Tennis Great Jimmy Connors Arrested in California
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Tennis great Jimmy Connors was arrested outside the campus arena where UC Santa Barbara and top-ranked North Carolina were playing a basketball game.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion was taken into custody Friday night after refusing to comply with an order to leave an area near the entrance of the Thunderdome following a confrontation, police Sgt. Dan Massey said in a statement.
A police dispatcher said Connors was arrested at the beginning of the game. A Santa Barbara County jail employee said Connors was booked and released but did not have details.
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Connors could not be reached for comment early Saturday. He lives in the Santa Barbara area and attends a handful of the Gauchos' games each season.
He was ranked No. 1 for five consecutive years in the 1970s and had a fiery temperament on the court. He resigned this year as Andy Roddick's coach after working together for nearly two years.