Sports
Friday, July 30, 1982
Page 12
The Michigan Daily
Sims refuses to report
Texarkana Ark. (AP) - Contract problems will
keep Detroit Lions running back Billy Sims out of the
team's National Football League training camp for
now, he said in a radio interview here yesterday.
"There are just some things that happened when I
first went to Detroit that need to be ironed out before I
go into camp, and hopefully they will be resolved real
soon," Sims told radio station KOSY.
HE REFUSED to elaborate on the problems, but
said money was not an issue.
"It is not as serious as a lot of people think it is, not
as far as my wanting to renegotiate my contract. It's
just having the general manager live up to his end of
the deal as far as filling in my fourth year," Sims
said.
Sims also told KOSY that he is personally opposed
to a threatened strike by the NFL Players Association,
but said that if his Detroit teammates vote to strike
he will support them.
SHOULD A strike occur, said Sims, it will go into
effect after the planned start of league play, "when
all the tension is on football."
Sims questioned the effectiveness of the union and
doubted that the players would get the 55 percent of
the league's gross receipts that the union is asking
for.
Sims said he has not seen "really anything that the
union has done" for the players in his two years in the
NFL.
i
Trillo sets new record
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Philadelphia's Manny
Trillo had just set the major league, single-season
record for errorless ball by a second baseman at 87
consecutive games and he already was thinking
about another mark - Joe Morgan's all-time record
for that position.
Trillo handled five chances flawlessly Wednesday
night in helping the Phillies' post a 4-3 victory over
the Pittsburgh Pirates, setting his third fielding mark
in two nights.
"I JUST HOPE he goes through the rest of the year
and sets one every day," said Phils Manager Pat
Corrales.
Entering the contest, Trillo and Rich Dauer of
Baltimore shared the major league record of 86 con-
secutive games ina season without an error.
Dauer set the record in 1970. Trillo tied the mark in
the Phils' 4-0 loss to the Pirates Tuesday night.
"Every time I break a record, I kind of relax. But
tomorrow I've got to start worrying about Joe
Morgan's record," Trillo said. "I guess if I break one
I should break them all. I'll be proud of myself."
Morgan tops in the fielding record books for second
baseman over more than one season. He played 91
consecutive games over the 1977 and 1978 seasons
without making an error.
White talks about drugs -
MENTOR, Ohio (AP)- Cleveland Browns running
back Charles White, the Heisman Trophy winner at
Southern California in 1980, said yesterday that a
"chemical dependence" could have ruined his family
life and his football career if he had not sought
professional help.
White refused to discuss the details of his problem,
although earlier reports had said he was treated
recently for cocaine addiction at a Los Angeles
hospital.
"IT (THE drug dependency) affected my play a lit-
tle. .. to the extent that I was more annoying to my
fellow workers for not being there mentally," White
said. "The rehabilitation will give me a clear mind as
to what's asked of me by the Browns."
Sam Rutigliano, coach of the National Football
League team, has said White would likely be a starter
for the Browns this season. White's spot on the club
was solidified during the offseason by the retirement
of veteran Calvin Hill and the trade of Greg Pruitt
to the Oakland Raiders.
White said his decision to seek treatment was in-
fluenced somewhat by the trade of Pruitt, and not at
all by a recent Sports Illustrated article by former
NFL player Don Reese, who wrote that cocaine was a
widespread problem in the league.
I Jackson ails as ree agent,
he'll try to become a secret. agent
By RON POLLACK three or four years, so it's something
Seventh in an eight-part series "I didn't ever cover kicks this past/
Despite the fact that he led Michigan year, although I did in the East-West_-
I
in interceptions with six last season,
Tony Jackson did not get selected in
this year's National Football League
draft. But Jackson was not about to
give up his hopes of playing
professional football. So when the Seat-
tle Seahawks called the night the draft
ended to see if he was interested in
trying out as a free agent, Jackson was
only too happy to oblige.
"I was disappointed, but I'd already
said to myself that if I didn't get drafted
I'd try out with someone.
"BEFORE the draft, I'd heard a few
things from scouts and agents in-
dicating that I'd go between the fourth
and 10th rounds. I don't have any idea
why I wasn't drafted."
If he is to make the Seahawks' squad,:
Jackson says he must improve his
tackling skills. "I think that's the har-
dest part. Especially in pro ball where
the receivers and backs are bigger,
faster and stronger."
It isn't tackling receivers or running
backs that has him concerned the most.
Realizing that he is a rookie free agent,
Jackson feels that he will spend more
time trying to tackle kick-return men
than receivers or backs. He says that he
will also try his hand at returning kicks.
"I THINK that if I make it, it will
have to be based on my play on special
teams," said Jackson. "That's a good
way for a rookie free agent to make a
team. I returned kicks at Michigan for
a year, but not much after that when
Anthony Carter came in. But I think I
can return them. I haven't done it in
Shrine Game. There's not much that
you can work on when it comes to
covering kicks. You just have to run
down field, avoid blocks and make
tackles."
If he gets cut by the Seahawks,
Jackson says that he would try out with
another National Football League team
or possibly in the new United States
Football League should an opportunity
to do so occur. He has, however, set a
deadline. "I'd probably try out for two
years, and if it doesn't work out by then
I'd start making plans for a career,"
said Jackson.
Jackson already has those career
plans worked out in his mind. "I hope to
come back to Michigan and go to school
if I don't make it," he said. "I'm hoping
to get into the school of social work. I
would like to get into the FBI even-
tually. I've always been interested in
law enforcement and the FBI
especially. I'd like to work in the field
as a special agent investigating federal
crimes. The FBI has a special school
that lasts six months, so I'd go to that
after the school of social work.
The Seahawks have assigned Jackson
the number 40, but 007 would probably
be more appropriate.
The attempt of Butch Woolfolk
to make the jump from college to
pro football will be featured
tomorrow.
FORMER WOLVERINE Tony Jackson (37) makes a spectacular intercep-
tion in a game with South Carolina during the 1980 season. Jackson led the
Wolverines in interceptions last year but was not selected in this year's NFL
draft.