College football

Artist paints over Paterno halo on mural

An artist has removed a halo from a mural of ex-Penn State coach Joe Paterno amid the school's child sex-abuse scandal.

Michael Pilato had put a halo over Paterno's image after the Hall of Fame coach's death in January, but said he felt he had to remove it Saturday after a report Paterno, former university president Graham Spanier and others buried allegations of child sex-abuse against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Pilato added a blue ribbon on Paterno's lapel symbolizing support for child-abuse victims, a cause the artist said Paterno had endorsed.

Pilato earlier removed Sandusky from the mural in downtown State College. Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of 45 counts of having molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported Paterno began talks that resulted in a sweetened retirement contract in the same month he testified before a grand jury in the Sandusky sex-abuse case and all members of the board of trustees weren't informed of the new package before the scandal engulfed the university.

Paterno and the university reached agreement on the amended contract that eventually totaled $5.5 million in August, months before charges were filed against Sandusky, but they began negotiating in January, the paper reported.

Paterno family attorney Wick Sollers said it was Penn State that proposed the retirement package.

Ex-Rutgers coach dies

Frank Burns, an ex-Rutgers quarterback and coach, died. He was 84.

Burns coached the Scarlet Knights from 1973 to 1983 and had a 78-43-1 record.

Tennis

Isner to face Hewitt

Defending champ John Isner beat fellow American Ryan Harrison 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 and Australian Lleyton Hewitt defeated American Rajeev Ram 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in semifinals at the grass-court Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I.

Americans reach final

Americans Serena Williams and Coco Vandeweghe will play in the Bank of the West Classic final Sunday in Stanford, Calif.

Williams overwhelmed Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-2. Vandeweghe beat Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinals.

Boxing

Haye stops Chisora

David Haye stopped Dereck Chisora in the fifth round of their all-British heavyweight grudge fight before 30,000 in London.

Five months after they brawled in Germany, at a news conference, Haye (26-2) landed a left hook that dropped Chisora (15-4) and led referee Luis Pabon to end the bout.

Garcia upsets Khan

American Danny Garcia stopped 7-1 favorite Amir Khan of Britain at 2:28 of the fourth round in Las Vegas, adding the WBA junior-welterweight title to the WBC title he already owned.

Garcia improved to 24-0.

Elsewhere

• Sixten Jernberg, a four-time Olympic champion who also captured four gold medals at world championships during his cross-country skiing career, died of cancer in Dalarna, Sweden. He was 83.

• Australian track athlete John Steffensen, 29, has threatened to boycott the London Olympics after alleging racism because he was not selected individually to run the 400 meters. Steffensen, who is of aboriginal descent, accused Athletics Australia of racial vilification and said he would bypass the Games in protest.

• Point of Entry powered to a 3 ½-length victory over front-running Center Divider in the Grade I Man o' War at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Point of Entry, trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by Jose Lezcano, ran 1-3/8 miles on turf in 2 minutes, 13.87 seconds. The 4-year-old colt paid $7.90 to win in the $600,000 race.

• Favored Lady of Shamrock beat My Gi Gi by 1 ¼ lengths in the Grade I American Oaks at Betfair Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.

Lady of Shamrock, trained by John Sadler and ridden by Mike Smith, ran 1 ¼ miles on turf in 2:03.19 and paid $5 to win in the $350,000 race.

Seattle Times news services