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NFL NEWS
Chargers, Rivers part company
UNDATED (AP) — Philip Rivers has played his final down for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The team says Rivers will enter free agency and not return for the upcoming season, ending his 16-year run with the franchise. The fourth player taken in the 2004 NFL draft owns 30 franchise records and has thrown for over 4,000 yards in 11 of his last 12 seasons. Rivers has completed 64.7% of his passes for 59,271 yards, 397 touchdowns and 198 interceptions.
His 224 consecutive regular-season starts are second-most among quarterbacks in NFL history and his 123 wins are ninth.
In other NFL news:
— Ravens safety Chuck Clark has agreed to a three-year contract extension after starting a career-high 12 games and finishing with a team-best 68 tackles. Clark was taken in the sixth round of the 2017 draft and spent his first two NFL seasons playing on special teams, serving as backup on defense before enjoying a breakthrough year.
— A person familiar with the meeting says suspended Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has spoken with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about being reinstated. Garrett was banned indefinitely in November for pulling Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph's helmet off and striking him over the head with it during a game.
MLB NEWS
Angels GM: Big trade with Dodgers not happening
UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels say their proposed trade with the Dodgers is off.
Angels general manager Billy Eppler confirmed he won't be making a widely reported trade, although he didn't specify the deal or the players involved.
Multiple media outlets reported the Angels nearly acquired Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson and right-hander Ross Stripling last week in a deal that would have sent infielder Luis Rengifo (rehn-HEE’-foh) to the Dodgers. The deal apparently fell apart as a side effect of the Dodgers' lengthy attempts to get outfielder Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster trade.
In other baseball news:
— MLB is considering expanding the playoffs to nearly half the 30 teams and allowing higher-seeded wild-card teams to choose opponents. The playoffs would grow from 10 clubs to 14 under the plan, first reported Monday by the New York Post. There would be four wild cards in each league, up from two.
— The Diamondbacks have avoided salary arbitration with Nick Ahmed by working out a four-year, $32.5 million contract with the two-time Gold Glove shortstop. Ahmed hit a career-high .254 last season with 19 homers and 82 RBIs in 158 games. He won his Gold Gloves in each of the past two seasons.
— Athletics right-hander Daniel Mengden has undergone surgery on his pitching elbow. The A's say Mengden had arthroscopic surgery to shave a small spur off his elbow. Mengden was 5-2 with a save and a 4.83 ERA in 13 games over three stints with Oakland last year.
— Former major league pitcher Mike Bolsinger is suing the Astros for unspecified damages. He contends that the Astros' sign-stealing scheme contributed to a poor relief appearance in August 2017 that essentially ended his big-league career. He’s also asking the Astros forfeit their nearly $31 million in postseason shares from their 2017 World Series title and donate the money to children’s charities in Los Angeles and a fund for needy retired players.
— The Twins will be working with a new piece of smart technology at spring training this year. The high-tech pitching mound is really a heavily instrumented ramp built to simulate a mound and it measures the ground forces involved in throwing a pitch.
NCAA-LOBBYING
AP Exclusive: NCAA, allies spend nearly $1M on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Congress considers whether to allow college athletes to receive endorsement money, the NCAA and its allies spent nearly $1 million last year lobbying lawmakers to shape any reforms to the organization's liking.
The NCAA last fall said it would allow athletes to “benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness” and is crafting rules to put in place for its 1,100 member schools in coming months. But the organization has turned to Congress to step in as more and more states follow the lead of California, where a law set to take effect in 2023 clears the way for athletes to earn endorsement money.
The NCAA’s pressure campaign comes as the Senate prepares for a committee hearing Tuesday on player compensation. The head of the National College Players Association says the NCAA is fighting to maintain the status quo.
NBA-NEWS
Raptors president sued over scuffle
UNDATED (AP) — A law enforcement officer in California is suing the president of the Toronto Raptors over a scuffle following the team's NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors last June.
The Raptors had just won their first title at Oracle Arena in Oakland on June 13 when Raptors President Masai Ujiri went onto the court to join his celebrating team.
Alameda County sheriff's deputy Alan Strickland claims in a federal lawsuit filed Friday that he stopped Ujiri because he didn't provide the proper credential, leading to a shoving match that was partially captured on video. Strickland alleged Ujiri hit him “in the face and chest with both fists,” tried to go around the deputy and repeatedly ignored orders to stop.
In other NBA news:
— Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) is missing tonight’s game against the Kings following the birth of his son, the first for the All-Star and his girlfriend. The league’s reigning MVP is averaging 30.0 points, 13,5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Milwaukee has the best record in the NBA at 45-7, including a 4-0 mark in games without Antetokounmpo.
— The Phoenix Suns have waived veteran guard Tyler Johnson, who is averaging a career-high 5.7 points in 31 games this season. The 27-year-old Johnson averaged 11.1 points per game last season after coming to the Suns from Miami. He was in the final season of a four-year deal that pays about $19 million this year.
— Timberwolves co-stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell have each purchased 1,000 tickets to the team's next home game for an online giveaway. The Timberwolves announced the promotion Monday in advance of hosting Charlotte on Wednesday night. The game is expected to be Russell's first at Target Center for Minnesota since he was acquired in a trade with Golden State on Thursday.
NHL-NEWS
Oilers’ Nurse gets 2-year extension
UNDATED (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets’ playoff push has taken a hit.
Jackets star defenseman Seth Jones has been sidelined indefinitely with an ankle injury. The team says Jones was injured in Saturday night's game loss to Colorado. The three-time All-Star has six goals and 24 assists this season while leading the club in ice time. Gabriel Carlsson was recalled from Cleveland of the AHL to take Jones' place.
In other NHL news:
— Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has signed a two-year extension through the 2021-22 seasons. Nurse has been with the Edmonton organization since being taken seventh overall in the 2013 draft. He has four goals and 24 points with 44 penalty minutes in 55 games this season. Nurse set career highs last season with 10 goals, 31 assists, 41 points, 87 penalty minutes and an average time on ice of 23 minutes, 49 seconds.
— The league remains reluctant to reverse course and compete at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. This despite new assurances from Olympic officials to lift various major stumbling blocks, which also have the backing of the league’s players. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly significantly tamped down hopes of the world’s best players returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Daly described the talks as being “very preliminary” and says the NHL continues to believe the negatives outweigh the positives.
AP TOP 25 MEN’S BASKETBALL POLL
Baylor still No. 1; Michigan St. out
UNDATED (AP) — Baylor remains atop The Associated Press men's college basketball poll in a largely static week among in the top 10.
The Bears received 48 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel to stay at No. 1 for the fourth straight week. No. 2 Gonzaga had 15 first-place votes and No. 3 Kansas one. San Diego State and Louisville round out the top five and are followed by Dayton, Duke, Florida State, Maryland and Seton Hall. The Pirates are the lone newcomer in the top-10 after holding the No. 12 spot last week.
Preseason No. 1 Michigan State dropped out of the rankings from No. 16 following a three-game losing streak.
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