Gillispie on leave as probe continues

TEXAS TECH basketball coach Billy Gillispie is on indefinite sick leave while his bosses investigate allegations that he mistreated his players during practices.

Athletics department spokesman Blayne Beal said Monday that Gillispie is taking sick days and it was not clear how long he will be out. The Texas native, who is entering his second year as coach of the Red Raiders, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The school announced Aug. 31 that it had opened an investigation into alleged mistreatment of players by Gillispie. Earlier that day, and hours before he was to meet with athletic director Kirby Hocutt, Gillispie called 911 and was taken to a Lubbock hospital. He told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal he thought he was having a heart attack or a stroke. He was released after 6 days in the hospital.

Last Wednesday, Hocutt said players met with him to discuss how they were being treated by Gillispie.

"If these allegations are proven to be true then I will be extremely upset and disappointed and will handle accordingly," Hocutt said then. He declined to say whether that could include Gillispie being fired and said he was "very troubled" by the information players had given him.

Hocutt last week announced that the school had reprimanded Gillispie in January for exceeding practice-time limits the previous fall.

Jordan Tolbert, last season's leading scorer, is one of the players who met with Hocutt. Tolbert said Monday he doesn't want to play for Gillispie if he returns.

In other college basketball news:

* Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier has undergone surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. UConn said that Napier, the team's top returning scorer, is expected to be ready when practice begins on Oct. 13.

In college football news:

* Tulane safety Devon Walker remains in stable condition in intensive care after undergoing surgery Sunday. Walker suffered a spinal injury during Saturday's game at Tulsa. Athletic director Rick Dickson said it's too early to know the long-term effects of the injury, but that Walker is alert and responsive.

* Alabama running back Jalson Fowler is expected to miss the rest of the season with a left knee injury that will require surgery.

* Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn has decided to end his football career after another shoulder injury - and possibly a fourth operation.

After overseeing the London Games, Sebastian Coe said he wants to take charge of Britain's mission to produce future Olympic champions. The two-time Olympic middle-distance champion announced he will be a candidate to succeed Colin Moynihan as chairman of the British Olympic Association.

* Authorities said they are investigating the death of a Port Adelaide Australian rules football player who fell about 30 feet from a roof at a Las Vegas hotel. The Clark County coroner's office said a security guard at the Flamingo hotel called police about 5:40 a.m. Sunday to report a person had apparently fallen onto a driveway. John McCarthy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6:15 a.m. A group of 11 players left Adelaide, Australia, on Saturday for a vacation in the United States. McCarthy played in 21 matches in 2012 for Port Adelaide, which plays in the top-flight Australian Football League.