SPORTS DIGEST: N. Carolina RB Elzy out of Music City Bowl

N. Carolina RB Elzy out of Music City Bowl

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

North Carolina says running back Anthony Elzy will not play in the Music City Bowl.

The team said in a statement Monday that Elzy did not travel with the Tar Heels to Nashville, Tenn., after failing to meet his obligations as a student-athlete at the school.

Elzy (Warren Harding) replaced Johnny White in the starting lineup for the final three games for North Carolina and rushed for a career-high 118 yards in the finale against Duke.

The Tar Heels face Tennessee in the Music City Bowl on Thursday.

Prep football clinic

WILLOUGHBY

The Lake County Football Coach Association will put on a football clinic on Jan. 7-8 at Dino’s Restaurant in Willoughby.

Seven high school coaches who made the playoffs will be featured.

The clinic is open to all college, high school, middle school, CYO and midget league coaches.

For details call 440-286-9233 or e-mail rjbeeler@windstream.net.

Australian golfer convicted in Japan

TOKYO

A Japanese court has handed down a suspended sentence to Australian golfer Wayne Perske for possessing and using cocaine.

Masaaki Ono, an official at the Chiba District Court, said the 36-year-old golfer received a year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.

Perske was arrested in October after inhaling cocaine at a bar in Chiba, east of Tokyo, and carrying some 1.25 grams of cocaine in his pocket. A customer at the bar alerted police, leading officers to search and arrest him.

Japan has strict anti-drug laws. Possession of banned drugs can carry a penalty of up to seven years imprisonment.

Wild Oats XI headed for race win

HOBART, Australia

Super maxi Wild Oats XI was in strong position to win the Sydney to Hobart race for the fifth time in six years, leading the fleet into Bass Strait en route to the island state of Tasmania.

Investec Loyal and Wild Thing, two other maxis, were about 20 nautical miles behind. The yachts left Sydney Harbour on Sunday in the 66th edition of the 628-nautical-mile race.

Two men knocked overboard late Sunday were rescued within 10 minutes. One entry, Jazz Player, withdrew Sunday because of a torn mainsail Sunday, while five withdrew Monday due to strong wind or equipment failure.

Ex-champion 2-year-old War Pass dies

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Champagne Stakes winner and 2007 2-year-old champion War Pass died on Friday at Lane’s End Farm shortly after returning from Australia.

Farm officials say the 5-year-old horse appeared to be fine when he was released out in his paddock after returning from Widden Stud in Australia. He was found dead several hours later.

A preliminary necropsy proved inconclusive.

Raced by Robert LaPenta and trained by Nick Zito, War Pass won five of seven lifetime starts and earned $1,583,400. His career was cut short by a minor fracture in left foreleg. Although he made a full recovery, veterinarians said it was too dangerous for him to race again.

Arsenal beats Chelsea 3-1 in Premier League

LONDON

Arsenal overwhelmed defending Premier League champion Chelsea 3-1 on Monday to keep the pressure on first place Manchester United in the title race.

Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott scored for Arsenal in a 10-minute span split by halftime.

Despite Branislav Ivanovic’s goal with a 57th-minute header, Chelsea couldn’t come back against a team it had beaten in their last five matchups.

The loss compounds the problems facing manager Carlo Ancelotti, whose side began the season with five straight wins but has now failed to win in the league since Nov. 10.

Vindicator staff/wire reports