NEWSWIRE

Robert Gessert, accused of sexually assaulting a teenager at a prom party attended by former Green Bay Packer tight end Mark Chmura, pleaded no contest in Waukesha, Wis., to reduced charges and will not go to jail. Gessert, 43, was fined $4,500 and ordered to pay $1,145 in court costs and perform 80 hours of community service.

Pro Football

ABC hired Fred Gaudelli to produce “Monday Night Football,” a week after Don Ohlmeyer said he wouldn’t return to the program. Gaudelli, 40, had produced “Sunday Night Football” on ESPN since 1990. ABC hired Gaudelli after ratings for “Monday Night Football” fell 7.3% to a record low last season. All of the program’s broadcasters will return next season, he said. . . . The NFL players’ union will try to prevent teams from using so-called loyalty clauses in contracts by having them banned in its collective bargaining agreement, union attorney Richard Berthelsen said. . . . Running back Curtis Enis has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns, his agent said. . . . The Kansas City Chiefs have until Thursday to make a deal for St. Louis Ram backup quarterback Trent Green. The Rams say they’ll pull Green off the market if they don’t get an acceptable offer from the Chiefs by then. Green is due a $500,000 roster bonus Thursday. . . . The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to terms with free-agent offensive tackle Leon Searcy on a five-year, $31.5-million contract, agent Drew Rosenhaus said. . . . Free-agent linebacker Brant Boyer, a starter in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ final five games last season, signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns. . . . Jeff Mitchell, a center who helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl last season, agreed to a five-year, $15-million contract with the Carolina Panthers. . . . The Dallas Cowboys contacted Tampa Bay about acquiring quarterback Ryan Leaf, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre was shaken but safe after a severe storm tore the roof off his Mississippi home while he, his 20-month-old daughter and his in-laws huddled under a stairway. “I’ve been through the worst weather you can think of with hurricanes and what not, but for the first time in my life I was really scared,” he told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “I feared for our lives.”

The XFL will fall short of its forecast for $80 million in sales in the first year because of lower-than-expected TV ratings, President Basil Devito said. . . . Darren Flutie, the younger brother of Doug Flutie, signed a contract extension with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats through the 2002 season.

Miscellany

Steve Brown, a midfielder for the English soccer team Wycombe Wanderers, was ejected from a game Saturday for peeling off his jersey late in the game to reveal a tribute to the bravery of his ailing 15-month-old son. Two days later, Brown was suspended for four games.

Petrushka, one of the top fillies in Europe, will miss next week’s $6-million Dubai World Cup because of a leg injury. . . . Former NFL and Olympic star Bob Hayes, 58, remained hospitalized in Jacksonville, Fla., still too weak to walk while recovering from prostate cancer surgery and other ailments. . . . NASCAR was the highest-rated sports event on TV for the fourth consecutive weekend, according to the overnight ratings.