western Athletic Conference.

Tennis

Steffi Graf, rusty after a three-week layoff because of a foot injury, rallied to defeat Yugoslavia’s Sandra Nacuk, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, at the German Open at Berlin in what was Graf’s 1,000th professional match. She wept when spectators celebrated her milestone. . . . In the Italian Open at Rome, Pete Sampras defeated the Czech Republic’s Bohdan Uhlirach, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), in his first clay match since last year’s French Open, despite making 49 unforced errors.

Miscellany

Despite the recent freeze in U.S.-China relations, Women’s World Cup President Marla Messing said she is confident the Chinese--among the tournament favorites--will participate in this summer’s soccer event. . . . Lucien “Pay” Joubert Sr., the referee of the 1978 Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks heavyweight title fight at the Superdome, died Sunday at Covington, La. He was 74. . . . Diego Maradona’s suspended jail sentence for a 1994 incident in which he attacked reporters with an air rifle has been reduced by 10 months to two years, according to news reports.