Clarett Pleads Guilty, Gets 71/2-Year Sentence

Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett was sentenced to prison for at least 3 1/2 years Monday after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

Judge David Fais announced the agreement on the day jury selection was to begin in a case in which Clarett was accused of holding up two people outside a bar.

Sentenced to 7 1/2 years with release possible after 3 1/2 years, Clarett also agreed to serve five years of probation after the prison sentence.

The 22-year-old said he understood he was pleading guilty and reversing his earlier plea.

“I’d like to apologize for my behavior, and I accept the time that was given to me,” he said.

After the deal was announced, Clarett looked at his mother, who was sobbing and holding his 8-week-old daughter while sitting next to his girlfriend.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said he was pleased with the agreement.

“Our view all along was that the conduct demanded a prison sentence, and that’s been accomplished,” O’Brien said. “It’s in a range that will allow him to get his life back together after his release.”

The concealed-weapon charge was from Clarett’s Aug. 9 arrest after a highway chase with police who found four loaded guns in Clarett’s sport utility vehicle. His attorneys said Monday those guns, which belonged to Clarett, came from his mother’s house. They said he had the guns because he was trying to give them to acquaintances to hold for him, but the attorneys did not elaborate.

Clarett, who led Ohio State to the national championship in 2002, had been charged in that police altercation with two counts of failure to comply with an order from a police officer and improper handling of a firearm, in addition to the concealed-weapon charge.

Defense attorneys said they hope Clarett can be put in a state prison with workout facilities so he can stay in shape for a possible return to football.

“It’s been a sobering experience for Maurice to say the least. He’s come to terms with certain things,” attorney Nick Mango said.

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HORSE RACING

Lost In The Fog, Eclipse Winner, Is Euthanized

Lost In The Fog, winner of the Eclipse Award as the champion sprinter of 2005, was euthanized Sunday in his stall at Golden Gate Fields, a month after having been found to have inoperable cancer.

“I always said when it got too bad, Lost In The Fog would let me know,” said Greg Gilchrist, trainer of the popular Northern California horse. “I think he did yesterday. If he could have been a person, I think he would have said it was time.”

Owned by Harry Aleo, Lost In The Fog won his first 10 races before losing in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last year. The 4-year-old was a disappointing ninth in a race at Calder Race Course in Miami in July. He last won at Churchill Downs in June.

Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who won the $1-million Woodbine Mile at Toronto aboard Becrux on Sunday, is allowed to ride outside of California because his license technically has not been suspended, but the California Horse Racing Board has yet to clear him to ride in the state after a six-week stay in a facility that treats patients with mental health and addiction issues.

Valenzuela, who passed drug tests before and after his hospitalization, is seeking to return for the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita beginning next week.

“We’re just waiting for some medical history, which is in his contract for him to provide,” said Ingrid Fermin, executive director of the CHRB. “We’ll see what that entails and if everything is fine, it’s fine.”

-- Robyn Norwood

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TENNIS

Top-Seeded Hingis Wins Easily in India

Top-seeded Martina Hingis cruised past Melinda Czink, 6-1, 6-2, in the Sunfeast Open at Kolkata, India.

Hingis, ranked No. 9 in the world, needed only 44 minutes to dispatch 71st-ranked Czink.

Tamarine Tanasugarn rallied to defeat Kaia Kanepi, 6-7 (10), 7-5, 6-0. Also, Tzipora Obzlie beat Yulia Beygelzimer, 6-2, 6-3; Tatiana Poutchek defeated Anne Keothavong, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3; and Abigail Spears of the United States beat Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-3, 6-4.

Jelena Jankovic defeated Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-0, 6-1, in the first round of the China Open at Beijing.

Iveta Benesova upset third-seeded Sybille Bammer, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, to advance to the second round of the Slovenia Open at Portoroz.

In other matches, Tsvetana Pironkova defeated Sanja Ancic, 6-1, 6-1, and Maret Ani topped Camille Pin 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Earlier, second-seeded Mara Santangelo pulled out of the tournament because of a shoulder injury.

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MOTOR RACING

NASCAR Denies Report That Harvick Had Edge

NASCAR and team owner Richard Childress dismissed as “sheer fantasy” a television report that said race winner Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton had a performance advantage at New Hampshire International Speedway.

A Speed TV report Sunday said NASCAR inspectors had discovered that RCR teams had manipulated the rims on their Chevrolets to act as “bleeder valves” that slowly released air pressure in tires after the race. The practice is not technically illegal, and falls into a gray area of the rule book that teams are supposed to respect.

The report left rival teams grumbling that Harvick may have cheated to win the first race in the Chase for the championship and take the points lead for the first time in his career.

“Those cars were completely legal, there was nothing wrong with either of them and the report stating otherwise is sheer fantasy and sensationalism journalism,” NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said.

Speed TV defended the story by Bob Dillner, saying he has a “strong record of solid reporting from the NASCAR garage.”

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MISCELLANY

U.S. in Quarterfinals at World Basketball Event

Candace Parker and Tina Thompson each scored 14 points, and the two-time defending champion United States beat the Czech Republic, 63-50, to secure a quarterfinal berth in the women’s world basketball championship at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Diana Taurasi had 13 points in the Americans’ victory over the European champions.

Earlier, Lauren Jackson scored 30 points and helped Australia stay unbeaten heading into the quarterfinals with an 83-49 victory over Argentina.

David Beckham doesn’t expect to play again for England. And he’s more or less ruled out a return to the English Premier League.

Beckham, speaking in a TV interview in England, said it was unlikely that England Coach Steve McClaren would select him for the team.

Beckham, who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, also cast doubt on returning to the Premier League.

“I don’t think I’ll ever return to the Premiership,” Beckham said. “I played for Manchester United for many years. They are the club I support and, hand on heart, I couldn’t see myself playing in any other shirt in the Premiership.”

Cristian Mijares of Mexico defeated Katsushige Kawashima of Japan in a split decision to capture the World Boxing Council super flyweight interim title at Yokohama, Japan.

Two judges ruled 114-113 in favor of fourth-ranked Mijares and another judge saw it 114-113 for Kawashima, ranked No. 2 in the world. Kawashima said after the match that he would retire.

Mijares improved to 28-3 with two draws and 10 knockouts. Kawashima, who fought in his sixth world title bout, slipped to 30-5 (20 KOs).

Philadelphia Coach Ken Hitchcock signed a new three-year contract with the Flyers through 2009.

Hitchcock, entering his fourth season, is 130-77-39 in the regular season with Philadelphia. He led the Flyers to the conference finals in 2004, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who later won the Stanley Cup.

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PASSINGS

Curry, Former Player for the Canadiens, Dies at 81

Former Montreal Canadiens player Floyd Curry, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, has died. He was 81. He spent 11 seasons with the Canadiens and had 105 goals and 204 points in 601 NHL games.