RALEIGH, N.C. — Former Olympian Antonio Pettigrew, a sprinter stripped of a gold medal after admitting to doping, was found dead in the back seat of his locked car early Tuesday. Authorities said they are unsure if his death was accidental or a suicide.
Chatham County Sheriff’s Maj. Gary Blankenship said Pettigrew’s car was found parked to the side of a bridge. Blankenship said there was evidence the 42-year-old Pettigrew had taken sleeping pills and there was no sign of foul play.
“Obviously we don’t know if it was intentionally or accidental at this point,” Blankenship said of the cause of death. “We might not ever know.”
Pettigrew was part of the 1,600-meter U.S. relay team that won the gold medal in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. But the International Olympic Committee stripped the team of the medals two years ago after Pettigrew admitted doping during a trial against former coach Trevor Graham.
• Olympic and world 100-meter champion Usain Bolt said he won’t race again in 2010 because of tightness in his lower back.
McGrady signs with Pistons
DETROIT — Tracy McGrady and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a $1.3 million, one-year contract.
McGrady, a seven-time all-star and two-time scoring champion, has played just 65 games the past two seasons with the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks because he had major surgery on his left knee in the middle of the 2008-09 season.
• Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger dislocated a finger on his shooting hand as the U.S. national team scrimmaged during the opening day of training camp in New York. Team officials didn’t believe the injury was serious, but Granger said he planned to see a doctor. The world championships begin Aug. 28 in Turkey.
Mickelson reveals ailment
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Phil Mickelson revealed he has psoriatic arthritis, which causes his immune system to attack his joints and tendons and produced such intense pain he couldn’t walk.
Weekly shots have brought the disease under control, and Mickelson said there shouldn’t be any negative impact on his long- or even short-term health.
“I’m surprised at how quickly it’s gone away, and how quickly it’s been able to be managed and controlled,” he said. “I feel 100 percent.”
As if that bombshell wasn’t enough for the day, Mickelson dropped another one: The burger connoisseur is now a vegetarian.
• Tiger Woods played a practice round at the PGA Championship with swing coach Sean Foley at his side.
Asked if he was working with Woods, Foley paused and said, “I wouldn’t say that, but the possibility is there.”
Footnotes.
Andy Roddick withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Toronto because of an undisclosed illness. The eighth seed will be replaced by France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu.
• Kasey Kahne signed on to replace Mark Martin in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.
The Associated Press
