Barkley says gambling has cost him $10 million
Bristol, Conn. – Charles Barkley estimated he has lost about $10 million gambling over the years in an interview Wednesday.
“My agent has really worked with me to try to get it where I can go and gamble and have fun,” Barkley told ESPN. “That’s easier said than done. Do I have a gambling problem? Yeah, I do have a gambling problem. But I don’t consider it a problem because I can afford to gamble.”
Barkley, who is an NBA analyst for TNT, later had a different assessment of his gambling habits.
“It’s not a problem,” Barkley said on TNT. “If you’re a drug addict or an alcoholic, those are problems. I gamble for too much money. As long as I can continue to do it, I don’t think it’s a problem. Do I think it’s a bad habit? Yes, I think it’s a bad habit. Am I going to continue to do it? Yes, I’m going to continue to do it.”
TENNIS
Serena taking more time off for injury
Serena Williams could miss the French Open and Wimbledon while she takes several months off to recover from a chronic left knee injury.
“What I can tell you today, based on what I am being told by my doctors, is that I should be in a position to be playing again by the end of this summer,” Williams said.
The French Open starts May 29, and Wimbledon begins June 26. The year’s final Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open, starts Aug. 28.
GOLF
Wie enters qualifier for men’s U.S. Open
For the second consecutive year, Michelle Wie will attempt to become the first woman to play in a men’s professional major, entering a U.S. Open local qualifier in her native Honolulu on May 15. Wie, 16, will be one of 41 players vying for three spots. If she survives that, she would still be among the 200 players contending for roughly 30 spots in a 36-hole sectional qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J., on June 6.
NFL
Foley to sue Vikings over termination
The Minnesota Vikings fired personnel director Fran Foley, who said he plans to sue the franchise and have an arbitration hearing before NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Foley’s lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler, said his client was “the victim of a power struggle” and was “stunned” when told of his termination, which ended a tumultuous three- month tenure that included an inaccurate résumé and a draft that widely has been panned. Kessler said he planned to file a proceeding with the league today to initiate an arbitration hearing with Tagliabue.
“Mr. Foley had a guaranteed contract and the Vikings breached that contract,” Kessler said. “They induced him to leave a job he was very happy at in San Diego by offering that guaranteed contract.”
On a résumé given to the Vikings, Foley said he held coaching positions with the Citadel, Rutgers and Colgate when he was actually a graduate assistant at all three schools. He also said that he played four seasons at Framingham State, when he played only two.
Bypassed in the NFL draft, former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick will try out with the Miami Dolphins in their three-day rookie minicamp beginning Friday.
The San Francisco 49ers signed unrestricted free- agent safety Chad Williams to a contract. Williams played for four years with the Baltimore Ravens after being a sixth-round draft pick from Southern Mississippi in 2002.
FOOTNOTES
Montgomery pleads not guilty in fraud
Olympic gold medalist Tim Montgomery pleaded not guilty to charges that he was connected to a multimillion- dollar bank fraud and money-laundering scheme. Montgomery and his lawyer, Robert McFarland, declined to comment after an appearance before U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas in New York. The former sprinter, who remains free on $150,000 bail, and 12 others were accused in a conspiracy that deposited $5 million in stolen, altered or counterfeit checks over three years at several banks.
Olympic ice dancers Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O’Meara are leaving competitive skating, although both said they could return in the future. The couple finished 16th at the Turin Olympics.
U.S. Olympic Committee officials will visit Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco over the next two weeks in their quest to find a city to serve as America’s candidate to host the 2016 Olympics.
An autopsy performed on former major-league pitcher Steve Howe could not determine what caused his death, a coroner’s spokesman said. Howe died Friday when his pickup truck rolled over in Coachella, Calif. He was 48. The autopsy was completed Tuesday and a toxicology report has been sent out for analysis.
