Take this for what it's worth, because it's certainly newsworthy in my neck of the woods...


An "Outside the Lines" segment set for broadcast at 8:30 a.m. today, ESPN is reporting that seven Clemson student-athletes told the network they had abortions in recent years, due in part because of their fear of losing scholarships.

"We are aware of the story although we're not sure what it's going to say," Clemson assistant athletic director for sports information Tim Bourret said. "ESPN went behind our backs to interview these athletes so we're just going to have to see what the story is and go from there."

Clemson is unsure whether the report is regarding former or current athletes.

The ESPN story focuses on Memphis' Cassandra Harding, who said she and other members of the school's track team were required to sign a document acknowledging they could lose their scholarships if they became pregnant.

Memphis declined to renew Harding's scholarship in 2005 after she got pregnant.

-- Staff and wire reports