Suspension Lifted for San Diego State’s Jones

San Diego State running back George Jones will be permitted to play next week, after a four-week suspension for alleged NCAA rules violations, school officials announced Friday.

Jones, who last season ranked second nationally in scoring, at 11.5 points a game, and third in rushing, at 153.5 yards, was suspended indefinitely Sept. 13 for violations related to the use of a car.

But after a review, NCAA officials decided Friday to allow Jones to return to the field next week when the Aztecs play at New Mexico.

On Friday night, the Aztecs defeated Western Athletic Conference rival Hawaii, 56-8, at San Diego. Billy Blanton threw two touchdown passes for the Aztecs (3-0, 1-0), who had not played a game in 20 days because of scheduling conflicts with the San Diego Padres. Hawaii is 1-6 and 0-4.

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The University of Rhode Island kicked two football players off the team, suspended four others and forfeited its next game to punish 31 players for participating in an attack on a fraternity, university officials said.

The players met outside the Theta Delta Chi house, 15 entered and some of them beat three fraternity brothers Monday afternoon, campus police said.

Fraternity members said they believe the beatings were in retaliation for refusing to allow a player into a party Oct. 4.

Tennis

Jan Siemerink of the Netherlands ended Stefan Edberg’s run at the CA Trophy tournament in Vienna with a 5-7, 7-5, 7-4 victory in the quarterfinals. Edberg, 30, who plans to retire at the end of the year, was coming off a three-set upset of top-seeded Thomas Muster. Fifth-seeded Boris Becker of Germany advanced to the semifinals, but second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia and third-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia lost.

A day after knocking off top-seeded and three-time defending champion Michael Chang, Martin Damm of the Czech Republic defeated Scott Draper of Australia, 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the Beijing Open in China.

Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport defeated Jana Novotna, 6-3, 6-4, and is the highest seeded player in the semifinals of the Porsche Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany. Martina Hingis, 16, of Switzerland defeated top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 6-1, 6-4, in 61 minutes.

Boxing

Unbeaten Johnny Tapia battered Sammy Stewart to retain his World Boxing Organization junior bantamweight title with a seventh-round TKO in Las Vegas.

On the undercard, U.S. Olympian Floyd Mayweather Jr. stopped Roberto Apodaca at 37 seconds of the second round to win his pro debut. Eric Morel also won his pro debut as a flyweight, stopping Jose Luis Augilar in the third round.

Olympics

The International Olympic Committee said it is unlikely any sports will be eliminated for the Summer Games at Sydney, Australia, in 2000. The IOC also said that although Sydney organizers hoped to maintain a ceiling of 10,000 athletes for the Games, that number would probably be 400 to 600 higher.

IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said two sports--taekwondo and triathlon--will be added and the IOC plans to increase the number of women’s teams in field hockey and team handball.

Baseball

Mission Viejo city officials have reached a tentative agreement with the Long Beach Riptide to bring the minor league baseball team to Orange County by building a $5.5-million stadium at Saddleback College.

Motor Racing

Shelly Anderson, Tony Pedregon and Jim Yates were the leaders after the first day of qualifying for the Chief Auto Parts Nationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis. Anderson set the pace in Top Fuel, covering the quarter-mile distance with track-record performances of 4.658 seconds at 314.35 mph.

Miscellany

Kansas City Chief running back Todd McNair has been found guilty of mistreating 17 pit bulls seized at his property and was fined $4,510. Municipal Judge J.R. Powell found McNair guilty on 17 counts of cruelty to animals after a daylong trial Thursday in East Greenwich Township, N.J.