The Roburt Sallie saga is not over, but another deadline is upon us, according to Sallie’s lawyer.

Don Jackson of The Sports Group in Montgomery, Ala., said Sunday that Sallie has done everything possible to gain clearance from the NCAA to join the Nebraska basketball program, but it will all come down to a hearing with the NCAA on Thursday.

If the ruling is not in Sallie’s favor, Jackson said the next step will be to file a lawsuit.

Jackson also was part of the effort to help Kris Douse, another NU recruit, become eligible through the NCAA Clearinghouse. He said the Douse and Sallie cases are very similar.

Sallie was considered by many to be the cream of the 2006 recruiting class. So what’s the holdup?

According to Jackson, the NCAA wants to see more than just grades and test scores from Sallie. They want to see actual high school homework and tests, not just the numbers.

Jackson said it’s ridiculous to expect a student to save those materials after graduation. He also noted that both of Sallie’s prep schools — Patterson School and Laurinburg Institute — are institutions that have met the NCAA’s standards as academic steppingstones for athletes such as Douse and Sallie.

Jackson said Sallie is paying his own freight right now as a student at UNL, but he will have to leave school if this week’s hearing does not go his way.

Reality check

I thought my fantasy football days were over, but I’ve been sucked back in.

The Star City Fantasy Football League was desperate for a new owner (obviously), so I joined. Now I’ll be on www.fantasydweeb.com every five minutes, trying to make sure Jerious Norwood’s hangnail is not causing him too much distress.

Jerious Norwood? Yes, Jerious Norwood. Now don’t laugh. The Falcons’ rookie running back was not my first pick. I am no dummy. I knew he would last until at least the third round.

Having the third pick in the draft, I was ecstatic when the first two owners took Shaun Alexander and Larry Johnson, inexplicably leaving Jeff George still on the board.

I resisted the George temptation, however, and went with LaDainian Tomlinson, so you can expect to see him on the Chargers’ IR list very soon.

The fun of fantasy draft night is giving and receiving those little jabs after each pick. Some of my favorites:

“I wouldn’t worry. They’re not sure if it’s a complete break…” “Hey, with a little counseling, he’ll turn it around…” “I’m sure his lawyer will be able to get the sentence reduced.”

I was a little disappointed when I couldn’t nab Randy Moss or Chad Johnson. My all-freakshow team would have been perfect with Johnson and Moss joining Terrell Owens and Joe Horn in the receiving corps. I did manage to reunite T.O. with Donovan McNabb, though, and the combination worked Sunday.

As for Horn — a fantasy owner’s nightmare, I’m told — I noticed he wasn’t making any cell phone calls from the end zone after his two-catch, 25-yard performance Sunday.

Norwood showed promise with a 66-yard debut for the Falcons. Maybe I’ll give him a start next week. And Fred Taylor makes me nervous, but he was strong Sunday. Can’t go wrong with Josh Brown as your kicker. I also have that Bush kid in New Orleans.

Get a life, you say? That will have to wait until Christmas.

Heading for home—Must have been a misprint. I saw somewhere that the NU volleyball team lost a game Sunday.

 

—The YMCA Strong Kids Campaign is under way. The goal is to raise money — lots of it — to help families who otherwise couldn’t afford to participate in YMCA programs. The Y does a lot of great things for our community, so consider calling 434-9205 or visiting www.ymcalincoln.org for more information.

—This is the city: Los Angeles, California.… With all due respect to Sgt. Joe Friday, it’s Saturday I’m thinking about.

Bright lights. Big-time football. Late-night burgers with Paris Hilton.

I’ll drive.

Reach sports editor John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.