Chief of NFLPA still without a contract

New executive director DeMaurice Smith has been working for the NFL Players Assn. without a contract for six weeks while a deal is being negotiated.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press that Smith has not been paid anything by the union.

“He is not a holdout. He has been doing 16-hour days of work essentially for the players,” said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the negotiations are private. “He is disappointed terms of the contract were released by someone on the executive committee, but will continue to work for the players while the negotiations go on.”

An ESPN.com report said Smith is seeking a salary of $3.2 to $3.7 million a year and a $500,000 bonus. But the person familiar with the contract talks told the AP the signing bonus would cover the work Smith already has done and still is doing.

COLLEGES

Curry to announce decision

Davidson guard Stephen Curry will announce today if he will return for his senior season or make himself available for the NBA draft.

The school has called a late-morning news conference at its athletic complex. Curry and his father, former NBA player Dell Curry, will attend along with Davidson Coach Bob McKillop.

Meanwhile, Tennessee junior forward Tyler Smith and Brigham Young junior forward Jonathan Tavernari announced their availability for the draft though neither hired an agent to maintain the option of returning to school.

A judge sentenced Penn State’s Navorro Bowman to an extra 12 months of probation and to undergo drug testing and counseling after the linebacker admitted smoking marijuana.

Bowman, the Nittany Lions’ leading tackler last season as a sophomore, was already on probation after pleading guilty in May 2008 to disorderly conduct in connection with a campus fight the previous fall. He also had been ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

University of Houston Athletic Director Dave Maggard, who also spent 19 years as AD at California, is retiring after seven years at the school and 35 years in sports administration.

SOCCER

Manchester United wins

Manchester United moved closer to a third straight English Premier League title after beating Portsmouth 2-0 to go three points ahead of Liverpool at the top of the standings with a game in hand.

The threat from Chelsea lessened as Guus Hiddink’s team was held to a 0-0 tie by Everton to slip six points back.

Barcelona shrugged off Real Madrid’s dogged title challenge by edging closer to the Spanish league crown with a 4-0 pounding of third-place Sevilla. Barcelona maintained its six-point gap in the standings.

BASEBALL

Umpire released from hospital

Umpire Kerwin Danley was out of a Toronto hospital a day after being hit in the head by a broken bat, and will be examined by Major League Baseball before he returns to the field.

Danley, 47, will remain in Toronto until the symptoms of a “powerful headache” subside, crew chief Dana DeMuth said. Once Danley can travel, he will go to MLB’s medical center in Arizona for further tests.

ETC.

Phelps to change his stroke

Michael Phelps is following up his record performance at the Beijing Olympics by changing some of the swimming technique that carried him to eight gold medals.

Phelps will reveal the new technique when he returns to competition at the Charlotte UltraSwim on May 14-17 in North Carolina.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith faces multiple drug charges, plus a charge of driving with a suspended license, after authorities allegedly found crack cocaine and marijuana in his car, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Smith, who played 10 seasons for Jacksonville, was pulled over on Interstate 95 for excessive window tint on his 2009 Mercedes Benz, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper said.

Richard Childress Racing will swap the crews for slumping drivers Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears following this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. Meanwhile, Bobby Labonte will have a new crew chief starting this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.