Sports in brief

NBAArenas faked an injury

Gilbert Arenas, looking to get back into the good graces of his team, its fans and the NBA, has another controversy on his hands.

The Washington Wizards guard's latest escapade took place Tuesday, when coach Flip Saunders announced before a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks that Arenas would miss the contest with a sore left knee.

But Arenas revealed after the Wizards' 107-92 win that he pretended to have a bum knee to give teammate Nick Young a chance to start. He told reporters yesterday that he was trying to do Young a favor. "I lied to coach and told him my knee was sore so he'd start Nick," Arenas said.

Arenas was fined an undisclosed amount by the Wizards for his deception. It was another blow to the image of a player who is still trying to recover from his 50-game suspension and felony conviction for bringing guns into the locker room last season.

After yesterday's practice, Arenas apologized - sort of - before blaming the media. "I screwed up again, so I just want to say sorry," said Arenas, who added, "I wasn't really thinking that this was going to be another media outburst."

GOLF

LPGA sued by transgender player

Lana Lawless, a former police officer who underwent a sex change operation five years ago, is challenging the LPGA's ban on transgender players.

She filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court claiming the LPGA's "female at birth" requirement for competitors violates a California civil rights law.

NHLKovalchuk's OT goal lifts Devils

Martin Brodeur made 24 saves for his 111th shutout, and Ilya Kovalchuk scored 53 seconds into overtime to give the Devils a 1-0 win over the host Sabres. Before the game, the Devils announced that forward Brian Rolston is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a sports hernia and will be out 4-to-6 weeks.

Blackhawks' Hjalmarsson suspended

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has been suspended for two games for delivering an illegal hit from behind on the Sabres' Jason Pominville Monday night.

COURTS

Youth coach indicted

A renowned former New York City youth basketball coach has been indicted on charges he sexually assaulted a player during a team trip to western Massachusetts three decades ago, a prosecutor said.

Ernest Lorch, now in his late 70s, was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on charges of attempted rape and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, said Northwestern assistant district attorney Jane Mulqueen.

Lorch founded and coached in the Riverside Church basketball program in Manhattan.

- AP