AP Sports SummaryBrief at 1:40 p.m. EST

Broncos fire rookie head coach Hackett after 4-11 start

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have fired coach Nathaniel Hackett after 15 games. Hackett never was able to get quarterback Russell Wilson out of a season-long slump. The Broncos are 4-11 and have posted their sixth straight losing season and are missing the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season. Hackett replaced Vic Fangio last January but the Broncos got worse in almost every category under the first-time head coach.

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.

Roberto Clemente remains Latino legend 50 years after death

Roberto Clemente remains one of the most revered figures in Puerto Rico and Latin America 50 years after his death. His graceful flare and powerful arm were unrivaled in his era. His humanitarian efforts off the field are perhaps his greatest legacy, though. Half a century after he played, many of today’s Latino baseball players credit him for paving the way. Clemente died at age 38 on Dec. 31, 1972, when his plane crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico as he was delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Rams, Bucs, Packers earn wins on same day in upside-down NFC

Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers led comeback wins and the Los Angeles Rams dominated Russell Wilson and the Broncos. It was a triumphant Christmas for the Buccaneers, Packers and Rams as many figured it would be when the schedule was released in May. The NFC’s top three preseason Super Bowl favorites were expected to be jockeying for playoff positioning on Sunday. Instead, the Rams are trying to avoid the most losses by a defending Super Bowl champion. The Packers need help just to make the playoffs. The Buccaneers lead the dreadful NFC South with a first-place showdown coming up against Carolina.

AP source: Jets’ White cleared by docs, will start Sunday

A person with direct knowledge of the situation says Mike White has been cleared by doctors and will start at quarterback for the New York Jets on Sunday in Seattle. White missed the Jets’ past two games while dealing with broken ribs suffered in New York’s 20-12 loss at Buffalo on Dec. 11. He has practiced on a limited basis since, but hadn’t been cleared by doctors for contact so he couldn’t play. That clearance came Monday. The person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the results of White’s examination. The New York Post first reported White had been cleared.

Chargers face Colts on rebound after historically poor games

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts revealed the unvarnished truth in their own words this week. After back-to-back historically poor performances, they described it as embarrassing. On Monday night, nine days since allowing the largest comeback in NFL history, the Colts hope to deliver a memorable rebound performance on national television. The Los Angeles Chargers understand. They started Week 16 with the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff chase. And it’s come nearly 12 months after an overtime loss in last season’s final regular-season game kept them out of the postseason.

No. 1 Purdue headlines AP Top 25; Miami leaps, UNC returns

Purdue remained atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for a third straight week. The week also included preseason No. 1 North Carolina returning to the rankings at No. 25 and New Mexico cracking the poll for the first time in eight years. The Boilermakers earned 40 of 60 first-place votes in Monday’s new poll, while fellow unbeaten Connecticut earned the other 20 to sit at No. 2 in an unchanged top. Houston, Kansas and Arizona rounded out the top five. Miami made the week’s biggest jump by climbing eight spots to No. 14.

No. 1 South Carolina women reach milestone in AP Top 25

South Carolina maintained its hold on top of The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Gamecocks have held the No. 1 spot for 27 consecutive weeks. That is the fifth longest run all-time. UConn has three of the top four streaks, including the record 51-week run from Feb. 18, 2008 to Dec. 10, 2010. Louisiana Tech has the second longest streak of 36 weeks. The top five teams remained unchanged as Stanford, Ohio State, Indiana and Notre Dame stayed behind the Gamecocks. South Carolina hosts Texas A&M on Thursday.

Buckeye defense motivated to limit big plays against Georgia

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio State defense is looking to bounce back from its last game. That was a loss to archrival Michigan in late November. The Buckeyes surrendered a handful of big plays and more than 500 yards in offense in losing its first game of the season. The Buckeyes still made the College Football Playoff and will face No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl. They know they need to correct mistakes and limit big plays to reach the national championship game Jan. 9. If they do, their opponent could be Michigan.

Protest-backing soccer star’s family kept from leaving Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A prominent former soccer player in Iran who has expressed support for anti-government protests says his wife and daughter were prevented from leaving the country. Ali Daei says their plane made an unannounced stopover Monday en route to Dubai. Daei had his own passport briefly confiscated after returning to the country earlier this year. He told Iranian media that his wife and daughter departed Tehran legally before the flight made an unannounced stop on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf, where they were prevented from traveling onward. Daei is one of several celebrities to face consequences after expressing support for the protests, which mark one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers in four decades.