Simpson Drops Defamation Suit Against NASCAR

Safety manufacturer Bill Simpson on Tuesday dropped a defamation lawsuit that accused NASCAR of wrongly blaming his former company’s seat belt for Dale Earnhardt’s death.

The $8.5-million suit was filed last year in Indianapolis and was set for trial in September, but Simpson and NASCAR representatives resolved their differences Monday.

“Simpson and NASCAR are happy to announce that they agree that it is in the best interest of racing that they direct their time, energy and resources away from litigation and toward their joint goal of improving safety for professional racing drivers,” the two sides said in a statement.

Simpson, the former owner of Simpson Performance Products, has always maintained he wanted an apology -- not money -- from NASCAR, which initially said Earnhardt’s torn seat belt was a factor in his death at the 2001 Daytona 500.

Earnhardt, a seven-time Winston Cup champion, was killed in a wreck on the last turn. A day later, NASCAR officials concluded a Simpson seat belt had separated at impact and as a result, Earnhardt probably hit the steering wheel.

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NASCAR penalized one of Roush Racing’s truck series teams for using illegal engine parts in rookie Carl Edwards’ first career victory. Crew chief Doug Richert was assessed $25,000 for using unapproved cylinder heads in Edwards’ Ford when it won last weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

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Pro Football

San Diego Charger second-round draft pick Terrence Kiel, shot during an attempted carjacking this month, will undergo arthroscopic surgery, the team said.

Kiel was shot in the calf, knee and stomach July 4 in the parking lot of a Houston mall. He was released from the hospital two days later. Charger team doctors later discovered he has a fractured bone in his lower left leg and loose fragments in his knee, team spokesman Bill Johnston said.

The fractured fibula requires four to six weeks of rest and rehabilitation but not surgery.

Chester McGlockton, a former All-Pro defensive tackle, signed with the New York Jets to help add depth to a depleted front that is missing suspended starter Josh Evans.

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Olympics

Australia’s Olympic 400-meter champion Cathy Freeman is retiring, her coach said.

“She basically said her heart wasn’t in it,” said Keith Connor, Australia’s head track coach. “She said she’s lost the essential drive she needs. She didn’t feel she was giving it her full effort.”

Freeman, 30, had been pondering retirement for the last two months. She has also been beset by minor injuries and personal problems since returning to competition in March 2002.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation to restructure the U.S. Olympic Committee in the wake of a series of scandals and years of infighting that have tarnished the organization’s reputation.

The bill drastically scales back the USOC’s unwieldy governing bodies, provides more congressional oversight of the committee’s functions and extends whistleblower protection to Olympic employees.

A key obstacle could come from Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.). He has notified Senate leadership that he will put a hold on McCain’s bill if it does not make Colorado Springs the USOC’s permanent headquarters. Such a move would prevent a Senate vote.

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Tennis

Second-seeded Guillermo Coria of Argentina returned to his favorite surface, beating Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-5, 6-3, to reach the third round of the clay-court Mercedes Cup at Stuttgart, Germany.

French Open finalist Martin Verkerk was upset in the first round of the Dutch Open, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, by Italy’s Giorgio Galimberti at Amersfoort, Netherlands. Verkerk was the tournament’s top-seeded player.

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Hockey

The Detroit Red Wings re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Mathieu Dandenault to a one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration.

Forward Bates Battaglia re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche.... The Calgary Flames re-signed center Stephane Yelle and agreed to terms with right wing Matt Davidson, a former Columbus Blue Jacket.

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Miscellany

A young woman died Tuesday after falling about 25 feet from a climbing wall at a minor league baseball game at Columbia, Mo.

Christine Ewing, 22, was unconscious with head injuries when firefighters arrived shortly after the fall Monday evening, said Steve Sapp, spokesman for the Columbia Fire Department.

Prosecutors formally dropped their case against the father of Chris Webber, who was accused of lying to a grand jury investigating the dealings of a former Michigan basketball booster. U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds signed an order dismissing the indictments against Mayce Webber Jr., which included three counts of making false statements to the grand jury.

University of Illinois guard Dee Brown scored 47 points, including nine three-point baskets, to lead the unbeaten United States (5-0) to an 87-84 victory over Lithuania in the World Junior Basketball Championships at Thessaloniki, Greece.

Southern University infielder Rickie Weeks won amateur baseball’s top honor, receiving the Golden Spikes Award after hitting close to .500 the last two seasons.

Weeks was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers as the second overall pick in last month’s major league draft.

U.S. weightlifter Edris Gonzales was suspended for six years after testing positive for testosterone use in an out-of-competition test Feb. 21.