B.C. PLAYER WON'T RETURN: Boston College cornerback Kiernan Speight, accused but exonerated in the gambling scandal that led to the suspension of 13 teammates, said he will not return to the team.
The sophomore was among four players confronted by the team's captains and coach Dan Henning during a contentious meeting following the Eagles' Halloween night loss to Pittsburgh.The other three players were among those suspended by the school, but Speight was not. He feels he is entitled to an apology and explanation about how his name wound up among those suspected of gambling.
GRAMBLING SUSPENSIONS: Four Grambling football players were suspended from the team pending an investigation that they and a fifth student raped a 14-year-old girl. All five were at Lincoln Parish Detention Center with bond set at $50,000 each.
CONFERENCE MERGE: In a move that benefits both conferences, the football-only Yankee Conference will be absorbed by the Atlantic 10 Conference, effective next season.
The new league, which will remain in Division I-AA, will be known as the Atlantic 10 Football Conference.One of the new members, Connecticut, announced plans to move up to the I-A Big East Conference by 1999.
Besides Connecticut, members of the new Atlantic 10 Football Conference are: Boston University, Delaware, James Madison, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Rhode Island, Richmond, Villanova and William & Mary.