AP National Sports

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A New Jersey man who posed as a former New England Patriots player in order to buy and sell Super Bowl rings that he claimed were gifts to Tom Brady’s family has been sentenced to three years in federal prison. Scott Spina Jr. of Roseland was sentenced Monday in Southern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were back at practice with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, raising expectations that the duo will be ready for their season opener against Arizona. Smith-Schuster has missed the past two weeks, including the Chiefs’ final two preseason games, with a sore knee

MADRID (AP) — Valencia has signed veteran Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani on a two-year contract. The 35-year-old Cavani had been without a club since his contract with Manchester United expired at the end of last season. He had previously played for Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Palermo. Cavani was at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium as the team

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Antoine Griezmann scored after an assist from Thomas Lemar two minutes after they came off the bench together as Atlético Madrid salvaged a 1-0 win at Valencia in the Spanish league. Griezmann received a pass from Lemar and scored with a left-footed shot from outside the

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Daria Snigur of Ukraine pulled off the first big upset of the U.S. Open, knocking off No. 7 seed Simona Halep 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. The 20-year-old was making her first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam after emerging through the qualifying rounds

TORONTO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have put right-hander Adrian Sampson and left-hander Justin Steele on the restricted list before their game at Toronto. Foreign nationals who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 aren’t allowed to enter Canada, save for limited exceptions that require a 14-day quarantine. Unvaccinated baseball players are placed on the restricted list, where

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville’s first round of final roster cuts included releasing two veterans in safety Rudy Ford and receiver Laquon Treadwell. The team also released linebacker Tyrell Adams and offensive lineman KC McDermott, and waived defensive lineman Auzoyah Alufohai, running back Ryquell Armstead, cornerback Benjie Franklin, safety Brandon Rusnak, linebacker Chapelle Russell and

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo is staying in San Francisco after agreeing to a reduced contract to be the backup to Trey Lance on the 49ers. A person familiar with the deal says on condition of anonymity that the sides are finalizing a deal to reduce

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Bisi Johnson will miss the season with a knee injury for the second straight year. Johnson was placed on injured reserve one day before the NFL’s deadline for reducing rosters to the 53-player limit for the regular season. The fourth-year player was hurt in the team’s final

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick often says it can take until the midpoint of the season before he knows what type of team he has. He’s holding to that again as he prepares to select his initial 53-man roster for the upcoming season. With issues still to iron

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — New LSU coach Brian Kelly is hoping his team can keep a pretty big secret for a week leading up to the revamped Tigers’ season opener. Kelly says he’s known for about two days who will start at quarterback this Sunday night against Florida

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Daniil Medvedev had an easy start to his U.S. Open title defense, beating Stefan Kozlov 6-2, 6-4, 6-0. Simona Halep had another early exit, this time in a memorable first tour-level win for Ukrainian Daria Snigur, who upset the No. 7 seed 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.

PHOENIX (AP) — Highly regarded prospect Corbin Carroll is expected to make his big league debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night. The 22-year-old outfielder hit .303 with 23 homers over 91 games split between Double-A and Triple-A this season. The D-backs sent outfielder Jordan Luplow to Triple-A to make room for Carroll.

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jim Harbaugh has decided to start Big Ten championship-winning quarterback Cade McNamara when No. 8 Michigan opens its season Saturday at home against Colorado State. Harbaugh has chosen to give J.J. McCarthy the Wolverines’ first snap when they host Hawaii the following week. McNamara

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Eastern Kentucky athletic director Matt Roan has named Garry McPeek as acting head football coach, effectively immediately, while Walt Wells recovers from a cardiac episode on Sunday. Wells is hospitalized in stable condition at UK Hospital in Lexington. McPeek came to EKU in February 2021 and was promoted to chief of

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — It’s becoming easier to picture the look of the World Cup in three months after Adidas and Puma released more national team kits for the tournament in Qatar. México will bring its indigenous roots to the field. Germany will be inspired by its first game more

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The United States has warmed up for its group showdown with Canada by blitzing Switzerland 9-0 at the world women’s ice hockey championship in Denmark. The U.S. matched Canada with 3-0 records. Their Group A closer on Tuesday is also in Herning. It is expected to be a preview of the

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Rory McIlroy jokingly referred to himself as a “Super Bowl champ” by winning the FedEx Cup. That was more about trolling LIV Golf and less about sizing up his season. McIlroy is the FedEx Cup champion for the third time. He also is quick to point

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt Stadium will be called FirstBank Stadium starting this season under a new 10-year naming rights deal.  Athletic director Candice Lee calls the deal a historic collaboration. Lee says Vanderbilt remains committed to its core mission as the landscape of collegiate athletics continues to shift. The field itself will remain Dudley

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Southwestern Athletic Conference is giving Commissioner Charles McClelland a three-year contract extension. The league said that the Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to extend McClelland’s deal through the 2028 academic year. McClelland was named commissioner during the summer of 2018. The SWAC has expanded to 12 members with