Sports Briefly

Maine man drops lawsuit vs. Fine

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - The attorney for a Maine man who accused fired Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine of molesting him says he's dropping a civil lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh.

Jeffrey R. Anderson, attorney for Zach Tomaselli, said in a statement Friday that he "will be dismissing his case" against Fine and will no longer represent Tomaselli.

"We are sad and disappointed that we cannot pursue justice for Zach, but we will continue to support him in his recovery," Anderson said.

Anderson dropped the lawsuit after the 23-year-old Tomaselli told The Post-Standard of Syracuse in an interview earlier Friday that he altered emails from Syracuse police before forwarding them to the paper in an attempt to bolster his account.

But Tomaselli insisted he didn't make up the allegations about Fine molesting him when he was 13 in a Pittsburgh hotel room.

"I did not fabricate the story," he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "The investigation is still ongoing. There's plenty of evidence I've been cooperating. A lot of corroboration has occurred, there's plenty of evidence."

Tomaselli said the police investigation is ongoing.

Giants, Romo agree on contract

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Right-handed relief pitcher Sergio Romo and the San Francisco Giants have settled on a $1,575,000, one-year contract to avoid an arbitration hearing.

The 28-year-old earned himself a nice raise after making $450,000 last year. He had asked for $1.75 million and the club had offered $1.3 million.

Romo went 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 65 outings and 48 innings last season for the 2010 World Series champions, who missed the playoffs a year later.

He had 70 strikeouts to just five walks as one of the most dependable members of manager Bruce Bochy's bullpen.