Hamilton Suspended by Pro Cycling Team

Olympic cycling champion Tyler Hamilton was suspended Wednesday by his pro team, which threatened to fire him if he couldn’t prove he was innocent of blood doping.

Hamilton could also lose his time-trial gold medal from the Athens Games if backup tests confirm results from earlier tests at the Olympics and the Spanish Vuelta showing another person’s blood in his system.

He denied receiving a transfusion -- which can boost an athlete’s performance by increasing the amount of oxygen-transporting red blood cells in his system.

Under the heading “We believe Tyler” in a statement Wednesday, Phonak team boss Andy Rihs said: “For the moment, we have to concentrate on the facts. These seem to speak against Tyler. But so long as we’re not 100% certain that he’s guilty of manipulation, we will believe him.”

However, immediately below Rihs’ statement, Phonak said Hamilton’s suspension would hold “pending further notice” until tests and proceedings were completed.

“If Hamilton is not able to prove his innocence, then the contract will be canceled effective immediately,” it said.

College Sports

NCAA football players could have five seasons of eligibility and would be allowed to transfer once without penalty if two new proposals are approved next year.

The NCAA’s Championships/Competition Cabinet forwarded both measures for consideration during a two-day meeting in Indianapolis. The committee also approved a proposal that would permit Division I-A schools to again add a 12th football game starting in 2006.

The cabinet also approved new baseball guidelines. If approved, teams could not start spring practice until Feb. 1, and games could not begin until March 1. Currently, there is no practice date set for the spring season.

Final votes on the measures cannot occur before April.

Pro Basketball

Philadelphia 76er center Todd MacCulloch, 28, retired because of foot problems that sidelined him the last 1 1/2 seasons.

*

Center Kevin Willis, 42, left the San Antonio Spurs to rejoin Atlanta, his original pro team, after a 10-year absence.... Washington Wizard point guard Steve Blake will sit out the first month of the season after undergoing ankle surgery.... The Seattle Supersonics signed Turkish guard Ibrahim Kutluay.... Former USC guard Desmon Farmer was selected first in the Continental Basketball Assn. draft by the Michigan Mayhem. Former Gonzaga guard Blake Stepp was chosen seventh in the first round by the Idaho Stampede and Cal State Fullerton forward Pape Sow was taken last in the round by the Dakota Wizards.

Miscellany

Top-seeded Serena Williams beat Dinara Safina, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, to reach the China Open quarterfinals in Beijing. Maria Sharapova beat Tatiana Panova, 6-1, 6-1, to also advance to the final eight.

*

Robby Gordon was put on probation by Richard Childress Racing for the rest of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season after admitting he intentionally caused an accident in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 that involved championship contenders Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield.

Meanwhile, Childress said that Ron Hornaday, a two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck series champion, would not be re-signed for the 2005 Busch Series.

*

Lone Star Park announced that all 51,034 seats have been sold for the Breeders’ Cup horse races on Oct. 30. There will be no walk-ins allowed on Breeders’ Cup day, which consists of eight races worth $14 million and four other races. Lone Star, near Dallas, has 12,000 permanent seats and will add about 39,000 temporary seats.