NFL Clears Williams’ Return, but He Still Faces Suspension

Miami Dolphin running back Ricky Williams was cleared by the NFL to report Sunday for the start of training camp, a year and a day after he abruptly retired.

Williams decided to apply for reinstatement after sitting out last season. He still faces a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse program.

“If he decides to return, Ricky Williams is eligible to report on the first day of training camp without incurring a further violation of the substance abuse program,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday. “His four-game suspension for violating the program would be served over the first four games of the regular season.”

Williams acknowledged shortly after retiring that he failed drug tests and faced a suspension for testing positive three times for marijuana.

New Coach Nick Saban offered Williams another chance with the Dolphins, who begin workouts Monday.

“We’ve taken the steps necessary to ensure an on-time arrival, and he’s excited about rejoining his team,” said Leigh Steinberg, Williams’ agent.

Williams rushed for 3,225 yards and 25 touchdowns in his two seasons with the team.

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Running back Travis Henry agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the Tennessee Titans after being obtained in a Monday trade from Buffalo for a third-round draft pick.

Terms were not disclosed.

Henry, a starter since his rookie season, had consecutive 1,300-yard rushing seasons before being relegated to a backup role last October behind Willis McGahee.

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Atlanta Falcon defensive end Brady Smith will miss training camp, and his status for the start of the season could be in jeopardy after neck surgery last weekend. Doctors project Smith will be sidelined six to 12 weeks.

Tennis

Serena Williams pulled out of next week’s Bank of the West Classic in Palo Alto because of the left ankle injury that has hampered her since April. After losing in the third round at Wimbledon last month, Williams said her ankle was broken.

Gustavo Kuerten’s comeback from two hip operations faltered in Stuttgart, Germany, when American qualifier Hugo Armando beat the three-time French Open champion, 6-4, 6-1, in only 80 minutes in the first round of the Mercedes Cup.

Kuerten is 2-6 since returning from his latest operation in April.

Andy Roddick defeated Dmitry Tursunov, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (5), in a second-round match of the RCA Championships at Indianapolis. Joining Roddick in the third round was Robby Ginepri, who scored a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Vince Spadea.

Third-seeded Nicolas Massu defeated Nicolas Thomann, 6-4, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the Priority Telecom Open in Amersfoort, Netherlands. In other play, Raemon Sluiter rallied to defeat Luis Horna, 6-7 (7) 6-3, 7-5.

Top-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland easily advanced to the second round of the Cincinnati Women’s Open with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki.

Top-seeded Silvia Farina Elia retired because of a right shoulder injury during her first-round match at the Palermo International in Sicily. Farina Elia was trailing Tszvetana Pironkova, 7-6 (3), 2-0, when she was forced to quit.

Soccer

Ruben Omar Romano, the Argentine coach of the Cruz Azul soccer team, was reportedly attacked and feared kidnapped as he left a practice facility on Mexico City’s southern outskirts.

Romano, 47, was forced from his gray BMW van by five armed assailants who swarmed the area in several vehicles as he left the team’s La Noria sports complex. Mexico City police said they could not confirm Romano had been abducted, but they did not know where he was. Cruz Azul vice president Alfredo Alvarez told a local radio station that five men forced the coach into a vehicle and drove away. Romano’s father, who lives in Guadalajara, said he had not been contacted with ransom demands, but that he feared for his son’s safety.

The final regular-season match between Chivas USA and the Galaxy has been rescheduled to Aug. 10 at the Coliseum from Oct. 8 at the Home Depot Center, Chivas will announce today. The Chivas USA-Galaxy match at 7 p.m. will be part of a doubleheader, with Chivas of Guadalajara meeting its rival, Club America of Mexico City, at 9 p.m.

Miscellany

The NCAA plans to begin closely monitoring betting lines on games and to start background checks on baseball and hockey officials as part of its antigambling efforts. The moves are being made after an NCAA study last year found that 35% of male athletes and 10% of female athletes had gambled on college sports during the previous year.

The date of next year’s Los Angeles Marathon has been moved to March 19, a change from its traditional date on the first Sunday of the month. Marathon organizers said in a statement that the change was made at the request of city officials because of a scheduling conflict with the Academy Awards.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova settled her lawsuit in Philadelphia against the sponsor of a credit card directly marketed to gays and lesbians.

She had sued Do Tell Inc., which offers the Rainbow Card, in March because she disagreed with the way the card was being marketed. Terms of the settlement were not released. Navratilova had been seeking at least $75,000 in damages.

Former Denver Bronco defensive tackle Rubin Carter will be introduced today as Florida A&M;’s football coach. Carter, 52, spent the last 16 months as defensive line coach at Temple. He replaces Billy Joe, who was fired last month along with two assistants amid an ongoing cheating probe.