HONOLULU (AP) - Honolulu Police have arrested a third man in connection with a brawl at a nightclub that left Washington offensive tackle Trent Williams unable to play in Sunday's Pro Bowl.
Williams required stitches to his head after the brawl last week at Honolulu's M Nightclub.
25-year-old John Blayne Stancil, of Waimanalo, turned himself in at the Kailua police substation on Monday night. He was booked on two counts of third-degree assault.
Police earlier arrested 40-year-old Michael Butendah, of Kaneohe, and M Nightclub part-owner Michael Miske, Jr. Both have been charged with assault. Police say Miske hit Williams over the head with what investigators say was "a dangerous instrument."
Miske is free after posting $250,000 bail. He is scheduled to make a court appearance Monday.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski has signed on as a minority owner of NASCAR team Swan Racing, and his health supplement company will sponsor the No. 30 Toyota this season.
Romanowski's Nutrition53 supplement will be the primary sponsor for 10 races this year, and will be an associate sponsor on the car driven by David Stremme in the remaining 26 events.
Romanowski was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and played in five Super Bowls during his stints with San Francisco and Denver.
He joins a NASCAR team that's been overhauled since Brandon Davis purchased the assets last year. Davis has added personnel and vowed to run the car in every race and not "start-and-park."
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Matt McGloin went Hollywood. Michael Mauti went home to Louisiana.
Miles from the campus they called home for five years, the two Penn State stars have taken different routes to prepare for their shots at the NFL.
McGloin, a quarterback, went to Los Angeles to train after the season, concentrating on throwing mechanics and footwork. The former walk-on who owns several school passing records is scheduled to play in the "Texas vs. The Nation" all-star game Saturday.
Mauti, a linebacker, has been training back in Louisiana. A stellar senior season ended early after he missed the finale with a knee injury. He said recently things were going well while training for the combine. Mauti has also tried to make a good impression after sending hand-written notes to all 32 NFL general managers
<VIDEO> Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, mom and dad to Super Bowl head coaches Jim and John are living the dream this week. On Wednesday they spoke to the media about their successful sons.
<VIDEO> Smiling, even laughing, at questions about a report linking him to a company that purports to make performance-enhancers, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said Wednesday he "never, ever took" the stuff.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Ravens coach John Harbaugh says star linebacker Ray Lewis assured him "there's nothing to" a magazine report linking him to a company that makes deer-antler spray containing a banned performance enhancer.
Harbaugh said Wednesday morning he spoke with Lewis. The coach said Lewis "knows there is nothing to it. He understands it's something he's never been involved in."
On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated reported that Lewis sought help from a company that makes the unorthodox product to speed his recovery from a torn right triceps. Lewis missed 10 games with the injury.
"He laughed about it," Harbaugh said, referring to Lewis. "He told me there's nothing to it. He's told us in the past and now that he has never taken any of it."
Baltimore plays the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday in the final game of Lewis' career.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The NFL has chosen its seven-man officiating crew for Sunday's Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.
Jerome Boger will be the referee in his first Super Bowl assignment. He has been an NFL official for nine years, and has worked four divisional playoff games.
The other officials announced Wednesday are Darrell Jenkins (umpire), Steve Stelljes (head linesman), Byron Boston (line judge), Craig Wrolstad (field judge), Joe Larrew (side judge) and Dino Paganelli (back judge).
Boger entered the league as a line judge in 2004, and was promoted to referee in 2006.
MANACOR, Spain (AP) - One week before his expected return to tennis, Rafael Nadal says his left knee still hurts.
The 26-year-old Spaniard is scheduled to play next week in Chile before heading to tournaments in Brazil and Mexico.
Speaking Wednesday on the island of Mallorca, Nadal says that although his knee is better, "sometimes it still hurts ... but I have to start sooner or later."
Nadal says playing at the three Latin American tournaments "will be very useful." He says he is "fine, enthusiastic," after not playing since losing to Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon.
<VIDEO> Ray Lewis is gearing up for what is believed to be his final NFL game, but ET's Rocsi Diaz gave him the challenge of a lifetime during Super Bowl Media Day on Tuesday.
<VIDEO> On Super Bowl media day, Raw Lewis talked about his final game, Bernard Pollard said nothing can be done to make the game safer, and Joe Flacco fielded questions about whether he's an "elite" quarterback.
lex Rodriguez denied a newspaper report that accused him of buying human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing substances from a Miami-area clinic.
<VIDEO> If Super Bowl XLVII comes down to a field goal which team would have the edge? Surprisingly it could be the Ravens and their rookie kicker Justin Tucker. 49ers veteran David Akers has had an up and down season.
<VIDEO> Last season Alex Smith led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game. This year all he can do is watch, having lost his job to Colin Kaepernick. The former number one overall pick says he's ready to help if needed on Sunday.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly says he didn't see any sign linebacker Manti Te'o was affected by the girlfriend hoax leading up to the BCS game, but says in hindsight it may have been a factor.
Kelly says Te'o didn't play his best, adding that Alabama played a role. He says Tuesday only Te'o knows how it affected him.
Also, Kelly says his interview with the Philadelphia Eagles was mainly to get more information about coaching in the NFL and his heart remains in college football. Kelly interviewed with the Eagles on Jan. 8, a day after the Irish were beaten 42-14 by Alabama in the title game.
He says he tells recruits he's committed to Notre Dame.
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
Virginia offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is leaving the Cavaliers to take an NFL job.
The university announced Lazor's departure Tuesday. A person familiar with the situation says Lazor will join Chip Kelly's new Philadelphia Eagles staff. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made by the Eagles.
Lazor's departure was first reported by CBSSports.com.
He is the fifth assistant to leave the Cavaliers' staff this offseason. Four coaches were fired Dec. 2 after Virginia finished 4-8.
Lazor, who came to Virginia in 2010, has been a quarterbacks coach with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. He also worked for the Atlanta Falcons, and interviewed after the 2011 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
<VIDEO> The Baltimore Ravens saw first-hand why the Super Bowl is unique. After a huge send off in Baltimore, the team arrived in New Orleans, and the coach and several players were surrounded by hundreds of members of the media.
<VIDEO> The NFC champion San Francisco 49ers told reporters in New Orleans that they're comfortable with their children playing the rough-and-tumble sport despite President Obama's concern for his would-be sons.
<VIDEO> The Baltimore Ravens have arrived in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. As their charter plane came to a stop on the tarmac, a purple Ravens flag was held up against the cockpit window by one of the pilots.
<VIDEO> San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh stepped to the podium, smirked a bit, and greeted his first news conference as a Super Bowl coach. "We're super happy to be here," he said Sunday night.
<VIDEO> With a team flag waving from an open window of their chartered plane, the San Francisco 49ers arrived at their first Super Bowl in 18 years on Sunday.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome says the decision to fire offensive coordinator Cam Cameron in December was orchestrated solely by coach John Harbaugh.
Cameron was dismissed the day after Baltimore lost to the Washington Redskins on Dec. 9. There had been speculation either Newsome or owner Steve Bisciotti pushed Harbaugh into making the call.
Asked Friday if that was the case, Newsome said "No!" eight times and added, "That wouldn't be fair to John."
Quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell replaced Cameron and helped rejuvenate quarterback Joe Flacco and the offense. The Ravens are heading to the Super Bowl after scoring 90 points in three playoff games.
Newsome says Harbaugh discussed firing Cameron during the ride home after the Redskins game, then solidified his decision the next day.
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) - Two Virginia Tech walk-on football players have been sentenced to community service for detonating a homemade device during a prank last month.
Joshua Trimble and Brian Rody were sentenced Thursday after a Montgomery County judge found them guilty of a reduced charge of destruction of property. Media outlets report they were ordered to perform 100 hours of community service apiece. A 30-day jail sentence was suspended.
Police said nobody was injured when the device went off near a Blacksburg apartment on Dec. 2. Trimble and Rody were suspended after their arrests.
Rody was a scout team quarterback, while Trimble was a reserve linebacker and special teams player. Both were redshirt freshman during the 2012 season.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco officials are taking tougher measures to prevent potential fan violence on Super Bowl Sunday when the 49ers battle the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans.
Police will be monitoring crowds and bars at multiple hotspots in San Francisco. More than 400 officers will be on duty, triple the number on a normal Sunday.
Mayor Ed Lee is suggesting that bars limit liquor sales or at the very least serve alcohol responsibly. But officials say the city doesn't plan to ban hard alcohol.
There will be no public viewing of the Feb. 3 game in the Civic Center similar to when the Giants clinched the World Series in October. Police back then said 36 people were arrested during postgame celebrations that got out of control.
<VIDEO> The Baltimore Ravens practiced Wednesday as they continue preparations to square off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVIII in New Orleans. Baltimore will arrive in the Big Easy on Monday.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana is suing to block the city of New Orleans from maintaining a so-called "clean zone" where the use of banners, signs and flags will be restricted during Super Bowl festivities.
The ACLU filed a federal lawsuit Thursday on behalf of an activist and a street preacher who claim the city's enforcement of a new ordinance and a code enforcement guide will trample on their free speech rights and limit their activities in the days leading up to the Feb. 3 football championship game.
The ACLU claims the city adopted the new policies at the behest of the NFL.
A federal judge didn't immediately act on the group's request for a court order barring the city from enforcing the "clean zone" limits.
NEW YORK (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers will be the first team to touch down in New Orleans for the Super Bowl when the NFC champions arrive Sunday night. The Baltimore Ravens are set to show up Monday.
The NFL on Wednesday said the 49ers are scheduled to arrive about 8:30 p.m. EST, while the Ravens come to the Big Easy about 5 p.m. on Monday.
The game is Sunday, Feb. 3.
Before last year's game in Indianapolis, the AFC champion Patriots arrived first, followed a day later by the NFC champion Giants.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - Bernard Pollard likes to talk and loves to hit.
The Baltimore Ravens strong safety is one of the chattiest players in the locker room, eager to discuss anything from NFL policy to gay marriage.
On the field, Pollard is arguably the fiercest tackler on a rugged defense with a reputation for nastiness. His affection for collision is one big reason why the Ravens beat New England 28-13 last Sunday to earn a berth in the Super Bowl.
Pollard's helmet-to-helmet smack down of Patriots running back Stevan Ridley forced a fourth-quarter fumble that proved to be turning point in Baltimore's upset victory. New England trailed by eight points with just under 13 minutes left when Pollard leveled Ridley, forcing him from the game with a technical knockout.
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Knicks have surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers as the most valuable team in the NBA, according to Forbes' annual study.
Boosted by renovations to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks' value increased 41 percent to $1.1 billion. The Lakers were second at $1 billion.
The report released Wednesday estimated the average NBA team's value at $509 million, a 30 percent increase from last year.
The Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks round out the top five.
The Milwaukee Bucks were the least valuable at $312 million. The Nets' value increased 48 percent to $530 million, ranking ninth, after their move from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
CINCINNATI (AP) - The Reds have started counting down to the 2015 All-Star game, which will be played in their own yard.
Commissioner Bud Selig awarded the All-Star game to Cincinnati on Wednesday, rewarding years of persistence by Reds owner Bob Castellini. The city hadn't hosted an All-Star game since 1988.
It'll be the fifth time that the game in played in Cincinnati, which was the stage for one of the most memorable All-Star moments. Pete Rose bowled over Indians catcher Ray Fosse to win the 1970 game at Riverfront Stadium.
The Reds have tried to get the game back since they moved into Great American Ball Park in 2003. It'll be in New York this year, followed by Minneapolis in 2014.
<VIDEO> At least 150 people attended a vigil for Joe Paterno, one year after the former Penn State football coach died. Paterno's legacy was tarnished by the sexual abuse conviction of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
<VIDEO> 20 investors from Sacramento are making an effort to buy the NBA Kings, in order to keep them in the city. The team's owners plan to sell the Kings to a group that wants to move them to Seattle.
<VIDEO> A group of investors from Seattle has reached a deal to buy the NBA's Sacramento Kings. The group hopes to move the team to Seattle, to replace the SuperSonics, who left five years ago.
<VIDEO> The Harbaugh brothers will become the first siblings to square off from opposite sidelines when their teams play for the NFL championship Feb. 3 at the New Orleans Superdome.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - Jim Caldwell will remain the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator next season.
Caldwell moved from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator on Dec. 9 after coach John Harbaugh fired Cam Cameron.
With Caldwell directing the offense, the Ravens have won three straight playoff games to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2000 season. This is the first time Caldwell has ever served as an offensive coordinator at any level.
Harbaugh made the announcement Monday, saying Caldwell will be the team's offensive coordinator "hopefully into the foreseeable future."
Harbaugh said former Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach and defensive coordinator Juan Castillo would be a consultant in the next two weeks and will serve next year as the team's running game coordinator.
<VIDEO> Top competitive surfers took on the big waves at the Northern California Mavericks. Peter Mel of Santa Cruz won and split the winnings with his competitors. GoPro cameras, mounted on the surfboards, provide an up-close look.
<VIDEO> Huge crowds filled the streets of Baltimore's Federal Hill after the Ravens defeated the New England Patriots 28-13 in the AFC Championship game. The Ravens are set to face the San Francisco 49ers in two weeks.
<VIDEO> Residents of Laie, Hawaii are expressing support for Manti Te'o. The Notre Dame football star claims he was victim of a hoax involving an imaginary dying girlfriend.
<VIDEO> CHICAGO (AP) - Lance Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, reversing more than a decade of denial.
"Yes," Armstrong said when Winfrey asked if he used a series of drugs to help his record run.
Said Armstrong: "I made my decisions. They are my mistake."
Sitting in a chair across from Winfrey, Armstrong said he could not have won the race seven times without the drugs and gave a small smile.
Armstrong was stripped of all his titles in the wake of a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report last October and banned for life from competing in triathlons and other sanctioned events. He also lost nearly all his sponsors and left the Livestrong cancer charity he founded in 1997.
PARIS (AP) - Lance Armstrong is unlikely to receive an invitation from Tour de France organizers as part of the celebrations for the 100th edition of the race this year.
As part of the festivities, all riders who managed to finish a Tour de France race have been invited for the final day, with the total number of invitations numbering about 4,000 and about 500 former riders expected to be at the finish line on the Champs-Elysees.
Tour director Christian Prudhomme says it would be "out of place" to invite Armstrong.
Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour titles and banned from competing following a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as a serial drug cheat. After years of denials, he confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) - Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has undergone surgery on his left hip and is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break. The Yankees also worked out a one-year, $7.15 million contract with Phil Hughes,a raise of $3.75 million. Hughes went 16-13 last year, two seasons after winning 18 games.
UNDATED (AP) - The Washington Nationals have agreed to send Michael Morse to Seattle as part of a three-team deal that would move catcher John Jaso (JAY'-soh) from the Mariners to the Athletics and pitcher A.J. Cole from Oakland to the Nationals. Morse hit .291 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs for the Nationals in an injury-plagued season, playing mostly as an outfielder. Jaso, 29, batted .276 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs but became expendable when Seattle signed Raul Ibanez to be its designated hitter.
<VIDEO> Tim Burke of Deadspin.com explains how he and colleagues discovered that the elaborate story of Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o's girlfriend was a hoax.
<VIDEO> Tiger Woods has reportedly offered his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, $200 million to get back together with him… And she might consider, under one expensive condition.
<VIDEO> Notre Dame says a story about Manti Te'o's girlfriend dying, which he said inspired him to play better as he helped the Fighting Irish get to the BCS title game, turned out to be a hoax apparently perpetrated against the linebacker.
Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas is returning for his senior season.
The 6-foot-6 junior told the coaching staff on Tuesday, the final day to declare for the draft.
Thomas had said before the Hokies left Blacksburg, Va., for the Russell Athletic Bowl that his decision would be "up in the air" even if the NFL draft advisory board suggested he could be a first-round draft choice. He said he didn't think he was consistent enough to be a winning NFL quarterback, and that "I love the university, I love the people here, all my friends are still here, and ... I think I need some work to do."
He says the NFL remains his goal "while college is only a five-year experience that you can't get back."
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Tampa Bay receiver Vincent Jackson has been added to the NFC Pro Bowl, replacing Detroit's Calvin Johnson, who broke the NFL's single- season record for reception yards in 2012.
The NFL made the announcement Tuesday.
Jackson led the Bucs with career bests of 72 receptions and 1,384 yards after signing with them as a free agent last winter.
Johnson had 122 receptions and broke Jerry Rice's record for receiving yards in a season with 1,964 while playing through nagging injuries most of the year.
The Lions listed Johnson on the team's final injury report with knee and ankle ailments. The receiver also said earlier in the season he had nerve damage after being hit in the head and neck area early in the season by Minnesota linebacker Chad Greenway.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - Getting back to the AFC championship was no small feat for the Baltimore Ravens, who overcame an assortment of injuries and obstacles to again move within one victory of reaching the Super Bowl.
Thirteen defensive players with starting experience were sidelined during the regular season, including standout linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, cornerback Lardarius Webb and tackle Haloti Ngata. Two dozen different players started at least one game on defense, and only two - safety Ed Reed and cornerback Cary Williams - began all 16.
After a 9-2 start, the Ravens lost four of their last five in the regular season.
Yet here they are, facing New England again Sunday in the AFC title game.
Ngata says, "I don't think a lot of people expected us to be here."
<VIDEO> Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey was "emotional at times," according to a person familiar with the situation, and it followed an apology to the staff at the Livestrong Foundation that left some of them in tears.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - The Washington Capitals are back on the ice and adjusting to new coach Adam Oates virtually on the fly.
Washington opens the season on Saturday at Tampa Bay, giving Oates just six practices and a scrimmage to install his system, which is a cross between Bruce Boudreau's up-tempo scheme and successor Dale Hunter's defensive-oriented game plan.
Winger Matt Hendricks said the Caps' first day back together since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals was like going back to school, but with a new teacher.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Larry Lewis is Virginia's new special teams and running backs coach.
Head coach Mike London says Lewis "has probably been coaching special teams for as long as anyone in college football."
A veteran of 32 seasons as a coach, Lewis was the special teams and running backs coach at Nevada last season, and the Wolf Pack averaged 271 yards rushing, seventh in the nation. Lewis replaces Jeff Banks, who joined the staff Jan. 1 and left nine days later.
Among Lewis' stops during was Washington State, where Banks was one of his players.
UNDATED (AP) - One game is a rematch. The other might feel like one - at least to one of the teams.
For the second straight year in the AFC, the New England Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
In the NFC title game, San Francisco will travel to Atlanta, with the Falcons defense trying to stop a versatile, running quarterback for the second straight week.
The 49ers also made it to the NFC title game last year, losing to the Giants. Atlanta is the only team not making a repeat appearance in the NFL's final four.
Yesterday, the Falcons barely got past Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, who overcame a 20-point deficit to take a one-point lead, but gave it up after Matt Ryan drove Atlanta into field goal range and Matt Bryant made a 49-yard kick with 8 seconds left for a 30-28 win.
Colin Kaepernick (KAP'-ur-nihk) passed for 263 yards and rushed for 181 - a playoff record for a quarterback - in San Francisco's 45-31 victory over Green Bay Saturday.
The Ravens advanced when Justin Tucker kicked a 47-yard field goal 1:42 into the second overtime Saturday, ending the NFL's longest game in 26 years and giving the Ravens a 38-35 win over the Denver Broncos. The win postponed Ray Lewis' retirement at least one more game and ended Peyton Manning's sensational comeback season with the Broncos.
New England advanced to the AFC championship when Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns yesterday to beat Houston 41-28 and become the winningest quarterback in postseason play. The Patriots' win didn't come without a cost. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was injured on the Patriots' eighth offensive play and needs surgery on his broken left arm, according to a person with knowledge of the injury. He previously missed five regular-season games and is done for the playoffs.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. started a 12-car accident at Daytona International Speedway that essentially shut down a three-day test session.
NASCAR's most popular driver tapped Marcus Ambrose as they drove across the back straightaway, lifting him "like a forklift" and turning him into the wall. Ambrose's car bounced back across the track and collected a host of others.
Two of Earnhardt's Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne, also were involved. So were defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, new teammate Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola and Regan Smith.
Kahne's car sustained significant damage.
The wreck caused several teams to pack up and leave Daytona, and ended the pack racing that NASCAR wanted to see to evaluate its redesigned cars.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The NFL players' union does not plan a formal investigation into how the Washington Redskins medical staff handled Robert Griffin III's knee injury.
The NFL Players Association said Friday that they were satisfied with a report received from the Redskins detailing the procedures used by team physician James Andrews and other staff on the sidelines.
Griffin had reconstructive ACL surgery Wednesday after reinjuring his right knee in Sunday's playoff loss to Seattle. He also strained a ligament in the knee last month against Baltimore.
The NFLPA's informal inquiry focused on the quality of medical care Griffin received. The union does not have authority to investigate coaching decisions - including whether Redskins coach Mike Shanahan should have left Griffin in either game after it was clear the quarterback was hurt.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom says he doesn't have a concussion and is ready for the start of the truncated NHL season.
Backstrom was back on the ice for an informal skate at the Capitals' facility Friday after visiting a specialist in Michigan.
The team's top center missed 40 games with a concussion last season, and there was concern he had suffered another one last month when he took a hit while playing in Russia during the lockout.
Backstrom said the specialist found "nothing serious" - mainly stiffness in the neck.
He smiled as he said: "No concussion - so we can all be calm."
The Capitals plan to open training camp Sunday, once the players have approved the new collective bargaining agreement.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - Ray Rice had a combined 318 carries and catches during the regular season, the lowest total since his rookie year in 2008.
Part of the reason is that the Baltimore Ravens relied heavily on quarterback Joe Flacco, who set a career high in yards passing. In addition, rookie Bernard Pierce logged 108 carries as Rice's backup.
Rice isn't complaining, because he's never felt better in the postseason and intends to shine Saturday in Denver.
Rice says, "I'm fresh in the playoffs. I'm healthy. This is the best I've ever felt."
He's also determined to make up for his uncharacteristic performance of a week ago, when he lost two fumbles in Baltimore's 24-9 win over Indianapolis.
Rice says, "I will continue to try to make plays, but I'll be smarter."
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Danica Patrick says she does not plan to race in this year's Indianapolis 500 because she wants to concentrate on her first full-time season in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series.
Patrick also skipped the Indy 500 last year, instead running in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. She said Thursday that she will do the same in 2013.
Speaking on the opening day of testing of NASCAR's new "Gen 6" cars at Daytona International Speedway, Patrick said that her schedule also could include some Nationwide series events, although she has not yet signed a deal with a racing team or sponsor.
CLEVELAND (AP) - Former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar says he has finally found a treatment to ease years of pain from concussions he sustained during his NFL career.
Kosar said he had more than a dozen documented concussions as a player. After more than a decade of constant headaches, insomnia and slurred speech, Kosar said he began to feel better following just a few weeks of treatments with Dr. Rick Sponaugle, who has a wellness institute in Florida. Kosar said he was skeptical about Sponaugle but he's now convinced the complex therapy, which involves nutritional supplements, works.
Kosar has spoken to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about Sponaugle's "groundbreaking" treatments. Kosar hopes to help other former players who are suffering from too many blows to the head. Sponaugle said the NFL is interested in his research.
NEW YORK (AP) - Steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa have been denied entry to baseball's Hall of Fame with voters failing to elect any candidates for only the second time in four decades.
Bonds received just 36.2 percent of the vote, Clemens 37.6 and Sosa 12.5 in totals announced Wednesday by the Hall and the Baseball Writers' Association of America. They were appearing on the ballot for the first time and have up to 14 more years to make it to Cooperstown.
Craig Biggio, 20th on the career list with 3,060 hits, topped the 37 candidates with 68.2 percent of the 569 ballots, 39 shy of the 75 percent needed. Among other first-year eligibles, Mike Piazza received 57.8 percent and Curt Schilling 38.8
Jack Morris led holdovers with 67.7 percent. He will make his final ballot appearance next year, when Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are eligible for the first time.
<VIDEO> Brooklyn Nets Forward was questioned, but not charged, in connection with a sexual assault. Andray Blatche says he was in the area, but didn't do anything.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A person familiar with the selection process tells The Associated Press that Syracuse will name defensive coordinator Scott Shafer as the Orange's next coach.
Shafer succeeds Doug Marrone, who was named head coach of the Buffalo Bills on Monday after four seasons at Syracuse. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there has not been an official announcement from the university.
Time was of the essence to find a replacement with national signing day looming.
Though the university had not made an announcement, Shafer's Wikipedia page already was updated on Monday night to say he was the coach, and his son and former players Rob Long and Antwon Bailey congratulated him on Twitter.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - Alabama rolled to its second consecutive BCS championship, and third in four seasons, beating No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 in a BCS championship game that was no classic after all.
AJ McCarron threw four touchdown passes and Eddie Lacy ran for 140 yards and scored twice for the second-ranked Crimson Tide, which scored on its first three drives and cruised from there.
Alabama (13-1) became the third team to win three national titles in four seasons since polls started being used to crown champions in 1936, and the first since Nebraska from 1994-97.
Tide coach Nick Saban now has won four national championships. Only Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant, with six, has more.
The Fighting Irish (12-1) didn't score until they were down 35-0 late in the third quarter.
<VIDEO> The Harlem Globetrotters say they hope that deprived NHL fans have taken some comfort in watching basketball on ice. The sporty entertainers strapped on custom cleats and hockey helmets for their basketball game on ice Monday in Michigan.
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - Robert Griffin III will get more tests on his injured right knee after an MRI proved inconclusive because of a previous ACL tear.
Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that the rookie quarterback will travel Tuesday to see orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations.
Griffin tore his ACL while playing at Baylor in 2009, and Shanahan said sometimes an old injury can cloud the results of an MRI.
If Griffin has torn the ACL again, he would likely require a rehabilitation period of nine to 12 months, putting his status for next season in jeopardy.
Griffin reinjured his knee twice in Sunday's playoff loss to Seattle.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - It's official: Doug Marrone is the Buffalo Bills' new coach.
The franchise released the announcement via text message on Monday. A news conference at the team's facility will follow.
Hired after going 25-25 in four seasons at Syracuse, Marrone agreed to the contract on Sunday. The 48-year-old from the Bronx takes over a week after Chan Gailey was fired following three consecutive losing seasons.
Marrone becomes the Bills' fifth coach in 12 years, and inherits a franchise that newly promoted team president Russ Brandon described as having a "tarnished" reputation.
Buffalo's 13-season playoff drought is the NFL's longest active streak, and the team has not had a winning record since 2004, when it finished 9-7.
Marrone is described as a no-nonsense disciplinarian. He has seven seasons of NFL coaching experience as an assistant.
<VIDEO> LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - The Seattle Seahawks finally won a road playoff game Sunday, taking a 24-14 NFC wild-card victory over the Washington Redskins, who lost Robert Griffin III to another knee injury in the fourth quarter.
Marshawn Lynch ran for 132 yards, and Russell Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards and ran eight times for 67 yards for the Seahawks, who broke an eight-game postseason losing streak away from home.
Seattle will visit the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.
Lynch's 27-yard run with 7:08 remaining gave the Seahawks (12-5) the lead. On Washington's next series, Griffin reinjured the right knee he sprained about a month ago while trying to field a bad shotgun snap.
The knee buckled badly, and the Seahawks recovered the fumble and kicked an insurance field goal.
Kirk Cousins replaced Griffin, but Washington (10-7) was unable to come back.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania state senator is suing the NCAA over its use of the $60 million fine that Penn State is paying for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.
The suit filed in Commonwealth Court Friday by Sen. Jake Corman comes two days after Gov. Tom Corbett filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA over the sanctions.
Corman's lawsuit says the state gives Penn State so much money every year that "it would be impossible for the payments to be derived solely from non-commonwealth funds."
Corman, whose district includes Penn State's main campus, contends Pennsylvania taxpayer money must be spent on state purposes.
An NCAA spokeswoman had no immediate comment Friday.
Sandusky was convicted in June of sexual abuse of children.
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - At the midpoint of the season, the Washington Redskins were on pace to become the worst pass defense in NFL history, the first to give up 5,000 yards through the air.
Needless to say, Jim Haslett's stock was a bit low at the time. When head coach Mike Shanahan was asked if there would be any midseason changes to his coaching staff, the defensive coordinator was at the top of the list.
Now Haslett is on another list, a possible candidate for one or more of the vacant head coaching jobs in the league. The transformation he's led in the second half of the season has been so remarkable that he's been dubbed "the mad scientist" by defensive tackle Barry Cofield.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Fifth-ranked Oregon was awarded a 1-point safety on an obscure rule against No. 7 Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota scored on a 2-yard run midway through the third quarter and the Ducks sent kicker Alejandro Maldonado out to kick the extra point.
Kansas State's Javonta Boyd blocked the kick and the ball ended up in the hands of teammate Chris Harper, who was tackled in the end zone.
After a review of the play, the officials awarded the Ducks a 1-point safety that put them up 32-10.
It was the first such 1-point safety in major college football since Texas got one against Texas A&M in 2004, STATS said.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jio Fontan scored 15 points including a pair of tiebreaking free throws with 6.9 seconds to play and USC pulled out a 71-69 victory over Stanford on Thursday night in the Pac-12 opener for both schools.
Eric Wise added 14 points for USC (6-8). Four of the Trojans' losses have come against schools that are currently among the top 20 in the nation including Minnesota, Illinois, San Diego State and New Mexico.
Fontan, who sprained his left thumb in the first half of USC's 63-61 overtime win over Dayton on Sunday, shot 5 for 12 from the field.
The Trojans finished last season with a school-record 26 losses and were 1-17 in the conference. The only victory came against Utah in the first intra-conference meeting with the Utes after the Pac-10 expanded to 12 schools.
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - The "mad scientist" has turned around the Washington Redskins defense.
The Redskins at midseason were on pace to become the worst pass defense in NFL history. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was struggling to find the right combinations with his injured-riddled roster.
In the second half, Haslett has come up with creative blitzes and coverages that opponents weren't expecting. Quarterbacks had a 95 passer rating against Washington in the first half of the season. It's been 78.2 in the second half.
Defensive tackle Barry Cofield calls Haslett a "mad scientist." Cornerback Josh Wilson says Haslett's innovations are a major reason - "if not THE reason" - the defense is playing better.
The Redskins host Seattle in the wild card playoffs Sunday.
RENTON, Wash. (AP) - Brandon Browner was back in the Seattle Seahawks' locker room Wednesday, shaking hands and sitting just a few feet from fellow cornerback Richard Sherman.
For a time last month, no one was sure whether Browner and Sherman would be around at this point of the year with each facing four-game suspensions for using a banned substance. Browner eventually dropped his appeal and sat out the last four games of the regular season, while Sherman won his appeal and had his suspension overturned.
The result is that the Seahawks will go to Washington on Sunday for the opening round of the playoffs at nearly full strength.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Florida Gators had hoped to finish second or third in the final Associated Press college football poll if they could put together an impressive victory over Louisville in the Sugar Bowl. Instead, it was the 22nd-ranked Cardinals using a dominant performance to roll past the fourth-ranked Gators 33-23 at New Orleans on Wednesday.
The Cardinals took the lead for good when Terell Floyd returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Teddy Bridgewater threw for two touchdowns and was 20-of-32 for 266 yards against a team that ranked among the nation's top three in most passing stats.
Once Jeremy Wright scored a short touchdown run to make it 14-0, it marked the first time all season Florida trailed by more than 10 points.
Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel turned the ball over three times on two interceptions and a fumble. He finished 16-of-29 for 175 yards after entering the game with just three interceptions all season.
UFA, Russia (AP) - John Gaudreau had a hat trick, Riley Barber scored twice and the United States beat the Czech Republic 7-0 to reach the semifinals of the world junior ice hockey championship on Wednesday.
The Americans will play Canada at Ufa Arena on Thursday.
Sweden awaited the winner of the other quarterfinal between Russia and Switzerland.
Gaudreau scored the lone goal of the first period when the Czechs were two men down at 11:45, and doubled the lead on a power play just 28 seconds into the second period. Ryan Hartman made it 3-0 40 seconds later.
Barber scored twice and Gaudreau, unmarked at the right, had his third goal on a power play at 39:47. JT Miller capped the scoring with a slap shot from the blue line early in the third period.
DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Russia's Nikolay Davydenko upset fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, beating his countryman 7-5, 6-3 to reach the Qatar Open quarterfinals Wednesday.
Once ranked as high as No. 3, Davydenko has struggled in recent years because of injuries. But he looked like his old self in Doha, with a consistent first serve and aggressive play to unnerve the 25th-ranked Youzhny.
Davydenko broke Youzhny to go up 6-5 in the first set, then clinched the set when Youzhny hit a forehand into the net. At 2-2 in the second, Davydenko won three straight games to take control.
UNDATED (AP) - Lonnie Pryor turned five carries into a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 13 Florida State to a 31-10 pounding of No. 16 Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl. Eighth-ranked Stanford won the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1972 as Stepfan Taylor and Kevin Hogan combined for 212 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 20-14 win over Wisconsin. And Aaron Murray passed for 427 yards and five touchdowns as sixth-ranked Georgia outscored No. 23 Nebraska 45-31 in the Capital One Bowl.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett says he plans to sue the NCAA in federal court over sanctions imposed against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.
The Republican governor has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday in State College to announce the filing in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg.
The sanctions were agreed to by the university in July. They included a $60 million fine that would be used nationally to finance child abuse prevention grants. State and federal lawmakers have raised objections to the money being spent outside Pennsylvania.
A message seeking comment on the expected lawsuit was left with the NCAA on Tuesday.
Sandusky was a Penn State assistant football coach. He was convicted of abusing boys and was sentenced to decades in prison. He maintains his innocence.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Jim Boeheim has tied Bob Knight for second on the all-time wins list for men's college basketball. Syracuse's longtime coach picked up career victory 902 with a 96-62 romp over visiting Central Connecticut State. Michael Carter scored a career-high 18 points and added 13 assists to help the seventh-ranked Orange improve to 12-2.
SHENZEN, China (AP) - Top-seeded Li Na opened her Shenzhen Open campaign with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Mandy Minella of Luxembourg on Tuesday.
Li, ranked No. 7 in the world, will take on Julia Cohen of the United States in the second round.
Eighth-seeded Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia could meet Li in the quarterfinals after beating Ying-Ying Duan of China 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.
In other second-round matches, fifth-seeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic beat Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3, Monica Niculescu of Romania beat seventh-seeded Laura Robson of Britain 6-2, 6-3, and sixth-seeded Shuai Peng of China swept past Ayumi Morita of Japan for a seventh straight time, 6-1, 6-1.
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - The Washington Redskins are back in the playoffs. That means Mike Shanahan is, too.
The seven-game winning streak that gave the Redskins the NFC East title also put their coach in the playoffs for the first time since his 2005 season with the Denver Broncos.
Shanahan's legacy was on the wane less than two months ago, when he was 14-27 after roughly 2 1/2 seasons in Washington. His two Super Bowl titles with the Broncos came back in the 1990s.
As it turns out, he still knows what he's doing.
Shanahan said Monday that "people forget very quickly what you've done" and that he's proud of this year's team for overcoming the adversity of a 3-6 start.
