Mourning OK after kidney transplant

12/20/2003

Less than a month after retiring because of a kidney disease, former NBA All-Star center Alonzo Mourning underwent kidney transplant surgery yesterday in New York and was in good condition. The kidney donor, a family member, also was in good condition. Mourning, 33, retired from the New Jersey Nets Nov. 24 because of complications from the disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis . . . Eddie Griffin, suspended since mid-October and facing an assault charge related to allegations of a fight with a woman, was released by the Houston Rockets . . . A judge rejected Mike Tyson's bid to have his assault case thrown out and ordered him to stand trial Jan. 20. Defense lawyers argued that the boxer acted in self-defense after two men challenged him to a fight at dawn June 21 outside a Brooklyn hotel . . . Former track star Carl Lewis was sentenced to three years of probation in Los Angeles and fined $500 after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor speeding charge . . . Oakland left guard Frank Middleton was placed on injured reserve because of a quadriceps tear, becoming the 12th Raiders player lost for the season . . . Former Vikings running back Ted Brown was charged with criminal sexual conduct after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her at a team fund-raiser in February. Another grand jury investigating a second sexual assault accusation declined to issue an indictment, prosecutors said . . . Cleveland cornerback Anthony Henry will miss the remaining two games after having knee surgery, becoming the 13th Browns player with a season-ending injury . . . Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft.

Miscellany

Sooner White won't pass up 6th season

Heisman Trophy winner Jason White called a surprise in the huddle yesterday, informing his Oklahoma teammates at practice that he's been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA because of a medical hardship and will return to the team for a sixth year next season. White will try to become the third quarterback to win the Heisman and the national title in the same season when the Sooners face LSU Jan. 4 in the Sugar Bowl . . . Damon Evans was hired as Georgia's athletic director, the first black person to hold that job in the Southeastern Conference . . . Rhode Island's women's basketball coach Boe Pearman is taking a leave of absence for health reasons and will be placed by assistant Tom Garrick for the rest of the season . . . He didn't fall on the course, but skier Bode Miller fell further behind in the race for the overall World Cup lead. The Franconia, N.H., native blamed "stupid mistakes" for his 17th-place finish at a super giant slalom in Val Gardena, Italy, won by Norway's Lasse Kjus. Miller, who won two of his first three races this season, fell on his first run Monday in Madonna Di Campiglio. He's now eighth overall, 188 points behind leader Hermann Maier of Austria. Daron Rahlves of the US tied for fourth yesterday . . . Brazil won soccer's World Youth Championship, beating Spain, 1-0, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates . . . Manchester United star defender Rio Ferdinand was suspended for eight months and fined $87,000 for failing to take a drug test.