Fox Drops Irvin as Analyst

Michael Irvin, a former Dallas Cowboy receiver arrested last week at an apartment where law officers say they found marijuana and other drugs, will not join Fox Sports Net as an analyst.

“After several lengthy conversations between Fox Sports Net and Michael Irvin, both parties agree that given the events of last week, it would be imprudent for Michael to begin his career as an analyst on ‘NFL This Morning’ at this time,” the network said in a release Friday.

The network said the show will be hosted by Chris Myers, with analysis from Marv Levy, Jackie Slater and Chris Spielman.

Fox Sports Net officials reached by the Associated Press declined to discuss the announcement further. Irvin, who retired from the Cowboys this year, could not be reached for comment.

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The University of Mississippi can ban spectators from waving Confederate flags at campus athletic events, the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled.

The decision by the New Orleans court came three years after Richard Barrett, a lawyer for the white supremacist Nationalist Movement, sued over the issue, claiming the ban violated his 1st Amendment rights.

The 5th Circuit said it found nothing wrong with “the university defendants’ game management policies, which prohibited spectators from carrying sticks and large flags or banners into the university’s football stadium during athletic contests.”

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William Black has given up his sports agent’s license in Florida to settle state charges that he provided cash to University of Florida athletes. . . . Ayesha Rembert, 22, a reserve forward on the UCLA women’s basketball team, was sentenced to 90 days in jail as part of three years of formal probation for burglary.

Tennis

As the thundering serves and groundstrokes flew past a helpless Amy Frazier, Serena Williams knew she was “in a zone.”

“I played well today, guys,” Williams said after her 6-0, 6-1 quarterfinal victory over the 16th-seeded Frazier in the du Maurier Open at Montreal.

Joining Williams in the semifinals were top-seeded Martina Hingis and third-seeded Conchita Martinez. Hingis survived a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 battle with No. 8 Sandrine Testud of France, while Martinez advanced by beating Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, 6-2, 6-4.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia used a dominating serve to defeat Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the RCA Championships at Indianapolis. Hewitt will meet top-seeded Gustavo Kuerten in one of today’s semifinal matches. Kuerten, the ATP Champions Race leader, defeated Wayne Ferreira, 6-3, 6-3. The other semifinal will match Tim Henman of Britain, a 7-6 (4), 6-2 winner over Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, against Marat Safin of Russia, who beat Sebastien Grosjean of France, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Third-seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany won his third three-set match in as many days, beating fifth-seeded Jan-Michael Gambill, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, to advance to the semifinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic at Washington. Top-seeded Andre Agassi beat 17-year-old Andy Roddick, 6-4, 6-4, in a match delayed twice by rain.

Martina Navratilova is coming back to the U.S. Open after a five-year absence as she will play women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Miscellany

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for the Pepsi 400 in historic fashion, becoming the first NASCAR Winston Cup driver to top 190 mph in qualifying at Michigan Speedway. Earnhardt Jr., one of three Earnhardts trying to qualify for Sunday’s race, ran a lap Friday at 191.149 mph in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo. . . . Gil De Ferran turned a lap of 145.159 mph in the opening round of qualifying for the Motorola 220 on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road America circuit at Elkhart Lake, Wis.

In his second meet since returning from a yearlong drug ban, Cuban high jumper Javier Sotomayor got a warm reception and established himself as a medal threat in Sydney with a victory at the Herculis Golden League track meet in Monte Carlo. The 32-year-old world-record holder cleared a jump of 7 feet 6 1/2 inches to win the meet. Two-time reigning 400-meter world champion Cathy Freeman solidified her status as Australia’s top gold medal hope, clocking 49.48 seconds, the season’s best time in the women’s 400 .

Al Joyner, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump, joined the UCLA track and field coaching staff. . . . The Edmonton Oilers and forward Mike Grier agreed to terms on a two-year contract, the NHL team said. In another Oiler development, goalie Tommy Salo could be banned from Sweden’s Olympic team for the Salt Lake Games in 2002 because he refused to take a random doping test in Stockholm last weekend. . . . Medical tests on Detroit Red Wing owner Mike Ilitch have delayed the $12.3-million arbitration case with defenseman Uwe Krupp for at least a month.

The Lakers signed 6-foot-9 forward Andy Panko, a two-time Division III player of the year at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa.