Vikings’ Carter Retires, Joins HBO as Analyst

After spending the last four months assessing what he wanted to do with his life, Minnesota Viking receiver Cris Carter has decided on broadcasting rather than continue his football career.

Carter announced Tuesday that he is retiring after 15 seasons in the NFL and will join HBO’s “Inside the NFL” as a studio analyst.

Carter said on a conference call with reporters that he also had an opportunity to become a game analyst for Fox, but said he prefers studio work.

Carter will join new “Inside the NFL” host Bob Costas and fellow analysts Dan Marino and Cris Collinsworth on the weekly show. Carter said the addition of Costas was a factor in his decision to go with HBO.

Carter, 36, drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Ohio State in 1987, spent 12 seasons with the Vikings. He had 1,093 career catches and 129 receiving touchdowns, second in both categories behind Jerry Rice. He ranks third behind Rice and James Lofton with 13,833 yards receiving.

Carter, a free agent, said he considered signing with Miami, Cleveland or St. Louis. He might have signed with the Rams in early March but said he was delayed in meetings in Cleveland and before he could arrive in St. Louis, the Rams said they were no longer interested.

Carter said he wrote a letter of apology to Ram Coach Mike Martz, explaining what happened, but did not get a response.

Larry Stewart

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One day after being released by the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Ryan Leaf agreed to a one-year contract reportedly worth $525,000 with the Seattle Seahawks.... The Carolina Panthers released reserve quarterback Matt Lytle.

Tennis

Pete Sampras defeated Guillermo Canas, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (5), leading the United States to a 2-1 victory over Argentina in the World Team Cup at Duesseldorf, Germany.

Andy Roddick defeated Jose Acasuso, 6-3, 6-2, in the other singles match, and Lucas Arnold and Gaston Etlis defeated James Blake and Jared Palmer, 7-5, 6-2, in doubles.

Sweden, playing without Thomas Johansson, defeated France, 2-1.

Thomas Enqvist defeated Nicolas Escude, 6-4, 6-4. In doubles, Jonas Bjorkman and Enqvist beat Arnaud Clement and Escude, 6-3, 4-6, 10-3.

France had tied the score when Clement defeated Bjorkman, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

College Sports

Former Louisiana State teacher Tiffany Mayne and former graduate assistant Caroline Owen, who have alleged academic wrongdoing involving athletes, met with school officials and an NCAA investigator.

Mayne and Owen have said in lawsuits they were pressured to keep quiet about their allegations. Neither spoke with reporters after the meeting.

Rashaad Carruth, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, plans to transfer from Kentucky to Oklahoma because of a disagreement with Wildcat Coach Tubby Smith.

Southeastern Louisiana surpassed a $5-million fund-raising goal and will be able to resume playing football in 2003 for the first time since the 1985 season.

Miscellany

Miami Dolphin running back Ricky Williams was fined $500 as part of a plea bargain stemming from his Feb. 24 arrest at Crowley, La., on charges of driving 126 mph.

Super-flyweight Martin Castillo of Hacienda Heights, ranked No. 3 by the International Boxing Federation, will take a 21-1 record with 13 knockouts into a scheduled 10-round super-flyweight bout at the Eldorado Hotel-Casino on June 7, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.

He is coming off a six-round technical decision loss to IBF champion Felix Machado at Reading, Pa., March 30.

Top Italian cyclist Stefano Garzelli was suspended from the Giro d’Italia after second tests on his urine sample confirmed the presence of a banned drug. He first tested positive following the second stage of the Giro at Liege, Belgium, on May 13.

The 2000 Giro winner was allowed to stay in the race pending the second tests. The results were announced after Tuesday’s stage.