Raiders, Hall agree to terms

The Raiders and DeAngelo Hall agreed to terms Thursday on a $70-million, seven-year contract that cleared the way for the former Pro Bowl cornerback to be dealt from Atlanta to Oakland.

Hall arrived in the Bay Area to meet with Raiders owner Al Davis, Coach Lane Kiffin and other team officials Wednesday and the deal was completed the following day. Hall will be guaranteed a little more than $24 million in the new deal, a person familiar with the contract said on condition of anonymity because terms were not released.

The Raiders wanted to sign Hall to a new contract before completing the deal to make sure they would have Hall for more than one year. Oakland sent a second-round pick, the 34th overall, in next month’s draft, and a fifth-round pick in 2009 to Atlanta in the deal. Hall led the Falcons in interceptions with five and passes defended with 16 last season. He has 17 interceptions in his four-year career.

--

The Pittsburgh Steelers released Cedrick Wilson, hours after the wide receiver was charged with punching his estranged girlfriend in the face at a suburban restaurant.

Wilson, 29, was arraigned on charges of simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct and freed on $10,000 bail.

--

The New England Patriots signed free-agent cornerback Fernando Bryant, a former first-round draft pick who has played nine years with Jacksonville and Detroit. Bryant, 30, started every game for the Lions last season and had 76 tackles.

--

The Carolina Panthers signed safety Terrence Holt to a one-year contract.

Holt, the younger brother of St. Louis Rams wide receiver Torry Holt, started 16 games for Arizona last season and had 75 tackles.

--

The Minnesota Vikings added depth to their defensive backfield by signing safety Michael Boulware, who spent last season in Houston.

--

The Washington Redskins re-signed punter Derrick Frost.

FIGURE SKATING

U.S. is shut out at the world championships

Mao Asada of Japan won the women’s title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Goteborg, Sweden, overcoming a fall going into a planned triple axel.

Italy’s Carolina Kostner took the silver and South Korea’s Kim Yu-na finished third.

All three U.S. skaters fell at least once, and their stumbles mean the United States will be able to send only two women to next year’s world championships in Los Angeles.

Former world champion Kimmie Meissner was seventh, Bebe Liang was 10th and Ashley Wagner was 16th.

MISCELLANY

UCLA’s Harwell is granted fifth year

UCLA defensive tackle Brigham Harwell has been granted a fifth year of eligibility after a knee injury sidelined him for most of the 2007 season.

Harwell, who will be a fifth-year senior, was injured against Brigham Young in the second game of the season.

-- Chris Foster

--

What appeared to be a problematic arrangement all along grew more troublesome when Floyd Mayweather Jr. called for his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, to stop training Steve Forbes.

Forbes is preparing for a May 3 bout at Home Depot Center in Carson against Oscar De La Hoya. Mayweather Jr. is scheduled to fight De La Hoya on Sept. 20 in Las Vegas.

Roger Mayweather obliged Thursday and Forbes has replaced him with Jeff Mayweather, the trainer’s brother.

-- Lance Pugmire

--

Mixed martial arts’ first date on prime-time network television will be May 31, CBS announced.

The network’s 9-11 p.m. slot for fights in MMA’s Elite Xtreme Combat organization will feature a main event for the middleweight title between champion Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

-- Lance Pugmire

--

Francisco Mendoza, Chivas USA’s career leader in games and minutes played, has signed a contract with the Major League Soccer team for the 2008 season. Terms were not announced.

--

The International Cycling Union said it was taking former World Anti-Doping Agency president Richard Pound to court for what it called “continual injurious and biased comments” against world cycling’s ruling body and its President Hein Verbruggen.

--

A Finnish court gave former NHL player Jere Karalahti a 20-month suspended sentence for being an accessory in a drug smuggling operation. Karalahti played 121 games from 2000-02 for the Kings and Nashville.

--

Top-ranked Iowa sent six wrestlers to the quarterfinals of the NCAA wrestling tournament in St. Louis, scoring 29 1/2 points to take a three-point lead over Nebraska.