Ben Roethlisberger cleared by NFL to return to Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger has been cleared by the NFL to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers beginning next week, although no decision has been made on the length of his suspension.

The quarterback was suspended without pay for six games last month by Commissioner Roger Goodell after a 20-year-old college student accused him of sexual assault in Milledgeville, Ga. No charges were filed.

Roethlisberger underwent a behavioral evaluation as part of the suspension, which could be reduced to four games by Goodell, who will review the case again before the regular season.

The Steelers’ next offseason workout is Tuesday, the first of three next week. They have three the following week, then are off until training camp starts on July 30. Roethlisberger already was cleared to join them in camp and can play in preseason games.

Roethlisberger is the first player suspended by Goodell under the conduct policy who hasn’t been arrested or charged with a crime. When he handed down the penalty, Goodell cited a “pattern of behavior� that gave him the right to impose discipline even though no law was broken.

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New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Metairie, La., Thursday afternoon after suffering what was later diagnosed as a seizure.

“I am OK. Thanks to everyone who has shown their concern,� Shockey said in a message posted on his Twitter account. “Don’t worry about me. I will be fine.�

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New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan thinks quarterback Mark Sanchez’s recovery from offseason knee surgery might be a bit ahead of schedule. Sanchez had the patella-stabilizing ligament in his left knee repaired in February, and he has participated in individual and passing drills since organized team activities began last Monday. “He’s doing fantastic,� Ryan said. “He’s probably ahead of where we thought he’d be.�

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Safety Gerald Sensabaugh has signed his contract offer to return for a second season with the Dallas Cowboys and sixth in the NFL. Sensabaugh made 81 tackles last season, sixth on the team.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Sam Cunningham, a running back at USC, and Randy Cross, a guard at UCLA, are among the 14 newly elected members of the College Football Hall of Fame. The late Pat Tillman (Arizona State) and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard (Michigan) are also part of the class.

Two coaches were elected, Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin and Gene Stallings, who coached Alabama to a national championship in 1992.

The other players in the class include defensive lineman Dennis Byrd of North Carolina State; center Ronnie Caveness of Arkansas; defensive lineman Ray Childress of Texas A&M; quarterback Mark Herrmann of Purdue; receiver Clarkston Hines of Duke; defensive back Chet Moeller of Navy; halfback Jerry Stovall of Louisiana State; and linebacker Alfred Williams of Colorado.

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Oregon State Coach Mike Riley said that backup quarterback Peter Lalich has been dismissed from the team. Lalich was arrested earlier this month at Shasta Lake in Northern California on suspicion of drunken boating. Lalich transferred to Oregon State in 2008 after a pair of alcohol-related incidents got him kicked off the Virginia team.

BASEBALL

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Kyle Lohse is set to undergo surgery on his right forearm on Friday. Lohse, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with exertional compartment syndrome, will have the surgery performed by Dr. Stephen Shin in Los Angeles.

SOCCER

The St. Louis Athletica of Women’s Professional Soccer has folded because of financial problems.

PRO BASKETBALL

Boston’s Kendrick Perkins will be eligible to play in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday against the Orlando Magic after the NBA rescinded one of the two technical fouls he received in Game 5. That means Perkins hasn’t hit the mark of seven technicals in the playoffs that would lead to an automatic suspension.

Perkins was called for the first technical when he elbowed Marcin Gortat in the stomach. Replays showed Perkins’ arm merely slipped as he tried to help teammate Rajon Rondo up.

But it was the second technical that was rescinded by the league. Perkins got that one when he complained about a foul call in the second quarter.

The league said a foul committed by Paul Pierce in the fourth quarter was upgraded to a flagrant.

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Atlanta Hawks owner Michael Gearon was fined $25,000 by the NBA for making comments that violated the league’s anti-tampering rules. Gearon was fined for comments that appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on May 19, when he said he’d be willing to subject the team to the luxury tax if it could sign Cleveland’s LeBron James to a maximum contract.

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A longtime friend of Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph faces drug charges after Indianapolis police said they found him driving Randolph’s sport utility vehicle with a cooler containing marijuana.

Arthur Boyd, 32, was arrested after police investigated an informant’s tip that Randolph was involved with Indianapolis-area drug dealers, according to court documents. Boyd has pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing and dealing marijuana.

Randolph, who was not in the vehicle, has not been arrested and “adamantly denies� any involvement with drug activity, his attorney, John Tompkins, said. Tompkins dismissed the allegations, saying informants are “notorious liars.�

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson will serve two years probation as part of his sentence for driving drunk.

Jefferson pleaded guilty Thursday to fourth-degree driving while impaired. He was arrested Feb. 28 near downtown Minneapolis a few hours after a home loss to Portland.

CYCLING

Organizers of the Tour of Missouri have canceled this year’s bicycle race after state tourism officials declined to help fund it.

TRACK AND FIELD

Asafa Powell improved the best world time in the 100 yards to 9.07 seconds at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Powell broke the previous best of 9.21 set by Charlie Greene of the United States in 1967. He won the 100-meter race on a track dampened by a heavy shower in 9.83, the world’s best time this season.

Usain Bolt won a rarely contested 300-meter race in 30.97 seconds.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

John Dangleis, the coordinator of Big West Conference men’s basketball officials for three decades, announced his retirement effective Sept. 30. He is the longest serving coordinator among the NCAA’s 31 Division I conferences. He will be replaced by Bill McCabe, who also coordinates officials for the Pacific 10 Conference.

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UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee will have arthroscopic surgery next week to remove a portion of the meniscus (cartilage) in his right knee. Lee injured the knee playing basketball on Sunday and an MRI exam on Wednesday revealed the torn meniscus. Lee is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks.