Sports governance
FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 11, 2019 file photo, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, left, exchanges jerseys with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman after an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif. NFL teams will be prohibited from postgame interactions within 6 feet of each other, so players won’t be allowed to exchange jerseys after games as part of the guidelines to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.The restrictions are outlined in the game-day protocols finalized by the league and NFL Players Association on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
NFL players are banned from exchanging jerseys after games

By Rob Maaddi Jul. 09, 2020 02:48 PM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (19) talks with some young fans along the fence line after making a catch in drills during practice at NFL football training camp in Latrobe, Pa. The coronavirus pandemic forced the NFL to abandon, at least for 2020, the fading but still time-honored tradition of teams traveling to training camp. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
NFL's stay-at-home order means no travel for training camp

By Schuyler Dixon Jul. 08, 2020 11:20 AM EDT

FILE - In this June 27, 2020, file phohto, Chicago Red Stars' Julie Ertz, second from left, holds Casey Short, center, while other players for the team kneel during the national anthem before an NWSL Challenge Cup soccer match against the Washington Spirit at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. The National Women's Soccer League revised its anthem policy after most players knelt during the anthem before season-opening games last weekend at the Challenge Cup. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Discourse over national anthem looms for NBA, other leagues

By Schuyler Dixon Jul. 03, 2020 02:55 PM EDT

A crow sits on fencing erected around the Epsom Downs racecourse, in Epsom, England, Tuesday, June 30, 2020. The Derby annual horse race will take place behind closed doors on Saturday amid the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The Latest: Oklahoma athletics cutting $13.7M from budget

By The Associated Press Jul. 01, 2020 04:51 PM EDT

NFL awards 4 projects in helmet safety development program

By Barry Wilner Jun. 30, 2020 11:00 AM EDT
Four organizations have been awarded a total of $1.37 million by the NFL to support the creation of their helmet prototypes. As part of the...

FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2019, file photo, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick stands on the sideline during the second half of the team's NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati. The Patriots have been fined $1.1 million by the NFL for inappropriately filming the Cincinnati Bengals’ sideline during a game last season. On Sunday, June 28, 2020, the league also took away a third-round pick in the 2021 draft. “I personally have never viewed any video footage at all, anything that those production people have done, other than what’s shown on public television or something like that,” Belichick said in December. (AP Photo/Gary Landers, File)
Pats fined $1.1M, lose pick for filming game last season

By Simmi Buttar Jun. 28, 2020 09:08 PM EDT

Titans lure Birch from NFL office, add 2 other executives

Jun. 25, 2020 11:03 AM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have lured Adolpho Birch away from the NFL office to join their front office and hired two other new executives. ...

Patriots: Fans at COVID risk can skip 2020, come back in '21

By Jimmy Golen Jun. 19, 2020 04:40 PM EDT
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots are offering season ticket holders at an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection the chance to skip the 2020...

FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2019, file photo, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon (10) sets up against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C. Frequently suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon has applied to the NFL for reinstatement, a person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press, Thursday, June 18, 2020. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL does not publicly announce such moves. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
AP source: Suspended WR Gordon applies for NFL reinstatement

By Barry Wilner Jun. 18, 2020 04:55 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. Kaepernick was a second-round draft pick in 2011 who the next year led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. By 2016, he had begun kneeling on the sideline at games during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.  Soon after, he was gone from the NFL, and he has not played since. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
NFL commissioner Goodell encourages team to sign Kaepernick

By Joe Reedy Jun. 15, 2020 11:25 PM EDT

NFL free agent Antonio Brown appears at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., via video link Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Brown was granted bail on Friday after spending the night in a Florida jail. The wide receiver will have to pay a bond of $110,000, surrender his passport, wear a monitor, get mental health evaluation and pass random drug tests. He also can't have guns. Brown is accused of attacking the driver of a moving truck that carried some of his possessions from California. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool)
NFL star Antonio Brown gets probation for fight with driver

Jun. 12, 2020 04:59 PM EDT

NFL's QB coaching summit set for virtual version in 3rd year

Jun. 10, 2020 01:17 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL and the Black College Football Hall of Fame will hold a virtual version of their quarterback coaching summit, a third-year project...

FILE - In this June 1, 2020, file photo, Gavin Bollmer, left, and his buddy, Austin LaFountain, wear Globe Life Field masks as they tour the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team in Arlington, Texas. Many organizations are trying to bridge the budget gap from the coronovirus through enhanced sponsorship sales, such as temporary billboards that could be stretched over unsold sections of seats. Teams and leagues are selling branded face masks and other personal protective equipment. Almost all of them are trying to engage fans in new and creative ways. It won't come close to making up the budget shortfall, but the hope is to survive long enough for sports to return to normal. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Leagues, teams wary of rising stadium expenses amid pandemic

By Dave Skretta Jun. 09, 2020 12:53 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2019, file photo, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden claps during a combined NFL football training camp with the Rams, in Napa, Calif. Commissioner Roger Goodell told the 32 NFL clubs on Thursday, June 4, 2020, that coaching staffs are allowed to return to team facilities starting Friday. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
NFL coaches allowed to return to team facilities on Friday

By Barry Wilner Jun. 04, 2020 11:45 AM 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)
Central Michigan gets NCAA waiver for DI sports minimum

By The Associated Press Jun. 04, 2020 10:28 AM 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 01:38 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2015, file photo, Oakland Raiders' Aldon Smith cools off during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Oakland, Calif. Dallas Cowboys defensive end Smith had already been suspended from the NFL several years when his ailing grandmother implored him to change his life before she died of complications from Lou Gehrig's disease. That conversation, and her death in 2019, were catalysts for Smith trying to get a handle on issues with alcohol, getting in shape and ultimately earning reinstatement nearly five years after he was banished over multiple legal problems. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
Aldon Smith says he's better man, seeks revival with Cowboys

By Schuyler Dixon May. 29, 2020 06:39 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2019, file photo, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21), left, and Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald talk during an NFL football training camp practice at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Peterson believes the team can be among the NFL's elite this fall. Peterson is in the final year of a five-year contract and hopes to stay with the Cardinals for the remainder of his career. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Cardinals' Peterson to those who doubt him: "Wait and see"

By David Brandt May. 28, 2020 05:11 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018 file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Artie Burns reacts on the sideline after a play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla. The Chicago Bears and cornerback Artie Burns agreed to a one-year contract, agent Drew Rosenhaus said on Saturday, March 21, 2020.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
The Latest: LSU to resume voluntary workouts June 8

By The Associated Press May. 22, 2020 02:08 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2015, file photo, Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith (99) sits on the bench during the second half of the team's NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Oakland, Calif. Smith will be able to take part in team activities with the Dallas Cowboys after the NFL on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, conditionally reinstated the pass rusher from an indefinite suspension for off-field issues. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
NFL reinstates Cowboys' Aldon Smith, who last played in '15

May. 20, 2020 07:08 PM EDT