NCAA Lifts Ban on ‘Seminoles’

The NCAA will allow Florida State to use its Seminoles nickname in postseason play, removing the school from a list of colleges with Native American nicknames that were restricted by an NCAA decision this month.

The NCAA said it was recognizing the relationship Florida State has long enjoyed with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which assists the university with its pageantry and celebration of its culture and supports the school’s use of its name.

“The staff review committee noted the unique relationship between the university and the Seminole Tribe of Florida as a significant factor,” NCAA senior vice president Bernard Franklin said in a statement Tuesday. “The decision of a namesake sovereign tribe, regarding when and how its name and imagery can be used, must be respected even when others may not agree.”

Florida State President T.K. Wetherell had threatened to sue the NCAA immediately after its Aug. 5 announcement that the school’s highly visible nickname, Seminoles, was defined as “hostile and abusive” by a committee.

The NCAA said it would handle reviews from other schools on a case-by-case basis.

Under the NCAA restrictions, teams with Native American nicknames would not be able to display them on uniforms or have their mascots perform in postseason tournaments.

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The family of a Missouri football player who collapsed following a workout last month filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the school Tuesday, the same day medical examiners said Aaron O’Neal died of viral meningitis.

Swelling in the 19-year-old linebacker’s brain subsequently affected his heart and caused him to lose his ability to properly breathe, Boone County Medical Examiner Valerie Rao said. Toxicology tests ruled out steroids, performance supplements, alcohol and other drugs as contributing factors.

The autopsy results still don’t resolve questions about O’Neal’s care, said St. Louis attorney Bob Blitz, who is representing O’Neal’s father in a lawsuit filed in Boone County Circuit Court.

The suit names 14 university athletic officials, including Athletic Director Mike Alden and Coach Gary Pinkel, the head trainer and head strength and conditioning coach.

“When you have viral meningitis, these symptoms start showing before,” Blitz said. “Nobody really dies from viral meningitis unless you have symptoms.”

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Virginia Tech has offered football Coach Frank Beamer a new contract that would boost his average annual compensation from $1.3 million to more than $2 million for the next seven years.

Athletic Director Jim Weaver said he hoped the deal could be completed before Virginia Tech’s Sept. 4 opener at North Carolina State.

The holdup is Beamer’s refusal to agree to any new contract that doesn’t include raises for each of his nine full-time assistant coaches.

Beamer, 58, is starting his 19th season as Tech’s coach.

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Texas junior basketball forward P.J. Tucker will play next season after regaining his academic eligibility.

Tucker was Texas’ leading scorer before he was forced to leave the team midway through last season, averaging 13.7 points and eight rebounds a game.