NEWARK, N.J. — A person familiar with the issues raised said the NHL is rejecting Ilya Kovalchuk‘s 17-year, $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils because it circumvents the league’s salary cap.
Kovalchuk’s contract is illegal because the years of low salary at the end of the contract were added for the sole purpose of lowering the cap hit. The star forward was slated to earn only $550,000 in each of the last five seasons of the contract.
Maradona to remain coach
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Diego Maradona will remain as coach of Argentina’s national soccer team, a decision he is expected to announce next week after meeting with Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona.
• A French judge issued preliminary charges against soccer stars Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema for soliciting an underage prostitute — the latest setback for a national team that returned from the World Cup in disgrace and disarray. Both denied any wrongdoing.
• Germany coach Joachim Loew agreed to a two-year contract extension and will stay on through the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.
Finch winds up for retirement
OKLAHOMA CITY — After 10 years of playing softball internationally, Jennie Finch is turning her focus to her family and her desire to have more children, announcing she will play one more week with the U.S. team and retire from the sport next month when the National Pro Fastpitch season is over.
Finch won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and silver four years later in Beijing. This month, she helped the U.S. win its seventh straight world championship.
Finch, who will turn 30 in September, has a 4-year-old son, Ace, with her husband Casey Daigle, a pitcher who has split this season between the Houston Astros and Triple-A Round Rock.
Sweating to the oldie (coach)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey will wait to deal with the arrests of Tim Abromaitis and Eric Atkins on charges of underage drinking.
Abromaitis, the Irish’s second leading scorer last season, and Atkins, an incoming freshman, were among 44 people arrested Friday night after police responded to a call about a fight and discovered a party, authorities said.
“It’s handled downtown. It’s handled by Student Affairs, and then the old coach will handle it,” Brey said. He added, “A lot of sweating will be involved.”
• Jimmy Collins will retire in August after 14 seasons at Illinois-Chicago, a run that had him as the school’s all-time wins leader (218) and resulted in three NCAA Tournament berths.
Footnotes.
Paul Hamm, the 2004 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion, quit his job as a finance trader and is heading back to the gym to start training in hopes of making the U.S. team for the London Games in 2012.
• Mark O’Meara withdrew from the Senior British Open after the death of his 81-year-old father Bob.
• ESPN said Sunday’s coverage of the British Open drew a record- low 2.1 rating. The previous low was a 3.1 in 1996.
The Associated Press
