Sports

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith has continued to reshape his defensive staff by hiring Jerry Gray as the assistant head coach for defense. The 60-year-old Gray had been Green Bay’s defensive backs coach. Gray and Smith previously worked together as assistants on Washington’s staff in 2007-08 and on Tennessee’s staff

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Newcastle is a club reborn after its Saudi-backed takeover and is headed to a first cup final this century in a season that could also end in Champions League qualification. Newcastle beat Southampton 2-1 despite a late red card for star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to seal a 3-1 aggregate

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the pact tells The Associated Press that the Denver Broncos have agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Saints to hire Sean Payton as their head coach. The person says the Broncos will send a first-round pick in

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan warmed up for its upcoming Serie A derby with a 1-0 victory over Atalanta in the Italian Cup quarterfinals. Defending champion Inter will face either Juventus or Lazio in a two-legged semifinal in April. Matteo Darmian scored the only goal of the game in the 57th minute. Hakan Çalhanoğlu also

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — DeMeco Ryans has been hired as coach of the Houston Texans, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on the condition on anonymity since the hiring had not been announced. The move gives him his first head

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays infielder Yandy Díaz agreed to a $24 million, three-year contract on that avoided a salary arbitration hearing. Díaz’s agreement could be worth $36 million over four seasons. The 31-year old will receive $6 million this season, $8 million in 2024 and $10 million for 2025. The 2026

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has released its long-anticipated 14-team football schedule. It includes its four new members for 2023 along with Oklahoma and Texas before their eventual departures to the Southeastern Conference. Houston will be the first of the new teams to play a conference game, on September 16 when the Cougars

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Max Homa is good at golf. He won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines for his sixth career victory. Homa also is good at communication, whether that’s on social media or walking down the fairway. It proved to be the perfect marriage during

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has dismissed a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by nine former University of Minnesota football players who were accused of sexual assault in a case that roiled the university. The players, who were not identified in their lawsuit against the school, alleged that they suffered emotional distress and financial damage after

By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Union Berlin’s attempt to sign former Real Madrid star Isco Alarcón has fallen apart, with the German club saying the deal has been called off. The 30-year-old Isco had looked set to sign for Union as a free agent after undergoing a medical in Berlin on

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer NASCAR has banned the “Hail Melon” move Ross Chastain used last year at Martinsville to earn a spot in the championship race. Chastain last October mashed the gas and deliberately smashed into the wall so that the energy would speed his car past his rivals. NASCAR said Tuesday the

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — IndyCar begins preseason testing this week without its reigning champion from the ladder system. Linus Lundqvist won five races last season in Indy Lights to win the title and the $500,000 bonus that’s meant to be spent on a promotion to IndyCar. But

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he doesn’t expect to make a decision on whether to play next season until after the Super Bowl. The 39-year-old Rodgers has said he is still making up his mind on whether he wants to return to the Packers for a 19th season,

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer The NFL’s salary cap will be $224.8 million in 2023, an increase of $16.6 million. The league informed teams of the new cap figure on Monday in a memo obtained by The Associated Press. Overall, the cap is up $42.3 million from 2021, when it was at $182.5

By DANIELLA MATAR AP Sports Writer MILAN (AP) — A quiet deadline day in Italy has brought to an end a winter transfer period that saw the lowest spending by Serie A clubs in almost two decades. Serie A clubs spent a total of 28.42 million euros ($30.89 million) on transfers in January. That is

LONDON (AP) — Italy international Jorginho has joined Arsenal from Chelsea for a reported 12 million pounds ($14.75 million). It is a deadline-day move that gives the Premier League leaders an extra option in midfield in their bid to win a first top-flight title since 2004. Arsenal made a late move in the transfer window

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen could miss most of the remainder of the season because of an ankle injury. United says he will be sidelined for “an extended period.” That is likely to be until late April or early May. The 30-year-old Denmark international sustained

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are tearing up the grass field at Nissan Stadium and replacing it with a synthetic surface before the 2023 season. The Titans announced the change Tuesday. The team is making the change after reviewing injury rates and knowing how difficult it is to grow grass at Nissan Stadium

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Paolo Banchero is headed to NBA All-Star weekend. The only question is whether it’ll be for one game or two. The Orlando Magic rookie and No. 1 pick in last year’s draft was announced Tuesday as a participant in this year’s Rising Stars Game. It’ll be held on Feb.