Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — COLLEGE SPORTS

OU, A&M got SEC invite

The president of the University of Oklahoma said Wednesday that his school and Texas A&M received invitations to join the SEC during the last round of conference realignment. Although Oklahoma ended up remaining in the Big 12, university President David Boren said the Sooners had offers from the SEC and the Pacific-10. Boren spoke with reporters after a regents meeting for almost 40 minutes about the conference realignment process. “I’ll put it this way - we were well positioned for whatever worked out,” Boren said. SEC spokesman Craig Pinkerton said he was “not in a position to comment” on what Boren said.Boren declined to say who in the SEC issued the invitation, only that that person had the authority to do so. Boren said the Pac-10 offer was for five Big 12 schools - Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech - to join as a group.

Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott visited the schools earlier this month to extend the invitations. “The invitation was really to the group,” Boren said. “It had to be, because you couldn’t have our teams all flying to the Pacific coast every week to play games. There had to be an eastern division of schools.” Boren said the SEC extended offers only to Oklahoma and Texas A&M, both of which opted to stay in a slimmed down Big 12 after Colorado left for the Pac-10 and Nebraska left for the Big Ten. Because the SEC offer didn’t include two of the Sooners’ key rivals, Oklahoma State and Texas, Boren said he didn’t consider it a good option. Last Friday, Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis confirmed that his school “never had an offer” from the SEC, “so it was never anything to consider.” Hargis and Boren expressed a strong interest in sticking together through any future conference realignment. “Had the Pac-10 thing fallen apart, had the Big 12 minus two not been put back together, we would have probably ended up having much more serious conversations with the SEC, and[asked] would they take OSU and Texas, for example,” Boren said. “It never got to that.”

FOOTBALL

Rams sign safety Atogwe

The St. Louis Rams signed safety Oshiomogho Atogwe to a multiyear contract. Atogwe has been with the Rams for five seasons and started 60 consecutive games since the beginning of the 2006 season. He missed four games last year after injuring his shoulder, but still finished second on the team with 82 tackles. He led the NFC with eight interceptions in 2007, and his 19 interceptions since 2006 are the fourth-most in the NFL. He also forced 19 fumbles during that stretch.

The Carolina Panthers signed fourth-round pick Eric Norwood, whom Carolina expects be a passrushing specialist. Norwood is South Carolina’s career leader with29 sacks. Coach John Fox has said he’ll use Norwood at linebacker in passing situations and on special teams.

Albert Haynesworth says he will be there when the Washington Redskins open training camp next month, despite an ongoing rift with management that has teammates calling him selfish. “Despite my current differences with the Redskins, I have always planned to attend training camp and honor my contract,” Haynesworth said in a statement released Wednesday through his agent. The disgruntled two-time All Pro defensive tackle has stayed away from all off-season activities, including last week’s mandatory minicamp, because he is unhappy with the team’s switch to a 3-4 defense and wants to be traded. The Redskins offered him a chance to find another team - until he collected a $21 million bonus on April 1, the latest installment in the seven-year, $100 million contract he signed last year.

BASEBALL

Marlins fire Gonzalez

Fredi Gonzalez was fired as manager of the Florida Marlins on Wednesday, with the team owner saying “we can do better and be better.” The Marlins are 34-36 following a victory over Baltimore on Tuesday night. Florida began the day in fourth place in the National League East, 7 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta. Edwin Rodriguez, who has spent the past 1 1/2 seasons as manager of Class AAA New Orleans, takes over as manager on an interim basis. Also fired were bench coach Carlos Tosca and hitting coach Jim Presley. They were replaced on an interim basis by Brandon Hyde and John Mallee. “We owe it to our fans to put this team in the best possible position to win,” owner Jeffrey Loria said in a statement. “Everyone knows how I feel about winning. That’s the reason we’re making this change.” In three-plus seasons as the Marlins’ manager, Gonzalez was 276-279. Before the 2009 season, he received a contract extension through 2011.

FOOTBALL

Lawrence Taylor indicted on rape charges

NEW YORK - Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was indicted Wednesday by a suburban New York grand jury on charges of third-degree rape and patronizing a prostitute.

The indictment follows his May 6 arrest at a Holiday Inn in Ramapo, N.Y., where prosecutorssay he paid a 16-year-old girl $300 to have sex with him.

Taylor had been charged previously in Ramapo Town Court, but the indictment transfers the case to Rockland County. He is scheduled to appear July 13.

The former New York Giants linebacker alsowas indicted on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, and sexual abuse and criminal sexual act in the third degree. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. He has denied the charges.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said the 16-year-old told investigators she had been verbally threatened and physically assaulted by a pimp who drove her 26 miles north to the hotel where Taylor was waiting.

The evidence includes sworn testimony by a 23-year-old woman who says she accompanied the accused pimp and the 16-yearold girl to the hotel where Taylor was staying. She said Taylor did not rape the girl. The teenager returned to the car with $300 in cash and said: “It was weird ... we didn’t even have sex.”

A federal criminal complaint filed against the accused pimp, Rasheed Davis, recounts the victim’s version of events and makes no mention of a third person in the vehicle at the time of his arrest in the Bronx. Davis has been charged in federal court with sex trafficking.

Authorities said the teen did not know whom she was meeting at the hotel room. The girl sent text messages to her uncle saying she was in trouble, police said. He called the NYPD, which arrested the suspected pimp once he returned to the Bronx with the teenager. The girl provided information about the hotel.

Taylor anchored the Giants’ defense and led them to Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991. A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL’s MVP in 1986 and Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986.