Judge rips NCAA in Todd McNair lawsuit

The NCAA was “malicious” in its investigation of former USC assistant football coach Todd McNair, who was linked in a report to a scandal surrounding Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Reggie Bush, a judge said Wednesday.

The NCAA’s report on ethics breaches by McNair was flawed, and the former coach has shown a probability he can win his defamation claims, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Frederick Shaller said.

The NCAA had sought to have the case dismissed, but Shaller disagreed. He said that after reviewing sealed documents in the McNair inquiry, he was convinced that the actions of NCAA investigators were “over the top.”

His 10-page ruling states emails between an investigative committee member, an NCAA worker and a person who works in the agency’s appeals division “tend to show ill will or hatred” toward McNair.

“We are disappointed with the decision and plan to appeal,” the NCAA said in a statement.

McNair sued the NCAA in June 2011, claiming the association’s investigation was one-sided and his future earnings were hurt by its report on the scandal, which led to sanctions against USC.

ETC.

Camacho clings to life after being shot

The family of Hector “Macho” Camacho tried to decide Wednesday whether he should be removed from life support after a shooting in his Puerto Rican hometown left the former boxing champion clinging to life and his fans mourning the loss of a dynamic and often troubled athlete.

Doctors at the Centro Medico trauma center in San Juan found that Camacho had irregular and intermittent brain activity late Wednesday, said Dr. Ernesto Torres, the center’s director.

Torres said doctors will conduct additional tests early Thursday but warned the prognosis remains dire.

A new women’s professional soccer league will begin play next year, but in the hope of avoiding the financial mistakes that doomed two previous attempts, the league will receive significant backing from the soccer federations of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The federations will fund the salaries of national team members playing in the eight-team league. The U.S. has agreed to fund up to 24 players — three per team.

The league will begin play in the spring, although no teams will be based in California. The eight areas awarded franchises are Boston, New Jersey, western New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Kansas City, Seattle and Portland, Ore.

—Kevin Baxter

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The Boston Celtics waived center Darko Milicic.

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge said that Milicic asked for his release to deal with a personal matter.

Milicic has played five minutes in one game this season. He had zero points, one rebound and two turnovers.

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Two University of Iowa wrestlers were suspended from the team after police said they admitted to illegally hunting rabbits in hopes of making rabbit-skin caps.

Police said Alex Meyer and Connor Ryan, both freshmen, were arrested Tuesday night after they inadvertently caused a campus security scare. A security officer saw two men, including one with a long gun, near the nursing building, and officers were sent to search the area.

University police considered activating their Hawk Alert System — which blasts students and employees with text messages and recorded calls to warn of emergencies — but declined after officers could not confirm a report of a man with a gun, associate director of public safety David Visin said.