LOS ANGELES — Tim Floyd has resigned as basketball coach at Southern California after allegations that he gave $1,000 in cash to a man who helped steer former star player O.J. Mayo to the Trojans.
Floyd submitted a one-paragraph letter to USC athletic director Mike Garrett on Tuesday saying he was quitting because he no longer had full enthusiasm for his job.
“I accept Tim’s decision and wish him well,” Garrett said in a statement.
The announcement follows allegations that thousands of dollars in cash and gifts were funneled to former USC basketball player Mayo by a representative of a sports agency.
Floyd led USC to the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons, a first in school history.
Former Bronco to stay in jail
BILLINGS, Mont. — The U.S. Attorney’s office says former NFL player Travis Henry will remain in jail pending his July 15 sentencing on drug trafficking charges.
Henry, 30, had been free on $400,000 bail until he was arrested in Florida last month after testing positive for alcohol use, violating the terms of his release.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers received their Super Bowl rings Tuesday night, four months after beating the Cardinals 27-23. The rings were presented at a private ceremony at Heinz Field.
• Recently retired Colts assistants Tom Moore and Howard Mudd will return to the team. New coach Jim Caldwell will determine their roles for the upcoming season.
• Former Chicago Bear Roland Harper was sentenced to a year of house arrest for acting as a frontman in a $1.5 million fraud involving a landscaping contract for Chicago public schools.
• Pio Sagapolutele, a defensive lineman who played five years for Cleveland and started in the 1997 Super Bowl for New England, died of an aneurysm in Chandler, Ariz. He was 39.
Westphal to be Kings coach
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings have reached an agreement in principle with Paul Westphal to be their next coach.
Westphal, who has coached the Phoenix Suns and the Seattle SuperSonics, will replace interim coach Kenny Natt. The Kings finished 17-65, the worst record in the NBA this season and in franchise history. • Jermaine O’Neal and Yakhouba Diawara of the Miami Heat have exercised options to remain under contract for next season.
Footnotes.
Brent Sutter has resigned as the coach of the New Jersey Devils after just two seasons.
Sutter cited family reasons in making the decision.
• Roger Federer pulled out of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, saying he is “exhausted” after his French Open win.
• Pro golfer Ken Green‘s brother and girlfriend were killed in a recreational vehicle accident Monday in Hickory, Miss., that also injured Green. William Y. Green, of Indiantown, Fla., and Jean Marie Hodgin, of Greensboro, N.C., were killed in the wreck.
• The Army-Navy football game will be played in Philadelphia five of the next eight years, beginning in 2010.
The Associated Press
