Bono Let Go by Kansas City, May Sign With Green Bay

Kansas City Chief quarterback Steve Bono, whose signing Coach Marty Schottenheimer now acknowledges was a mistake, has been waived.

The Chiefs acquired Bono, who played at UCLA, in May 1994 from the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round draft pick. He served as backup to Joe Montana that season, then became the starter after Montana’s retirement.

Bono reportedly is close to reaching a contract agreement with the Green Bay Packers to back up Brett Favre, but Packer officials say nothing has been signed.

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Both sides signed off on the Houston Oilers’ lease with the Astrodome, finally freeing the NFL franchise to move to Tennessee, according to team owner Bud Adams.

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Defensive tackle Henry Thomas, who played with the Detroit Lions last season, signed with the New England Patriots. . . . Defensive tackle Ray Agnew, released last week by the New York Giants in a cost-cutting move, signed with the Carolina Panthers. Mike Minter, a safety from Nebraska drafted in the second round this year, also signed with Carolina.

Tennis

Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, despite holding serve the last two sets, lost to Richey Reneberg, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6), in the second round of the Gerry Weber Open at Halle, Germany.

French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten defeated Jacobo Diaz of Spain, 6-4, 6-2, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Carisbo clay-court tournament at Bologna, Italy.

Without hitting a ball, Pete Sampras advanced to the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament when New Zealand’s Brett Steven defaulted because of an upset stomach at London.

The top three seeded players--Irina Spirlea, Nathalie Tauziat and Lisa Raymond--won in consecutive sets to reach the quarterfinals of the DFS Classic at Birmingham, England.

Venus Williams has turned down a wild card for next week’s Eastbourne tournament because she says she would rather play through the qualifying rounds to prepare for her first appearance at Wimbledon.

Hockey

The Pittsburgh Penguins made Kevin Constantine, a former coach of the San Jose Sharks who spent last season as an assistant with the Calgary Flames, their new coach. Constantine replaces the man who hired him, General Manager Craig Patrick, who finished the season as interim coach.

Track and Field

Frankie Fredericks of Namibia won the 100 meters in 10.11 seconds to highlight the Paavo Nurmi Centennial Games at Turku, Finland.

The meet was held in honor of the famed Finnish distance runner whose 100th birthday is today. In honor of Nurmi, who ran in the 1920s and was famous for winning two distance races in a matter of hours, a combined race of 1,500 and 5,000 meters was staged. Paul Bitok led a seven-man Kenyan sweep in the 1,500, and then, 75 minutes later, easily won the 5,000.

Pat Rico, president of USA Track & Field, said that it is up to the International Amateur Athletic Federation to invite all defending world champions from the 1995 meet as “wild cards” to the World Outdoor Championships Aug. 2-10 in Greece.

Michael Johnson and Dan O’Brien, who will miss the USA Championships because of injuries, are two U.S. athletes who would qualify as wild cards.

Jurisprudence

A precinct captain for the successful San Francisco 49ers’ campaign to build a new football stadium was charged with election fraud in last week’s close vote.

John D. Griffin, 41, allegedly voted using the name of a San Francisco police officer at a Richmond District polling place on election day. The officer, William Griffin, apparently was unable vote because he had been assigned to the security detail at the registrar’s office.

The chief prosecutor in Mannheim, Germany, said that the investigation of tax evasion against tennis player Steffi Graf has been dropped. Chief district attorney Hubert Jobski told a Mannheim radio station that Graf has agreed to pay $760,000 to the state and to charitable causes.

Names in the News

Billie Jean King will be awarded an honorary doctorate degree as part of Cal State Los Angeles’ 50th graduation Saturday.

Trainer Eddie Futch won’t be in Montell Griffin’s corner when the World Boxing Council light-heavyweight champion defends the title in a rematch with Roy Jones Jr. on Aug. 7 because of a dispute over money.