12A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER 12,2002
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Webber pleads innocent
The Associated Press
DETROIT — NBA All-Star Chris Webber pleaded innocent yesterday to charges of obstructing justice and lying to a grand jury about his dealings with a University of Michigan booster.
The 29-year-old Webber was a member of the "Fab Five" in the early 1990s, when the Wolverines went to two NCAA title games. He is starting the second year of a seven-year, $123 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.
The booster, retired autoworker Ed Martin, said he had lent Webber $280,000 while the basketball star played in high school and at Michigan. Webber denied receiving large amounts of money from Martin.
Webber spoke only once at yesterday's hearing, saying "yes"
Friday 9/13/02
when the judge asked if he understood the charges. His lawyer, Steven Fishman of
Webber was released on a $10,000 bond and a pretrial conference was scheduled for Sept. 26. Webber and Fishman left the federal courthouse in Detroit without speaking to reporters.
Detroit, said his client pleaded innocent.
Webber was indicted Monday along with his father and his aunt. They did not appear at yesterday's hearing. Arraignment dates have not yet been set for Webber's father, Mayce Webber, Jr., and his aunt, Charlene Johnson.
In Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday, Webber said he intended to clear his name and insisted he had been misled by Martin, who "befriended kids like myself, preying on our naivete.
"I will fight this case to the end, and I feel that I will be vindicated." Webber said.
Geoff Petrie, the Kings' vice president of basketball operations, said it was too soon to say whether Webber would miss any games in the upcoming season to deal with his legal problems.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino declined comment yesterday.
Martin, 68, said he had lent large amounts of money to Webber and other Michigan basketball players, including two who admitted taking it. Authorities are still investigating whether the money was repaid.
O'Neal's toe surgery successful
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — After almost three months of indecision, Shaquille O'Neal finally had surgery on his chronically sore big toe yesterday and could miss the beginning of the season.
Recovery and rehabilitation time for the Los Angeles Lakers' center is expected to be from six to eight weeks, said Dr. Robert Mohr, who removed bone spurs from a joint on the arthritic right big toe at UCLA's Outpatient Surgery Center.
That means O'Neal could miss the three-time defending NBA champion Lakers's regular-season opener against San Antonio on Oct. 29. If he had had surgery earlier, he probably would have been at full speed by the time the season began.
O'Neal has said he delayed the operation until he had checked
out all his options and spoken with a number of doctors.
"He was deciding what to do, and was getting some conflicting opinions," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "When he finally made the decision, he was completely comfortable with it."
Kupehak and the rest of the Lakers breathed a sigh of relief after doctors deemed the surgery a success, with Mohr saying, "We're very confident he's going to have a complete recovery."
"When we saw the doctors come out smiling, I think we were all relieved — the team, Shaquille's people, everybody," Kupchak said.
The often mischievous O'Neal was in a jovial mood right after the operation, "Ioking, just being Shaq," Kupchak said.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson was among those visiting O'Neal, but
he did not speak to reporters
He missed 15 games and tried a combination of medication, orthotics and other treatments to ease the pain, but no method was completely effective.
The NBA Finals MVP for the past three years as he led the Lakers to three titles, O'Neal was hampered by the injury during most of the regular season and playoffs.
O'Neal was on the injured list twice last season because of his toe. He averaged 27.2 points and 10.7 rebounds — both slightly below his career averages — and usually wasn't as mobile on defense as in past years.
The surgery, called a cheilectomy, was not unusual, but Mohr acknowledged it was important in O'Neal's case.
"This is the way he makes his livelihood. This is pretty significant for him," the doctor said.
Baltimore star dies of heart attack
BALTIMORE — Johnny Unitas, the Hall of Fame quarterback who broke nearly every NFL passing record and won three championships with the Baltimore Colts in an 18-year career, died Wednesday. He was 69.
Unitas died of a heart attack. Baltimore Ravens spokesman Chad Steele said. Steele had no other details.
Unitas underwent emergency triple-bypass surgery in March 1995 after a heart attack.
He was the first quarterback to throw for 40,000 yards in his career and now ranks seventh, surpassed by a group of quarterbacks who played in an era when the rules made passing easier. Unitas retired after the 1973 season holding 22 NFL records, among them marks for most passes attempted and completed, most yards gained passing, most touchdown passes and most seasons leading the league in TD passes.
Unitas completed 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. He completed at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight games — a record that no one has come close to matching since it was set from 1956-60.
Unitas was Most Valuable Player three times and played in 10 Pro Bowls. He led Baltimore to the NFL championship in 1958 and 1959 and the Super Bowl in 1970. He was inducted into the football Hall of Fame in 1979.
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'Proud to be a Jayhawk' Fund-raiser
This week's spotlight: KU Korean War Memorial
The KU game-day experience includes responsible pre-game tailgating, made possible by 'Proud to be a Jayhawk' fundraising. Fans can participate by purchasing football programs; $1 of every program sold this season will go to four beneficiaries. KU's Korean War Memorial Fund, KU Marching Band, KU/K-State Phi Gamma Delta Run for Leukemia, and KU sports clubs.
Please remember when you tailgate:
Alcohol may be consumed only during a three-hour pre-game period in designated parking lot. Alcohol may not be brought into the stadium. Underage drinking or unlawful conduct will not be tolerated.
The Korean War (1950-53) has been called Americas' Torgotten war. "More than 60 KU students and alumni lost their lives in this war. The University of Kansas is restarting a drive to create a permanent structure to preserve the memory of Jayhawks 'service and sacrifice. The 'Proud to be a Jayhawk" program will help fulfill a decades-old vision for the Lawrence campus. Plans call for the memorial to be placed along KU $
Memorial Drive, which links the University's Vietnam Memorial to the World War II Memorial Campanile and overlocks Memorial Stadium, built in tribute to World War I.
So while you cheer on the Hawks and even if you don't tailgate -please consider supporting this worthwhile project. If you want to do more than purchase a copy of today's football program, please contact the KU Endowment Association. (888) 653-6111.
The University of Kansas
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KU Korean War Memorial Fund • KU Marching Band KU/KSU Phi Gamma Delta Run for Leukemia • KU Sports Clubs
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