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Weis to return in 2009 as Notre Dame coach

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Notre Dame officials said Wednesday that Fighting Irish Coach Charlie Weis would return for a fifth season to lead the school's football team.

Notre Dame is 28-21 in four seasons under Weis, including 3-9 in 2007 and 6-6 in 2008. This season ended with a home loss to Syracuse and a rout by Southern Cal. The two-year record of 9-15 is the worst in school history.

"Though this past season fell short of the expectations that all of us have for our football program, I am confident that Charlie has a strong foundation in place for future success and that the best course of action is to move forward under his leadership," Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement.

Weis, 52, is under contract with Notre Dame through the 2015 season.

He signed a 10-year agreement seven games into the 2005 season -- his first at Notre Dame. The Irish played in high-profile bowl games after each of Weis's first two seasons but haven't been in a bowl game since.

Deuce down over Saints' suspensions

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister said he was disappointed by his four-game suspension for alleged steroid-related violations.

McAllister was one of three New Orleans players benched for the remainder of the season by the NFL under its steroid rules. The league Tuesday denied an appeal from the players.

McAllister contended he checked with the NFL about the appropriateness of the weight-loss product he was taking and was not told there was anything wrong with it.

"Probably the saddest part about it is that I went about it the right way, " McAllister said. "My only question now is, 'What is a player supposed to do if it's not calling the league hot line?' Obviously that's not working, because that's what I did."

The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune said Wednesday the lawyer representing McAllister, Charles Grant and Will Smith, was considering going to court to seek an injunction blocking the suspension.

Attorney David Cornwell said the league was shirking its responsibilities to warn players about the possibility a substance contained banned ingredients. The league has countered that players know there are such risks involved in dietary supplements and should exercise caution in taking them.

Carolina Hurricanes fire coach Laviolette

RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford announced Wednesday coach Peter Laviolette has been replaced by former coach Paul Maurice.

Rutherford said at an RBC Center news conference that Maurice, who was fired during the 2003-04 season, will return to lead the NHL team, a news release from the team said.

Rutherford named Ron Francis associate coach and assured Hurricanes fans that the remainder of the team's coaching staff would retain their positions.

"This is a real strong addition with Paul and Ronnie leading our coaching staff," Rutherford said. "As we go into a very tough group of games in December, my hope is that the coaches make minor adjustments to the system and the players regain their confidence."

"We would like to thank Peter for his years of service to the Hurricanes organization, and we wish him and his family the best moving forward."

Maurice earned the designation of the winningest coach in the team's history, amassing a 268 wins during his more than eight seasons with the NHL franchise.

Among his more notable accomplishments was leading the Hurricanes to a 2002 Eastern Conference title.

Ballasteros has fourth brain surgery

LONDON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Golfing great Seve Ballasteros has undergone a fourth operation to remove fluid from his brain, the BBC reported.

A valve was implanted to allow the fluid to drain more quickly, while the surgery also repaired a bone defect caused by an earlier operation.

The BBC report said the 51-year-old Ballasteros is in intensive care following Tuesday's procedure at La Paz Hospital in Madrid.

The tumor initially was discovered during an operation in October, and he has endured three operations to remove the growth.

He retired last year following arthritic back and knee problems, while doctors discovered an irregular heartbeat when he was admitted to hospital in 2007.

He is the all-time wins leader on the European Tour with 50, and has totaled 87 career wins worldwide, accumulated a 20-12-5 record in eight Ryder Cup appearances, and was the captain for the victorious European Ryder Cup squad at Valderrama, Spain, in 1997.

Mounties sued over 2010 games deal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police force is being sued for nixing a deal to use cruise ships to house security forces for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Cruise Connections Charter Management filed the suit with the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia seeking $55,348,136 in damages for canceling its deal to provide cruise ship lodging in Vancouver harbor, the Globe and Mail reported.

The deal was announced in June but the two RCMP civilian employees who negotiated it have since been replaced. The lawsuit alleges the force broke the deal to capitalize on the global economic dilemma, the report said.

"The RCMP's actions were intentional and conducted in bad faith ... designed to seek lower bids from Cruise Connections' competitors," the suit says.

The force has since put out tenders for cruise ship accommodations.

The suit also claims Cruise Connection lost profits, incurred costs and suffered damage to its reputation before the deal was canceled, the report said.

No details on when the suit would be heard were published.