Congress to hear from NFL retirees

Congress will hear testimony June 26 from retired NFL players who contend the pension plan of the league and union is insufficient, especially for disabled former players.

“The NFL is a billion-dollar industry, and yet the players who built the league are too often left to fend for themselves,” Rep. Linda T. Sanchez, D-Lakewood, chairwoman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, said in a statement announcing the hearings.

The hearings are the latest development in a dispute between a group of retired players and Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Assn.

“We will participate in the hearing and let things fall where they may,” union spokesman Carl Francis said.

Upshaw has been the target of a group of retired players, including Mike Ditka, Lem Barney and Harry Carson. They maintain the union has concentrated too much on current players and ignored the health problems of former players.

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Miami quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who serves as his own agent, asked the Dolphins to release him -- one day after the team completed a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for quarterback Trent Green.

“I must say the impatience the organization displayed in both encouraging me to rush back on the field last year and then rushing me out the door this year is disappointing,” said Culpepper, referring to his major knee surgery in 2005.

Coming off the knee surgery, the Dolphins acquired Culpepper, 30, from Minnesota before last season for a second-round pick. He started the first four games before knee problems sidelined him for the season.

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Defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, 28, signed a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints after playing for Arizona last year.... Guard Zach Piller, 31, signed with the New York Giants. He started three games last season in Tennessee before an ankle injury ended his season.

JURISPRUDENCE

Former Sun Devil Wade is convicted of murder

Former Arizona State running back Loren Wade was convicted of second-degree murder in Phoenix in the shooting death of another former Sun Devils football player, Brandon Falkner, outside a Scottsdale nightclub in March 2005.

Prosecutors said Falkner was shot because Wade, 23, saw him talking to his girlfriend. Falkner, who never played with Wade, was 25.

Wade, who attended Gardena Serra High, faces a maximum of 22 years in prison. No sentencing date was announced.

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Federal law enforcement officials descended on a Surry, Va., home owned by Michael Vick armed with a search warrant that suggests they’re taking over an investigation into the Atlanta Falcons quarterback’s possible involvement in dogfighting.

Surry County officials had secured a search warrant in late May based on an informant’s information to look for as many as 30 dog carcasses buried on the property. It never was executed and expired on Thursday.

Commonwealth’s Atty. Gerald Poindexter said he was “absolutely floored” that federal officials got involved, and that he believes he and Sheriff Harold Brown handled the investigation properly.

CYCLING

Belgian police detain 13 after doping raids

Belgian police detained 13 people for questioning in 10 locations across the country after seizing banned substances during raids on homes of cyclists and their associates. No names or teams were revealed.

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Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, 32, is recovering in a hospital outside Milan, Italy, after an apparent suicide attempt.

Hospital officials said Vandenbroucke’s life was not in danger but refused to provide details. But his team director, Palmiro Masciarelli, said Vandenbroucke tried to cut a vein after his wife left him.

Italian media reported he has been depressed since police found illegal performance-enhancing substances during a raid on his home in 2002.

MISCELLANY

Tokyo enters bid to host 2016 Games

The Japanese Olympic Committee notified the International Olympic Committee of its intention to offer Tokyo as a candidate to host the 2016 Summer Games.

Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro also have been approved as candidates by their national bodies. Tokyo played host to the Summer Games in 1964.

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UCLA sophomore Rhonda Watkins won the NCAA track and field championships’ first final, the long jump, with an impressive, though wind-aided, 22 feet 10 inches at Sacramento.

Cal State-Northridge junior Dashalle Andrews beat Louisville’s Tone Belt in the men’s long jump. Both jumped 25-2 1/2 , but Andrews had the best second jump. The winning mark was the meet’s worst since 1966.

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UCLA hired Angus McClure as an assistant football coach to work with the team’s tight ends. McClure was the offensive line coach at the University of Buffalo last season. He replaces John Wristen, who resigned Tuesday to pursue the head coaching vacancy at Division II Colorado State Pueblo.