BRIEFLY : SAINTS QB COLLINS ADMITS DRIVING DRUNK.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

Kerry Collins, admitting he broke the law, was charged with drunken driving in Charlotte, N.C. Monday, hours after being taunted by Carolina Panthers fans in his return to the city where he once was cheered.

A police report said Collins, now a backup quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, was stopped after the car he was driving was observed crossing the center line on a downtown Charlotte street about 12:50 a.m.

``Obviously I made a mistake. I don't think there's any question about that,'' Collins told WBTV as he prepared to board a flight Monday afternoon to New Orleans.

Collins also could face disciplinary action from the NFL. A conviction on a charge of driving while impaired would represent a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy and leave him subject to a fine of up to $20,000.

Bobby Taylor, Philadelphia's top cornerback, agreed to a reported $28 million, six-year contract extension before the Eagles' game against Dallas Monday night.

Ronnie Harris, who lost a fumble on a punt return in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders, was released by the Seattle Seahawks.

Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell says he will retain Ted Marchibroda for the time being but stopped short of guaranteeing the embattled coach the job until the end of the season.

BASEBALL: San Diego Padres pitching coach Dave Stewart has received offers from Toronto and Florida to become assistant general manager, and is expecting a similar offer from Oakland.

Mark Langston, who helped lead the Padres to the NL West title, was among six players filing for free agency. Also filing were Ozzie Guillen and Dennis Martinez of the Atlanta Braves, Ellis Burks and Orel Hershiser of the San Francisco Giants and Andy Stankiewicz of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Reliever Rod Beck, who could have been eligible if he declined a $5.5 million player option, instead agreed to a $9.5 million, two-year contract.

The Atlanta Braves have shuffled their coaching staff, led by the hiring of former Colorado Rockies manager Don Baylor as hitting coach.

JURISPRUDENCE: Richie Adams, a former UNLV basketball star who once was headed for the pros, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the beating death of a high school student.

The head of the baseball umpires' union is being sued on charges of sexual harassment by an employee of a company he runs.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court, Gepke Wils alleges Richie Phillips pressed her for sexual favors from 1995-1997 while she was an employee of Pilot Air Freight Inc. in Lima, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

TENNIS: Steffi Graf's latest comeback began with the former top-ranked star losing in doubles at the $450,000 Leipzig Open in Germany.

Graf, plagued by injuries most of the past two years, was playing for the first time in 56 days following an operation on her right hand after the U.S. Open.

Mark Philippoussis and Tommy Haas got off to winning starts on the first day of the $2.55 million Paris Open, but Thomas Enqvist surprisingly lost to Gianluca Pozzi.

HOCKEY: Todd Bertuzzi, the Vancouver Canucks' top left wing, will miss up to eight weeks with a fractured tibia.