NFL -- Dancer Tells Court Of Irvin's Drug Use

DALLAS - Hours after police found cocaine and marijuana scattered around an Irving motel room occupied by Michael Irvin, the Dallas Cowboy receiver acknowledged to friends that the drugs were his, a topless dancer testified yesterday.

Rachelle Smith, 24, also testified that the March 4 party broken up by Irving police was not the first that Irvin had arranged. She said Irvin had paid for rooms and provided drugs for a series of all-night sex parties with women at the motel in suburban Irving.

Smith said Irvin also threatened her after she testified before the Dallas County grand jury that indicted him in April on drug possession charges.

"He kept on telling me that I shouldn't be afraid of the DA's office, I should be afraid of him, because he was more powerful," Smith said. "He said he would put everybody against me, and everybody would hate me. He said that he could score a touchdown and everybody would love him again."

Smith, who testified under a grant of immunity from prosecutors, answered lawyers' questions with jurors out of the courtroom. State District Judge Manny Alvarez will evaluate her testimony to determine how much of it is relevant to the charge against Irvin and should be allowed before jurors.

Irvin and former teammate Alfredo Roberts were found inside the room with two topless dancers, Angela Beck and Jasmine Nabwangu. Police seized more than 10 grams of cocaine and more than an ounce of marijuana.

Beck, who claimed all the drugs were hers, was the only person arrested that night. Roberts was the only person not eventually indicted.

Smith testified that her involvement with Irvin began when she and Beck rented a room Feb. 5 at the same motel where the drug bust occurred a month later.

She said that was one of three times that month that the three met there for sex and to use drugs provided by Irvin. Smith testified that she registered, sometimes under false names or addresses; paid cash; and was later reimbursed by Irvin.

The later visits occurred Feb. 12 and Feb. 19, she said.

Smith testified that after she and Beck checked in, Irvin would come by with cocaine and marijuana. Irvin chopped up crack cocaine and rolled chips of the drug into marijuana cigarettes, which he then smoked, she testified.

Notes

-- Minnesota signed free-agent All-Pro cornerback Dale Carter to an offer sheet and Kansas City has one week to match it to retain him. Carter, 26, was a first-team All-Pro selection for Kansas City last year. He was the NFL rookie of the year for Kansas City in 1992.

-- Cincinnati signed former Washington defensive tackle Tim Johnson, an unrestricted free agent, to a two-year contract. Johnson, 31, a nine-year NFL veteran, registered 45 tackles and three sacks for Washington last season.

-- New Orleans re-signed offensive tackle William Roaf to an eight-year contract, the longest deal in team history. Roaf, 26, started all 48 games for the Saints since being the team's first-round draft choice in 1993.

-- New England re-signed defensive tackle Bruce Walker and signed seventh-round draft pick Lovett Purnell, a tight end from West Virginia.

The Patriots signed Ohio State wide receiver Terry Glenn, the seventh overall pick in this year's draft, to a six-year, $12 million contract, with $5 million of the salary guaranteed over four years.

-- Indianapolis gained experience and depth on its offensive line, re-signing unrestricted free-agent center Kirk Lowdermilk to a one-year contract. Lowdermilk, 6-4 and 284 pounds, had talked about retiring after 11 seasons.

-- Detroit's backup quarterback, Don Majkowski, a 10-year veteran, will miss most of training camp after undergoing ankle surgery. Majkowski's injury leaves the Lions thin at quarterback with just Rick Strom and rookie Johnny Johnson as backups to starter Scott Mitchell.