Associated Press stories, Page 724
NCAA taking closer look at possibility of subdivision where athletes can be paid
PHOENIX — The NCAA on Thursday took the first step toward determining whether president Charlie Baker’s idea to create a new subdivision in which schools directly pay athletes can become a reality. The Division I Board of Directors asked policy makers to evaluate a proposal Baker made last month in...
NFC playoff breakdown: Field loaded with reunions, chances for redemption
Four years ago, the San Francisco 49ers were closing in on their first Super Bowl triumph in a quarter century when Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to three touchdowns in the final six-plus minutes, rocketing them to a 31-20 victory. Each of the past two years the Niners...
Ducks’ Trevor Zegras expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks after breaking ankle
RALEIGH, N.C. — Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks after breaking his left ankle Tuesday night at Nashville. The Ducks revealed the injury Thursday, saying Zegras will have surgery. He hit the boards feet-first after Nashville forward Juuso Parssinen’s stick caught in...
Juan Soto, Yankees agree to $31M deal, record for arbitration-eligible player
NEW YORK — Juan Soto and the New York Yankees agreed Thursday to a $31 million, one-year contract, breaking Shohei Ohtani’s record for an arbitration-eligible player, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. All 10 Yankees eligible for arbitration reached agreements on the day players and teams...
NCAA suspends Florida State assistant coach for 3 games for NIL-related recruiting violation
PHOENIX — A Florida State assistant coach has been suspended for the first three games of the 2024 season for violating recruiting rules by connecting a potential transfer with a representative from a collective during an official visit, the NCAA announced on Thursday. The NCAA did not name the coach...
Tyreek Hill looking at ‘positive side of things’ after house fire
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tyreek Hill has spent the past week trying to stay positive. The Miami Dolphins receiver rushed home from practice last Wednesday as firefighters doused the roof of his burning South Florida home with water. Officials later found the fire was started by a child playing with...
AFC playoff breakdown: Lamar Jackson, top-seeded Ravens team to beat
Lamar Jackson will miss out on wild-card weekend for a second straight year, and this time it’s for a much better reason. The Baltimore Ravens and their star quarterback earned the AFC’s top playoff seed and the conference’s sole bye with a dominant regular-season run just one year after uncertainty...
As AFC’s top seed, Ravens hope to avoid repeat of 4 years ago
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens clinched the top seed in the AFC two weekends ago when they thrashed the Miami Dolphins. Coach John Harbaugh barely had time to enjoy the victory before facing an inevitable question about 2019. That season was the last time the Ravens were the...
U.S., British militaries launch massive retaliatory strike against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, U.S. officials said. The U.S. Air Force’s Mideast command said it struck over 60...
Replacing Nick Saban: Alabama begins hunt for a successor who will face sky-high expectationsVideo
Nick Saban accomplished the unimaginable in actually raising the bar for Alabama football, where Paul “Bear” Bryant long had been the measuring stick. Whoever replaces the retiring coach will inherit all the makings for national championship contention and the sky-high expectations that come with them. The stockpile of talent, barring...
Chiefs’ Andy Reid, Travis Kelce not contemplating retirement any time soon
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs coach Andy Reid doesn’t sound as if he’s ready to follow Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll into the next phase of his career. Nor does Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, for that matter. After the announcement Thursday that Belichick was out as the coach...
Patriots need quarterback and talent to put around new coach
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will cringe when he turns on the TV — or perhaps even looks at the other Gillette Stadium sideline — and sees Bill Belichick wearing a ratty sweatshirt with another team’s colors. But he has bigger things to worry about now. The Patriots need...
Packers CB Jaire Alexander hurts ankle in practice, status uncertain for playoff game at Dallas
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander suffered an ankle injury in practice this week that leaves his status uncertain for Sunday’s wild-card playoff game with the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Alexander “stepped on somebody’s foot and rolled his ankle” during...
Ohio State All-American WR Marvin Harrison Jr. heading to NFL Draft
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State All-American receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is entering the NFL Draft. The Buckeyes star junior, the first in program history with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, made his announcement on social media Thursday. Harrison, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., is considered the...
Browns CB Denzel Ward injures knee in practice. Pro Bowler questionable for playoff against TexansVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward injured his knee in practice Thursday and is questionable for Cleveland’s wild-card game Saturday against the Houston Texans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The extent of Ward’s injury is not immediately known, but if he is less than 100%, it will...
Tyreek Hill returns to KC as Dolphins visit Chiefs for frigid AFC wild-card game Saturday nightVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins missed out on the opportunity to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in November, when the NFL had moved their high-profile matchup to Frankfurt, Germany. Hill and Co. finally will get their chance Saturday night. With a whole...
Democrats’ education funding report says Pennsylvania owes $5B more to school districts
HARRISBURG — A commission reviewing how Pennsylvania distributes money to public schools narrowly approved a report Thursday that suggests the state is underfunding districts by more than $5 billion and should begin immediately to close that gap. The vote on the report by the Basic Education Funding Commission was backed...
Murder trial begins months after young woman driven into wrong driveway shot in upstate New York
FORT EDWARD, N.Y. — An attorney for an upstate New York man accused of fatally shooting a 20-year-old woman who was with a group of friends who mistakenly turned into his backcountry driveway called it a “terrible accident” involving a defective gun as arguments in his murder trial began Thursday....
Ohio woman who miscarried at home won’t be charged with corpse abuse, grand jury decides
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio woman facing a criminal charge for her handling of a home miscarriage will not be charged, a grand jury decided Thursday. The Trumbull County prosecutor’s office said grand jurors declined to return an indictment for abuse of a corpse against Brittany Watts, 34, of Warren,...
NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan’s 19-year-old daughter is fighting cancerVideo
The 19-year-old daughter of NFL Hall of Famer and “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan is undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Isabella Strahan appeared on a prerecorded videotape segment sitting next to her father while discussing her diagnosis of medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor, with fellow GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts....
Pennsylvania police officer, suspect critically wounded in Scranton shooting
SCRANTON — A police officer in Pennsylvania was shot and critically wounded early Thursday as he helped investigate two other shootings, authorities said. The shooting in Scranton occurred around 4:30 a.m. and also left a suspect wounded, state police said. Both were treated at a hospital and were listed in...
Feds charge eBay over employees who sent live spiders and cockroaches to couple; company to pay $3M
BOSTON — Online retailer eBay Inc., will pay a $3 million fine to resolve criminal charges over a harassment campaign waged by employees who sent live spiders, cockroaches and other disturbing items to the home of a Massachusetts couple, according to court papers filed Thursday. The Justice Department charged eBay...
Bears and Vikings will host regular-season NFL games in London in 2024; Panthers to play in Germany
LONDON — The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings will both host a game in London next season, and the Carolina Panthers will play in Germany as part of the NFL’s international swing, the league said Thursday. The two NFC North rivals will host a game each at Premier League team...
President Joe Biden’s record age, 81, is an ‘asset,’ first lady Jill Biden says
WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden says her husband’s age is an “asset,” as President Joe Biden — at 81 already the oldest American leader in history — faces persistent questions from voters about his decision to seek another term. In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” released Thursday, Jill...
$100 million gift from Lilly Endowment to United Negro College Fund will support HBCU endowments
The United Negro College Fund announced a donation of $100 million from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the single largest unrestricted gift to the organization since its founding 80 years ago. The gift announced Thursday will go toward a pooled endowment for the 37 historically Black colleges and universities that form...
