SPORTS HEADLINES

Heat suspend Jimmy Butler for 7 games and will seek to trade him

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games and say they will seek to trade him. The Heat say the suspension was for “conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.” The team made the move one day after Butler said in a postgame press conference that he does not believe he can be happy playing in Miami going forward. The Heat say Butler “has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team.” Butler was Miami’s best player for five years and the leader of a team that went to the NBA Finals twice.

Jets interview former Titans coach Mike Vrabel for their head coaching job

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel for their head coaching vacancy. Vrabel is the second known coaching candidate to meet with the Jets, who spoke to former Washington and Carolina coach Ron Rivera on Thursday. The 49-year-old Vrabel served in a consultant role with Cleveland this season, but his contract expired earlier this week. The one-time All-Pro linebacker helped New England win three Super Bowl titles and was 56-48 in six seasons as coach of the Titans, including 2-3 in the postseason. He was fired by Tennessee after a 6-11 finish last season.

Dolphins’ Tagovailoa ‘unlikely’ to play Sunday against Jets, Huntley in line for 2nd straight start

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to miss his second straight game when the Dolphins travel to face the New York Jets on Sunday, coach Mike McDaniel said. Backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley is again in line to start after leading Miami to a win in Tagovailoa’s place last week. Tagovailoa is still dealing with a right hip injury that he sustained at Houston on Dec. 15 and aggravated on a hit against San Francisco the next week. The Dolphins are still in the hunt for the last AFC wild-card spot. Miami needs to win Sunday and have Denver lose to Kansas City.

College football turns upside down, but this final four is a collection of the sport’s big programs

In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the teams seeded 5-8 all won. In the second round, they all won again. The moral of this story: Who knows, other than something doesn’t totally add up when not a single one of the top four teams, all of which received byes, advances into college football’s final four. The semifinals are set: Next Thursday in the Orange Bowl, it will be No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame. Then, Friday in the Cotton Bowl, it will be No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State.

PGA Tour contemplating changes to Tour Championship, AP sources say

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan told his staff that everything is on the table. That includes the format for the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship. Two officials at the PGA Tour say they are contemplating another change to the format to decide the $25 million winner of the FedEx Cup. Among the ideas are creating seeds and a bracket nearer the conclusion. That could involve medal matches so all 18 holes are played. One official directly involved says there are a number of formats being considered. Any change would require approval by the PGA Tour board. The Tour Championship currently begins with the FedEx Cup leader at 10 under par.

Charlie Morton agrees to a 1-year, $15 million deal with the Orioles

BALTIMORE (AP) — Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton and the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract. The 41-year-old Morton was the hero of Game 7 of the 2017 World Series with the Houston Astros. He will try to fill a hole in Baltimore’s rotation. It will be Morton’s 18th major league season. The Orioles also signed 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano of Japan this offseason to a $13 million, one-year deal. Baltimore lost its ace from 2024 in Corbin Burnes, who signed a $210 million contract with Arizona last month. Morton has a career record of 138-123. He pitched 165 1/3 innings for the Braves last year, posting a 4.19 ERA.

CFP head tells ESPN that Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl won’t swap kickoff times, dates

The College Football Playoff won’t swap kickoff dates and times for the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl to give Notre Dame more time between games. Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey had asked the CFP if it would be possible to switch up the schedule because Notre Dame will have a shorter turnaround than Penn State heading into next Thursday’s Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish’s quarterfinal game in New Orleans was postponed by one day because of a deadly terror attack. CFP executive director Rich Clark told ESPN that they won’t flip the games.

Rugby star Ilona Maher eyes Bristol debut as ticket sales break club record

BRISTOL, England (AP) — Ticket sales have broken a record ahead of U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher making her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team. The Olympic bronze medalist won’t be in the starting lineup, however, when the Bears face defending champion Gloucester-Hartpury on Sunday in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match switched from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate to satisfy demand for seats. Bristol’s matchday lineup announced on Friday includes the 28-year-old Maher on the bench — the American only returned to England on New Year’s Day. Close to 8,000 fans are expected Sunday, blowing away the previous record for a Bristol women’s home match of 4,101 against Harlequins in 2022.

On Football: Baker Mayfield’s success in Tampa Bay has turned him into a coach-builder

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa Bay and became a coach-builder in the process. Mayfield’s success with the Buccaneers in 2023 helped Dave Canales become head coach of the Carolina Panthers after just one season as an offensive coordinator. Mayfield has played even better under Liam Coen, who will be among the top candidates for coaching vacancies this offseason. The Buccaneers need a victory over the Saints on Sunday to clinch their fourth straight NFC South title. At some point, Coen will get an opportunity to interview with other teams. The Jets, Saints and Bears are looking for new coaches with more openings to come next week.

CFP semifinals by the numbers: All four teams are members of the exclusive 900-win club

The College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams to get some new blood. The final four are decidedly blueblood. The semifinals match Penn State against Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 and Texas against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. All four teams are among the eight programs with at least 900 all-time victories. Ohio State ranks second with 976 wins, Notre Dame and Texas are tied for fourth with 961 and Penn State is seventh with 943.

Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Click here to read the full article