Boise State penalties will affect football program

Boise State football Coach Chris Petersen, because of a series of NCAA violations, will have fewer scholarships to hand out in the next two years and less time on the practice field to prepare for tough season openers against Georgia this fall and Michigan State in 2012.

The sanctions already imposed on the Broncos football team are part of a broader penalty package put in place by university officials this week for men’s and women’s tennis, and track and field, after an NCAA inquiry identified nearly two dozen violations by coaches in those sports.

The NCAA said its inquiry, along with an internal investigation by Boise State, identified 22 infractions and an absence of institutional controls necessary to fully comply with rules governing collegiate athletic programs.

University officials say the penalties for Boise State’s football program and other sports, first reported by the Idaho Statesman, are part of its overall response to the NCAA investigation. The NCAA can impose even tougher sanctions against the university after its Committee on Infractions meets next month to review the Boise State case.

But Boise State administrators are confident the self-imposed penalties, which include a three-year probation period, and steps to bolster its compliance office will satisfy college athletics’ governing body.

ETC.

Roger Federer came close to another upset before finally beating Feliciano Lopez in three gripping sets at the Madrid Open, and rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic continued their winning streaks with ease.

Federer, beaten by Jurgen Melzer in Monte Carlo last month, saved a match point in a marathon 7-6 (13), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (7) win after three hours.

Djokovic ran his winning streak to 30 by beating Kevin Anderson of South Africa, 6-3, 6-4. Nadal is unbeaten in 35 matches on clay after his 6-1, 6-3 rout of Marcos Baghdatis.

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Patrik Berglund scored twice and Sweden fired in three second-period goals to wrap up the group stage of the world ice hockey championship with a 6-2 victory over the United States at Kosice, Slovakia.

Sweden tops Group C with seven points, one more than the U.S. team, which suffered its first loss in the tournament.

The U.S. faces Canada next on Friday.

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Ducks left wing Matt Beleskey underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum, the club said. He is expected to be fully recovered in five months.

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Jack Robbins has retired as president of the Oak Tree Racing Assn. after 11 years. He will be replaced by John Barr, the former president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Assn.

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Rory Sabbatini could face suspension from the PGA Tour for what was described as an obscenity-laced argument with Sean O’Hair during last week’s Zurich Classic.

According to multiple players and officials, it was the second time this year that Sabbatini has run into trouble because of his behavior on the golf course. The first incident was at Riviera in the Northern Trust Open, where Sabbatini was said to have spoken harshly to a teenage volunteer who was trying to help him find a lost ball.

The players and officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the tour keeps all disciplinary matters private.