College Football
Quarterback Jacory Harris and 11 other University of Miami players who accepted extra benefits from former booster Nevin Shapiro will be allowed by the NCAA to play again, some as soon as the second game of the season. The harshest penalties handed down yesterday were reserved for those who took gifts from Shapiro while being recruited. Defensive lineman Olivier Vernon will sit out six games, while Ray Ray Armstrong - considered among the nation’s top safeties - and tight end Dyron Dye will miss four games apiece. They are three of eight players, including Harris, who must sit out games and repay benefits before they can be reinstated. The Hurricanes, who open the season at Maryland Monday night, still might face more sanctions as the NCAA’s investigation into Miami’s compliance practices continues. Harris, Sean Spence, Travis Benjamin, Marcus Forston, and Adewale Ojomo all must sit out one game and make restitution for accepting benefits after enrolling at the school. Four other players must repay small amounts, all under $100, but will not miss any games. A 13th player, Marcus Robinson, was vindicated of wrongdoing … UConn’s season opener against Fordham tomorrow at Rentschler Field in East Hartford was postponed because the stadium is being used as a distribution center for storm relief supplies. No makeup date was announced, though school officials were hoping to reschedule the game Saturday at the same site … Former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, paralyzed when he suffered a spinal cord injury making a tackle on a kick return against Army last season, will work on the school’s radio network as an analyst.
