Reports Say Jets Will Hire Mangini as Coach

New England Patriot defensive coordinator Eric Mangini has accepted an offer to become coach of the New York Jets, a person familiar with the situation said Monday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made by the team.

Mangini, who turns 35 on Thursday, would become the youngest head coach in the NFL. He replaces Herman Edwards, who left for Kansas City after five seasons.

ESPN.com first reported Mangini had accepted the offer from the Jets, who had interviewed Mike Tice on Monday.

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Seattle Seahawk starting right tackle Sean Locklear was being held without bail in the King County (Wash.) Jail for investigation of domestic violence assault, police and the team said. Locklear was booked early Sunday, hours after playing in the team’s 20-10 playoff win over the Washington Redskins.... Two days after a concussion knocked him out of Seattle’s playoff win over Washington, running back Shaun Alexander spoke optimistically about being ready to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

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The Oakland Raiders interviewed Tampa Bay Buccaneer defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, the third candidate brought in to discuss the team’s coaching vacancy. Marinelli is a former assistant to John Robinson at USC and a graduate of Rosemead High.... Jim Bates stepped down as Green Bay Packer defensive coordinator after getting passed over for the head coaching job.

OLYMPICS

Hays Gets Another Shot on U.S. Bobsled Team

Todd Hays narrowly missed Olympic gold four years ago. His next shot comes at the Turin Games, and he’ll have Pavle Jovanovic this time to help the cause.

Hays and Steven Holcomb were the two drivers selected for the U.S. men’s Olympic bobsled, headlining a lineup with few surprises.

Both will drive in the two- and four-man competitions at Turin next month, and Jovanovic -- a talented brakeman who missed the Salt Lake City Games after testing positive for a banned steroid, despite claims he accidentally ingested the product through a tainted supplement -- will probably be in Hays’ sled for both events.

Along with that trio, the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation selected 2002 Olympians Steve Mesler, Bill Schuffenhauer and Randy Jones, along with Brock Kreitzburg, Curt Tomasevicz and Lorenzo Smith III to complete the roster.

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Todd Lodwick, a six-time Nordic combined World Cup winner, and Johnny Spillane, a former sprint world champion, were nominated to the U.S. Nordic combined team for the Turin Olympics. Both are from Steamboat Springs, Colo. Lodwick, 29, will compete in his fourth Olympics.

Alan Alborn of Anchorage, a two-time Olympian, led the nominees to the five-man U.S. ski jumping team.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Justice, Bing Couldn’t Pass Up the Chance

A day after informing USC coaches that they would forgo their final seasons of eligibility and make themselves available for the NFL draft, offensive lineman Winston Justice and safety Darnell Bing said the opportunity to turn pro was too much to pass up.

“Nothing is really guaranteed, especially with the NFL, and if the opportunity is here now I think it was best for me and my family to take the opportunity now,” Justice said during a brief news conference on campus.

The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Justice, a three-year starter, was suspended by USC and sat out the 2004 season after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor count of flashing a replica firearm. He also pleaded no contest in 2003 to a misdemeanor count of solicitation of prostitution in Long Beach.

The 6-2, 220-pound Bing, also a three-year starter, said he wrestled daily with the decision after the Rose Bowl, but ultimately thought it best to move on.

“I just felt like I did a lot at SC and could do pretty well at the next level,” Bing said in a telephone interview.

The Trojans wasted no time moving to fill the void, with Stanley Havili, a 6-1, 220-pound running back from Cottonwood High in Salt Lake City, making an oral commitment to USC.

-- Gary Klein

MISCELLANY

Galaxy’s Albright Out Three to Six Weeks

Chris Albright, a defender for the Galaxy and the U.S. men’s national team, will be out three to six weeks because of a knee injury.

During an exploratory procedure, it was discovered that Albright had a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee.

Albright, 27, suffered the injury Jan. 5, the first full day of training for the national team at the Home Depot Center, and an initial MRI exam last week did not reveal any damage

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A criminal court in France refused to hear a defamation case brought by Italian cyclist Filippo Simeoni against Lance Armstrong.

Judicial officials said the statute of limitations had expired in the case against the seven-time Tour de France winner. The court said Simeoni’s lawyers misinterpreted French law.

Armstrong, quoted in an April 2003 report in the online edition of French daily Le Monde, contended that Simeoni had agreed to testify against doctor Michele Ferrari in exchange for a lesser penalty if the Italian rider were accused of doping by the sport’s governing body.

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The PGA Tour hired former LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw as executive vice president of international affairs. Votaw, 43, left the LPGA at the end of last season after helping boost purses during six years with the world’s top women’s golf tour.