Colleges: Paternos challenge report
A new report commissioned by Joe Paterno’s family challenges the conclusion by former FBI director Louis Freeh that the late Penn State coach conspired to conceal child sex-abuse allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
An executive summary of the critique, released Sunday, said the “observations” of Paterno by Freeh in July were unfounded. Former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, one of the experts assembled by the family’s lawyer to review the report Freeh compiled for Penn State, called that document fundamentally flawed and incomplete.
A lack of factual support for the Freeh report’s “inaccurate and unfounded findings related to Mr. Paterno and its numerous process-oriented deficiencies was a rush to injustice and calls into question” the report’s credibility, Thornburgh was quoted as saying in the report.
The family released what it billed as an exhaustive response to Freeh’s work, based on independent analyses, on the website paterno.com.
» St. John’s played Sunday’s game against Syracuse without head coach Steve Lavin after the overnight death of his father.
Lavin’s 82-year-old father, Cap, died during the night, and Lavin left Syracuse on Sunday morning.
NHL: St. Louis activates G Halak
The Blues activated G Jaroslav Halak from injured reserve, a signal that struggling Brian Elliott is headed for some time on the bench. Halak is 3-0 with a 2.10 goals-against average and two shutouts this season. He had been sidelined by a groin strain.
» The Red Wings put GJoey MacDonald on waivers. If MacDonald is not claimed by noon Eastern time today, the Red Wings plan to send him to play for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
He is 31-48-13 with a 3.04 goals-against average with Detroit, Toronto, the New York Islanders and Boston.
Tennis: Italy ousts U.S. in Fed Cup
The U.S. was eliminated in the first round of the Fed Cup, losing to host Italy 3-2 when Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci defeated Varvara Lepchenko and Liezel Huber in the decisive doubles match in Rimini.
Errani and Vinci, the top-ranked doubles team, won 6-2, 6-2 against an overmatched American team.
The U.S. was without Serena and Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens because of injuries.
Usain Bolt kicked off his sprint season Saturday by making a rare appearance in a 400-meter race and finishing in 46.74 seconds.
Bolt, who has back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 100, 200, and the 400-meter relay, overtook Allodin Fothergill in the homestretch to win his heat.
Bolt’s biggest rival, Yohan Blake, ran 46.64 in a separate heat, finishing second.
» A person familiar with the situation says fourtime overall World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery on her right knee Sunday in Vail, Colo. The person added that the procedure “went well.”
Elsewhere: Bolt runs 400 in 2013 debut