MUST BE DREAMING: TEMPLE IS 9-2?
Andre Agassi responded to criticism of his crystal meth use with a plea for compassion, telling "60 Minutes" he needed help when he took the drug while depressed in 1997.
Discussing his new autobiography "Open," Agassi became emotional when reacting to comments by Martina Navratilova, who compared him to Roger Clemens.
"It's what you don't want to hear," Agassi told interviewer Katie Couric. "I would hope along with that would come some compassion that maybe this person doesn't need condemnation. Maybe this person could stand a little help. Because that was at a time in my life when I needed help.
"I had a problem, and there might be many other athletes out there that test positive for recreational drugs that have a problem. So I would ask for some compassion."
CBS released excerpts from the interview yesterday and will broadcast it Sunday night. In his book, which goes on sale Monday, Agassi says he used crystal meth in 1997 and failed a drug test - a result he says was thrown out after he lied by saying he unwittingly took the substance.
In other tennis news:
* U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer, of Belgium, was suspended for 1 year by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal. She was accused of failing to report her whereabouts to drug-testing officials three times.
* Nick Watney made an immediate impression in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai by tying the course record with an 8-under 64 to build a two-shot lead. Tiger Woods opened with a 67.
* Michelle Wie will end her season in Dubai at the final Ladies European Tour event of the year, Dec. 9-12.
* Paul Williams finally has found an opponent for his next bout, choosing Sergio Martinez to replace injured Kelly Pavlik on Dec. 5 in Atlantic City. Pavlik, the middleweight champ, backed out of two dates due to an infection in his left hand. The bout finally was canceled last month.
* The widow of boxing champion Arturo Gatti lost her bid for $140,000 she was seeking from the boxer's estate, but was awarded $37,500 to cover legal fees and child care costs. Gatti was found dead at a Brazilian resort in July.
* Lou Filippo, a World Boxing Hall of Famer who judged 85 world champion fights and had small roles in the "Rocky" movies, died of a stroke Monday. He was 83.
* Floyd Landis finished seventh in the seventh of nine stages of the Tour of Southland, moving into 14th place overall in the New Zealand bicycle race. Landis won the 2006 Tour de France but was disqualified and banned for 2 years when doping tests revealed elevated levels of testosterone. He returned to racing in January.
|
|
|
|
|
|
