Johnson, Panthers Are Close to Deal

The Carolina Panthers closed in on a deal with free agent receiver Keyshawn Johnson late Thursday night that would give the team a complement to All-Pro receiver Steve Smith.

Johnson, released last week by the Dallas Cowboys, spent the day meeting with coaches and team officials in Charlotte, then dined with General Manager Marty Hurney.

ESPN.com reported that Johnson had agreed to terms with the Panthers on a four-year contract.

Said Hurney: “Nothing is signed, but It looks like we’re close to terms.”

The Panthers were discussing a four-year deal with a $5-million signing bonus for Johnson, who would give them the second receiving threat they so badly needed last season during their run to the NFC championship game. The Seattle Seahawks easily beat Carolina by clamping down on Smith and bringing the Panthers’ offense to a standstill.

ESPN.com also reported that former Cowboy guard Larry Allen had come to terms with San Francisco on a four-year deal.

Mike Vanderjagt, the NFL’s most accurate kicker who was no longer needed in Indianapolis, signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

Vanderjagt wasn’t re-signed by the Colts, who instead signed Adam Vinatieri earlier this week. Vinatieri twice hit winning kicks in the Super Bowl for New England, but the Patriots allowed him to test free agency.

Agent Carl Poston has sued the NFL players’ union, challenging a two-year suspension over the handling of LaVar Arrington’s contract extension with the Washington Redskins in 2003.... Bear cornerback Jerry Azumah, 28, retired because of neck and hip pain the last two seasons, ending a seven-year career with Chicago in which he made the Pro Bowl in 2003.... The Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Mike McMahon and safety Tank Williams. McMahon, released by Philadelphia, got a two-year contract to be Brad Johnson’s backup. Williams spent the last four seasons with Tennessee.

The Oakland Raiders signed veteran cornerback Duane Starks, who played last season for the New England Patriots.... The Miami Dolphins re-signed center Seth McKinney to a two-year, $5-million contract. ... Cornerback Chad Scott, a former first-round draft pick who spent most of last season on injured reserve, re-signed with New England.

TENNIS

Philippoussis Advances

in Rain-Delayed Match

Mark Philippoussis defeated Davide Sanguinetti, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in a match that ended 7 1/2 hours after it started at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., where play was interrupted because of rain delays.

On the women’s side, Jill Craybas advanced to a second-round match against defending champion Kim Clijsters by beating Jelena Kostanic, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Vania King, 17, rallied to defeat Syville Bammer, 0-6, 6-1, 7-5.

SOCCER

Arena Says Playing Germany Was a Mistake

A day after a 4-1 loss to Germany, U.S. Coach Bruce Arena blamed himself for scheduling the game. “We had anywhere from two to three first-team players playing, seven, eight, nine players fighting for a roster spot,” he said.

Because of injuries and club commitments, Landon Donovan, Brian McBride, Claudio Reyna, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Eddie Lewis weren’t with the U.S. team.

“We’ve worked real hard to build our team to where it is today, and to not prepare properly to play a game of that magnitude is a mistake, and I accept the full responsibility for that,” Arena said. “If I felt that it wasn’t the right time for us to play that game, I should have been a little bit strong in saying this is not the right time to play.”

JURISPRUDENCE

Wersching, Former

NFL Kicker, Is Indicted

Former NFL kicker Ray Wersching was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of embezzling more than $8 million in insurance premiums.

Wersching, 55, the owner of Ray Wersching Insurance Agency in Redwood City, Calif., is accused of misappropriating premiums intended for the Farmers Insurance Group from 1997 to 2000. He’s also charged with evading taxes on $3.6 million of corporate income in 1999 and 2000.

Wersching played 15 years in the NFL with San Francisco and San Diego.

A federal judge rejected a request to revive the lawsuit at the heart of the University of Colorado football recruiting scandal, saying that two women who claimed they were sexually assaulted by athletes had not proven their claim against the school was valid. Attorneys for the women promised an appeal.

MISCELLANY

Memorial Service Is Set

for USC’s Dedeaux

A memorial service for former USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux is scheduled for April 22 at 12:20 p.m. at Dedeaux Field, 40 minutes before the Trojans’ game against Washington.

Dedeaux, who died on Jan. 5 at the age of 91, led the Trojans to 11 national championships during his 45-year tenure at USC (1942 to 1986).

Tickets for the game are $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior citizens.

O.J. Mayo, one of the most acclaimed high school players in the nation, was banned from Cincinnati North College Hill’s state semifinal game Thursday for undisclosed reasons by the school’s principal.

North College Hill managed to defeat Archbold, 49-34, and Mayo’s status for Saturday’s state championship game would be determined today, the principal said.

Mayo, a 6-foot-5 junior, has been named Mr. Basketball in Ohio for two years in a row.

Washington State baseball Coach Donnie Marbut apologized to past and present employers, but said it was “never my intent to deceive others” when filling out employment applications and media guide biographies.

Marbut’s statement, released through the university’s sports information department, was in response to a Seattle Times investigation that reported Marbut had padded resumes, claimed credit for athletic honors he didn’t earn and was the subject of a state investigation into financial irregularities at his previous job.

Marbut’s boss, senior associate athletic director Marcia Saneholtz, told the newspaper that Marbut’s $77,000-a-year job was safe.