Ohio State vacates wins from 2010 football season, puts program on two years of probation

Ohio State’s 2010 Big Ten Conference championship, its 12-1 season, its victories against rival Michigan and in the Sugar Bowl — all gone. Coach Jim Tressel is out and so is star quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Left behind: two years of self-imposed probation.

The question now is whether it will be enough to save Ohio State football from more severe penalties in an upcoming trip to see the NCAA committee on infractions.

In response to NCAA violations committed by football players who traded autographs and memorabilia for cash and tattoos — and by a coach who covered it up — Ohio State issued its official response Friday. Athletic Director Gene Smith hoped it would appease the NCAA ethics police.

The measures taken by the school included vacating all of the Buckeyes’ wins from last season, a year in which Ohio State captured a record-tying sixth straight Big Ten title and won an unprecedented seventh consecutive game over Michigan.

“All I know is that this is significant,” Smith said. “A lot of people may not view it that way externally, but this is significant.”

In a reversal, Ohio State — which earlier said it had asked for Tressel’s resignation May 30 — said Friday it had agreed to allow him to call it a retirement. The school also said he did not have to pay a $250,000 fine levied against him for his actions. On top of that, Tressel will receive the last month of his base pay ($54,000), has agreed to cooperate when Ohio State goes before the NCAA infractions committee Aug. 12, and both he and the university agreed that they wouldn’t sue each other.

The response to the NCAA doesn’t mean Ohio State’s woes are over. The governing body for college sports could still impose tougher sanctions, such as a ban on postseason play and a reduction in scholarships. The NCAA is expected to hand down its sanctions six to eight weeks after the August hearing.

The NCAA put West Virginia’s football program on two years of probation for violations involving out-of-season coaching and the use of non-coaching staff who worked with players. The NCAA report said the infractions occurred under former coaches Rich Rodriguez and Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers will lose a scholarship for the upcoming season and see a reduction in football staff positions.

ETC.

Rockets’ Yao retires

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is retiring, according to a report by Yahoo Sports. The 7-foot-6 Chinese star, plagued by lower-body injuries in the second half of his career, has informed the league office that his playing career is over, the website reported.

The Rockets declined to comment on the report because of the lockout, and the NBA has not received retirement paperwork from Yao. Yao’s contract expired after last season, and the Rockets said they were interested in re-signing him if he was healthy.

An eight-time All-Star selection, Yao averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds in his eight seasons, but his impact on the league goes far beyond the numbers. Yao single-handedly expanded the NBA’s reach throughout Asia, spiking merchandise sales and TV ratings for games after the Rockets made him the top overall pick in the 2002 draft.

Lakers Coach Mike Brown added Ettore Messina to his staff as a coaching consultant. Messina has an abundance of coaching experience in Europe and Russia. He spent the last two years as coach of the Spanish team Real Madrid. Before that, Messina coached at CSKA Moscow for four seasons and in the Italian League for another 15 years.

“I am honored to receive this opportunity from one of the greatest basketball organizations in the world,” Messina said in a news release. “I have great respect for Coach Mike Brown and I’m excited to work him and his staff.”

— Douglas Farmer

Sonny Weems, a restricted free agent who played for Toronto last season, joined Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania. He is the first NBA player to sign a contract during the lockout.

Dmitry Kulagin had 21 points in Russia’s 79-74 quarterfinal victory over the United States at Riga, Latvia, that knocked the defending champions out of contention for the title at the FIBA under-19 world basketball championship. Jeremy Lamb had 21 points for the U.S., which faces Poland on Saturday in a consolation game.

Andy Roddick couldn’t stem Spain’s march to a 2-0 lead over the United States in their Davis Cup quarterfinal, losing, 7-6 (11), 7-5, 6-3, to David Ferrer after Feliciano Lopez beat Mardy Fish at Austin, Texas. Lopez twice let Fish rally from match point in the fifth set before winning, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 8-6. In other quarterfinals, defending champion Serbia took a 2-0 lead over visiting Sweden; France led host Germany, 2-0; and Argentina held an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Kazakhstan. …

Sixth-seeded Olivier Rochus reached the semifinals at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I., for the third year in a row after beating Matthew Ebden, 7-6 (5), 7-6. Rochus will face Michael Yani, who beat Denis Kudla, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5. Top-seeded John Isner will face Tobias Kamke in the other semifinal. Rochus lost last year’s title match to Mardy Fish. … Slovenia’s Polona Hercog beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, at Bastad, Sweden, and will face Johanna Larsson in the Swedish Open final. Larsson beat fellow Swede Sofia Arvidsson, 6-3, 6-1.

Paolo Guerrero scored in the 83rd minute, giving Peru a 1-0 victory over Mexico, and Alexis Sanchez scored in the 65th minute as Chile tied Uruguay, 1-1, in the Copa America at Mendoza, Argentina. … Five Mexican players who tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol were cleared by their country’s soccer federation. The federation attributed the positive tests to “contaminated food” and said there would be no punishment. … Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka are among the players on Real Madrid’s roster for the Spanish power’s exhibition game against the Galaxy next Saturday at the Coliseum. The roster also includes goalkeeper Iker Casillas; defenders Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeola; and midfielder Xabi Alonso, all of whom were on Spain’s World Cup championship team last year.

Kyle Busch will be on the pole for the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta after rain washed out qualifying and the starting order was based on practice times. … Brad Keselowski won the Nationwide race at Kentucky Speedway, stretching his fuel over the final 67 laps to pick up his first win in the series this year. Kevin Harvick was second.

Neil Dougherty, who coached the Texas Christian basketball team for six seasons, died at 50. His death was announced by the University of Kansas, where he once worked as an assistant. The school said he died Tuesday in Indianapolis but did not give a cause of death.