AP National Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio says it was his decision to fire head coach David Culley after just one season. During a news conference Friday, Caserio cited differences in opinion with Culley about the organization’s path forward. The Texans announced the firings of Culley and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly on Thursday

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Claude Julien has been named coach of Canada’s men’s hockey team for the Beijing Olympics on Friday, and Shane Doan has been named general manager. Doan and Julien replace St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong and Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, who vacated their positions on the national team when the NHL

The Associated Press Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the Brady-led New England Patriots 17 years ago. The quest begins Sunday in an NFC wild-card round matchup at home against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. The teams are meeting

By The Associated Press The Toronto Maple Leafs have added three more players to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol as an outbreak on the team that started in December continues to drag on. The Leafs announced Friday that forwards Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie and defenseman Justin Holl have been added to the list. Toronto lost

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer Short track speedskating is already thrilling with its high-speed crashes and elbows flying. Now, there’s a new event adding to the chaos with its Olympic debut in Beijing. The 2,000-meter mixed team relay features a maximum of 12 teams with four skaters each battling it out over 18 laps.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum is skipping his senior season and entering the NFL draft. The consensus All-American was the Big Ten’s offensive lineman of the year and received the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center. He also was a finalist for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy. Linderbaum started

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer Freshman Jabari Smith and four transfers have helped turn Auburn into one of the nation’s hottest college basketball teams. Led by the potential No.  1 NBA draft pick Smith and four other newcomers, Pearl’s fourth-ranked Tigers have been rapidly ascending the rankings during a 12-game winning streak that’s tied

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut state lawmaker says she plans to introduce legislation requiring all hockey players to wear a neck guard or a similar protective device during practice or games. The proposed legislation follows the death last week of a 10th-grade player, 16-year-old Benjamin Edward “Teddy” Balkind, whose neck was cut by a

By The Associated Press Daniel Carlson’s latest clutch field goal for the Las Vegas Raiders earned him some fans from across the country. Carlson’s overtime winner from 47 yards on Sunday gave the Raiders a 35-32 win over the Chargers and clinched a playoff berth for the Pittsburgh Steelers by avoiding a tie. Steelers fans

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer The Netherlands typically dominates speedskating at the Winter Olympics. After all, it is the small country’s national sport. The Dutch won seven golds and 16 medals overall four years ago. But time the medals figure to be more evenly spread around. Host China, Japan, Canada, the Russian Olympic Committee

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Morocco has qualified for the knockout stages at the African Cup with a 2-0 win over debutant Comoros. Morocco joins host Cameroon as the first two teams through. Morocco’s goals came from Selim Amallah early in the first half and substitute Zakaria Aboukhlal a minute before the end of the game.

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips says now is not the time for College Football Playoff expansion. Phillips told reporters on a conference call that with the NCAA about to embark on a transformation of Division I, CFP expansion should not be the priority. He also cited

PHOENIX (AP) — Colorado midfielder Cole Bassett has left U.S. training camp following a report he has a deal to be loaned to the Dutch club Feyenoord. Voetbal International, a Dutch soccer magazine, reported Feyenoord is acquiring Bassett on a 1 1/2-season loan. A 20-year-old from Littleton, Colorado, Bassett made his Major League Soccer debut

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — 2021 NFL All-Pro Team Roster

By ROB HARRIS AP Sports Writer Three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray has rejected lucrative approaches to play exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia due to human rights concerns. The revelation on Friday came from Murray’s agent in the week when the Spanish Football Federation has faced criticism from human rights activists for taking its Super

PARIS (AP) — A 20-year-old Frenchman has died at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia when his vehicle was involved in a collision with a local truck. Quentin Lavallée was a mechanic for the PH Sport team. Organizers say he was driving an assistance vehicle when the accident occurred at 11:30 a.m. local time. They

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — 2021 NFL All-Pro Team Voting