Sports

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Rodrygo scored in the second half and celebrated by honoring the late Pelé as Real Madrid edged fourth-division club Cacereño 1-0 to advance to the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. The Brazil forward broke the deadlock in the 69th minute by dribbling past

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer The NFL pushed ahead Tuesday with a difficult balancing act, navigating players’ emotions after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin’s shocking cardiac arrest with a tight playoff schedule and emphasizing Hamlin’s health was its main focus. The league informed the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals that their game, suspended Monday

LONDON (AP) — Newcastle didn’t get the win but held Premier League leader Arsenal scoreless in a 0-0 draw between title challengers. The Gunners have scored in every other league game this season en route to what is now an eight-point lead over Manchester City, which plays at Chelsea on Thursday. The draw at Emirates

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer Georgia’s Stetson Bennett and TCU’s Max Duggan share similar stories as quarterbacks who needed to disprove doubters before finding starring roles in the national championship game. It’s no surprise Bennett says he immediately liked Duggan when the two spent time together at the Heisman Trophy ceremony last month. Bennett

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have placed right tackle Brian O’Neill and center Austin Schlottman on injured reserve. The move all but ends the season for two starters on the precipice of the playoffs. The Vikings also signed eight-year veteran center Greg Mancz to give them another option at a vital position. O’Neill

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets say guard Kelly Oubre Jr. will undergo surgery this week for a torn ligament in his left hand. Oubre had missed three of the team’s last four games and the Hornets haven’t said how much longer he’ll be out. The 27-year-old will have surgery on Thursday. He is

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Top-ranked Georgia may have to adjust its offense a bit against TCU in the national championship game. A lot depends on the severity of an ankle injury suffered by Darnell Washington. Two of Georgia’s four leaders in receiving yards are tight ends, including Washington. In the

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that outfielder and first baseman Dominic Smith has agreed to a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals pending the successful completion of a physical exam. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Soccer Federation is investigating men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter for a 1991 confrontation in which he kicked the woman who later became his wife. The federation says it learned of the allegation on Dec. 11 and hired the law firm Alston &

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — According to a person familiar with the situation, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has talked to University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh about the team’s head coaching position. The person characterized the talks as a conversation, not a job interview. The person spoke to

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Laila Phelia scored 24 points, Leigha Brown had 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and No. 14 Michigan beat Penn State 82-72. Phelia, Brown and Maddie Nolan combined for Michigan’s opening 20 points of the fourth quarter, including a 10-0 run to pull away. Brown started the run with

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs began practicing Tuesday for their regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, which could ultimately earn the AFC West champions the No. 1 playoff seed in the conference in an unprecedented situation for the NFL. Just as the Chiefs were

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings have placed forward Jakub Vrana on waivers. It comes a little more than two weeks after he returned from the player assistance program set up by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association. It’s also a week after assigning him to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo has been presented as Al Nassr’s superstar new signing. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal to play in the Saudi Pro League in one of the most surprising transfers in the sport’s history. Ronaldo,

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer The NCAA Division I transformation committee has released its final report. It is recommending more sport-by-sport governance in college sports, enhanced expectations for D-1 schools to create a more uniform experience for athletes across all schools and allowing 25% of teams in the most-sponsored sports to compete

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Former San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean has joined the New York Yankees as executive adviser to GM Brian Cashman. The 66-year-old Sabean helped lead the Giants to World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He was the Giants’ general manager from 1996

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a one-year contract with two-time All-Star Rafael Devers that avoids salary arbitration. The deal is for $17.5 million. That’s according to a person with knowledge of the agreement who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer The Bills-Bengals game that was suspended Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest will not be resumed this week and the Week 18 schedule remains unchanged, the NFL said Tuesday. The NFL has made no decision regarding the possible resumption of the pivotal Bills-Bengals game