Sports transactions
NC State hires ex-ECU head coach McNeill in advisory role

Jul. 07, 2020 12:10 PM EDT
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State has hired former East Carolina head coach and Oklahoma assistant Ruffin McNeill for an advisory role on its football...

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo watches players during team baseball practice at Chase Field, Friday, July 3, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Latest: Diamondbacks OF Kole Calhoun tests positive

By The Associated Press Jul. 06, 2020 05:39 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2019, file photo, Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher talks with his team as wide receiver Ainias Smith (17) looks on as they play Arkansas during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Arlington, Texas. Texas A&M's football program was placed on probation and Fisher given a six-month show cause order by the NCAA on Thursday, July 2, 2020, after the Aggies were found to have violated recruiting and other rules beginning in January 2018. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins, File)
Texas A&M, Jimbo Fisher handed recruiting penalties by NCAA

Jul. 02, 2020 03:15 PM EDT

FILE - In this June 16, 2019, file photo, Gary Woodland poses with the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif. The U.S. Open is returning to NBC starting this year at Winged Foot after Fox Sports has asked to end its 12-year contract with the USGA, multiple people told The Associated Press on Sunday night, June 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
USGA transfers US media rights from Fox back to NBCUniversal

By Doug Ferguson Jun. 29, 2020 12:59 PM EDT

49ers sign first-round picks Kinlaw, Aiyuk to 4-year deals

Jun. 26, 2020 06:24 PM EDT
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have signed first-round draft picks Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk to four-year deals, the team said Friday....

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020, file photo, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron holds the trophy after the team's victory over Clemson in an NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans. LSU has begun asking a number of football players to self-quarantine in the past week because of instances in which some players tested positive for COVID-19 after social interactions outside of the Tigers’ training facility. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Return of college athletes gives glimpse of back to school

By Ralph D. Russo Jun. 22, 2020 06:32 PM EDT

Football players seek changes before returning to UCLA

By Joe Reedy Jun. 20, 2020 05:38 PM EDT
LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA officials say they feel good regarding answering the concerns raised by football players about returning to campus this week. ...

Sporting's mascot lion waves from the empty stands during the Portuguese League soccer match between Sporting CP and Pacos de Ferreira at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Friday, June 12, 2020. The Portuguese League soccer matches are being played without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Antonio Cotrim/Pool via AP)
The Latest: Inter Miami tests positive for COVID 19

By The Associated Press Jun. 18, 2020 09:31 AM EDT

Ex-Arkansas football coach Bielema sues Razorback Foundation

Jun. 12, 2020 06:49 PM EDT
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Former Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema, now an assistant with the New York Giants, has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the...

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, April 9, 2020, gates stand locked outside the closed English Premier League soccer Manchester City Etihad Stadium, in Manchester, northern England. Guidance for sports bodies was published by the government on Saturday May 30, 2020, as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are being eased further, allowing Sports events to resume in England from upcoming Monday, without any spectators and providing they comply with the government's coronavirus protocols. (AP Photo/Jon Super, FILE)
The Latest: 2 Texas football players test positive for virus

By The Associated Press Jun. 10, 2020 11:37 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 2, 2019, file photo, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly walks on the field during the NCAA college football team's spring practice in South Bend, Ind. The NCAA's football oversight committee expects to finalize a plan on Thursday to allow teams to conduct up to 12 unpadded, slow-speed practices, also know as walk-throughs, during the 14 days before the typical preseason begins in August. Kelly said the extra time on the field with a ball will be valuable for teaching schemes, but not necessarily for assessing player development. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP, File)
NCAA finalizing plan for extended college football preseason

Ralph D. Russo Jun. 10, 2020 02:31 AM EDT

FILE - This is a Dec. 6, 2016, file photo showing Temple University Director of Athletics Patrick Kraft speaking during a news conference in Philadelphia. Boston College hired Temple athletic director Patrick Kraft on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, to fill the same role at the Atlantic Coast Conference school. Kraft replaces Martin Jarmond, who left BC last month after a short stint to become athletic director at UCLA. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
New Boston College AD Kraft: We will compete for ACC titles

By Jimmy Golen Jun. 08, 2020 05:29 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 7, 2020, file photo, people sit surrounded by empty seats as they wait for the start of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England. The crippling grip the coronavirus pandemic has had on the sports world has forced universities, leagues and franchises to evaluate how they might someday welcome back fans. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
The Latest: Angels to pay minor leaguers at to end of June

By The Associated Press Jun. 05, 2020 02:08 PM EDT

Brad Keselowski (2) drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Bristol, Tenn. Keselowski won the race. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Latest: 75 Penn State football players to return Monday

By The Associated Press Jun. 04, 2020 09:45 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2019, file photo, Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga poses during an NCAA college football media day in Stillwater Okla. Oklahoma State University officials said Wednesday, June 3, 2020, that three returning student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 although they were not showing symptoms. Among them is OSU linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, who said on Twitter he tested positive for the virus after he attended a protest in Tulsa. The 21-year-old Ogbongbemiga says he protected himself during the protest. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
The Latest: Detroit Pistons set to reopen practice facility

By The Associated Press Jun. 03, 2020 12:29 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, John Swofford, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, announces the cancellation of NCAA college basketball games at the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Power Five conferences spent $350,000 on lobbying in the first three months of 2020, more than they had previously spent in any full year, as part of a coordinated effort to influence Congress on legislation affecting the ability of college athletes to earn endorsement money. “In this particular case, the (Power Five) conferences are working together on this so that there’s less confusion, not more, in terms of the messaging to congressional leaders that helps explain NIL (Names, Images and Likenesses) and what the concerns are, and how it might work,” Swofford told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)
AP Exclusive: Power Five spend big on lobbying Congress

By Ben Nuckols May. 19, 2020 11:52 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 1972, file photo, UCLA quarterback Mark Harmon, left, son of former Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon, works out with coach Pepper Rodgers, right, in Los Angeles. Rodgers, a colorful personality who helped Georgia Tech to an unbeaten season as a player in 1952 and went on to coach the Yellow Jackets as well as Kansas, UCLA and in the United States Football League, died Thursday, May 14, 2020, at the age of 88. His alma mater announced his death. A statement from Georgia Tech said Rodgers died in Reston, Va. No cause was given. (AP Photo/GB, File)
Colorful player, coach Pepper Rodgers dies at age 88

By Paul Newberry May. 14, 2020 11:52 PM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2018, file photo, Stanford coach David Shaw watches during the team's NCAA college football game against California in Berkeley, Calif. The Pac-12 has discussed the possibility of moving to an 11-game, all-conference schedule this year amid the unprecedented uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, Southern California's Clay Helton says. Shaw also says he doesn't necessarily agree with NCAA President Mark Emmert's belief that college campuses should be open for college sports to resume. (AP Photo/John Hefti, File)
Pac-12 has discussed all-conference football regular season

By Greg Beacham May. 11, 2020 07:50 PM EDT

FILE - In this is an April 25, 2018, file photo, NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is viewed. College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. The cancellation of the NCAA men's basketball tournament cost schools $375 million and more losses are expected, especially if football season is disrupted in the fall. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Analysis: NCAA moves toward athlete compensation, but how?

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 30, 2020 06:12 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, the NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis. The NCAA is moving closer to permitting Division I college athletes to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship deals they can strike on their own. Recommendations for changes to NCAA rules that would permit athletes to earn money for their names, images and likeness are being reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the association's Board of Governors. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Skeptics loom as NCAA builds guardrails around compensation

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2020 06:25 PM EDT