Sports digest 6/19/02

Football

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Bob Avellini was arrested and accused of smashing a tavern window with a golf club, police said. Avellini was charged with criminal damage to property after a window was broken at McGee's Tavern on the city's North Side, Chicago Police spokesman Wayne Frisbie said. A golf club was used to smash the glass after Avellini was told to leave the establishment, Frisbie said.

A new Arena Football League team owned by former quarterback John Elway will be announced at a news conference today in Denver. Elway will split ownership with Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and Kroenke Sports, which also owns the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and NBA's Denver Nuggets.

An attorney submitted a written response for Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who faces a reckless driving charge in Tallahassee, Fla. The lawyer submitted the response in Leon County Court so Janikowski, who has had numerous legal problems, would not have to personally appear at an initial hearing on the traffic ticket.

Hockey

The Carolina Hurricanes wasted little time in rewarding coach Paul Maurice and general manager Jim Rutherford for the team's surprising run to the Stanley Cup finals. Maurice, 35, was nearly fired in December but went on to lead the Hurricanes to the Southeast Division title for the second time in four years and the team's first finals appearance ever.

Terms of Maurice's contract weren't disclosed, but it was expected to be a five-year deal worth about $750,000 a year. His previous contract expires July 1.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will update the league's board of governors on the future of the financially troubled Buffalo Sabres when it meets Thursday in Toronto. There is no motion on the agenda for the board to take action regarding the team's future. The NHL could choose to take control of the team.

Olympics

Willie Davenport, who won the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles in 1968 and competed in a total of five Olympics, died of a heart attack after collapsing at O'Hare International Airport, the Cook County medical examiner's office said.

Davenport, 59, was changing planes when he collapsed. He was pronounced dead at Resurrection Medical Center, said a spokesman who would not give his name.

-- From wire reports