NEWSWIRE

Lesley Visser will join Howard David and Boomer Esiason in the “Monday Night Football” radio broadcast booth for two or three games this season, becoming the first woman to work in a Monday night booth. Visser was a sideline reporter on ABC’s “Monday Night Football” before being replaced last year and moving over to CBS.

Jurisprudence

The trial of Bill Romanowski began in Castle Rock, Colo., when a judge refused to dismiss charges that the Denver Bronco linebacker illegally used a diet drug prescribed for someone else. Romanowski, 35, is accused of obtaining the appetite suppressant phentermine that had been prescribed for his wife and a family friend. The trial is expected to last four days.

Stanley Drew Abraham was released from prison after a 90-day sentence for his involvement in the fatal shooting of the girlfriend of former NFL player Rae Carruth. Abraham was one of four men, including Carruth, charged in the shooting death of Cherica Adams on Nov. 16, 1999. Adams, who was eight months pregnant with Carruth’s child, died a month later. The baby survived.

College Football

Brigham Young will host Tulane on Aug. 25 in the Black Coaches Assn. game. . . . Toledo and Minnesota have switched the date of their season-opening game to avoid going head-to-head with the opening night of high school football. The Rockets and Gophers were scheduled to open the season at Toledo with a televised game on ESPN2 on Aug. 31. But high schools in both states protested and the game now will be played Aug. 30.

Miscellany

Tiger Woods broke Greg Norman’s record with his 97th consecutive week atop the world golf rankings. Despite a 16th-place finish at the Buick Classic last weekend, Woods kept his No. 1 ranking, exceeding the previous 96-week record set by Norman from June 18, 1995, to April 13, 1997.

Notah Begay III, defending champion of the Greater Hartford Open at Cromwell, Conn., withdrew from the tournament, citing continued problems with his back.

Dave Miller has resigned as a USC assistant men’s basketball coach effective Saturday, according to Kelly Bendell, spokeswoman for the university counsel. Earlier this year, Nate Hair, a sophomore on the 2000-2001 Trojan team, alleged that Miller harassed him. Bendell refused to comment on whether the university’s investigation into the matter was ongoing. She also would not say whether the allegation was a factor in Miller’s resignation.

The rocky relations between European and international soccer authorities reached a new low, with UEFA slamming recent public comments by FIFA President Sepp Blatter as “unacceptable and unwarranted.” UEFA President Lennart Johansson issued a statement to deny suggestions by Blatter that the European governing body was conducting “some form of witch hunt” against him. . . . Trinidad and Tobago fired its national soccer coach six days after a loss to the United States in a World Cup qualifier. Ian Porterfield of Scotland was replaced by Rene Simoes of Brazil. . . . Japan must strengthen its immigration controls in order to handle the rush of tourists arriving for soccer’s 2002 World Cup, the justice minister said.

Jean-Francois Gaulin, 28, a racer on the developmental Formula 2000 series, was killed along with two passengers when his Porsche, going more than 150 mph, crashed into a power pole at Mirabel, Canada. . . . The Indy Racing League is expected to add Michigan International Speedway to its schedule for the 2002 season, replacing CART at the facility in Brooklyn, Mich.

Gabriel Hernandez, a Dominican who fought for the super-middleweight title two years ago, has committed suicide in Yonkers, N.Y. Hernandez, 27, hanged himself Sunday night and his body was found Monday, according to the Westchester County medical examiner. The contents of a note left by Hernandez were not immediately revealed. He was married with three children. . . . Former NCAA heptathlon champion and WNBA player Corissa Yasen died earlier this year from a self-induced drug overdose, an Idaho coroner concluded.

Bob Essensa, a surprise starter in goal for the Vancouver Canucks last season, was released.

Lance Armstrong surged to the overall lead in cycling’s Tour de Suisse after an overwhelming victory in a rare mountain time trial. He won the 15.5-mile seventh stage from Sion to Crans Montana, Switzerland, in 47 minutes 18 seconds--almost a minute and a half ahead of his nearest rivals.

U.S. athletes will be asked this fall to start carrying anti-doping passports listing their drug-test history. . . . Canadian judo champion Carolyne Lepage, a silver medalist at the 1995 and 1999 Pan American Games, has tested positive for the steroid nandrolone, a Judo Canada official said.