Pro football
CHARGERS ADD SAFETY: Safety Andre Lott signed a two-year contract with the San Diego Chargers on Monday.
"Andre has four years of valuable experience on the NFL level," general manager A.J. Smith said in a statement. "He's healthy now and looking for a second chance. I'm excited to see what he can do."
Lott cracked the Washington Redskins' starting lineup for three games in 2004 before suffering a season-ending pectoral injury against Green Bay on Oct. 31. Last year, Lott suffered a knee injury during an offseason practice. He reached an injury settlement and was released by the Redskins before the season.
CHIEFS SIGN CORNER: The Kansas City Chiefs signed free-agent cornerback Chris Johnson on Tuesday, as the team searches for a starter to play opposite Patrick Surtain. Kansas City has been looking for help in the defensive backfield after releasing Eric Warfield and Dexter McCleon last month. Johnson appeared in 14 games and started once for the St. Louis Rams last season, recording 25 tackles while also spending time as a kick returner.
COACH'S CASE DROPPED: Kentucky owes nothing to a former assistant football coach who claimed the school's athletic department defrauded him after he resigned amid recruiting violations, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. In a 25-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood called Claude Bassett's case "ludicrous" and granted the university's request for it to be dropped before trial even begins.
Auto racing
NASCAR SHAKE-UP: Andy Graves, the first employee hired by car owner Chip Ganassi when he started his NASCAR operation, resigned as team manager Tuesday as part of a shake-up within the three-car operation. The move comes one day after Jeff Vandermoss was replaced as crew chief on rookie David Stremme's struggling team.
Graves, who began his career as a crew member on Jeff Gordon's famed "Rainbow Warriors" team and worked his way up to crew chief for Terry Labonte, joined Ganassi's operation in 2000. A heavyweight in open-wheel racing, Ganassi was looking to expand into NASCAR and Graves helped build the team from the ground up.
The team was competitive in its first two seasons, winning five races and putting Sterling Marlin on top of the points standings for 25 weeks in 2002. But he broke his neck in an accident and missed the final seven races of the season. The team has struggled since. Marlin is now gone, Jamie McMurray asked out of his contract so he could join Roush Racing, and Casey Mears is now teamed with two rookies.