Jeremy Mayfield tested positive again for methamphetamine, NASCAR said, igniting another round of denials from the driver, who angrily accused the sanctioning body of paying his stepmother to lie about his alleged past drug use.

The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday that asked the federal judge who lifted Mayfield’s drug suspension to reinstate the ban. The filing included an affidavit from Mayfield’s stepmother, Lisa, who said she witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years.

“I don’t trust anything NASCAR does, anything Dr. David Black does, never have, never will,” Mayfield told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Black is the administrator for NASCAR’s drug-testing program.

“And they picked the wrong woman to use against me because that (expletive) is trash and has got nothing on me but lies.”

According to documents, Lisa Mayfield said she first saw the driver use meth in 1998 at a race shop in Mooresville, N.C. She said Mayfield cooked his own drugs until the ingredient pseudoephedrine was taken off the shelves and it became too difficult for Mayfield to obtain the ingredients. She said her stepson then began to purchase meth from others.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Pitino won’t be prosecuted

Louisville, Ky. — A complaint filed with a police sex-offense unit by a woman accused of trying to extort Louisville coach Rick Pitino won’t be prosecuted because it lacks supporting evidence, a Kentucky prosecutor said Wednesday.

Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney David Stengel said he was taking no action on the complaint Karen Cunagin Sypher filed last week with Louisville police. The report has not been released publicly.

Sypher has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of trying to extort money from Pitino and lying to the FBI. She is accused of demanding college tuition for her children, her house to be paid off and, eventually, $10 million.

NFL

Favre to decide by July 30

Hattiesburg, Miss. — Brett Favre acknowledged he’s “running out of time” to decide whether he’ll play for the Minnesota Vikings this season.

The quarterback told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he’ll give the Vikings an answer on whether he’ll play by the July 30 start of training camp. Favre has been working out with the Oak Grove High School football team three days a week all summer, but added a Sunday workout this week.

“There’s two weeks left and I’m doing everything I can,” Favre said. “I was down here Sunday morning working out. I’m trying to get everything to where I feel 100 percent when I go in. I can’t go in any less. When you’re 39 years old, it’s hard enough. But it’s getting there.”

Ravens LB Suggs signs

Baltimore — Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs signed a six-year, $63 million contract Wednesday, making him the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history. The contract, which assures him $38 million in guaranteed money, provides a long-term solution to Suggs’ unsettled status as the team’s franchise player.

Henry gets three years

Billings, Mont. — Former NFL player Travis Henry has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for financing a drug trafficking operation that moved cocaine between Denver and Montana. Henry, 30, of Frostproof, Fla., was arrested by federal drug agents last October — just a few months after the running back’s release from the Denver Broncos.

McNair leaves no will

Nashville, Tenn. — The widow of slain former NFL quarterback Steve McNair says in court documents that her husband left no will, and a judge in Nashville has ruled that she will oversee his estate. Davidson County Probate Judge Randy Kennedy granted Mechelle McNair’s request to administer the estate and gave her 60 days to file an inventory of her late husband’s assets.

Peppers fails to reach deal

Charlotte, N.C. — The deadline for the Carolina Panthers to strike a long-term deal with franchise defensive end Julius Peppers passed Wednesday without an agreement. Peppers will play under a one-year contract worth at least $16.7 million, creating the prospect for another offseason of uncertainty next year.

Niners reveal stadium plan

San Francisco — The San Francisco 49ers have unveiled design details on their proposed $937 million stadium south of San Francisco that would seat 68,500 and include solar panels and a green roof, as they move forward with plans to relocate to the South Bay city of Santa Clara.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

S. Miss. WR recovering

Jackson, Miss. — Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora says wide receiver DeAndre Brown is on track to start the season even though his left leg is back in a hard boot. Brown suffered a horrific break during the New Orleans Bowl that left his lower leg hanging at a 90-degree angle. Doctors said Brown’s recovery would likely be slow and take much of the offseason. Fedora told The Associated Press on Wednesday that nothing has changed despite the setback. Southern Miss is scheduled to play at Kansas on Sept. 26.

HOCKEY

NHL, NBC extend contract

Boston — The NHL and NBC have agreed to a two-year extension of their television contract that will keep the league on the network from the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park through the end of the 2010-11 season.

BASEBALL

All-Star ratings down

New York — The All-Star game’s television ratings are down slightly from last year. Fox said Wednesday that the American League’s 4-3 win Tuesday night earned a 8.9 fast national rating and 15 share. That’s down 4 percent from the 9.3/16 for the first nine innings of the 15-inning marathon in 2008. Ratings were up 3 percent for the pregame show, which included President Barack Obama throwing out the first pitch.

Northern mulling Lawrence?

The Northern League’s director of operations says a location and ownership group has been found for an eighth team that is set to open next year, and a recent report in the Winnipeg Sun listed Kansas cities Lawrence, Topeka, and Manhattan as possibilities.

Northern League director of operations Harry Stavrenos said Tuesday that a privately owned expansion franchise will join the league with Lake County (Ill.) in 2010.

An announcement could come as soon as Aug. 1, Stavrenos said.

Led by the city’s deputy city manager, Randy Speaker, Topeka last year conducted a feasibility study for a potential minor league baseball stadium. The facility proposal called for 1,800 fixed seats, 700 benchmark seats and grass-berm seating.

NBA

Lakers retract Odom offer

Los Angeles — The Los Angeles Lakers have retracted an offer to Lamar Odom, saying that talks to re-sign the free agent have stalled.

Lakers public relations director John Black said the team had taken the offer off the table in the past two days.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lakers owner Jerry Buss had offered Odom two deals. One was worth $36 million for four years and the other was for $10 million a season for three years.

Felton, Bobcats apart

Charlotte, N.C. — Raymond Felton’s agent went to Las Vegas confident he was close to hammering out a long-term deal with the Charlotte Bobcats. Kevin Bradbury left the meeting with Charlotte general manager Rod Higgins disappointed and far apart in negotiations.

TENNIS

Gasquet cleared to play

London — Richard Gasquet escaped a lengthy doping ban Wednesday when the International Tennis Federation’s tribunal panel ruled that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub. The 23-year-old Frenchman, who was cleared to resume playing after completing a 21/2-month ban on Wednesday, convinced the independent anti-doping tribunal that he ingested cocaine with the kiss with the woman he had just met.