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Report: Dez Bryant entering NFL Draft

STILLWATER, Okla., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Suspended wide receiver Dez Bryant of 18th-ranked Oklahoma State has decided to enter the 2010 NFL Draft, ESPN reported.

Bryant, a junior from Lufkin, Texas, was declared ineligible by the Big 12 Conference school on Oct. 7 for allegedly failing to fully disclose to NCAA investigators his contact with former NFL great Deion Sanders.

His appeal to the NCAA was denied Thursday, effectively ending his college career.

"I feel this is the best decision for me," Bryant said about his decision late Thursday. "It's what God wants me to do. I'm going to start my training Tuesday in Tampa."

Bryant was the only one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, symbolic of the nation's top receiver, who returned to school in 2009.

He ends his college career with 147 receptions for 2,425 yards with 29 touchdowns.

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Florida coach fined for comments

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Florida head football Coach Urban Meyer was fined $30,000 by the Southeastern Conference for comments he recently made about game officiating.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive Friday announced the fine, the first levied since the conference amended its bylaws to have all violations of rules against public criticism of officials punished with fines or suspensions.

Before last week's change Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin and Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen were both reprimanded for critical comments.

Meyer said Wednesday he thought game officials failed to call a penalty on what the coach said was a late hit on quarterback Tim Tebow during the Gators' game last week against Georgia.

"I have great respect for Commissioner Mike Slive and the Southeastern Conference and I respect this decision," Meyer said in a statement after the fine was announced. "There was no intent to criticize an official after being asked about a situation that occurred last Saturday and I apologize for my remarks."

Meyer's top-ranked Gators (8-0) host Vanderbilt (2-7) in an SEC game Saturday.

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Woods pulls into tie for lead in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Tigers Woods shot a second 5-under-par 67 and shares the lead with Nick Watney after Friday's second round of the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai.

Woods closed with five birdies for 10 holes while Watney, who tied the Sheshan International course record with a 64 Thursday, shot 2-under 70 Friday. They are tied for first at 10-under.

They own a 1-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson and Alvaro Quiros, who each shot 66 Friday, and Ryan Moore, who had a second-round 69. Anthony Kim is in sixth place at 8-under.

Woods opened his round with a birdie at No. 1 but gave the stroke back with a bogey at the 200-yard, par-3 sixth hole. He also bogeyed that hole Thursday. He birdied No. 9, which set him up a strong back nine.

He added birdies at 11 and 13 before a chip-in at 16 pulled him to 9-under. He reached the par-5 finishing hole in two and used two putts to tie Watney for the lead.

Watney had five birdies but needed them to overcome a bogey at No. 15 and a double bogey 6 at No. 5.

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Pennetta leads Italy into Fed Cup final

REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Italian Flavia Pennetta is paired against U.S. player Alexa Glatch in the opening match Saturday of the 2009 Fed Cup finals in Italy.

Pennetta, No. 11 in the world, is the highest ranked player in the field for the best-of-five series but the Italians will also have 16th-ranked Francesca Schiavone playing singles. The United States is countering with Glatch, ranked 132nd, and Melanie Oudin, ranked No. 49 but who grabbed attention with an impressive run at the U.S. Open.

Pennetta and Glatch will kick off the competition, while Schiavone faces Oudin in Saturday's second match.

The opponents switch Sunday with Pennetta playing Oudin and Schiavone meeting Glatch. The fifth match of the series is doubles with the Italian team of Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani playing Americans Liezel Huber and Vania King.

The United States would normally be a strong favorite but that changed when world No. 1 Serena Williams, who had suggested she would play in the Fed Cup final, pulled out last week, citing exhaustion. World No. 6 Venus Williams also bypassed the Fed Cup.

Italy is looking for its second Fed Cup title, having won its first in 2006. The United States owns 17 Fed Cup championships but hasn't won since 2000.