SI: Players admit they were paid

A former sports agent tells Sports Illustrated he paid college football players early in his career, and several of them confirm it to the magazine.

Josh Luchs says in the Oct. 18 edition he paid more than 30 players from 1990 through 1996.

He says quarterback Ryan Leaf, the second pick in the 1998 draft who famously flopped in the pros, took more than $10,000, most of which he voluntarily paid back after signing with another agent. Leaf declined to comment on specific allegations.

Luchs also says he paid first-round picks Jamir Miller and Chris Mims. Miller, a linebacker from UCLA taken 10th by the Cardinals in 1994, declined comment. Mims, a defensive lineman from Tennessee taken 23rd by the Chargers in 1992, died in 2008.

Luchs lists more than 20 other players he says he paid: Michigan State's Tony Banks; Arizona's Rob Waldrop; Tennessee's Chuck Webb; Portland State's Darick Holmes; Illinois' Mel Agee; Southern Cal's Travis Claridge, Phalen Pounds, R. Jay Soward and Delon Washington; Colorado's Kanavis McGhee, Joel Steed and Greg Thomas; Washington State's Leon Bender, Torey Hunter, Singor Mobley and John Rushing; and UCLA's Chris Alexander, Ryan Fien, Carl Greenwood, Othello Henderson, Vaughn Parker, Matt Soenksen and Bruce Walker.

Alexander, Greenwood, Henderson, Mobley, Soenksen, Soward, and Walker confirmed receiving money. Fien, Hunter, Steed and Waldrop said they did not receive money from Luchs.

Banks, Parker, Pounds and Rushing declined to comment on the allegations. Holmes, McGhee, Thomas, Washington and Webb did not respond to requests to comment.

Agee, Claridge and Bender are deceased.

DeAndre Presley, Appalachian State's quarterback, returned to practice yesterday.

Presley was sidelined in the closing moments of last Saturday's game against Elon after receiving a blow to the head. He did not practice Monday. Presley was limited yesterday but is expected to practice today without restrictions.

The Apps will play The Citadel in Boone Saturday.

- Tommy Bowman

The Georgia Tech-Clemson game Oct. 23 will kick off at 3:30 and be televised regionally by ABC and nationally on ESPN, and North Carolina's game at Miami that day will start at 7:30 and be televised on ESPN2.

Other game times and coverage plans for Oct. 23 announced by the ACC are: Duke-Virginia Tech (noon, ACC Network); Maryland-Boston College (1 p.m., ESPN3.com); and Eastern Michigan-Virginia (6 p.m., ESPN3.com).

Receiver Chris Rainey is back with the Florida Gators after being dismissed last month after a charge of aggravated stalking.

Coach Urban Meyer said in a statement that Rainey is practicing but won't play Saturday against Mississippi State and that "the timetable for his return will depend on his ability to follow the guidelines we have laid out for him."

Rainey, who was alleged to have sent a woman he used to date a threatening text message, agreed to a plea deal on a misdemeanor charge two weeks ago and apologized in a statement, saying he was "embarrassed" by his actions.

Coach Mark Richt of Georgia yesterday announced a two-game suspension for tailback Caleb King, who was arrested Monday and charged with failure to appear at a court date for a speeding ticket in nearby Walton County.

King, the team's second-leading rusher, becomes the 11th Georgia player arrested this year.

The Pasadena City Council has approved a $152 million renovation plan for the 88-year-old Rose Bowl stadium and 30-year lease extensions with UCLA and the Tournament of Roses to continue playing at the bowl.

SEC football is a big hit with television viewers.

The first four weeks of coverage on CBS have drawn the network's highest rating in 11 years. The average 4.2 rating and 10 share are the best at this point of the season since the games drew the same numbers in 1999.

The rating is up 11 percent from a 3.8 last year.

Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.