Sponsor Asks Webber to Return to U.S. Over Drug Issue

In the wake of his detainment for marijuana possession, Sacramento King star Chris Webber has been asked to return to the United States by the company sponsoring a Caribbean promotional tour in which the NBA player was participating.

Webber had been in Barbados for an exhibition game sponsored by Fila, the athletic shoe and apparel company.

“In no way does Fila condone the use of illicit drugs,” Jon Epstein, company president and chief executive officer, said in a statement released by Fila. “We expect our athletes to conduct themselves in an exemplary manner on and off the court, and we are taking this issue very seriously.”

Fila and Webber have had a multiyear endorsement contract for an undisclosed amount since 1997.

Fila said it will conduct its own investigation into the matter, although U.S. Customs officials and Webber’s agent continued to give contrary accounts of the incident. Customs reported Webber admitted he owned a carry-on bag found with 11 grams of marijuana in the transit lounge of San Juan’s international airport and paid an administrative penalty of $500.

Sunday, Webber’s agent, Fallasha Erwin, said that a female traveling companion of Webber’s had told customs officials that the marijuana and the bag in which it was found belonged to her. The customs spokesman said inspectors in Puerto Rico found size-16 sneakers in the black athletic bag along with the marijuana, which was hidden in a sock. The inspector said no women’s clothing was in the bag. Erwin claimed there was women’s clothing and underwear in the bag, which she said belonged to Webber’s companion.

Boxing

Mike Tyson, who initially sought to bypass Nevada officials in a bid to return to boxing, will have a hearing before the state’s athletic commission Sept. 9 at Las Vegas.

Tyson was banned by the Nevada Athletic Commission in July 1997 after biting Evander Holyfield’s ears during their heavyweight championship fight.

He was eligible to reapply for a license in Nevada on July 9, but instead applied to be licensed in New Jersey. Thursday, Tyson withdrew the application in New Jersey and said he would seek licensing in Nevada.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said he expects Tyson to attend the hearing because commissioners will want to question him. Elias Ghanem, chairman of the Nevada commission, said a decision will come quickly.

Tennis

Tennis legend Rod Laver, who suffered a moderate stroke on July 27, was upgraded to good condition and moved from UCLA Medical Center to UCLA’s Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit.

“Mr. Laver is making very healthy progress and has a good prognosis for recovery,” said his neuro-rehabilitation specialist Dr. Eric Aldrich. “He has increasing strength and coordination on his right side, is speaking clearly and is in good spirits.”

Bob Bryan, the NCAA champion from Stanford, overcame a stomach problem and got his first victory as a professional during the rain-delayed RCA Championships at Indianapolis, defeating Steve Campbell, 6-1, 0-6, 6-1. Bryan will meet top-ranked and top-seeded Marcelo Rios in the second round.

Pro Hockey

Steve Smith is making a comeback as a player in the NHL, leaving an assistant coaching position with the Calgary Flames to play for the team.

Smith, a defenseman with Edmonton when the Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1987, 1988 and 1990, retired last summer because of a back injury.

Jesse Boulerice, who held his stick like a baseball bat and struck Andrew Long in the head during an Ontario Hockey League playoff game last April, is facing criminal charges at Plymouth, Mich.

Boulerice, 19, who played with the Plymouth Whalers, was ordered at his preliminary hearing to stand trial on charges of assault to do great bodily harm less than murder to Long, formerly of the Guelph Storm. The felony carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Long suffered head and facial injuries from the blow. Boulerice’s attorney, Jim Howarth, argued that because the incident occurred during a hockey game, criminal charges shouldn’t apply.

Women’s Basketball

The Houston Comets set a WNBA scoring mark with a 110-65 rout of the Mystics at Washington. It broke the record of 102 points, set by Utah against the Sparks on June 23, 1997. The 45-point margin was the largest ever.

The Cleveland Rockers defeated the New York Liberty, 70-64, and will be the second-seeded team in the playoffs. The loss, in front of a crowd of 17,396, snapped the Liberty’s four-game winning streak and their six-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden.

The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Utah Starzz, 75-64, at Salt Lake City to tie the the Liberty for the third playoff spot. Each have 18-11 records. Charlotte is one game back at 17-12 with one game left in the season. The game was Utah’s season finale. The Starzz (8-22) went 2-9 after Frank Layden became the head coach.

Miscellany

The head of the International Olympic Committee’s doping panel has criticized IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch for proposing a reduction in the list of banned drugs. In an article published in the French daily Le Figaro, Alexandre de Merode, chairman of the IOC medical commission, said the committee should continue its drive to stop doping, standardize anti-drug regulations and improve education. Samaranch had suggested that only drugs harmful to a person’s health be prohibited.

The NCAA has removed New Mexico State from probation after accepting the school’s final report on how NCAA rules were violated in connection with junior-college transfer credits. The NCAA had put New Mexico State on three years probation in 1996 and eliminated junior college basketball scholarships for two seasons. in Lakeland, Fla.

Antonio Ramirez knocked out Sandro Marcos in the eighth round and Jose Badillo hung on to beat Vincent Howard to advance to the semifinals of the junior-lightweight tournament at the Forum.