EDDIE PELLS
FILE 0 Muhammad Ali visits the film set of "The Dirty Dozen" with, from left, Jim Brown, Rahaman Ali, Clint Walker at Morkyate, Bedfordshire, England, Aug. 5, 1966. NFL legend, actor and social activist Jim Brown passed away peacefully in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night, May 18, 2023, with his wife, Monique, by his side, according to a spokeswoman for Brown's family. He was 87. (AP Photo/File)
NFL great Jim Brown sought solutions in a lifetime devoted to activism

By Eddie Pells May. 20, 2023 08:00 AM EDT
Jim Brown's legs, ever-churning and sturdy as tree trunks, helped propel him to fame

FILE - Garrett Scantling, of the United States, makes an attempt in the shot put competition in the men's heptathlon at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, on March 18, 2022. Scantling, the U.S. decathlon champion, will miss the Paris Olympics due to a ban imposed after he falsified an email in trying to cover up a missed doping test. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, that the 29-year-old, who won national championships earlier this year, had accepted a three-year ban retroactive to June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
US decathlon champ out for Paris after missed doping tests

By Eddie Pells Nov. 18, 2022 03:18 PM EST
U.S. decathlon champion Garrett Scantling will miss the Paris Olympics due to a ban

FILE - Swimmers compete during the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha, Neb., on June 20, 2021. USA Swimming has added technology to its abuse-reporting systems that will allow better communication between investigators and reporters who want to remain anonymous. On Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, the organization announced a deal with RealResponse, which is international Safe Sport Day. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
USA Swimming cuts deal to simplify anonymous abuse reporting

By Eddie Pells Aug. 08, 2022 11:01 AM EDT
DENVER (AP) — USA Swimming has added technology to its abuse-reporting systems that

Devon Allen, of the United States, leaves the track after getting disqualify in the 110 mens hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
EXPLAINER: Was Devon Allen too fast for his own good?

By Eddie Pells Jul. 18, 2022 03:33 PM EDT
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Hurdler Devon Allen did not jump before the starting gun. He got

Arizona guard Dalen Terry (4) celebrates while cutting the net after an NCAA college basketball game against California, Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona won the Pac-12 Conference Championship. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Hoop hype: March Madness brackets get America talking again

By Eddie Pells Mar. 15, 2022 10:59 AM EDT
Wagering on all those parlays and long shots on the betting app — fun.

Los Angeles Chargers middle linebacker Drue Tranquill walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Houston. The Texans won 41-29. (AP Photo/Justin Rex)
What are we watching? COVID puts fairness, quality in limbo

By Eddie Pells Dec. 29, 2021 12:17 PM EST
There's a term for the sort of NFL contest that went down Monday night between Miami

Former professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist Spencer Haywood shows an American Basketball Association glass ball with himself and his teammates depicted at his Las Vegas home Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Fights, drugs, racial tension: '70s spelled trouble for NBA

By Eddie Pells Dec. 16, 2021 02:19 AM EST
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Even the biggest games were on tape-delay. Anyone who sat through

FILE -Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, in Landover, Md. Over the past 100 years, around 110 men and a handful of women have owned controlling portions of NFL teams. Of that select group, all but two have been white. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)
Pipeline: Cascade of white owners has slowed NFL change

By Eddie Pells Dec. 03, 2021 11:26 AM EST
Over the past 100 years, around 110 people have owned controlling portions of

FILE - In this Aug. 11, 2019, file photo, a cellphone is used in New Orleans. A former college basketball player has founded a company called RealResponse, which provides customers, mainly universities and large sports organizations, technology to give athletes and employees a chance to initiate real-time, anonymous complaints by sending a simple text. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
New technology offers anonymous way to report abuse, doping

By Eddie Pells Oct. 18, 2021 02:33 AM EDT
A college basketball player hatched the idea after seeing a discrimination case

Team USA's Daniel Berger chips to a practice green during a practice day at the Ryder Cup at the Whistling Straits Golf Course Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Sheboygan, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Fitzpatrick hopes for better start, more action at Ryder Cup

By Eddie Pells Sep. 23, 2021 08:04 PM EDT
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick's Ryder Cup debut wasn't great.

Baylor head coach Scott Drew reacts during the first half of the championship game against Gonzaga in the men's Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 5, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Baylor beatdown: Bears win title, hang 86-70 loss on Gonzaga

By Eddie Pells Apr. 05, 2021 11:40 PM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Heck, everyone’s entitled to an off night. But that

Hartford's D.J. Mitchell (2) is treated on the bench after being injured during the first half of a college basketball game against Baylor in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Friday, March 19, 2021, in Indianapolis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Baylor finds its touch, rolls to 79-55 victory over Hartford

By Eddie Pells Mar. 19, 2021 05:46 PM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — After MaCio Teague and the Baylor Bears got comfortable in

Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady speak during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Chiefs lose composure and see red amid a sea of yellow

By Eddie Pells Feb. 07, 2021 10:26 PM EST
Offsides. Unnecessary roughness. Unsportsmanlike conduct. Pass interference.

FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2021, file photo, workers sculpt the Lombardi Trophy out of sand outside of Raymond James Stadium ahead of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla. The city is hosting Sunday's Super Bowl football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
The biggest win: In 2020, NFL found ways to play every game

By Eddie Pells Feb. 07, 2021 12:08 PM EST
More than the youth of Patrick Mahomes or the agelessness of Tom Brady, the

FILE - Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton manning talks prior to an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans in Denver, in this Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, file photo. More than two decades ago Charles Woodson beat out Peyton Manning for a prestigious college award. Something called the Heisman Trophy. On Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, they likely will share an even more impressive football honor: entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
Game changers: Manning, Woodson, Megatron headed to Hall

By Eddie Pells Feb. 06, 2021 10:52 PM EST
Though others have eclipsed him in some sections of the record book, Peyton

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady reacts after winning the NFC championship NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. The Buccaneers defeated the Packers 31-26 to advance to the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Old (Brady), young (Mahomes), different Super Bowl 55 awaits

By Eddie Pells Jan. 24, 2021 10:22 PM EST
For Tom Brady, another trip to the Super Bowl — but this time, in a Tampa Bay

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2019, file photo, rain drops are seen on the NFL logo on padding of a goal post at an NFL stadium. An NFL and players union-run fund that helps ailing retired players shut down its application process for nearly six months because of the coronavirus. That has irritated retirees who complained the league devoted resources toward safely starting the 2020 season on time but not to their medical needs. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
AP Exclusive: Disabled NFL retirees slam benefits plan delay

By Eddie Pells Sep. 11, 2020 04:47 PM EDT
An NFL and players union-run fund that helps ailing retired players shut down

Men from Milwaukee wear "We're WI Men" T-shirts as they attend the March on Washington, Friday Aug. 28, 2020, in Washington, on the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Athlete power: ‘Shut up and play' is tossed from the game

By Eddie Pells Aug. 29, 2020 12:51 PM EDT
With every get-out-the-vote campaign, every shutdown of a major sport, every

En esta imagen de archivo, tomada el 2 de abril de 2020, un hombre con una mascarilla pasa por delante del logo de los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio 2020, en Tokio. (AP Foto/Eugene Hoshiko, archivo)
Study: Olympians should push for collective bargaining

By Eddie Pells Apr. 23, 2020 08:17 AM EDT
A study of the worldwide Olympic bureaucracy's finances concludes there's far

FILE - In this March 26, 2020, file photo, Daniel Clemens looks into the empty ballpark at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Clemens, a season ticket holder, had tickets for the opening day baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers. With no games being played, recent sports headlines have centered around hopes and dreams — namely, the uncharted path leagues and teams must navigate to return to competition in the wake of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Sports leagues seek return to play but with no guarantees

By Eddie Pells Apr. 19, 2020 01:02 PM EDT
With no games being played, recent sports headlines have centered around hopes