COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Safety Damon Moore, the leading tackler for second-ranked Ohio State last year, will miss the remainder of spring workouts after breaking his right thumb Tuesday.
Moore, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior from Fostoria, will be in a cast for the next three to six weeks. Team doctors confirmed the break Wednesday.
Moore had 89 tackles for the Buckeyes last season. He also set a school record for defensive backs with 19 tackles against Wisconsin and tied a record with three interceptions against Iowa.
Ohio State has five more workouts leading up to the annual spring intrasquad scrimmage at Ohio Stadium April 26.
Spartans baseball beats Detroit
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Brian Murphy scattered six hits over the full nine innings to lead Michigan State to a 6-0 victory over Detroit on Wednesday.
Murphy (5-2) struck out three and walked two in the complete game shutout.
Tom Hartley and Marty Patterson provided the offense for the Spartans (16-21), each driving in two runs.
Gary Mroz (3-2) started for Detroit (13-15) and got the loss. He went five innings and gave up four runs on eight hits, no walks and four strikeouts.
Will Tark’s lawsuit move?
CARSON CITY (AP) — The NCAA urged the Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday to move a trial of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian’s lawsuit against the organization away from Las Vegas because the city still loves him.
NCAA lawyer Stewart Fitts argued that Tarkanian, now coaching at Fresno State, remains a “hometown hero” in Las Vegas and the NCAA remains “the embodiment of evil.”
Tarkanian was known for towel-chewing and other antics as coach at UNLV from 1973 to 1992. He also faced a lengthy NCAA investigation that focused on his recruiting practices.
A survey in February 1996 showed 6-1 support in Las Vegas for Tarkanian over the NCAA even though he has been gone for several years, Fitts said, adding that in Reno — where he wants the trial held — it’s 2-1 in Tarkanian’s favor.
Dan Polsenberg, lawyer for Tarkanian and his wife, Lois, said he couldn’t buy Fitts’ argument of overwhelming prejudice. He said the trial should begin as scheduled, on June 23. It’s set to run for six weeks.
Polsenberg was joined by lawyer Kathy Freberg, who said the high court would be hard pressed to find that Clark District Judge Jack Lehman exhibited some “manifest abuse of discretion” in refusing to move the trial.
Freberg also rejected as false an NCAA claim that there has been inflammatory, anti-NCAA publicity in Las Vegas for 20 years.
She also said a pollster hired by the Tarkanians discounted the NCAA survey indicating continued overwhelming support for the coach.
And even if a “rabid basketball fan” turns up among prospective jurors, Freberg said it’s easy enough to ensure that person doesn’t wind up as an actual juror.
The high court will issue its ruling at a later date. Given the fact that the trial is set this summer, Polsenberg asked for a swift decision.
In the lawsuit, Tarkanian blames the NCAA for ruining his reputation and causing him to miss out on financial opportunities. His wife also alleged emotional distress.
Sualua might get drafted
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Despite just 43 collegiate carries and a rocky record when it comes to academics and commitment, Nicky Sualua might be selected in this weekend’s NFL draft.
Sualua was Ohio State’s starting fullback two years ago, helping running mate Eddie George win the Heisman Trophy. But he didn’t play at all last season because of academic problems.
Now he finds himself in the midst of the draft mix.
“I’m amazed because, really, I was just looking forward to getting with a team after the draft as a free agent,” Sualua said.
Ohio State coach John Cooper isn’t as amazed. Cooper said earlier this week that as many as eight Buckeyes will be taken in the draft, but that most of the calls he was getting from scouts and draftniks pertained to one player.
And it wasn’t Orlando Pace or Shawn Springs.
“Nope,” Cooper said. “Nicky Sualua. And he didn’t even play last year.”
Sualua was overweight and almost quit football in 1994. He weighed as much as 270 pounds in 1995.
But now he’s down to 250 and working out twice a day, four days a week. He has light workouts the other three days.
Apparently NFL teams, always starved for talent, have noticed.
In the past few weeks, he has taken all-expense-paid trips to Buffalo, Cincinnati, Carolina, Tampa, Detroit, San Francisco and Oakland. Representatives of the Philadelphia Eagles were in town Wednesday to see him, and Washington Redskins scouts will be in Columbus on Thursday.
“The scouts have been talking for two years about the way he blocks,” Cooper said. “They’d sit in there and watch tape of Eddie last year, and then they’d want to know more about No. 37.”
After losing his scholarship — he said his eligibility problem was a result of late change in his major which left him unable to show progress toward a degree — Sualua dropped out of school.
“He’s a great athlete, no question about it,” Ohio State running backs coach Tim Spencer said. “Obviously, he made some mistakes when it came to going to school. But doesn’t change the fact the man can play football. And those pro guys who come here, they can see that.”
Brainerd girls basketball coach fired Monday
BRAINERD, Minn. (AP) — A teacher and high school girls’ basketball coach who admitted he had sexual contact with a player and provided beer to other team members has been fired.
After rejecting Tim Martin’s resignation letter, the Brainerd School Board voted unanimously Monday to end his contract.
Martin, 32, was charged earlier this month with one count each of third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, both felonies. He also faces four counts of furnishing alcohol to minors, a gross misdemeanor.
According to a Crow Wing County criminal complaint, Martin admitted that he supplied the alcohol and had inappropriate sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl during the weekend of the girls’ state basketball tournament in Minneapolis in mid-March.
Later that month, the fourth-grade teacher was suspended from both positions. He filed a resignation letter March 31, but the school board rejected it Monday and fired him.
Martin’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 1 in Crow Wing County District Court.
