ATLANTA — Georgia investigators have withdrawn their request for a DNA sample from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old college student at a nightclub, an attorney for the player said Tuesday.
Ed Garland said officials withdrew the request a week ago, but declined comment on why.
Police are looking into the claim Roethlisberger sexually assaulted the woman early March 5 at a club in Milledgeville. Roethlisberger has not been charged.
• The New Orleans Saints will not match Philadelphia’s offer to restricted running back Mike Bell, who had 654 yards rushing and five touchdowns last season.
Arenas facing three-month term
WASHINGTON — Prosecutors are portraying Gilbert Arenas as a thuggish intimidator who tried to pressure his teammate into a cover-up, as they argue for a three- month jail sentence for the Washington Wizards star on a weapons charge.
Arenas pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to one felony count of violating the District of Columbia’s strict gun laws, a charge stemming from a locker-room confrontation that followed a card-game dispute between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton during a Dec. 19 flight to Washington.
Authorities claim Arenas threatened to shoot Crittenton in the face and blow up his car. Two days later, Arenas brought four guns to the locker room and put them in a chair by Crittenton’s locker with a sign saying, “Pick 1.” Crittenton then retrieved his own gun and showed it to Arenas.
• Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas signed a deal to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers for the rest of the season.
NHL advances head shot rule
TORONTO — The NHL’s board of governors unanimously approved a proposed penalty that would ban hits to the head against an unsuspecting player. According to a statement released by the NHL, the timing and details of implementation are being worked on by the league’s hockey operations department and the players’ association.
Mancuso wins giant slalom title
WILMINGTON, N.Y. — Julia Mancuso won the giant slalom at the U.S. alpine skiing championships, becoming the most accomplished skier at nationals and taking her fourth title in the discipline.
Mancuso beat Laurenne Ross, finishing in 2 minutes, 7.52 seconds to take her 11th national title. That moved her ahead of Andrea Mead Lawrence for the most titles of any American and broke a record that stood for 55 years.
Footnotes.
The NCAA denied Alabama’s appeal of a ruling vacating 21 football victories from 2005-07 and records from three other sports for widespread violations involving free textbooks.
• Houston women’s basketball coach Joe Curl resigned because of heart problems. Curl, 55, went 193-167 at Houston.
• Vijay Singh has withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill because of a back injury. He was replaced by Carl Pettersson.
The Associated Press
