Jockey Dies of Injuries From Fall

Michael Rowland, a jockey with nearly 4,000 victories, died Monday of injuries he suffered in a spill at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., last week. He was 41.

Rowland died at University Hospital in Cincinnati, hospital spokeswoman Pat Samson said.

The fall occurred Wednesday, when Rowland was unseated after his mount, World Trade, broke a front leg and fell on the first turn of a $13,900 claiming race.

“Horses were his life,” his wife, Tammy Rowland, said. “He was one of the best. In my eyes, he was the best.”

Since 1940, there have been 144 jockey deaths in North America, according to the Jockeys’ Guild.

College Football

An arrest warrant was issued for Miami’s top recruit, accusing him of violating his probation while on a recruiting visit to Florida last month.

Willie Williams, 19, has been charged with misdemeanor battery by state officials in Gainesville after a woman said he hugged her without permission. That charge spurred the issuing of an arrest warrant in Broward County, where Williams is on probation for pleading no contest to felony burglary in 2002.

Miami Athletic Director Paul Dee said in a statement the school was monitoring the case.

Larry Fitzgerald made the decision everyone expected: to make himself available for the NFL draft. The Heisman Trophy runner-up said that he would forgo his final two seasons at Pittsburgh to turn professional. He was declared eligible for the draft by the league four days ago.

Baseball

Drew Henson became a baseball free agent when he cleared waivers.

The third baseman, who intends to pursue a career as an NFL quarterback, agreed last week to give up the $12 million remaining in the $17-million, six-year contract he agreed to with the New York Yankees in 2001.

Jose Offerman agreed to a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins, who have an opening for a utility infielder.... Left-handed reliever Ron Villone agreed to a $1-million, one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Pro Football

A federal judge in Cincinnati ruled that a taxpayer can pursue a lawsuit alleging that the NFL has illegally used its clout to “extort” new stadiums from cities.

U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel rejected the league’s arguments that there was no legal standing for the case, which is based on how the Cincinnati Bengals got their new stadium.

Lawyers for taxpayer Carrie Davis now can try to get financial records and other private information from the league as they prepare for trial, something the NFL has strongly resisted in previous antitrust cases.

The Chicago Bears hired Wade Wilson as quarterback coach.... The Jacksonville Jaguars added three new coaches: Bob Ligashesky as a special teams assistant, Andy Heck as an offensive assistant and Pete Rodriguez as special teams coordinator.... The Buffalo Bills hired former Bengal and Buccaneer coach Sam Wyche as quarterbacks coach.

Tennis

Wesley Moodie advanced to the second round of the Siebel Open, beating Todd Martin, 6-4, 7-6 (1). In other first-round matches, KJ Hippensteel beat Dmitry Tursunov, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, and Robert Kendrick defeated Lars Burgsmuller, 6-4, 6-2.

Seventh-seeded Silvia Farina Elia beat an erratic Alexandra Stevenson, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2, in the first round of the Gaz de France at Paris.

Serena Williams, last year’s winner, and 2003 finalist Amelie Mauresmo are injured and not in the field.

Hockey

Ryan Murphy slapped a backhander past Sean Fields at the 6:07 mark of overtime to give Boston College a 2-1 victory over Boston University in the Beanpot tournament championship game at Boston. In the third-place game, Keni Gibson stopped 31 shots and Mike Morris scored the winning goal with 8:12 to play to lead Northeastern to a 3-1 victory over Harvard.