Professional football
Chicago White Sox Manager Rick Renteria works his players during the first baseball practice of the restarted 2020 MLB season at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday, July 3, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Mark Black)
Column: Rolling the dice against a virus that usually wins

By Tim Dahlberg 35 minutes ago

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2020, file photo, AFC quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens smiles during Pro Bowl NFL football practice in Kissimmee, Fla. Lamar Jackson announced he will hold his annual “Funday with LJ” event in Florida amid the state's spike in coronavirus cases. Jackson's third annual event will be held Saturday and Sunday in his hometown of Pompano Beach, Florida, according to a flyer shared on his Instagram page Monday, July 6, 2020. Social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people is currently not allowed in Pompano Beach, according to the city’s website.(AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
Ravens quarterback cancels Florida event amid virus surge

an hour ago

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2020, file photo, Alabama offensive lineman Jedrick Wills runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis. The Cleveland Browns have signed rookie tackle Wills, their first-round draft pick who will try to slide over to the left side in the NFL. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Browns sign 'Bama tackle Wills, team's first-round pick

By Tom Withers 5 hrs ago

FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2007, file photo, Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan watches his team during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago. Shanahan has been elected to the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and will be inducted in 2021 because of COVID-19 precautions. Shanahan was coach from 1995-2008 after serving as a Broncos assistant from 1984-87 and 1989-91. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
Ex-coach Mike Shanahan elected to Broncos Ring of Honor

8 hrs ago

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Chiefs made sure they will have Super Bowl MVP Mahomes around as long as possible. Mahomes agreed to a 10-year extension worth $503 million, according to his agency, Steinberg Sports. The deal is worth $477 million in guarantee mechanisms and includes a no-trade clause and opt-out clauses if guarantee mechanisms are not met. It is the richest contract in professional sports history, surpassing Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Mahomes' big bet on football pays off with $503 million deal

By Michael Marot 8 hrs ago

NFL, NFLPA still haven't resolved all protocol for camps

By Rob Maaddi 9 hrs ago
The NFL and the NFLPA haven’t come to an agreement on all protocols for training camp and the preseason as the report date for teams draws closer. ...

FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2019, file photo, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson (10) warms up before an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, in Atlanta. Jackson has apologized after backlash for sharing anti-Semitic posts on social media over the weekend. “My post was definitely not intended for anybody of any race to feel any type of way, especially the Jewish community,” Jackson said in a video he posted on Instagram on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
Eagles WR DeSean Jackson apologizes for anti-Semitic post

By Rob Maaddi 13 hrs ago

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2019, file photo, Cleveland Browns defensive end Olivier Vernon fights past a block by New England Patriots offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, rear, in the second half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass. The Browns have reconstructed defensive end Olivier Vernon's contract for next season, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. Vernon's future with the Browns seemed uncertain as he was set to make $15.25 million in 2020. But the club reworked his deal and he'll earn $11 million, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not publicly disclosing the agreement.(AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
AP source: Browns restructure DE Olivier Vernon's contract

By Tom Withers 15 hrs ago

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2020, file photo, AFC quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens signs autographs for fans during Pro Bowl NFL football practice in Kissimmee, Fla. Lamar Jackson announced he will hold his annual “Funday with LJ” event in Florida amid the state's spike in coronavirus cases. Jackson's third annual event will be held Saturday and Sunday in his hometown of Pompano Beach, Florida, according to a flyer shared on his Instagram page Monday, July 6, 2020. Social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people is currently not allowed in Pompano Beach, according to the city’s website.(AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
Ravens quarterback to hold Florida social event amid virus

17 hrs ago

FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2017, file photo, former NBA player and players union deputy Roger Mason, left, listens as entertainer Ice Cube, right, announces the launch of the BIG3, a new 3-on-3 professional basketball league, in New York. Hundreds of sports-related businesses got in line for the government-funded Payroll Protection Plan designed to cushion the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the four North American major sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball — applied, but both Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League were represented. Rapper Ice Cube's 3-on-3 basketball league says it returned almost half of the $1.6 million it received, but givebacks were rare. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Sports jumps on PPP bandwagon, but big leagues take a pass

By The Associated Press Jul. 06, 2020 10:07 PM EDT

49ers sign cornerback Jamar Taylor to one-year contract

Jul. 06, 2020 07:27 PM EDT
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers signed cornerback Jamar Taylor to a one-year contract. San Francisco announced the deal...

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Chiefs have agreed to a 10-year contract extension with Super Bowl MVP Mahomes keeping him around through 2031. The Chiefs had Mahomes under contract for the next two seasons but wanted a long-term deal in place with the quarterback who led them to their first championship in 50 years. ESPN.com reported the deal is worth $450 million with an injury guarantee of $140 million. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Chiefs, Mahomes agree to 10-year, $503 million extension

By Rob Maaddi Jul. 06, 2020 05:50 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2019, file photo, Native American leaders protest against the Redskins team name outside U.S. Bank Stadium before an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins in Minneapolis. Several Native American leaders and organizations have sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calling for the league to force Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team name immediately. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, File)
Native American groups ask NFL to force Redskins name change

By Stephen Whyno Jul. 06, 2020 04:17 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2009 file photo, the Washington Redskins logo is shown on the field before the start of a preseason NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Landover, Md. The Washington Redskins are undergoing what the team calls a “thorough review” of the nickname. In a statement released Friday, July 3, 2020, the team says it has been talking to the NFL for weeks about the subject. Owner Dan Snyder says the process will include input from alumni, sponsors, the league, community and members of the organization. FedEx on Thursday called for the team to change its name, and Nike appeared to remove all Redskins gear from its online store. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Trump criticizes Redskins, Indians for weighing name changes

Jul. 06, 2020 03:40 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2019, file photo, free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick arrives for a workout for NFL football scouts and media in Riverdale, Ga. Colin Kaepernick will be featured in an exclusive docuseries produced by ESPN Films as part of a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Co. The deal between Kaepernick’s production arm, Ra Vision Media, and The Walt Disney Company was announced Monday, July 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland, File)
Kaepernick, ESPN team up for documentary series on his life

By Rob Maaddi Jul. 06, 2020 12:09 PM EDT

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 11:57 AM EDT

FILE - In a Sunday, July 28, 2019 file photo, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, left, has words with pitcherTrevor Bauer, right, as Bauer is taken out in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Francona said Sunday, July 5, 2020 that he believes the Indians need to change their name. “I think it's time to move forward,” Francona said Sunday. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley, File)
Indians manager Francona favors nickname change for club

By Tom Withers Jul. 05, 2020 01:48 PM EDT

Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy kicks the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, July 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Peter Powell,Pool)
Enhanced crowd audio adds another dimension to fanless games

By Joe Reedy Jul. 05, 2020 10:00 AM EDT

In this June 19, 2020, photo, people attend a peaceful rally in Chicago to mark Juneteenth. The holiday celebrates the day in 1865 that enslaved black people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed from bondage, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
'Lift Every Voice and Sing' hymn ignites hope across nation

By Jonathan Landrum Jr. Jul. 05, 2020 09:45 AM EDT

Atlanta Braves pitcher Cole Hamels appears to have Truist Park to himself while working from the mound during baseball practice, Friday July 3, 2020 in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Atlanta Braves give no indication of considering name change

By Charles Odum Jul. 04, 2020 02:29 PM EDT