AP Sports SummaryBrief at 3:28 p.m. EST

Ex-Navy SEAL makes big impression on Buffalo football team

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) — Damian Jackson followed two tours of duty with the Navy SEALs by turning to football. He sees it as a potential career even though he never played the sport growing up. The 30-year-old University at Buffalo defensive end is set to play the final game of his college career on Tuesday, when the Bulls face Georgia Southern in the Camellia Bowl. Jackson is looking ahead to attracting NFL attention as a special teams player. He’s already earned the respect from Buffalo teammates and coaches for his humility and how Jackson has led by example.

Trevor Bauer reinstated by MLB’s independent arbitrator

NEW YORK (AP) — Trevor Bauer has been reinstated by Major League Baseball’s independent arbitrator, allowing the pitcher to resume his career at the start of the 2023 season. The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was given an unprecedented two-season suspension without pay by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on April 29. The suspension was for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy after a San Diego woman said Bauer beat and sexually abused her last year. Bauer denied the accusation. Major League Baseball said arbitrator Martin Scheinman upheld a 194-game suspension but reinstated Bauer immediately. The suspension will cost Bauer more than $37 million in salary.

QB C.J. Stroud is still defining his legacy at Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — C.J. Stroud is 21-3 as the starting quarterback at No. 4 Ohio State. The junior is a two-time offensive player of the year in the Big Ten and he’s been a Heisman Trophy finalist the past two seasons. But the Buckeyes have also failed to win the Big Ten the past two years. Stroud and his teammates get a chance to write a storybook ending: Ohio State will play top-ranked Georgia in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Dec. 31 for a berth in the national championship game. Stroud is already a top NFL prospect. It’s just a matter of when.

Column: No slapping, please, at the 2022 Newby Awards

As the world reclaimed a bit of normalcy in 2022, the Newby Awards were hoping to produce an awards show featuring all the elegance and decorum that were our imaginary hallmarks in the pre-COVID era. Then Will Smith smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars. Just like that, everything changed. We’ve had to beef up our make-believe security team and rearrange the seating charts. If only we had actual tables. Not to worry. We give you the 10th annual Newby Awards, a look at everything from the wacky to the inspiring to the infuriating in the world of sports.

England World Cup winner George Cohen dies at 83

LONDON (AP) — The English Football Association says World Cup winner George Cohen has died. He was 83. Cohen played on England’s World Cup-winning team in 1966. The right back played every minute of the victorious campaign on home soil. He made 37 appearances for his national team. A cause of death was not announced. The defender played his entire club career for Fulham. He made 459 appearances for the team between 1956 and 1969. He retired from playing at 29 after a serious knee injury. He was the vice-captain for England when the team beat West Germany 4-2 in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

AP source: Conklin, Browns agree on 4-year, $60 million deal

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells AP that right tackle Jack Conklin has agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract extension with the Cleveland Browns. Conklin was in the final year of a three-year, $42 million deal he signed in 2020. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the new deal. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, first told ESPN about the extension. Conklin bounced back this season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in 2021. The 28-year-old pushed himself during rehab to get back and has started 12 games after sitting out the first two weeks.

Packers sign OL Elgton Jenkins to 4-year contract extension

Green Bay’s Elgton Jenkins has signed a contract extension that assures the Packers won’t lose one of the NFL’s most versatile offensive linemen to free agency. The Packers didn’t reveal terms when announcing the deal Friday. A person familiar with the situation says Jenkins received a four-year extension with a base value of $68 million.  It could go up to $74 million.  Jenkins’ contract was set to expire at the end of the season. The 2020 Pro Bowl selection has started multiple games at every position on the offensive line other than right guard.

Sports unraveled, collided with politics, racism in 2022

Hardly a day passed in 2022 when a headline that ran across the ticker on ESPN wouldn’t have been out of place on CNN or Fox Business. There was the saga of basketball player Brittney Griner, Russia’s invasion and war on Ukraine and the struggle over transgender athletes among other topics that laid bare the intersection between sports and real life. There were also toxic workplace environments in the NBA and NFL, alleged sexual misconduct by an NFL player, countries using sports to cover up their perceived sins, a cryptocurrency influx and crash and the COVID-19 pandemic. Simply, sports offered another window into the world.

EXPLAINER: Why are baseball teams spending so much money?

It has been an epic holiday season already for several major league teams and players a year after baseball trudged through an ugly labor dispute. Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa and Trea Turner combined for almost $1 billion in player contracts. Xander Bogaerts, Jacob deGrom, Dansby Swanson, Carlos Rodón, Brandon Nimmo and Willson Contreras added up to another billion. Major League Baseball’s March labor deal with the players’ union is a major engine behind the spending, along with a deep group of free agent options.

Devon’s Journey: Gales takes unique path after tragic injury

JEFFERSON, Ga. (AP) — Devon Gales was paralyzed during a game against Georgia back in 2015. Now, the former Southern University receiver is attending the school he was facing that fateful day. Gales moved to the state after his injury, taken in by a Georgia fan base that helped build a large, accessible home for Gales and his family not far from the school’s Athens campus. When Gales decided to resume his college studies, he was accepted into Georgia ahead of the fall semester in 2021. Now, he’s working toward a communications degree as a Georgia Bulldog.