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Gators LB asks for, gets full suspension
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Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes asked to have his suspension for apparently trying to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey increased to a full game.
Coach Urban Meyer obliged, saying it was in the best interest of the team for Spikes to serve a full-game suspension when the top-ranked Gators play Vanderbilt on Saturday.
"I really don't want to be a distraction to the team," Spikes said. "I want the guys to prepare without any negative things going on, and I feel like if I would play, it would be a big thing going on."
Meyer had faced some criticism for only suspending the All-America linebacker for only the first half against Vandy. The Southeastern Conference accepted the original punishment.
Spikes stuck his hand into Ealey's facemask during the Gators' 41-17 victory Saturday. There was no penalty called at the time.
• Needing a replacement for the Cotton Bowl game Dallas city leaders say the Dallas Football Classic is planned for New Year's Day 2011. The plan calls for using teams from the Big Ten to play teams from Conference USA and the Big 12 on a rotating basis. The first game will pit the seventh-ranked team from the Big 12 against the sixth-ranked team from the Big Ten. Then on New Year's Day 2012, it will be the Big Ten vs. Conference USA, with the order repeated in 2013 and '14. The plan needs NCAA approval.
• University of New Mexico President David Schmidly said an attorney representing an assistant coach sent a letter offering "continued media silence" in exchange for a $500,000 settlement in a dispute with Lobos head coach Mike Locksley. "I outright refused it," Schmidly said. Receivers coach J.B. Gerald claims he was punched and choked by Locksley.
• With Northern State wrapping up its fourth consecutive losing season, the Aberdeen, S.D., school fired fifth-year coach Chris Boden and defensive coordinator Richard Sweeney. Boden is 18-36 with the Wolves, an NCAA Division II school and member of the the Northern Sun Intercollegiate College.
AUTO RACING
Toyota giving up on Formula OneToyota is pulling out of Formula One racing. The world's largest automaker announced it needs to cut costs and focus on its core business.
"Based on the current economic environment, we realize we have no choice but to withdraw," Toyota President Akio Toyoda said.
Toyota officials called the withdrawal from F1 complete, making a return to the sport when and if conditions improve unlikely. Toyota remains a manufacturer in NASCAR.
The move will leave three manufacturers in F1: Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault.
• IndyCar officials are expected to announce today that clothing maker Izod will become the series' title sponsor next season, the first time the series had had a sponsor since 2002.
AROUND THE HORN
Baseball: Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla is recovering from a bullet wound in his leg after a target shooting instructor accidentally shot him in Nicaragua. A police spokesman said that Padilla's pistol apparently jammed during a target shooting session late Tuesday. Padilla handed the pistol to a shooting instructor, a former police captain, who didn't realize there was a bullet in the chamber and shot himself in his hand, Padilla's legal adviser Roberto Calderon told the Associated Press. The bullet also grazed Padilla's leg.
Golf: Anthony Kim said he will not be going to the Dubai World Championship to compete for the $7.5 million bonus pool, even though the American has easily qualified. "I need the week off," he said. "My parents want to see their boy."
College basketball: Former Orono High School athlete Jon Leuer scored 15 points as Wisconsin cruised to a 90-54 victory over Bemidji State in the Badgers' first exhibition game. Brady Fairbanks scored 14 points for the Beavers. ... A fight over the shoes Michael Jordan's son will wear at the University of Central Florida has cost the school any future sponsorship with Adidas. Freshman Marcus Jordan wore a pair of white Air Jordans during an exhibition game Wednesday.
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