Smith, Richardson suspended by NBA
NEW YORK — The NBA has suspended Denver's J.R. Smith and Phoenix's Jason Richardson after both were recently convicted of driving offenses.
Smith will sit out the Nuggets' first seven games for pleading guilty to reckless driving in New Jersey. Richardson will miss two games after he pleaded guilty to drunken driving in Arizona. Both suspensions imposed Friday are without pay. The NBA said Smith's was also for his poor driving record. Smith was involved in an accident in 2007 that caused the death of a passenger in his car. "The commissioner's office has made it clear that it wants to set the highest standard of personal conduct for its athletes," Nuggets executive Mark Warkentien said in a statement. "We will support J.R. as he continues to deal with the tragic accident he was involved with two years ago and the consequences of his painful mistake. Being that this is strictly a league decision, we will have no further comment."
Smith, who finished runner-up to Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry for the NBA's Sixth Man award last season, is expected to move into the Nuggets' starting lineup with the departure of Dahntay Jones to the Indiana Pacers in free agency.
Broncos' Marshall done for preseason
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall, openly unhappy with the Denver Broncos, was suspended by the team for the rest of the preseason for what coach Josh McDaniels called "detrimental" conduct.
Marshall, who has brooded since demanding a trade and asking for a new contract, was informed of the suspension by McDaniels on Friday. The banishment runs through Sept. 5. "We tried to handle this situation with Brandon as privately and professionally as we could throughout the entire process with he and his agent, Kennard McGuire," McDaniels said at a news conference. "This morning, we made the decision as an organization to go ahead and suspend Brandon. We'll look forward to having him back on Sept. 6th as we begin our preparations for Cincinnati" in a Sept. 13 opener.
Pac-10 will send team to Alamo Bowl
SAN ANTONIO — The Alamo Bowl will be the Pac-10's top game after the Rose Bowl starting in the 2010 season.
Organizers announced a four-year deal replacing the Big Ten's fourth team with the Pac-10's second one on Friday. The Big Ten has faced the Big 12 since 1995 after Pac-10 teams played in the bowl's first two seasons.
This season's game, the last one for the Big Ten, is Jan. 2. Previously, Pac-10 teams that missed the Bowl Championship Series played in San Diego's Holiday Bowl.
Oklahoma reports NCAA violations
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma has reported a handful of minor NCAA rules violations, mostly dealing with what the university describes as inadvertent phone calls or text messages by various coaches.
The Associated Press obtained documents on Friday detailing the secondary violations through an open records request.
The documents indicate head football coach Bob Stoops and assistant football coach Jackie Shipp and assistant women's basketball coach Stacy Hansmeyer made impermissible calls to one prospect each, while head women's basketball coach Sherri Coale inadvertently sent a prospect a text message.
Another football prospect received correspondence from Oklahoma that was mailed before Sept. 1 of the prospect's junior year of high school.
Steinbrenner sued
NEW YORK — A former president of Madison Square Garden has sued New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, saying he reneged on a promise to make him a major part of a Yankees-operated television network.
Robert Gutkowski seeks at least $43 million in damages in a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Manhattan.
Gutkowski says in the lawsuit he urged Steinbrenner in 1996 to create a Yankees television network and his work helped lead to the creation of the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network in March 2002.
A spokesman for Steinbrenner says the allegations related to the YES network are false and frivolous.
Gutkowski was president of Madison Square Garden Corp. from 1991 through 1994. He was president of the MSG Network from 1985 through 1991.