Payton Liver Illness Progressing

Walter Payton’s liver disease is progressing faster than expected, and private planes have been offered to speed him to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., when a transplant becomes available, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Susan Ward, a spokeswoman for Payton, said if the urgency increases, he may move up on the waiting list, “but he won’t be moved up just because he’s Walter Payton.”

Several friends of the Chicago Bear great have offered their company planes so that he won’t be bound by airline schedules when doctors are ready to give him a new liver, Ward said.

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New England Patriot running back Robert Edwards will sit out the 1999 season after injuring his knee during a beach flag football game in Hawaii. . . . Zach Thomas, the all-pro middle linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, agreed to a $22.5-million, five-year deal with Miami. The Dolphins also obtained running back Tyrone Wheatley from the New York Giants for a seventh-round draft choice. . . . Former Pittsburgh Steeler safety Carnell Lake signed with division rival Jacksonville. The Jaguars also signed defensive tackle Gary Walker, who played three seasons with the Tennessee Oilers. . . . The New York Jets and punter Tom Tupa agreed to a contract. . . . Minnesota re-signed safety Robert Griffith and Green Bay re-signed defensive tackle Santana Dotson and linebacker George Koonce. . . . Wide receivers Antonio Freeman of Green Bay, Rob Moore of Arizona and Terrell Owens of San Francisco were named franchise players. . . . Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland and Patriot owner Robert Kraft signed the final agreement to move the team to Hartford. . . . The Atlanta Falcons raised ticket prices by as much as 24% after their first Super Bowl appearance.

Soccer

Galaxy midfielder Steve Jolley is expected to be sidelined at least three weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Defender Robin Fraser, goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and midfielder Clint Mathis were selected for the national team that will play Chile on Feb. 21.

The son of Brazilian legend Pele is to be tried for murder in Sao Paulo. Pele’s son, Edilson Cholbi do Nascimento, 27, and Marcilio Jose Marinho de Melo, 24, are accused of killing a motorcyclist by smashing into him when racing their cars, said Vicente Cascione, Nascimento’s lawyer.

Golf

Bruce Summerhays shot a bogey-free 65, taking a two-shot lead after the first round of the American Express Seniors tournament at Sarasota, Fla. . . . David Howell of England took a step toward his first European tour victory with a four-under 68 that gave him a one-stroke lead halfway through the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates.

Tennis

Top-ranked Pete Sampras defeated Bernd Karbacher of Germany, 7-5, 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the Sybase Open at San Jose. . . . Jerome Golmard of France defeated third-seeded Tim Henman of Britain, 7-6, (7-4), 7-5, in the quarterfinals of the $1-million Dubai Open. Andrew Ilie of Australia upset eighth-seeded Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil, 6-4, 6-4. . . . Second-seeded Marc Rosset of Switzerland needed only 44 minutes to beat Andrei Pavel of Romania, 6-1, 6-2, and reach the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia.

Jurisprudence

A Canadian hockey player accused of throwing his stick into the crowd and injuring two girls must stand trial on child-abuse charges in Madison, Wis., a judge ruled. Defenseman Barry McKinlay, playing for the Thunder Bay Thunder Cats of the United Hockey League, pleaded innocent. . . . Robert Rozier, a former University of California defensive lineman who played six games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979 and served five years in prison for killing four people in Florida, was arrested for writing bad checks in Cameron Park, Calif. . . . Former Ohio State track star Chris Nelloms was sentenced to life in prison for raping a young girl and will not be eligible for parole for 40 years.

Miscellany

Rick Neuheisel, the Washington Huskies’ new football coach, finds himself with another problem, this time for playing recruit Domynic Shaw in an apparently informal game of three-point basketball shooting. Under NCAA rules, Neuheisel’s game with Shaw, a cornerback from Oakland, was considered a tryout. . . . Nine IOC members might have broken Olympic rules during visits to Nagano during the Japanese city’s bid for the 1998 Winter Games, Japanese sports officials said. . . . Norway’s Lasse Kjus fashioned the quickest second run to win the men’s giant slalom and collect his fourth medal in the World Alpine Ski Championships at Vail, Colo. . . . Fernando Ibarra, who suffered a brain injury when he was knocked out in a fight two weeks ago at St. Louis, was upgraded to fair condition but his chance for a complete recovery remains uncertain, doctors said. . . . Toronto first baseman Carlos Delgado agreed to a one-year contract worth $5,025,000. St. Louis shortstop Edgar Renteria agreed to a $1,975,000 contract. . . . Ruben Smith Jr., a U.S. Golden Gloves bantamweight champion from Los Angeles in 1948 and a professional boxer from 1948 to ‘53, died Tuesday of Parkinson’s disease. He was 70.