Sports

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Brandon Staley’s status that he would remain coach of the Los Angeles Chargers was a source of debate among fans and commentators during the past two weeks. Staley though said during his season-ending press conference on Wednesday that he was aware of the speculation,

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United’s title momentum has been dramatically halted ahead of Sunday’s visit to Premier League leader Arsenal. United was leading 1-0 after 90 minutes at Crystal Palace and looked set to rack up a 10th straight win in all competitions and move up to second.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bradley Beal is back in the starting lineup for the Washington Wizards after missing five games with a left hamstring strain. Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said the Wizards would be cautious with Beal’s minutes against the New York Knicks, because he has been troubled by the hamstring multiple times this season.

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to the practice squad. The move adds an option in case Brett Maher’s wild-card meltdown lingers into practice this week. Maher missed his first four extra points in the 31-14 victory over Tampa Bay. He made

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies hope their run to the World Series is just the start of a championship window. The Phillies made the playoffs as the third NL wild card. They knocked off the St. Louis Cardinals and the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, then beat

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer CINCINNATI (AP) — A Cincinnati Bengals offensive line that was so consistent in November and December will have a different look when the team visits the Buffalo Bills in a divisional playoff game Sunday. Right guard Alex Cappa, right tackle La’el Collins and now left tackle Jonah Williams are

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Jim Schwartz’s new job is to fix the Cleveland Browns’ busted defense. Schwartz, who has had three past stints in the NFL as defensive coordinator, was officially hired Wednesday by the Browns. Cleveland’s defense was mainly responsible for a disappointing 7-10 season. The 56-year-old Schwartz

MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens say rookie winger Juraj Slafkovsky will be out three months with a lower-body injury. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, Slafkovsky was injured in Montreal’s 2-1 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday. The Canadiens said the injury does not require surgery. The 18-year-old

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers were hit with a $32 million luxury tax for the second straight season, among six teams paying a penalty as baseball payrolls rebounded after the lockout to a record $4.56 billion. The New York Mets set a luxury tax payroll record

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Atlético Madrid has returned to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2018 by defeating second-division club Levante 2-0. Marcos Llorente scored a goal and set up another by Álvaro Morata to send Atlético through to the last eight and help

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — A four-game losing streak has left Georgia Tech one spot from the bottom of the ACC standings. Unfortunately for coach Josh Pastner, that’s familiar territory. The Yellow Jackets finished 14th in the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference last season. In Pastner’s six seasons, Georgia Tech has finished

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Bills and Bengals can refocus on their next matchup now that Buffalo’s safety Damar Hamlin has shown remarkable signs in his recovery some three weeks after collapsing on the field in Cincinnati. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated in

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Smith knew versatility would be a key to an NFL career. The former Tulsa left tackle didn’t figure there would be so much shuffling his rookie year. Smith is expected back at left tackle for a divisional playoff against

LONDON (AP) — Soccer’s law-making panel has rejected a request by the Premier League and MLS for trials with temporary substitutes to replace players with suspected concussion. The panel known as IFAB says “no consensus was reached” Wednesday. FIFA’s opposition is a key barrier to change wanted by the leagues who are supported by the

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government’s star witness in a corruption trial over the broadcasting rights to some of soccer’s biggest events testified Wednesday how he and two former Fox executives paid millions of dollars in bribes to undermine competing bids. The trial in New York City is

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — The Norwegian official who made her reputation in soccer politics with a speech in Doha last year criticizing World Cup host Qatar is seeking to join the UEFA executive committee. Lise Klaveness is a lawyer and former national-team player who is one of the few women

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Veteran forward Edin Džeko has inspired Inter Milan to a 3-0 win over city rival AC Milan and a second straight Italian Super Cup trophy. The 36-year-old Džeko scored one goal on Wednesday and also had a role in Federico Dimarco’s opener. World Cup winner Lautaro Martínez sealed the result

By PAT EATON-ROBB AP Sports Writer HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A rash of injuries in women’s college basketball has coaches and medical professionals looking for answers.  UConn had to postpone a Jan. 8 game when it could not put seven healthy players on the court. Arizona State forfeited two games for the same reason.  Experts

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer For the first time in 13 years, neither Tom Brady nor Aaron Rodgers reached the divisional round of the playoffs. No problem. The NFL still has plenty of exciting football this weekend featuring Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott and many other stars. The