Sanders Gets NFL Clearance to Play Sunday

Deion Sanders has been cleared by the NFL to play in Sunday’s game against the Falcons in Atlanta even though the league has ruled his contract invalid, Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones said.

The NFL notified Jones by mail last Friday that Sanders’ seven-year, $35-million contract is $1.39 million over the salary cap and therefore invalid. But the league called Jones Tuesday to say that Sanders can suit up while it seeks confirmation in U.S. District Court that the contract circumvents the salary cap.

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The Cincinnati Bengals signed Barry Foster, the 1992 AFC rushing champion and a former Pro Bowl player with the Pittsburgh Steelers, to a contract that sources said would pay him about $1 million. Foster will be a free agent after this season, but the Bengals retained the right to match any offer.

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Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas is expected to sit out at least two weeks because of a pulled hamstring suffered in Monday night’s loss to the New England Patriots. . . . The Chicago Bears released 34-year-old veteran defensive end Richard Dent.

Jurisprudence

Joseph Maffia, a former accountant for Don King, testified before a federal jury in New York that the promoter told him to designate $350,000 of an advance paid to a boxer as training expenses.

In his second day of testimony, Maffia, testifying with immunity, told the jury he never saw a contract for a 1991 fight between Julio Cesar Chavez and Harold Brazier. The fight was canceled after Chavez cut his nose.

The cancellation triggered an attempt to collect on a Lloyd’s of London insurance policy.

Prosecutors say King doctored the front page of the Chavez-Brazier contract to include a phrase describing training expenses paid to Chavez as non-refundable, wording that would make them eligible for an insurance payout.

Heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison, accused of punching one woman in the face and biting another woman’s finger, was charged with assault in Jay, Okla.

Prosecutors filed two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery. No warrant was issued, but Morrison is scheduled to appear Thursday in Delaware County District Court, the district attorney’s office said. Bond will be set at that time.

Morrison has denied the charges.

Prosecutors allege that Morrison punched Tammy Witt, the mother of his 5-year-old son, and bit Kim Dunham on Oct. 15.

The criminal conspiracy involving former King owner Bruce McNall continued to widen as federal prosecutors charged another of his business associates, Francis Carr, with single counts of conspiracy and mail fraud. He is the 11th person to be charged in the case. Nine, among them McNall, have entered guilty pleas, and a 10th, Suzan A. Waks, is expected to do so Nov. 2.

Prosecutors in Texas plan to press a misdemeanor assault charge against Warren Moon even though the wife of the Minnesota Viking quarterback, the alleged victim, pleaded with the court to drop the case. If convicted, Moon could face up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. The trial was set for Feb. 13.

The parents of Kumasi Simmons, the Compton Centennial High football player who was ejected from a game at Beverly Hills and suspended from athletics for 18 months for hitting a football official, say they are filing an injunction to seek reinstatement of their son’s eligibility.

Lenny and Linda Randle say that, although they do not condone Simmons’ action, he was provoked by racial epithets used by the referee, Ken Smotrys. Lenny Randle is a former major league baseball player.

Smotrys has been unavailable for comment.

Boxing

Peter McNeeley, who lasted for only 89 seconds against Mike Tyson, will fight Mike Sam, of Lafayette, La., Friday at the new FleetCenter in Boston. McNeeley’s grandfather fought at the old Boston Garden on opening night, Nov. 17, 1928.

British heavyweight Lennox Lewis has filed suit to protect his status as mandatory challenger for the World Boxing Council title and to stop champion Frank Bruno from making his first defense against Tyson.

Miscellany

Boris Becker defeated Sweden’s Magnus Gustafsson 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 at the Eurocard Open in Essen, Germany.

China is implementing new anti-drug measures that would disqualify an entire team from competition for a year if two teammates competing in one event test positive, an official newspaper reported.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, International Olympic Committee president, has threatened to expel baseball from the Olympics if the International Baseball Assn. doesn’t permit professionals to compete in the 2000 Games, according to IBA chief Aldo Notari.

The NCAA will reconsider its decision to declare Kenny Thomas, New Mexico’s top basketball recruit, ineligible next season.