THE SIDELINES : Hearing for Ex-Raider Postponed

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A hearing for former Raider and Miami Dolphin Fulton Walker on sexual assault charges has been postponed, officials said today.

Walker was arrested in June on a charge of second-degree sexual assault, a violation that carries a prison term of at least 10 years upon conviction.

A spokeswoman in Berkeley County Magistrate Harold Darlington’s office said Walker’s hearing was postponed after a witness was hospitalized. The spokeswoman, who declined identification, said a new hearing date has not been set, adding that the case probably will be heard in September.

Walker, a running back for West Virginia from 1977 to 1981, was a special teams performer with the Miami Dolphins, setting five Super Bowl records in 1983 against the Washington Redskins, including a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He later played for the Raiders, retiring in 1987.