American track star LaShawn Merritt tested positive for a banned substance used in an over- the-counter male enhancement product, an embarrassing episode for an Olympic gold medalist who provided one of the best feel-good stories in Beijing.
Merritt, who overcame his rival Jeremy Wariner to win the 400-meter gold at the Olympics, accepted a provisional suspension Thursday, agreeing to sit out while the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency resolves his case.
Merritt, 23, said he hopes his family, friends and sponsors will forgive him for making “a foolish, immature and egotistical mistake.”
According to a release from Merritt’s lawyer, Howard Jacobs, the sprinter used a male enhancement product containing substances that caused him to fail three successive tests between October 2009 and January 2010.
If that’s the extent of his positive tests, it would presumably not put his Olympic medals or his 2009 world championships at stake. Merritt won gold in the 400 at the 2009 worlds in Berlin and teamed with Wariner to win the 1,600-meter relay in Beijing and Berlin.
Titans, Brown agree to deal
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans and defensive tackle Tony Brown agreed to a three- year contract extension worth $17 million. Brown started 15 games in 2009 and had five sacks with a team-high 25 quarterback pressures while being a Pro Bowl alternate.
Cyclist Grullon killed
SANTO — DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Dominican Republic cyclist Leonardo Grullon died after he and four other cyclists were hit by a truck while training for the Pan American Championships.
An unidentified truck driver apparently fell asleep and hit the group near the mountainous community of Jarabacoa, northwest of Santo Domingo, according to the Dominican Cycling Federation.
Four of the five cyclists hit were part of the national team, including Juan Carlos Polanco, who was critically injured, federation spokeswoman Ana Lebron said.
Grullon was 24.
• Li Fuyu, a Chinese rider on Lance Armstrong‘s Team Radio Shack, was suspended for testing positive for a banned product during a Belgian race.
Top seeds UCLA, Florida advance
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The top two seeds, UCLA and Florida, faltered early before rallying late to seal berths in the NCAA women’s gymnastics Super Six team finals. The Bruins (196.875), Utah (196.625) and Oklahoma (196.55) advanced from the afternoon session, while Alabama (196.85) advanced from the evening session, along with Florida (196.775) and Stanford (196.3).
Footnotes.
Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and his right knee that will require a summer-long rehabilitation.
• Jeff Cunningham scored his second penalty-kick goal of the game just before the final whistle to give FC Dallas a 2-2 tie with the Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer action in Frisco, Texas.
