AP National Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach John Mitchell has retired after nearly three decades with the club. The 71-year-old Mitchell won two Super Bowl rings in 29 seasons with the Steelers after first joining Bill Cowher’s staff in 1994 as a defensive line coach. Mike Tomlin retained Mitchell when he replaced Cowher in

PARIS (AP) — A government audit says Noël Le Graët no longer has legitimacy to remain as French soccer federation president because his management style and behavior toward women are “incompatible with the exercise of his functions.” The 81-year-old Le Graët is currently under judicial investigation for alleged sexual and “moral” harassment as part of

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Clevinger has reported to the Chicago White Sox for spring training, joining his new team amid an ongoing investigation by Major League Baseball into allegations of domestic violence. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn tells reporters the team’s “only option” is to allow Clevinger to report while awaiting results of

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Infielder Gio Urshela went to salary arbitration with the Los Angeles Angels, asking for $10 million rather than the team’s $8.4 million offer. The 31-year-old hit .285 with 13 homers and 64 RBIs last season for Minnesota, which traded him to the Angels on Nov. 18 for minor league right-hander

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Defenseman Mikey Anderson has signed an eight-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings. The extension lasts through the 2030-31 season and has an average annual value of $4.125 million. Anderson has appeared in all 55 games for the Kings this season and has career highs in 11 assists (11) and

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia lawmakers have given final passage to a bill that will set aside a day each year to remember the worst sports disaster in U.S. history. Seventy-five people were killed in a plane crash carrying Marshall University’s football team back from a game on Nov.

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press TAMPA, Fla, (AP) — Frankie Montas needs shoulder surgery and will miss most or all of the New York Yankees’ season. As pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the 29-year-old right-hander will have right shoulder surgery on Feb. 21. Boone said Montas could possibly

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Sweden emerging as the front-runner in a troubled search for a 2030 Olympics host is a surprise in Stockholm. The year started with Sweden not on the radar of the race. Longtime favorite Sapporo faded during a bribery investigation linked to the recent Tokyo Olympics. Salt

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black agreed to a one-year contract extension that goes through the 2024 season. Black has a 417-453 mark with Colorado since being hired before the 2017 season. He’s third in franchise history in wins, behind Clint Hurdle with 534 and Don Baylor with 440. The team has made

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer The chancellor at New Mexico State expressed his confidence in athletic director Mario Moccia less than a week after the men’s basketball team was shut down for what the chancellor said was a culture of bad behavior, egregious violations of the student code of conduct and other “despicable acts.”

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) — The financially troubled parent company of regional sports networks that own the broadcast rights to 42 U.S. professional sports teams skipped about $140 million in interest payments due Wednesday. The missed payments by Diamond Sports Group started a 30-day grace period that could be the prelude to a bankruptcy filing, which

TAMPA, Fla, (AP) — Frankie Montas may need shoulder surgery, an indication the pitcher may become a long-term injury concern for the New York Yankees. Pitching coach Matt Blake says surgery “is on the table” for the 29-year-old right-hander. Montas was acquired from Oakland on Aug 1. and went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in

By MARGARET STAFFORD Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce vowed to thousands of fans celebrating their Super Bowl championship that the team will be back for more in the future. During a victory rally Wednesday following a parade through downtown, Mahomes and Kelce joked about

By The Associated Press Alex Ovechkin says his father, Mikhail, has died at age 71. The Washington Capitals captain delivered the news in Russian on his Instagram account along with family photos and video. Ovechkin left the team yesterday to tend to a family health matter regarding a loved one. Coach Peter Laviolette said he

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Athletic Commission is scheduled to discuss potential rules changes for UFC-backed slap fighting competitions during its monthly meeting. The commission in October unanimously approved sanctioning slap fighting. Unarmed combatants take turns forcefully slapping each other in this new sport. The NAC approved in

MADISON. Wis. (AP) — Freshman Connor Essegian scored a career-high 23 points, including 5 of 6 free throws in the final 45 seconds, and Wisconsin held off Michigan 64-59 despite missing its last 15 shots.  Essegian’s basket at the 10:45 was the last one for the Badgers, and his two free throws at 10:27 following

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Barcelona has denied a possible conflict of interest for having made payments for technical reports on referees to a company that belonged to the vice president of the refereeing committee in Spain. Radio station SER Catalunya says the payments for information on how referees officiate were

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced that Minnesota will host a World Cup cross country ski event next February, giving the Americans a rare home-course advantage. This will mark the first World Cup event the U.S. has hosted in the sport since 2001. The races will be held inside a

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Bryan Reynolds requested a trade this offseason. He also had no real power to force one. So he’s back at spring training with Pittsburgh, preparing for another season with the Pirates. Pittsburgh’s first workout for pitchers and catchers was Wednesday, but for outfielders like Reynolds