The NCAA has told Ohio State that it won’t face the most severe charges possible in the memorabilia-for-cash and tattoos scandal that cost football coach Jim Tressel his job.

Investigators said they found no evidence that Ohio State failed to properly monitor its football program or any evidence of a lack of institutional control, according to a letter sent to the university and released Friday.

NCAA investigators also said they have not found any new violations.

“Considering the institution’s rules education and monitoring efforts, the enforcement staff did not believe a failure to monitor charge was appropriate in this case,” the NCAA said in the letter sent Thursday.

The notice clearing Ohio State of the most serious of institutional breaches is a big break for the university, which will meet with the NCAA’s committee on infractions on Aug. 12. That committee could accept penalties Ohio State already placed on itself or could pile on recruiting restrictions, bowl bans and other, stiffer sanctions.

The NCAA letter first reported by The Columbus Dispatch said that Tressel was the only university official who knew about the violations involving his players. He didn’t report them to anyone else at the school.

College Football

Miles defends LSU’s operation

Hoover, Ala. — LSU coach Les Miles defended his program’s purchase of videos from a controversial scouting service run by Willie Lyles, saying the Tigers needed the package to see game action of recruits.

“The only thing I can tell you is we look for film and video anywhere we can find it,” Miles said. “Those people that provide those services, we need to cover a broad area, and we want to evaluate our guys from a bunch of different spots.”

The Tigers are under investigation by the NCAA for their dealings with Lyles, a talent scout whose recruiting videos have been reported to be outdated and incomplete. The NCAA was already looking into the $25,000 fee Lyles charged Oregon for his services.

LSU paid $6,000 for Lyles’ junior college package, which Miles said was helpful in scouting junior college quarterback Zach Mettenberger.

Asked twice about Lyles specifically, Miles said he couldn’t comment because of the ongoing nature of the NCAA probe.

College athletics

Vols self-impose 2-year probation

Knoxville, Tenn. — The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting that Tennessee has self-imposed a two-year probation on its athletics department as part of its response to alleged NCAA violations.

The probation and other smaller penalties are outlined in the university’s 191-page official response to the NCAA allegations, which was filed in May and inspected by the newspaper.

“The University has taken what it believes are meaningful and appropriate steps to address the problems identified in this case,” the response reads.

The 12 charges against Tennessee were made by the NCAA in February after nearly two years of investigating basketball coach Bruce Pearl, football coach Lane Kiffin and their coaching staffs. Kiffin had already left Tennessee for Southern California, and Pearl was fired in March.

MLB

Two charged in L.A. beating case

Los Angeles — Two men were charged Friday in the near-fatal beating of a San Francisco Giants fan on opening day at Dodger Stadium.

Louie Sanchez, 29, and Marvin Norwood, 30, both of Rialto, were charged with one count each of mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, and battery with serious bodily injury, all felonies.

The complaint alleged both men personally inflicted great bodily injury on victim Bryan Stow, a paramedic from Santa Cruz.

The charges came nearly four months after the beating, and after the arrest of another man who was not charged in the case.

Judge nixes Dodgers financing plan

Dover, Del. — A Delaware judge Friday rejected the Los Angeles Dodgers’ proposed $150 million bankruptcy financing plan, directing the team to negotiate a loan deal with Major League Baseball instead.

Judge Kevin Gross said in an eight-page order that the team had failed to show that the terms of its secured financing with hedge fund Highbridge Capital were fair, given the more favorable financial terms in MLB’s unsecured loan offer.

The Dodgers previously rejected MLB’s offer and had refused to negotiate with the league, arguing that its financing proposal was simply an attempt by baseball commissioner Bud Selig to take control of the team and force a sale.

While acknowledging an “underlying feud” between Selig and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, Judge Gross said he was basing his decision on debtor-in-possession, or DIP, financing on the narrowest grounds possible.

Rockies send OF Gonzalez to DL

Denver — Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained right wrist.

Gonzalez missed eight games earlier this month after suffering a deep bone bruise on his right wrist when he crashed into the outfield wall making a catch against Kansas City on July 3.

He said Wednesday he was close to 100 percent, and he homered in his first at-bat Thursday against Atlanta before re-injuring his wrist fouling off a pitch later in the game.

Gonzalez, last year’s NL batting champ, is hitting .289 with 15 homers, 56 RBIs, 63 runs and 16 stolen bases.

NFL

Canton deals with loss of game

Canton, Ohio — Workers assembled the metal framework for outdoor tents in the parking lot of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Friday, getting ready for its big enshrinement weekend — one that won’t include a game for the first time in 45 years.

It’s much more than just a lost preseason game for the northern Ohio community with deep football roots.

The labor dispute between NFL owners and players forced the league to call off the annual Hall of Fame game between Chicago and St. Louis scheduled for Aug. 7.

The enshrinement will still be Aug. 6.

It’s a financial blow to the Hall of Fame, which could lose about $1.5 million out of its $20 million annual operating budget.