Police Issue Warrants in Lewis Case

Police in Atlanta issued arrest warrants Thursday for two acquaintances of Ray Lewis and accused the Baltimore Raven star of lying to protect them.

Lewis, charged with murder in the stabbings of two men outside a club after a Super Bowl party, was an active participant in the fight that led to the killings, Deputy Chief C.B. Jackson said at a news conference.

In his first major comments on the investigation, Jackson said police were searching for two men, Reginald Oakley of Baltimore, 31, and Joseph L. Sweeting of Miami, 34. Both have extensive criminal records and should be considered armed and dangerous, he said.

Fulton County District Atty. Paul Howard said he will seek murder indictments against all three men at a grand jury hearing today.

“We are absolutely confident that we have the perpetrators of the crime,” Jackson said.

Jackson said Lewis has refused to answer basic questions about the fight that led to the stabbings.

“Ray Lewis has not cooperated at all, other than to provide misleading statements and outright lies,” Jackson said.

Pro Football

Dan Marino voided the final two years of his contract with the Miami Dolphins, but it remained unclear whether the 38-year-old quarterback will retire or return for another season.

Marino could rejoin the Dolphins or go to another team as a free agent.

Coach Dave Wannstedt has indicated he would prefer to go with a younger quarterback such as Jim Druckenmiller or Damon Huard, who was 4-1 as a starter last season.

Though there is no timetable for Marino’s decision, he probably will make an announcement before March 20, the day the Dolphins begin their off-season workout program.

With Marino no longer under contract, the Dolphins gained $5.8 million to spend during the free-agent signing period, which begins today. They also released veteran tight end Troy Drayton.

Steve Young restructured his contract with the San Francisco 49ers as part of a series of moves to bring the team into compliance with the salary cap. . . . Barry Sanders may decide “fairly quickly” whether he will end his retirement and return to the NFL, his agent said.

The Arizona Cardinals made Pro Bowl defensive end Simeon Rice their franchise player. An arbitrator had ruled in their favor after a hearing on a grievance brought by the NFL Players Assn.

As the franchise player, Rice would be paid $4.32 million next season, the average of the top five salaries at his position. But Rice will want a deal similar to the four-year, $32-million contract Michael Strahan signed with the New York Giants last year.

The Minnesota Vikings parted ways with some of their most decorated veterans, including guard Randall McDaniel, who started in his record 11th consecutive Pro Bowl last weekend. The Vikings also released wide receiver Jake Reed and tight end Andrew Glover, both nine-year veterans.

With negotiations going nowhere with the NFC’s leading rusher, the Washington Redskins designated Stephen Davis as their franchise player. . . . Bruce Smith and Thurman Thomas followed Andre Reed into free agency, breaking the Buffalo Bills’ last ties to the Super Bowl teams of the 1990s. . . . The Seattle Seahawks designated Joey Galloway as their franchise player after the wide receiver won his free-agent case against the team. . . . The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with free-agent cornerback Aaron Beasley. . . . The Cincinnati Bengals signed offensive tackle Rod Jones to a $9-million, three-year contract.

The Detroit Lions designated all-pro defensive end Robert Porcher their franchise player after failing to reach an agreement on a long-term deal. . . . Veteran tight end Ken Dilger signed a five-year, $15-million contract to remain with the Indianapolis Colts. . . . The New England Patriots signed Lawyer Milloy to a seven-year, $35-million contract that makes him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. . . . The Giants, in a series of salary-cap moves, released quarterback Kent Graham, centers Brian Williams and Lance Scott, running back Gary Brown and linebacker Marcus Buckley. . . . Oakland wide receiver Tim Brown passed up a chance at free agency and re-signed with the Raiders. . . . The Denver Broncos released defensive ends Alfred Williams and Neil Smith.

Winter Sports

Yevgeny Plushchenko ended Alexei Yagudin’s two-year rule as men’s champion by winning the free program at the European Figure Skating Championship at Vienna. . . . Italy’s Isolde Kostner narrowly won her third World Cup downhill of the season at Santa Caterina, Italy. Kostner was timed in 1 minute, 25.85 seconds. Germany’s Regina Haeusl was .002 of a second back.

Tennis

Top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia was upset, 7-6 (5), 6-3, by Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic in the $500,000 Marseille Open at Marseille, France. . . . Fifth-seeded Amelie Mauresmo was upset by French compatriot Sarah Pitkowski, 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2, in the second round of the $537,000 Paris Open. . . . Third-seeded Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador was upset by Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round of the Dubai Open in the United Arab Emirates. . . . Michael Chang moved into the quarterfinals of the Sybase Open at San Jose by defeating Cecil Mamiit, 6-2, 6-3.

Miscellany

A memorial service for Kye Courtney, former track and field coach at Hawthorne High, will be held Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. at Nativity Catholic Church in Torrance. Courtney died Tuesday of cancer. He was 60.

Jenny Thompson of the U.S. won the women’s 100-meter freestyle, the 100 individual medley and the 50 butterfly at the Imperia short course swim meet at Imperia, Italy.

The Heritage Bowl, played between two of the predominantly black Division I-AA football conferences, is being discontinued because of a lack of fan support and the end of a two-year television agreement with NBC. . . . Florida State will begin its defense of the national championship Aug. 26 in the Pigskin Classic against Brigham Young.