Sports briefs 3/8/05

Colleges

* Colorado University women's basketball coach Ceal Barry is calling it quits after 22 successful seasons and 427 wins at CU, where she took her team to the NCAA tournament 12 times. The Buffs are 9-18 overall this year and 2-14 in the Big 12 entering the conference tournament.

* Fired football coach Rick Neuheisel will receive at least $4.5 million in a settlement Monday of his lawsuit against the NCAA and the University of Washington.

The deal was announced by Judge Michael Spearman just before closing arguments were to begin in the 5-week trial.

Neuheisel will receive cash payments of $2.5 million from the NCAA and $500,000 from the university. Addinally, the university agreed not to seek repayment of a $1.5 million loan.

Neuheisel, now the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens, had accused the university of wrongfully terminating his contract and the NCAA of encouraging Washington administrators to fire him.

The university had argued that he had signed a contract that allowed for his firing for acts of dishonesty. School officials have said Neuheisel was fired for gambling on an NCAA basketball pool and failing to be forthright about it with NCAA investigators.

Football

* The Chicago Bears and right tackle Fred Miller agreed Monday to a five-year deal for the 32-year-old veteran, who hasn't missed a start since 1998.

The 6-foot-7, 320-pound Miller was a salary cap casualty with the Tennessee Titans. They cut him last month so he wouldn't count $9.32 million against the cap in 2005.

Hockey

The NHL Players' Association accepted an invitation from the league to return to the bargaining table later this week.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman sent an e-mail to union executive director Bob Goodenow late Friday to request a meeting, and the players' association agreed Monday to get together at an undisclosed location, a source close to the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

It will be the first bargaining session since Feb. 19, when the sides met in a desperate attempt to save the season three days after Bettman canceled it.