Crippen sought coach protection
Nine days before he died in an open-water race, Fran Crippen sent an e-mail to the head of USA Swimming, complaining about a lack of financial support and the failure to send coaches to "protect the athletes" at meets around the world.
Nine days before he died in an open-water race, Fran Crippen sent an e-mail to the head of USA Swimming, complaining about a lack of financial support and the failure to send coaches to "protect the athletes" at meets around the world.
There are two separate investigations into the Oct. 23 death of Crippen, of Conshohocken. They undoubtedly focus on whether world governing body FINA failed to ensure safe conditions for the race near Dubai.
But the actions of USA Swimming are also under scrutiny. Former national team coach Mark Schubert says he had planned to send a respected coach to watch over the U.S. team in the Middle East, but that plan was scuttled when he was fired. USA Swimming says it's not aware of any firm plan to send a coach to the meet.
College Football
* Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt resigned under pressure, 3 days after the Panthers finished a disappointing 7-5 season. The former Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins coach will remain as a special assistant to athletic director Steve Pederson.
* The final Bowl Championship Series standings had to be corrected after a mistake was found that changed the rankings of Boise State and LSU, but did not effect any bowl matchups. In the revised standings, Boise State moves from 11th to 10th and LSU drops from 10th to 11th.
* The Indiana Hoosiers have given new football coach Kevin Wilson a 7-year contract worth $1.2 million per year.
Boxing
* FIFA's general secretary, Jerome Valcke, defended the process for choosing the hosts of the 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar) World Cups, but did not rule out the possibility of changing it for 2026. Valcke said FIFA has until 2018 to decide if it "should or [should] not change" the way host countries are decided. But he said last week's vote for the World Cup hosts was "perfectly organized, perfectly transparent and perfectly under control."
* The state of British soccer will be investigated by a parliamentary inquiry following concerns about the high level of debt at Premier League clubs and the ownership troubles at Manchester United and Liverpool.
Boxing
* Floyd Mayweather Jr. is due in court in Las Vegas today on a misdemeanor battery charge alleging he poked a security guard in the face during an argument last month outside Mayweather's home.