AP Sports Summary for January 15th, 2025:
NFL teams are conducting long, extensive searches for their next head coaches
Mike Vrabel is in New England. Mike McCarthy is out in Dallas. The NFL coaching carousel is spinning slowly. The Jets, Saints and Bears got a head start in their searches because they fired coaches during the season. The Jaguars and Raiders joined the hunt last week. The Cowboys jumped in Monday so they have to wait to interview assistants on playoff teams because the first window passed. News that Deion Sanders and owner Jerry Jones have talked about the position quickly became a hot topic. Sanders has expressed his desire to stay at the University of Colorado, but is intrigued by the possibility of wearing the star again.
Man accused of stalking Caitlin Clark proclaims himself 'guilty as charged' in 1st court appearance
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A man accused of felony stalking of Indiana Fever star and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark shouted "guilty as charged" in a courtroom on Tuesday. Fifty-five-year-old Michael Thomas Lewis is accused of repeated and continued harassment of the 22-year-old Clark. WISH-TV of Indianapolis reported that Lewis behaved "very erratically" in his first court appearance. Lewis received a no-contact order and the stay-away order sought by prosecutors that bars him from being within 500 feet of either of the two arenas where the Fever play their home games. The court filed a not guilty plea on Lewis' behalf.
Mike Tomlin doesn't feel the Steelers are stuck, but all options are on the table heading into 2025
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin believes he's still capable of leading the team back to prominence. Tomlin says he's disappointed in how Pittsburgh's season ended after they were drubbed in the opening round by the Baltimore Ravens, their third first-round exit in four years. While there will likely be changes on the coaching staff, Tomlin doesn't not think the franchise is "stuck." The Steelers will have plenty of questions to answer during the offseason, most notably at quarterback. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will be free agents in March. While Tomlin said the team is open to bringing them back, he added the Steelers will explore all options before moving forward.
Australian Open: Naomi Osaka is back in a Slam's 3rd round for the 1st time in 3 years
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Naomi Osaka is back in the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2022 and she got there with wins at the Australian Open over two women who blocked her path last year. Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen won't be repeating her surprising run to the Australian Open final after a second-round upset loss to No. 97-ranked Laura Siegemund in his first tournament for 2025. Fifth-seeded Zheng lost last year's final to Aryna Sabalenka and went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and finish runner-up at the WTA Finals in a breakout season. She had no answers for the 36-year-old Siegemund on Wednesday. Two-time defending champion Sabalenka won the last five games to overcome Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
As fires ravage Los Angeles, Tiger Woods isn't sure what will happen with Riviera tournament
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods isn't sure what's going to happen with next month's Genesis Invitational, the PGA Tour event that he hosts in the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. He's insisting there should be far bigger concerns. Woods said Tuesday night — after his debut in the TGL indoor golf league that he helped develop — that meetings about what will happen with the tournament are scheduled, but did not reveal any decisions or suggest that the event may be moved from Riviera Country Club.
Tiger Woods makes indoor golf debut and finds humor in blowout loss, noting 'how bad pros can be'
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods was the sixth and final player to emerge from the tunnel and onto the field of play for his TGL debut. No one announced his name. Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" blared and that was more than enough of an introduction for perhaps golf's greatest player ever. It's not like anyone inside SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College didn't know who Woods was. Woods joined Kevin Kisner and Max Homa of Jupiter Links Golf Club to take on the Los Angeles Golf Club of Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala in the league's second match on Tuesday night. Los Angeles won the 15-hole match in a 12-1 rout.
Canadiens' Emil Heineman is out 3-4 weeks after getting hit by a car while walking in Salt Lake City
Montreal Canadiens player Emil Heineman is expected to miss three to four weeks after being hit by a car while walking in downtown Salt Lake City a day before playing at the Utah Hockey Club. The team announced that the 23-year-old Swedish forward was out with an upper-body injury after being involved in a pedestrian accident. Salt Lake City police said officers responded at around 3 p.m. Monday and began an investigation. The Utah Highway Patrol also is looking into the accident. Police said Heineman did not show any signs of serious injuries and was being attended to by team doctors.
NCAA to dole out $1.2B to help pay for House settlement. Its president asks for Congress to step in
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Stressing his own organization's ability to pay out $1.2 billion over 10 years to help settle an industry-changing lawsuit, NCAA President Charlie Baker also urged Congress to pass legislation that could put college sports on a better path. Baker wants lawmakers to pass a bill that would make it harder to sue the organization, eliminate the possibility of players forming unions and bring the industry under the umbrella of one federal law instead of more than 30 that exist among the states.
Texans waive Diontae Johnson, who was released earlier by Ravens after refusing to enter a game
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans have waived Diontae Johnson after the beleaguered receiver played just two games for them. Johnson had one reception for 12 yards in Houston's wild-card playoff win over the Chargers on Saturday. He played four games for Baltimore after a trade from Carolina before being suspended for refusing to enter a game and then being released on Dec. 20. He has 4,726 yards receiving in a six-year career that started in Pittsburgh. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans didn't provide any details about why the Texans let him go, simply saying "it didn't work out."
Bayern Munich signs US youngster Bajung Darboe from LAFC
MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich has signed 18-year-old American attacking midfielder Bajung Darboe from LAFC. Bayern says Darboe has signed a "long-term contract" and will join the German club's reserve team. Darboe says "a big dream has come true for me" by joining Bayern. Darboe was born in Gambia and has played twice for the United States under-17 team. He has also played for the reserve teams of LAFC and the Philadelphia Union.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Oklahoma City 118 Philadelphia 102
Final Cleveland 127 Indiana 117
Final Atlanta 122 Phoenix 117
Final Milwaukee 130 Sacramento 115
Final New Orleans 119 Chicago 113
Final Denver 118 Dallas 99
Final Brooklyn 132 Portland 114
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Washington 3 Anaheim 0
Final San Jose 6 Detroit 3
Final Dallas 4 Toronto 1
Final Seattle 4 Pittsburgh 2
Final SO Columbus 3 Philadelphia 2
Final Boston 6 Tampa Bay 2
Final Ottawa 2 N-Y Islanders 0
Final SO Florida 2 New Jersey 1
Final St. Louis 2 Calgary 1
Final Winnipeg 6 Vancouver 1
Final Nashville 5 Vegas 3
Final OT Colorado 3 N-Y Rangers 2
Final Montreal 5 Utah 3
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Auburn 88 (15)Mississippi St. 66
Final (3)Duke 89 Miami 54
Final (21)Mississippi 74 (4)Alabama 64
Final Missouri 83 (5)Florida 82
Final (7)Marquette 85 DePaul 83
Final (8)Kentucky 81 (11)Texas A&M 69
Final (19)Illinois 94 Indiana 69
Final (24)Wisconsin 70 Ohio St. 68
Final Arizona 81 (25)Baylor 70
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Boston at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Chicago 8 p.m.
Dallas at New Orleans 8 p.m.
Memphis at San Antonio 8 p.m.
Orlando at Milwaukee 8 p.m.
Charlotte at Utah 9 p.m.
Houston at Denver 9 p.m.
Golden State at Minnesota 9:30 p.m.
Miami at L.A. Lakers 10 p.m.
Brooklyn at L.A. Clippers 10:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Carolina at Buffalo 6 p.m.
Edmonton at Minnesota 8:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(9)Kansas at (2)Iowa St. 7 p.m.
(23)Georgia at (6)Tennessee 8 p.m.
West Virginia at (10)Houston 8 p.m.
Penn St. at (12)Michigan St. 7:30 p.m.
(17)Purdue at Washington 9:30 p.m.
(22)Utah St. at UNLV 11 p.m.
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