BRIEFLY.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

No 5: NFL denies Bush's request to wear USC number

Reggie Bush's desire to wear the uniform number 5 that he made famous in winning a Heisman Trophy at USC was 86'ed by the NFL.

Bush had petitioned the league to wear a number that is restricted to quarterbacks, but the league's competition committee chose not to make an exception or change rules that restrict certain positions to a certain range of numbers. Running backs are required to wear numbers between 20 and 49.

Bush, chosen second overall in this year's draft by the New Orleans Saints, would have been the first to be granted an exception since fellow USC star Keyshawn Johnson, who became the first receiver to be allowed to wear No. 19. Receivers had previously been restricted to those between 80 and 89.

Competition committee chairman Rich McKay said changing the rule would create havoc on officials, who are able to distinguish eligible and ineligible receivers by the numbers they wear.

``Obviously, I am disappointed by today's decision but I respect the NFL Competition Committee's judgment,'' Bush said.

-- Billy Witz

BASKETBALL: UCLA will play Texas A&M and USC will take on George Washington in the John R. Wooden Classic college basketball doubleheader Dec. 9 at the Pond of Anaheim.

--California forward Leon Powe said he would go ahead with his plans to be part of the NBA draft and will hire an agent.

BOXING: Top Rank Inc. has sued Oscar De La Hoya, arguing its rights to try to promote his fight against Ricardo Mayorga earlier this month were breached.

MOTOR SPORTS: Eddie D'Hondt was fired as general manager of Robert Yates Racing in a shakeup of the struggling team.

D'Hondt joined RYR in late 2003 and helped guide Elliott Sadler into the inaugural Chase for the championship the next season. But both Dale Jarrett and Sadler missed out on the playoffs last year, and currently rank 12th and 15th in the Nextel Cup standings.

TENNIS: Guillermo Canas' two-year doping ban was cut to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sportin Lausanne, Switzerland.

Canas tested positive for the prohibited substance hydrochlorothiazide -- a diuretic.

--Nicolas Kiefer beat Gaston Gaudio 7-6, 6-3 to help Germany eliminate Argentina from the World Team Cup.