Sports

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer Women’s college basketball has long had players stick around compared to men’s players making frequent early exits to the pros. Now there are more fifth- and sixth-year players thanks to extra eligibility granted because of the pandemic. No. 11 UCLA had the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class headlined by point

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee rookie Malik Willis appears closer to making the third start this season with the Titans signing Joshua Dobbs off the Detroit practice squad Wednesday. Veteran Ryan Tannehill proved his toughness taping up his sprained right ankle yet again after being carted to

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars ruled out two defensive starters — linebacker Travon Walker and nose tackle Foley Fatukasi — for Thursday night’s game at the New York Jets. Walker (ankle) and Fatukasi (ankle) won’t make the trip to New Jersey for the primetime game that has AFC playoff implications for the Jaguars

By FREIDA FRISARO Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — No charges will be filed against former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown following an apparent domestic incident at a Tampa, Florida, home in late November, prosecutors said Wednesday. Investigators completed a review of all available evidence and decided to drop the misdemeanor battery charges, the

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer Deion Sanders was the star attraction in this year’s class of new Black coaches taking over major college programs. Of course, he didn’t have a lot of competition. Sanders, who left Jackson State for Colorado of the Pac-12 Conference, was one of just three Black head coaches hired by

By JAY COHEN AP Baseball Writer CHICAGO (AP) — All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson has joined the Chicago Cubs, finalizing a $177 million, seven-year contract. The addition of Swanson is the biggest of three major moves by the Cubs since the end of the season. Right-hander Jameson Taillon signed a $68 million, four-year contract, and 2019

By The Associated Press Air Force is making its sixth appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl to play Baylor. The 9-3 Falcons have won in that game only once, but ended this regular season with a four-game winning streak and have won their last three bowls overall since losing to California in the 2015 Armed

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Veteran outfielder Michael Brantley has signed a one-year deal to remain with the Houston Astros after missing more than half of last season with a shoulder injury. Terms of the deal weren’t announced. The 2023 season will be Brantley’s fifth with the Astros. Last season he

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Mat Ishbia’s career basketball statistics at Michigan State went like this: He averaged 0.6 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Not exactly record-setting numbers. But this is the number he’s about to be known by in the game — $4 billion. Ishbia’s offer to buy the majority

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored the “Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, has died. He was 72. Harris’ son, Dok, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his father died overnight. No cause of death

MONACO (AP) — Russian 400-meter hurdler Natalya Antyukh will lose her gold medal from the 2012 London Games because of doping. It puts American Lashinda Demus in position to be named the champion more than a decade after the race. The Athletics Integrity Unit says Antyukh did not appeal a penalty handed down two months

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks president Travis Schlenk is stepping down and moving into an advisory position. General manager Landry Fields will assume control of daily operations. The move comes after Fields was promoted to general manager earlier this year. Schlenk previously was general manager and had retained the final say on player personnel decisions

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge has been appointed captain of the New York Yankees after agreeing to a $360 million, nine-year contract to remain in pinstripes. Judge became the Yankees’ first captain since Derek Jeter retired at the end of the 2014 season. New York had six previous

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Olympic downhill champion Beat Feuz has announced his retirement from skiing after 16 seasons. He says the classic events in Wengen and Kitzbuehel in January will be his last races. He says “pushing limits and risk has been my passion in skiing for years. Now my feeling tells me: the physical

By CLAIRE SAVAGE Associated Press/Report for America CHICAGO (AP) — As a kid, Kevin Fair would take apart his Nintendo console, troubleshoot issues and put it back together again — experiences the Black entrepreneur says represented “a life trajectory changing moment” when he realized the entertainment system was more than a toy. “I think I