U.S. Soccer Team Looking for New Manager
By JACK BELL

Bruce Arena’s eight-year reign as the manager of the United States men’s national soccer team is over.

Sunil Gulati, the Columbia University economics professor who was elected last March as the president of the United States Soccer Federation, said in a telephone conference call today that a worldwide search will begin soon for Arena’s replacement. Gulati, Arena and Dan Flynn, the federation’s general secretary, held a five-hour meeting on Thursday at La Guardia Airport. Arena’s contract is due to expire at the end of the year.

“We reached a decision that will not be renewing Bruce’s contract,” Gulati said. “For him to be there eight years is unrivaled. He has given the U.S. credibility worldwide and achieved in the summer of 2002 what has caused so much consternation because the expectations were so much higher.”

Those rising expectations, a result of the United States having advanced to the quarterfinals in 2002 in South Korea, were clearly not met at the World Cup in Germany when the American team finished last in its first-round group and was eliminated. In Germany, Arena was the longest-tenured among the 32 coaches at the World Cup.

“Bruce expressed a desire to continue,” Gulati said. “I’m sure he’ll have opportunities. He had one before the World Cup, but he didn’t want to be distracted.” Gulati refused to disclose the “opportunity,” saying it was a matter for Arena to discuss.

With a 71-30-29 record, Arena, 54, a New York native, is the most successful national team manager in United States soccer history. He has held the position since Oct. 26, 1998, after having led D.C. United of Major League Soccer to two league titles and previously taking the University of Virginia to five N.C.A.A. Division I championships.

“I am proud of how far the organization has come over the last eight years and I am extremely optimistic about the future of the sport in our country,” Arena said in a statement released by the federation today. “As for me, I am planning to take some time off to weigh my future opportunities.”

According to published reports, most recently earlier this week in The Washington Post, Arena has discussed a position with the New York Red Bulls of M.L.S. The club recently fired Mo Johnston as its coach and is also seeking a director of soccer operations. It might be viewed as a step down for Arena to return to the sideline in M.L.S., but perhaps he might find a management position more appealing. It is also possible he could combine both positions and take over one of the least-successful teams in the 11-year history of M.L.S.

Arena, who often was bluntly outspoken about his team and the state of the game in the United States, was able to forge a special bond with his players as he assumed the mantle as the de facto spokesman for American soccer. As an accomplished American coach, he seemed to have been the right man at the right time.

That equation appears to have changed amid rising expectations and an American sporting mentality that assumed there would be a natural progression from quarterfinalist four years ago.

“Bruce is outspoken, clearly, and that’s part of what makes him a great coach,” Gulati said. “I don’t agree with all that he’s said, more often it’s with the way he says something.”

Gulati said the search for Arena’s successor will not be restricted to someone who “holds a U.S. passport or resides in the U.S.” but added that the next coach would need “some knowledge of American soccer, experience, leadership a track record of success.” It was an obvious reference to Jürgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann, who lives in Southern California with his family near the United States training base at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Klinsmann took his native Germany to a third-place finish at the World Cup and has been linked with the American job the past several weeks.

“I’ve outlined one criteria, which is someone with experience and a track record, someone’s whose a good coach,” Gulati said. “Someone to qualify the team and provide leadership. Does Klinsmann fit? He probably does. He’s got a much better handle on the American soccer scene than some others and he’s a very inquisitive guy. He’s an intelligent, multilingual guy with a lot of very positive qualities.”

Having said that, Gulati added that he has not discussed the position with Klinsmann and certainly has not offered him the job. In addition to Klinsmann, other possible candidates include Peter Nowak, the Polish coach of D.C. United; Bob Bradley, a former assistant to Arena at D.C. United who is now the coach of Chivas USA; and Sigi Schmid, the coach of the Columbus Crew. Hiring a coach from overseas is more problematic, Gulati said.

“We don’t have the same soccer environment as other countries,” Gulati said. “But it’s a different environment here than four years ago, and it’s getting better. There are a lot of plusses and if someone wants a challenge they can help us continue our growth. I have a pretty healthy Rolodex.”

Gulati said the federation planned a number of national team games between now and the end of the year and that Arena would be welcome to stay on the sideline with the national team as long as he did not accept a new job.

“Now it is a matter of trying to build on what Bruce has done and add something different,” Gulati said. “Maybe a face from M.L.S.”

Hungry to come back
Ex-UVa football star Ahmad Brooks says he's healthy, put his mistakes behind him and ready to play up to his potential.
Doug Doughty

CHATHAM -- In the days leading up to his NFL draft, Ahmad Brooks isn't making travel plans to New York or picking out his wardrobe or smiling for the ESPN cameras.

On Monday, Brooks was working out under a hot sun at Hargrave Military Academy in the company of a former coach, an agent and one of the agent's friends.

"It's been a while since I've been in the spotlight," said Brooks, a former All-ACC linebacker at Virginia and the top recruit under coach Al Groh.

Brooks didn't crave the spotlight then, and he doesn't crave it now, not that he wouldn't like to attain a level of success that commands it.

"I just want to find out where I'm going next," said Brooks, who will get an answer Thursday when the NFL holds its supplemental draft.

The supplemental draft is held for players who have lost their college eligibility since the January deadline when underclassmen are required to apply for the NFL Draft.

After declaring in January that he would return to Virginia for a fourth season in 2006, Brooks was dismissed from the Cavaliers' team in late March, a decision he has little to say about.

From the moment he was dropped from UVa's spring roster, Brooks has devoted his full energy to rebuilding his NFL stock to where it was following the 2004 season, when some analysts said he could have ranked among the top five picks in the draft had he left college.

The supplemental draft is much different than the NFL Draft, which is held in late April amid a massive media buildup. In the supplemental draft, teams are asked to submit sealed bids to the NFL office, where they will be opened.

In order to get the rights to a player in the supplemental draft, a team must forfeit a corresponding pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. If multiple teams select a player in the same round, he will go to the team with the worst record in 2005.

"I think we're going to have a big surprise for you," said Greg Williams, Brooks' agent. "I think he'll go in the first round. But it's like one NFL executive told me, 'Don't be surprised if 10 teams pick him in the first round. Don't be surprised if he lasts till the fifth round.' "

Every NFL team but Minnesota was in Charlottesville two weeks ago when Brooks measured a shade over 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. According to Williams, he had weighed 292 only 10 weeks earlier.

"Aw, I never hit 290," said Brooks, who said he played at 278 during the 2005 season, "but I did get to be 285."

If Brooks hadn't dropped any weight, he no doubt would have been ticketed for the defensive line, the position his father, Perry, played in the NFL.

"I never played defensive end in my life, so I didn't want to stay at that weight," said Brooks, who is now at 255. "I knew that was coming if I didn't do something about it."

Brooks' weight started ballooning after the 2004 season when what appeared to be a routine knee operation turned into a complicated procedure to remove a cyst that had cut off blood flow behind his kneecap. Rehab from that injury kept Brooks out of action until the fourth game last season, whereupon he sprained an ankle.

He later suffered a pulled hamstring and a pulled back muscle and was limited to six games in what he described as "a lost season."

Still, some were surprised when Brooks announced he was returning.

"I wanted to come back and get all the accolades that everybody had predicted for me," said Brooks, a preseason All-America pick. "But, it wasn't all about accolades. I just wanted to get back to where I was as a player my sophomore year and help my team win an ACC championship. It wasn't all about me.

"I knew it was going to come through a lot of hard work and preparation, but then I got in trouble and got dismissed from the team."

Williams acknowledged rumors of failed drug tests, but neither he nor Brooks would confirm their authenticity.

"He made some poor choices," Williams said. "All that's been well-documented. He missed some practices. Early in his career, he missed some classes. He's not an evil kid. He's not disruptive. He just made some poor choices.

"Personally, I think the best thing that's happened for Ahmad is being dismissed from the football team at the University of Virginia because that accelerated the healing process. He took his hits in college and learned from them. He goes into the NFL with eyes fully open."

Williams didn't know Brooks until he read about the suspension on the Internet. Williams has represented many N.C. State players from his Raleigh, N.C., office and sold the Brooks family on his work with Torry Holt.

Not long after securing the account, Williams sent Brooks to Atlanta-based personal trainer Chip Smith, whose work Williams had admired with another linebacker, Brian Urlacher.

Brooks also went to Birmingham, Ala., to have his knee inspected by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews and also passed five independent drug tests in a 10-week span, Williams reported.

"It wasn't required at all," Williams said, "but going into this process, we wanted to be proactive. The first issue was, he had to lose weight; the second issue was, he had to get back in football shape. Then, we had to prove that his knee was in shape.

"Additionally, there were rumors that he had failed drug tests in the past and we wanted to show the NFL that that wasn't going to be a problem. If you stop and analyze his so-called character issues, certainly he's made some mistakes, but he's not done anything that's unforgivable for that class."

During a 30-minute interview in the office of his former Hargrave coach, Robert Prunty, Brooks appeared contrite and humble.

"I never felt I did anything to be in the spotlight," said Brooks, who has been staying at Prunty's home, "but, when I watched the draft this spring, I thought to myself, 'That could be me.' [The dismissal] was definitely a wake-up call. I didn't want to be one of those 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' guys. It was time for me to look myself in the mirror."

Brooks said he knows he let some people down, most notably his family.

"I broke their heart," he said. "I know that. Of course, my father was always like, 'Why did you do this? Why did you do that?' My mother would be crying and yelling at me some, too, but they've always supported me."

When he learned of his dismissal, Brooks said he shook hands with Groh and expressed disappointment at not having fulfilled his potential. He said he took a call this week from ex-UVa defensive coordinator Al Golden, now the head coach at Temple, and keeps in touch with Groh and other UVa coaches.

"I'm still happy I went there," Brooks said. "Now, I'm just trying to take what went wrong and make it right. I wasn't really focused in college."

He doesn't know where Thursday's draft will send him, but San Francisco and Cleveland flew him to team headquarters for interviews with head coaches Mike Nolan and Romeo Crennel. Psychological tests indicate that Brooks has the kind of make-up that will enable him to learn from his past, his agent said.

"I've been doing this 13 years and never seen a kid turn it around like this," Williams said. "I would say that Ahmad Brooks, going into the supplemental draft, is probably more mature, more focused and more determined than 90 percent of the kids selected in the first round of the regular draft. He's got a chip on his shoulder and he's ready to play."

 

Brooks top choice this round
Months after being dismissed by Virginia, the linebacker is chosen by the Bengals.
Doug Doughty

Former All-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks can always say that the National Football League held a draft and he was the first player selected.

He was also the only player selected Thursday in the NFL's supplemental draft, going to the Cincinnati Bengals, who surrendered their third pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Brooks was one of seven players available in the supplemental draft, for which he applied after being dismissed by Virginia coach Al Groh in March.

"He would have liked to go in the first or second round," said Brooks' agent, Greg Williams, via car phone, "but it's been a lifetime dream of his to play in the NFL. He's fine with this. He just wants a second opportunity to show he's truly turned his life around."

Brooks was one of seven players available in the supplemental draft. Teams were required to submit sealed bids and when 21 teams with worse 2006 records than Cincinnati passed on Brooks in the third round, the Bengals got him.

Cincinnati went 11-5 in the regular season last year, only to lose to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh 31-17 in a first-round AFC playoff game.

"I think it turned out pretty well," Williams said. "He's going to a good team, a contender, with a very good coaching staff. It's a win-win situation, I'd say."

Williams said that San Francisco, Miami, Dallas and the New York Giants had emerged as possible destinations, but that Cincinnati had showed "considerable interest."

Bengals linebacker coach Ricky Hunley presided over a Charlottesville workout in which 31 of 32 NFL teams took a look at Brooks.

"I've known Ahmad since he was in high school and there's no denying that he has behaved through much of his career as a very immature individual," Hunley said in a statement released by the Bengals.

"I believe he is a young man who can learn to do things the right way and he has exceptional talent as a player. What he does with it is up to him in the end."

Brooks, a Butkus Award finalist following the 2004 season, had offseason surgery for a rare knee condition and played in only six games in 2005. After announcing he would return for a fourth season, he was dropped from UVa's spring roster.

Brooks was one of four players dismissed by Groh for what the coach described as a lack of commitment, dedication and focus.

The Bengals and Williams said Brooks will not be doing interviews at this time. Training camp starts in two weeks and Williams hopes to get the contract wrapped up by that point.

"I think it's significant that he was the only player selected," Williams said. "It didn't totally surprise me. Teams don't like to give up a draft pick for next year when they don't know yet what their needs will be.

"He'll be paid as a third-round pick. That's the only [downside]. But, once he gets in there and plays, he'll have the opportunity to make more money in his second contract. Years four through seven is when you make the most money."
 

Bengals' owner comments on Ahmad Brooks
Posted July 14, 2006 at 03:07 PM
The selection of former UVa linebacker Ahmad Brooks by the Cincinnati Bengals in Thursday's NFL supplemental draft has sparked debate in Ohio. Plus, today the Cincinnati Enquirer reported today that linebacker Odell Thurman will miss four games this season because of a violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. All this has prompted owner Mike Brown to release the following statement, which addresses the selection of Brooks:

“We want our fans to know that we share their concerns regarding the recent off-field conduct of several Bengals players. We expect our players to be good citizens, as most are, and we hold them accountable for their conduct under team and league rules.

“We are closely monitoring these matters. All are currently pending and they will be addressed in accordance with the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, including possible disciplinary action.

“Regarding this week’s selection of Ahmad Brooks in the supplemental draft, we are aware of no pending allegations of any kind against Ahmad. The club’s judgment is that any past transgressions were insufficient to deny him an opportunity to prove himself as a responsible NFL player.

“Coach Lewis and I look forward to meeting with our local media at our annual Pre-Training Camp Luncheon on July 26. As usual at this event, we will both be available to respond to any and all questions.”

A bumpy road to NFL for ex-Cavaliers star
Linebacker Brooks only player taken in supplemental draft
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jul 14, 2006

In the NFL's supplemental draft, former University of Virginia star Ahmad Brooks was the first player picked yesterday afternoon.

Brooks was the last player picked, too. The six other players eligible for the supplement draft were not selected.

Cincinnati spent a third-round pick on Brooks, a 6-3, 255-pound linebacker from Woodbridge who as a Hylton High senior was USA Today's national prep defender of the year. The price for the Bengals was a third-round choice in next year's NFL draft.

"We were prepared for the worst and hoping for the best," said Brooks' agent, Greg Williams. "Obviously, he'd have loved to go a little higher, but he's happy with his second chance and excited about the opportunity.

"If you take Ahmad on his talent, then he's a first-round pick. But if you look at the character concerns, then the third round is solid place for him. He went where he was supposed to go."

Brooks, 22, is an extraordinary athlete whose college career ended when U.Va. coach Al Groh dismissed him from the team before spring practice this year. The Bengals' roster includes other players with "character issues," and the team braced for criticism of their latest addition yesterday.

"I've known Ahmad since he was in high school, and there's no denying he has behaved through much of his career as a very immature individual," Cincinnati linebackers coach Ricky Hunley said in a release.

"But I believe he's a young man who can learn to do things the right way, and he has exceptional talent as a player. He'll get the chance to show he can use that talent to help our team. What he does with it is up to him in the end."

The Times-Dispatch's attempts to reach Brooks were unsuccessful. After being selected, Brooks did several phone interviews yesterday afternoon, then stopped abruptly after the Bengals called and told him to stop talking to the media.

Hunley, a Petersburg High product, ran the session in Charlottesville last month in which Brooks worked for NFL scouts and coaches.

Brooks, who spent a semester at Hargrave Military Academy after graduating from Hylton, led Virginia in tackles as a true freshman in 2003 and again in 2004.

He was an all-ACC pick, an All-American and a Butkus Award finalist in'04. Because of knee, ankle and back injuries, however, Brooks played in only six games last season. He considered applying for the NFL draft but decided to return to U.Va. for his senior season.

After Groh kicked him off the team, Brooks took another path. He dropped out of school, began working with trainer Chip Smith and entered the supplemental draft, which is for underclassmen who did not apply for the NFL draft but are no longer eligible to play in college the coming season. He also passed numerous drug tests, according to Williams, who's based in Raleigh, N.C.

Brooks, whose father, Perry, is a former NFL defensive lineman, is scheduled to report to Cincinnati on Monday.

"I think we were able to answer a lot of the character questions," Williams said. "I really believe that he's turned the corner. Unfortunately he had to go through some of this stuff to learn . . . I think he gets it now, and he'll work hard out there."

 

Hampton High's Taylor to make college pick
Tyrod Taylor inches closer to announcing his decision, but his coach says he's already made up his mind.
BY MELINDA WALDROP
247-4634
July 15, 2006

HAMPTON -- One of the players drawing the most attention at Friday night's VHSCA East-West all-star football clash wasn't even in the game.

Hampton High quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who will be a senior this fall, roamed the sidelines as Virginia's best graduating seniors competed in front of him. Dressed in baggy denim pants cinched just above the ankle with a snappy drawstring, Taylor exchanged handshakes with players, greeted friends and often pressed his cell phone to his ear.

A lot of eyes have been on Taylor for a long time. Having narrowed a laundry list of interested Division I suitors down to Virginia Tech and Florida, Taylor is set to announce a public decision in a week, Crabbers coach Mike Smith said. But Smith also said Taylor's choice has already been made.

"He knows where he's going," Smith said Friday night. "I know where he's going."

Taylor himself didn't have much to offer on the subject. "I'm trying to get to Florida next week," he said in between critiquing the East coaches' playcalling from the sideline.

Taylor said he still wants to announce his choice before he attends the Elite 11 quarterback camp in Los Angeles, slated for July 24-27. The camp is designed to highlight the country's top 12 rising senior quarterbacks, selected by Nike from a field of more than 1,000 candidates.

Taylor accounted for 2,588 total yards - 1,544 through the air and 1,044 on the ground - and 30 touchdowns as Hampton won the Division 5 state championship last season. He also showed off his ability as a cornerback, causing the title-clinching fumble as the Crabbers defeated Stone Bridge to claim the state crown.

Taylor's stat-studded year has led to much interest in Smith's storied program, which has also produced current Oakland Raider Ronald Curry and Marques Hagans, drafted by St. Louis in May after a four-year career at Virginia.

"We've been through a lot of them," Smith said. "We just kind of let them go through it, but (Taylor) has handled it well."

Smith said Taylor has talked to him about the recruiting process, but didn't go into great detail about how he culled the teams he was considering, including Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina State, to the Hokies and the Gators.

"We talked about things, just like all the guys," Smith said. "Things you want to look for, and where you're comfortable. ... Are your parents gonna be able to see you on Saturday? ... He's thought a lot about it."

Smith said Taylor has tentative plans to reveal his choice next Friday at Crabbers Restaurant in Hampton. A few weeks later, on Aug. 14, the Crabbers begin practice and pursuit of a second consecutive state championship.

"I think that it's important that he does it before the season starts," Smith said. "Whoever gets him, they're gonna get a good one. (But) they can't have him till we're through with him."

Auburn professor doesn't regret charges
By BILL SANDERS , ANDRE' L. SHANNON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/15/06

Auburn professor James Gundlach spent a good bit of Friday sitting in the woods with his puppies, Briene and Rote Zora, letting them play as he sweated and thought about what he'd done.

The sweat was more from the Auburn humidity than heat he was feeling concerning his whistleblowing allegations about the school's football program. But there was plenty of heat there, too.

On Thursday night, Gundlach's charges that a fellow sociology professor, Thomas Petee, was giving high grades to student-athletes who did very little work became public knowledge. The university has opened an investigation into the claims.

Petee did not return calls from the Journal-Constitution on Thursday or Friday.

Gundlach had received about 100 e-mails in the 24 hours since the story became public, about twice as many hate notes as ones of support.

Still, he believes he did the right thing.

"Once I made up my mind, I wasn't going to change it," he said. "I'm sure they'll make me or Petee the fall guy for this, but they can't fire me or force me to retire."

Gundlach, 63, said he is beyond tenured. "Under Alabama law, I fall into this super-tenured group where they can't even try to force me to retire."

When asked if he expected his life to change after becoming a whistleblower, Gundlach, who is married and has four grown children, said, "No, I'm too old for my life to change much."

The Auburn campus was hardly abuzz with people actively choosing sides. Most there knew of the news, and most were concerned, but there wasn't an obvious sense of fret or commotion.

At the Campus Barbershop, a cozy downtown institution that's been cutting hair for 37 years, football is usually all the talk this time of year.

Friday was no different.

"This is just some more junk someone wants to stir up," lifelong Auburn fan Larry Taunton said while giving a customer a trim.

Professor William Hardy said he couldn't speak for what goes on in Auburn's sociology department. The associate dean at the university's College of Agriculture has no problem speaking up for the school's academic integrity.

"Favoritism for athletes? Not in my school," Dean said. "We treat them equally. We know when we have a football player in a class. We recognize the names, but more importantly we get requests to provide verification to the athletic department that they are in class and what their grades are."

Hardy deals directly with Virgil Starks, an associate athletics director and assistant to the provost for student-athlete support services. Starks is under a department mandate not to talk about the investigation.

Hardy said Starks is "right the opposite" of someone who would bend the rules for players.

"He's the type that would never ask for preferential treatment," Hardy said. "Of the players we've had, some have done very well, some didn't. The ones that didn't got grades that matched their poor performance."

Lee Evans, the dean of Auburn's Harrison School of Pharmacy, said he wants to see done whatever is necessary to keep the school's academic reputation strong. "I know the university will take it to task to see to it that it's thoroughly investigated," he said. "It does raise grave concerns."

Peter Wright, a 21-year-old senior, said he hadn't heard the news, "but I'm an electrical engineering major, and we don't have too many football players."

"To me, I just think it's a disgruntled employee," said Edward Olson, 46 and sporting a Tigers cap and matching blue polo. "At least I'm hoping, for my sake and the football program's sake."

Comments like that are the ones that frustrate Gundlach the most. The hot rumor of the day was that he was bitter about not getting the department head position a few years ago, and that's why he was gunning for Petee.

Not true, Gundlach said.

"Someone in the administration has leaked that I was upset that I didn't get the chair," he said. "That's an absolute lie. I never intended on being the chairman and didn't put myself up for consideration for it."

Gundlach did not go to campus on Friday and won't until Tuesday, the next time he has a scheduled class.

"I expect to find the climate mixed. I might find some defacing on my door, but I don't expect anything more severe than that," he said.

Gundlach has seen Petee once since the professors learned of the investigation, which was launched on June 5.

"He saw me in the hallway, and he went the other way," Gundlach said.

The investigation has caused the SEC, a league riddled by off-field scandals in recent years, to do a little damage control.

"There is a sense of commitment that we have started to change the climate and the culture," commissioner Mike Slive said. "When you set sail across a large body of water, there are going to be some strong winds blowing off course and in different directions. We are going to have a wind that comes up, but we are not going to lose sight of our goal."

— Contact Bill Sanders at bsanders@ajc.com and Andre' L. Shannon at ashannon@ajc.com. Staff writer Carter Strickland contributed to this article.