Bill Progresses for College Football Pay

A proposal to pay Nebraska’s football players cleared a legislative hurdle Tuesday.

The Business and Labor Committee voted unanimously to advance the measure for debate before the full Legislature.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers’ bill would require Nebraska football players be paid a stipend if three other states with schools in the Big 12 Conference pass similar laws. Other states with schools in the conference are Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Texas and Iowa.

NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said the proposal was flawed.

“I don’t think there are many, if any, college presidents who believe it’s the right thing to do to pay their students to play sports,” Renfro said.

Renfro said the bill would be vulnerable to legal action from players in other sports who also want to be paid.

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The NCAA Football Rules Committee has eliminated the rule prohibiting players of the kicking team from being within two yards of a player positioned to receive the kick.

Returners still must be given an unimpeded opportunity to catch the kick and the penalty for failing to do that or for touching a player who has signaled for a fair catch will be 15 yards.

Also, backs who are positioned outside the normal tackle position are now prohibited from blocking below the waist near the line of scrimmage.

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UCLA defensive end Asi Faoa must pick up roadside trash for 180 days over the next two years in lieu of serving jail time, a Superior Court judge ruled. Faoa, who will be a senior in the fall, was convicted of misdemeanor assault in September 2001 and was sentenced to the jail time and five years probation.

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The Las Vegas Bowl has lost its sponsor, and organizers are switching the game from Christmas Day to Christmas Eve.

Miscellany

Two San Diego police officers acted reasonably when they shot and killed former NFL player Demetrius DuBose during a July 1999 confrontation, a federal jury ruled.

After about 12 hours of deliberations, the 10-member U.S. District Court panel unanimously decided that officers Timothy Keating and Robert Wills had used justifiable actions.

DuBose, 28, was shot 12 times, including five to his back, during the struggle with police outside an apartment in San Diego’s Mission Beach neighborhood.

Officers said DuBose acted aggressively and appeared to be under the influence of a drug. An autopsy showed traces of Ecstasy, cocaine and alcohol.

Former top-10 player Mark Philippoussis was ousted by Taylor Dent, 7-6 (15), 6-1, in the first round of the Kroger St. Jude tournament at Memphis, Tenn.

Tim Henman was beaten in his first match since shoulder surgery in November, losing to Ivan Ljubicic, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round of the ABN Amro tournament at Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Jeff True, who has been marketing director at Los Alamitos Race Course for the last five years, has been appointed general manager of the Orange County track.

True, 39, replaces Rick Henson, who has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of Los Alamitos since 1996. Henson, who lives in La Quinta, said that he plans to spend more time with his family after a career in racing that began in 1971.