SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, July 17, 1996
7A
Irvin circumvents prison
Judge warns Cowboy star to clean up
The Associated Press
DALLAS — The judge delivered a stern warning to Michael Irvine One misdeed during the next four years and the Dallas Cowboys star could face 20 years in prison.
State District Judge Manny Alvarez sentenced Irvin to four years deferred adjudication, a $10,000 fine and 800 hours of community service yesterday, a day after Irvin's no-contest plea to a felony cocaine possession charge.
Irvin struck the deal with prosecutors as his trial entered its fourth week with testimony from a topless dancer about drug and sex parties involving the wide receiver.
Alvarez said he had heard enough evidence to find Irvin guilty on the cocaine charge and warned of stiff punishment if he gets into further trouble.
"If you come back before me ... I will find you guilty of this offence.
and you're looking at 20 years in the penitentiary," Alvarez told Irvin.
Asked if he understood, Irvin replied, "Yes, sir."
Irvin appeared subdued at the hearing and left carrying his one of his daughters. His wife, Sandi, and his two young daughters were with him in court for the first time during the trial.
Later, at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch headquarters, Irvin apologized to his family and the team's fans.
"There's no getting around it," he said. "I was wrong. I was wrong, I'd like to apologize to my family. I shall work on being a better father. I shall work on being a better husband."
Irvin declined to answer questions from reporters and said he was going to Miami to spend time with his family rather than reporting to the Cowboys' training camp, which begins today in Austin.
The judge ordered Irvin to spend about seven 40-hour weeks performing such chores as picking up roadside trash and serving meals at an AIDS hospice.
"I didn't want this probation viewed as a cakewalk," Alvarez told reporters after the sentencing. "It's not going to be fun for him."
"He needs to get out there and be
treated like any other probationer,
and if that means painting a house
or picking up trash at the zoo or
working at the recycling center ...
then that's where he starts."
Dallas sports talk shows have been jammed with callers complaining that Irvin got off easy because of his stature as a sports star.
But attorney Peter Lesser, former president of the Dallas County Criminal Bar Association, said yesterday that first-time drug offenders rarely get prison time in Dallas.
"He's paid a very high price, and anybody who says he hasn't is a sadist at this point," Lesser said.
Ivin stands to lose $102,647 per game if he is suspended by the NFL, as is anticipated. Also another $1 million he receives annually from appearance fees and endorsements probably will be lost.
One NFL source said yesterday that the most likely suspension is four games, the same penalty that running back Bam Morris received Monday after pleading guilty to felony marijuana possession.
One of Irvin's attorneys, Kevin Clancy, disagreed that his client was treated with leniency.
"You think 800 hours is easy? No. It's going to be difficult," Clancy said. "It's going to be about as
tough as it is to play in the NFL."
If he stays clean during his probation, Irvin's record could eventually be cleared.
the dancers, Angela Beck and Jasmine Nabwangu, were also indicted after the bust. Alfredo Roberts, a former Cowboys tight end, was present that night but not indicted.
His problems began with a March 4 bust at a motel room where police found Irvin, a former teammate and two topless dancers. They also found 10.3 grams of cocaine, more than an ounce of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Topless dancer Rachelle Smith, who knew Irvin but was not in the motel room on March 4, testified Friday about frequent sex and drug parties attended by the football player.
Smith is the girlfriend of Johnnie Hernandez, a former Dallas police officer accused of hiring a hit man to kill Irvin, reportedly in retaliation for threatening Smith.
Hernandez's bond was reduced from $250,000 to $20,000 cash by a Dallas judge. No reason for the reduction has been given.
Trial dates have not yet been set for Beck, Nabwangu and Hernandez. Alvarez said yesterday that his gag order on people involved in the cases would remain in effect.
Team nixes nude night, attendants drag
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — After the Palm Springs Suns baseball team told the fans to keep their clothes on, the next attempt to promote the struggling franchise turned into a real drag.
The Associated Press
With the Suns clothing-optional night canceled because of too much interest, a drag queen promotion called "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Night" may also be heading for publicity oblivion.
About a week ago, The Suns canceled plans for "Nude Night," in which the team was going to provide a clothing-optional tent for fans. The promotion became the subject of monologues on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman before the organization called it off because too many people wanted to attend.
The independent minor league
team has been struggling to fill seats. Monday's game against the Bandits from Bend, Ore., drew just 473 to the 5,200-seat stadium. Averaging 755 fans per home game this year, the Suns have the worst attendance in the eight-team, independent Western Baseball League
Mayor Will Kleindienst's assessment of "Drag Queen Night" was about as grim as the reviews he gave the dropped nude night.
"They should be promoting baseball, and it seems they have been promoting anything else," he told The Desert Sun newspaper.
Suns public relations director Catherine Masters said she came up with the idea for drag queen night as a benefit fund-raiser.
"Everyone seems to think that (Suns majority owner Don) DiCarlo just wanted to fill the stands with drag queens, not to have a fund-raising opportunity for AIDS," she said.
Masters unveiled the latest promotion Saturday to benefit Desert AIDS Project and other Coachella Valley AIDS organizations. Based on the Australian film *Priscilla*, Queen of the Desert, the Aug. 9 promotion will include a drag queen contest, parade and AIDS education booths.
The proposed drag queen promotion prompted a backlash from the desert's gay community, some annoyed by what they said was a perpetuation of stereotypes about gays and lesbians. Some gay-owned desert businesses withdrew support.
Curt Johnson is the owner of Village Pride Coffeehouse and the Inn of the Three Palms Resort, the main sponsor of the event. He said, "Evidently, there were several people who were upset. They felt it portrayed the community in a light it didn't need to be portrayed."
Masters stressed the plan was to hold a campy benefit, not to exploit the gay lifestyle.
"This is just entertainment," she said. "We didn't want people who were vulgar or distasteful."
Pam Troxler, the AIDS Project event coordinator, said the group hadn't yet explored the proposal.
"We're interested in anything that would provide that support. But we need to decide on the merits and how it would work," she said.
Masters said the Suns also are examining ways to share some of the proceeds with the Palm Springs-based AIDS Assistance Program.
Herb Lazenby, director of the AIDS Assistance Program, said, "We've reached no decision. I'd like to see something more than a drag queen night. ... Our organization has taken no official policy for or against it, but obviously we need the money."
High-tech tests to dupe doping
Olympic lab uses $500,000 machines to ensure good, clean competition
The Associated Press
It's the doping control center for the Centennial Games, a lab where scientists will analyze more than 1,800 urine samples for traces of steroids and other banned performance-enhancing substances.
ATLANTA — Just off Interstate 85, about a 20-minute drive from downtown Atlanta, stands a nondescript concrete building where the reputation of Olympic athletes could crumble in shame and scandal.
The lab is equipped with three $500,000 machines called high-resolution mass spectrometers, state-of-the-art technology that officials say can push back the detection window for anabolic steroids by three months or more.
While some believe the new equipment could lead to a flood of positive tests, International Olympic Committee experts say they don't envision a big increase.
There have been 51 positive tests at the Olympics since doping controls were introduced in 1968. Five athletes failed tests at the last summer games in Barcelona.
"In principle we don't expect a high increase in the number of positives," said Professor Jordi Segura, an official with the IOC's doping commission.
Segura said many athletes already were screened before the games in out-of-competition tests carried out by their national and international federations. Others may have been scared away from using drugs by the knowledge that the high resolution machines would be used in Atlanta.
Yet, just days before the opening of the games, doping controversies already have surfaced:
Australian 200-meter runner Dean Capobianco was suspended pending a hearing after testing positive for steroids during a recent meet in Europe. He is contesting the finding and still hopes to compete in Atlanta.
—Italian high jumper Antonella Bevilacqua, who twice tested positive for ephedrine in May, is waiting to find out whether she can
compete in Atlanta. She claims she took the banned stimulant by mistake in an herbal product.
A British Olympic doctor claimed in a BBC television program broadcast yesterday night that 80 percent of all athletes competing in Atlanta have used performance-enhancing drugs. Michael Turner, who sits on the British Olympic Association medical committee, also asserted the new machines in the Atlanta lab were "a waste of time."
The IOC defended its drug-testing system.
"Of course we don't agree with this," Segura said. "The battle against doping is very long and difficult. But I think in the long term we are truly going in the right direction."
the three medalists in each event will be tested, plus a fourth athlete chosen at random. The samples will be divided into 'A' and 'B' containers and taken to the lab for screening.
The spectrometers are designed to detect certain anabolic steroids, such as stanozolol and methadienone. The lab also has 22 standard benchtop drug-testing machines, which can detect steroids and other banned substances such as stimulants, diuretics and betablockers.
If an 'A' sample shows positive, lab officials report the finding to IOC medical commission chairman Prince Alexandre de Merode.
The athlete alone or with a representative is then invited to the lab for testing of the 'B' sample and a hearing. If the positive finding is confirmed, the IOC executive board normally disqualifies the athlete.
A special arbitration court will be in place during the games to hear any disputes arising from positive drug tests.
Despite advances in drug-testing capabilities, there still are no reliable tests for detecting use of human growth hormone or erythropoietin. Both are naturally occurring hormones that can be artificially ingested to boost performance.
All performances 8:00 p.m. Crafton-Preyer Theatre Stage
The Compleat Works of Wilm Shkprs (abridged) by The Reduced Shakpupe Company July 12, 14, 18, 20, 26, 28, 1996
General admission tickets for each production are on sale in the KU host office: Murphy Hall, 864-3922; Linda Centers, 864-AFTER; SUA Office, 864-3477; both VISA and MasterCard are accepted for phone orders. Individual tickets: public kU, $8 student租金 $4, other students and senior citizens $7, Summer Repository Package (see both shows and saver); public $15, kU student租金 $7, other students and senior citizens $13.
Love's Labor's Lost July 11, 13, 19, 21, 25, 27, 1996
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