Page Twelve
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Thursday; July 31, 1975
JUDGE IMPOSES TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER
Bryan Su
By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES-A federal judge issued a temporary
restraining order yesterday barring the National Foot-
ball League from assigning running back Cullen Bryant
from the Los Angeles Rams to the Detroit Lions under
the controversial Rozelle Rule.
U.S. Dist. Court Judge Warren. J. Ferguson said the
rule violates antitrust law.
NFL COMMISSIONER Pete Rozelle awarded the
veteran Bryant to Detroit to compensate the Lions for
wide receiver Ron Jessie, who played out his option
and signed with Los Angeles as a free agent.
When the two teams were unable to agree on com-
pensation, Rozelle stepped in and made the decision
under the league's rules.
It was the fifth time the so-called Rozelle Rule had
been instituted, but it was the first time that a veteran
player was involved.
The NFL says compensation must be made to a
team that loses a player who has played out his option
and signs with another club.
ins initial
THE ROZELLE RULE is already under court attack
in Minnesota where the NFL Players Association is
seeking to have it declared invalid.
The action by Ferguson returns Bryant to the Rams
with the issues of the case to be argued Aug. 12 in the
request by the running back for a preliminary injunc-
tion against the NFL to keep him from being assigned
to another team.
Bryant was in court when the ruling was made after
about 45 minutes of arguments by NFL lawyers and
attorneys for Bryant.
"I thank God for being with me today," he told
newsmen.
THE MUSCULAR Bryant left the courthouse, and
his lawyers drove him to the Ram training camp at
Fullerton State.
Attorneys for the NFL argued that the Rozelle Rule
should not be questioned in this case because Jessie
had been able to play out his option and negotiate "a
much better deal with Los Angeles."
But Max Gillam, a lawyer for Bryant, said that by
assigning a veteran for the first time Rozelle had
court test
"smashed Mr. Bryant" and "contrived to keep any
player from leaving the team he is with by playing out
his option,"
Then Judge Ferguson said, "I think the Rozelle Rule
in conjunction with the standard player contract and
with the option clause violates Section 1 of the Sherman
Antitrust Act."
THE JUDGE, speaking of the "awesome power" of
Rozelle, said the commissioner had made "a decision
and nobody knows why. Bryant is entitled to know why,
the Rams are entitled to know why and maybe even
spectators are entitled to know."
In New York, an NFL spokesman said after the rul-
ing: "Today's action has no significance other than to
preserve the status quo until the issue can be aired at
a hearing. We will take every measure available to us
within the law to defend the principal of competitive
balance, a factor vital to the NFL's continuing suc-
cess."
In Washington, Ed Garvey, NFLPA executive direc-
tor, said he was delighted with the judge's decision,
which he learned from Bryant's attorney.
Sports of the Daily Yanks down Tigers, 2-1
By The Assocated Press Cards drop Mets, 5-2
Connors to play in Davis Cup?
NEW YORK-Tony Trabert, a clean-cut California teaching
pro, believes that as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team he can
talk Jimmy Connors into playing for his country and his flag.
Trabert, 45, a former Davis Cup player and U.S. and Wim-
bledon singles champion, was named U.S. Davis Cup captain yes-
terday.
If he can succeed in luring Connors and his manager, Bill
Riordan, into the international tennis fold, he will have done
something that Dennis Ralston, Davis Cup captain since 1972,
could not.
Namath pens with Jets
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.-Quarterback Joe Namath signed a two-
year contract with the New York Jets for a reported $450,000-per
year yesterday which made him the highest paid player in pro
football.
Walker misses world, record
OSLO-New Zealand distance star John Walker ran the 1,500
meters in 3 minutes 32.4 seconds yesterday at an international
track and field meet, the fastest time this year and just two-
tenths of a second off the world record.
Jim Bolding of the United States won the 400-meter hurdles in
49.0 seconds, beating world record holder John Akii-Bua of
Uganda by one-tenth of a second. Olav Grassbakken of Norway
was well behind in third place.
NEW YORK (UPI) - Rudy
May fired a three-hitter for his
10th win and Thurman Munson
singled in the tie-breaking run
in the sixth inning last night
leading the New York Yankees
to a 2-1 win over the Detroit
Tigers.
May, 10-6, walked one and
struck out seven in recording
his eighth complete game. He
retired 15 batters of the last 16
batters to face him after allow-
ing a run in the fifth inning.
That runner was the only
one to get past second base.
Mickey Lolich, 10-10, took the
loss for Detroit, his fifth in a
row. The veteran left-hander,
retired the first 13 batters to
face him until he walked Lou
Piniella in the fifth.
Graig Nettles followed with a
single for the Yankees' first
hit, but Lolich retired the next
two men to end the threat.
With Detroit leading 1-0,
New York picked up two runs
in the sixth. With one out,
Bobby Bonds doubled andaf-
ter Rick Bladt flied out, Roy
White rifled a double inside
third to tie the score.
Munson's single sent White
home, giving New York a 2-1
lead.
Detroit had scored in the fifth
when Aurelio Rodriguez dou-
bled, advanced on a fly ball and
scored on Gene Michael's sac-
rifice fly.
Cards deal
ST. LOUIS (P) - Left-hander
John Curtis settled down follow-
ing a rocky start and pitched
the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-2
victory over the New York Mets
with the aid of Willie Davis'
three-run home run last night.
Curtis,, 7-8, yielded four hits
and surrendered both New York
runs in the opening inning.
Afterwards, he restricted
his rivals . to five singles en
route to a nine-hitter and his
fourth complete game of the
year.
St. Louis capitalized on two
walks by Mets rookie Randy
Tate, 4-9, to break through in
the second inning on Bake Mc-
Bride's RBI single. Davis fol-
lowed with his home run for a
4-2 Cards lead.
Rergie Smith. Ted Simmons
a- Ron Fairly lashed consecu-
tive singles to cap the five-run
St. Louis inning.
Indians rip
BALTIMORE (P)-John Ellis
belted a tie-breaking two-run
homer in the eighth inning and
Dennis Eckersley pitched a
four-hitter last night as the
Cleveland Indians beat the Bal-
timore Orioles 3-1.
Rico Carty doubled to start
the eighth against Mike Cuellar,
10-7, and one out later Ellis
homered into the left field seats,
his sixth home run of the year.
It was only the fourth hit for
the Indians.
The Orioles, held to one hit
through the first six innings,
tied the score 1-1 on Ken Sin-
gleton's leadoff homer in the
seventh.
Eckersley, a 20-year-old right-
hander, finished with nine strike-
outs to raise his record to 8-3.
Cuellar faced the minimum 14
batters before Charlie Spikes
rammed a 1-0 pitch into the left
field bleachers in the fifth.
Cuellar, who pitched a one-
hitter in his last start on Sater-
day, entered the game with
eight "ictories in his last 10
starts. inclding the last for in
a row.
Major League Standings
A MERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE
East
East W I, Pet. GO
Pittsburgh 63 40 .612 -
w L Pet. GB Philadelphia 59 45 .567 4,
Boston 61 42 .592- New York 53 48 .525 9
Batimore 52 49 .515 8 St. Louis 52 51 .505 it
New York 52 51 .505 9 Chicago 48 57 .457 16
Milwaukee 52 53 .495 10 Montreal 41 58 .414 20
Cleveland 46 55 .455 14 West
Detroit 46 57 .47 15 Cincinnati 68 37 .648 -
Los Angeles 55 51 .519 13
West San Francisco 52 52 .500 15'1
Oakland 65 38 .631 _ San Diego 49 56 .467 19
Kanss City 56 47 .543 Atlanta 45 59 .433 22'
Chicago 50 51 .495 14 - Houston 38 69 .355 31
Texas 48 56 .462 17 Last Night's Results
California 46 59 438 20 Montreal 6, Chicago 1
Minnesota 44 60 422 21 Los Angeles 8, Atlanta 2
Pittsburgh 8, Philadelphia I
Last Night's Results Cincinnati 6, Sa Francisco
St. Louis 5, New York 2
Milwaukee 6, Boston 2 Houston 8. San Diego 4
Cleveland 3, Baltimore 1 Today's Games
New York 2, Detroit 1 St. Louis (Rasmussen 1-1) at
Kansas City 6, Minnesota 4 Chicago (stone 8-5).
Chicago at California, inc. Phladelphia (Schoeler 4-2 and
Texas at Oakland, inc. Christenson 6-2) at Montreal (Blair
6-12 and Carrithers 0-0), 2, t-n.
Today's Games. San Francisco (Montesfusco 10-
4) at Cincinnati (Kirby 7-4), n.
Kansas City (Fitzmorris 10-8) at Los Angeles (Downing 2-0) at
Minnesota (Hughes $-9). Atlanta (Dal Canton 0-3), n.
Detroit (Bare 0-t and LaGrow 7. New York (Stone 2-2) at Pitts-
50) berth (Rook~er 7-6), at.
10) at Boston (Lee 13-7 and MO- San Diego (Strom 5-4 or John-
ret 7-1), 2, t-U. son 1-0) at Houston (Konteesay 4'
Only games scheduled 11), n.
Salaam, salaam
MICIUGAN cage coach Johnny Orr and his wife Romie, who is clutching her maize and blue
basketball purse, prepare to board the bus that carried Orr's charges to Metro Airport for their
flight to Cairo, Egypt yesterday morning. The team will play a 12 day tour against the Egyptian
National team and will put on three clinics.