Gamecock Back Enters Program

South Carolina running back Derek Watson, who was charged with assaulting a woman in May, has been accepted into a pretrial intervention program.

The charge will be erased from Watson’s record if he successfully completes the program that involves community service, counseling and drug testing.

Watson was suspended after the incident by Gamecock Coach Lou Holtz, but the player was reinstated after fall practice began.

Watson has a history of off-field problems. He wrecked a teammate’s car on Dec. 21 and was convicted of driving with a suspended license and fined $100.

Holtz suspended Watson for the Outback Bowl.

Watson was reinstated in January, but was accused of shoving a student referee during an intramural basketball game and was disciplined again by Holtz, who would not reveal the punishment.

Watson ran for more than 1,000 yards last season but has only 275 yards in five games this season.

Watson, a junior, told The Columbia State in South Carolina on Thursday that he is considering declaring himself eligible for the NFL draft after this season.

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Jim Corcoran, president of the New York City Downtown Athletic Club, which awards the Heisman Trophy, said 11 members of the club were among the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center.

The elevator system of the club’s 71-year-old building has been declared unsafe and is under repair. A decision on whether to move the Heisman Trophy dinner, scheduled for Dec. 8, is expected to be made shortly.

If the club decides to move the dinner, it already has reserved banquet rooms at a midtown hotel.

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Michigan’s Markus Curry, a freshman cornerback from Detroit, was indefinitely suspended after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge.

Ann Arbor, Mich., radio station WAAM reported that the incident involved Curry’s girlfriend.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17.