Unhappy Nickerson Signs With Jaguars; Conway to Chargers
The Jacksonville Jaguars livened their previously dormant free-agency period Tuesday, signing former Tampa Bay linebacker Hardy Nickerson to a four-year contract worth $16 million.
“He’s a guy with some fire,” Coach Tom Coughlin said in Jacksonville. “He’s an outstanding leader, an outstanding athlete. He brings a lot of speed to this position. I think he’s an ingredient that has been missing from our defense.”
Nickerson, 34, will play in the middle, moving Lonnie Marts back outside to replace Bryce Paup, a disappointment from the 1998 free-agent class who will be released June 1.
Nickerson’s signing ends a seven-year stint in Tampa Bay in which he built a reputation as one of the premier linebackers in the league. However, he wasn’t happy with Tampa Bay’s lukewarm attempt at re-signing him.
The Jaguars also signed quarterback Jamie Martin to a two-year deal worth $1.06 million. He returns after having signed with Cleveland last season.
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The San Diego Chargers signed free-agent wide receiver Curtis Conway to a four-year deal. He had played his entire seven-year career in Chicago, where he had 245 receptions, averaged 13.4 yards a catch and scored 27 touchdowns.
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Micheal Barrow, the Carolina Panthers’ leading tackler the last two seasons, was released in a cost-cutting move.
Barrow was heading into the fourth season of a five-year, $19-million contract that he signed in February 1997, putting him among the NFL’s highest-paid linebackers. By releasing Barrow, the Panthers freed almost $2.9 million under their 2000 salary cap.
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After waiving veteran defensive ends Neil Smith and Alfred Williams to clear room under the salary cap, the Denver Broncos signed Dallas Cowboy free agent Kavika Pittman, a defensive lineman, to a reported seven-year contract worth $28 million with a signing bonus topping $3 million.
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The New York Giants kept a starting cornerback and found a new backup quarterback. They re-signed Conrad Hamilton to a three-year incentive-laden contract that will pay the defensive back about $4.8 million if he remains injury free, and signed longtime Dallas Cowboy backup quarterback Jason Garrett to a three-year, $2.94-million deal to play behind Kerry Collins. The Giants also reached tentative agreement with veteran free-agent offensive tackle Lomas Brown, 36, a move that gives them an insurance policy in case they lose starter Roman Oben to free agency.
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The Seattle Seahawks, not expected to be a big factor in free agency this winter, signed unrestricted free agent Reggie Tongue to be their starting strong safety. . . . The Tennessee Titans reached a contract agreement with starting free safety Marcus Robertson. . . . The Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams solidified their offensive line for next season, matching a three-year, $8.25-million offer sheet for tackle Ryan Tucker, from the Miami Dolphins and signing center Andy McCollum, . . . Running back Lamont Warren was released by the New England Patriots. The move leaves only Kevin Faulk remaining from last season’s backfield.
Jurisprudence
New Orleans Saint running back Ricky Williams spent two hours in jail Monday night after failing to sign a traffic ticket for allegedly swerving his 1999 Humvee from the far left lane to the far right one without signaling, disrupting traffic on a three-lane street in downtown Austin, Texas.
Williams “was upset. He was not particularly cooperative,” said Tom Vinger, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Williams refused to sign the ticket, which charged him with failing to signal a lane change that carried a maximum $200 fine.
Tennis
Ticket sales of 20,430 Tuesday for U.S. Davis Cup play at the Great Western Forum on April 7-9 gave the U.S. Tennis Assn. its best opening day for a home match.
Sales surpassed the 16,026 sold on the first day for the United States-Australia quarterfinal last year in Boston. The Forum will be configured to seat 12,795 for the three-day quarterfinal event against the Czech Republic, officials said.
Monica Seles, playing for the first time in nearly five months, eased past Francesca Lubiani of Italy, 6-3, 6-3, in the second round of the $170,000 IGA SuperThrift Classic at Oklahoma City. Seles, ranked 14th in the world and seeded No. 2, hadn’t played since losing to Lindsay Davenport in the final of the Princess Cup in Tokyo on Sept. 26. She has been recovering from a stress fracture in her right foot.
Second-seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany was ousted from the first round of the AXA Cup in London, falling, 6-2, 6-3, to 18-year-old Roger Federer of Switzerland.
Auto Racing
Geoffrey Bodine was released from a hospital in Daytona Beach, Fla., four days after his fiery truck wreck at Daytona Speedway.
Bodine flew home to North Carolina and met with an orthopedic surgeon in Charlotte, where he will undergo surgery Sunday to replace a plate in his right wrist.
Steve Horne, 50, resigned as president of the CART Forsythe racing team he founded because he does not want to be involved in a long-term development program at this stage of his career. The team has undergone driver and car changes since last season.
Miscellany
New York plans to follow the lead of other states by proposing the elimination of the standing-eight count in professional boxing.
In another change, judges at championship bouts in New York will be selected by the Athletic Commission and not boxing’s sanctioning organizations.
The Galaxy waived forward Josh Henderson as the Major League Soccer team reduced its roster to 20 players in advance of today’s waiver draft. . . . Rene Simoes, the Brazilian soccer coach who took Jamaica to the World Cup in 1998, resigned to become technical director for the Flamengo club in Brazil. . . . Antonio Diaz Miguel, who guided the Spanish men’s basketball team to the silver medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer in Madrid. He was 66. . . . The Supreme Court said it will decide whether some high school athletic associations can be sued for allegedly violating their members’ rights.