AP Sports SummaryBrief at 1:53 p.m. EST

Bills’ Hamlin breathing on his own, joins team via video

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s agent says the player is breathing on his own and able to talk after having his breathing tube removed. It comes four days after he went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field. Hamlin also joined the team’s morning meeting by videoconference. Agent Ira Turner was unable to provide any other details in a text sent to The Associated Press. The development was first reported by The Athletic. The 24-year-old Hamlin was listed Thursday in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

NFL owners approve playoff plan after Bills-Bengals canceled

NFL owners have approved a resolution that could lead to a neutral site for the AFC championship in response to the cancellation of Monday night’s Bills-Bengals game after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. NFL teams held a special meeting to consider the recommendation of Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s competition committee. Hamlin is breathing on his own and able to talk after having his breathing tube removed, his agent said. It’s the latest step in his remarkable recovery in the four days since going into cardiac arrest during the game at Cincinnati. Hamlin even joined the Bills’ team meeting via videoconference.

Shiffrin focusing on the process as she nears Vonn’s record

It’s never been just about wins for Mikaela Shiffrin. Not when she didn’t win any of her five individual races at last year’s Beijing Olympics. And not during her current five-race winning streak. Even when her next victory will tie her with Lindsey Vonn for the women’s World Cup record at 82 wins apiece. U.S. ski team women’s head coach Paul Kristofic says Shiffrin is “a great process-oriented person” and that records are “not really the motivating factor every day when she goes to race.” Shiffrin has a chance to both match and surpass Vonn’s mark this weekend at two giant slaloms Saturday and Sunday in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

Cristiano Ronaldo experiences surreal start in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The palm trees lining the desert roads leading out of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport were wet with rain drops when Cristiano Ronaldo arrived this week in Saudi Arabia’s capital city. The surprising weather greeted the soccer great’s shocking move to the Middle East. It’s a surreal start for Ronaldo as he takes the next step of his storied career in a league few know much about. The wet and chilly weather has been so severe that his new team was forced to postpone its Saudi league match against Al Ta’ee on Thursday because rain had impacted the electric system at the club’s home stadium. He was then left out of the squad for the rescheduled match.

Browns send Jadeveon Clowney home after critical comments

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was sent home Friday and will not practice after he made critical comments about the team. The Browns will play their season finale Sunday in Pittsburgh, and Clowney will not make the trip. Coach Kevin Stefanski will address the media following practice. Clowney is in his second season with the Browns. He said in an interview Thursday with cleveland.com that he didn’t feel appreciated and was “95% sure” he wasn’t coming back for a third season. Clowney also said the Browns are giving Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett preferential treatment and were focused only on getting him to the Hall of Fame.

Family ties have long run strong in the ranks of NFL coaches

Luke Steckel is finishing his 10th season working with the Tennessee Titans, the very same NFL team his father worked for once. That connection didn’t get Luke Steckel into the NFL. That credit goes to a college friend. The potential downside of football as a family business lurks in the issue of nepotism. Fathers hiring sons or recommending them to friends can unwittingly perpetuate the sport’s long struggle with consistently placing coaches of color in the top roles. The NFL’s annual diversity and inclusion report acknowledged the issue as recently as 2020. That cited internal league research that 63 NFL coaches were related either biologically or through marriage.

Sophia Smith named US Soccer Female Player of the Year

Forward Sophia Smith has been named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year after leading the national team with 11 goals and starting in a team-high 17 matches. The 22-year-old Smith is the youngest player to win the award since Mia Hamm won it at age 22 in 1994. Smith is also the youngest player to lead the United States in scoring since Hamm had 10 goals in 1993.

Djokovic advances to face Medvedev in Adelaide semis

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 at the Adelaide International to set up a semifinal with Daniil Medvedev. The combined ATP-WTA event is a warmup for this year’s Australian Open which the top-seeded Djokovic missed last year after being barred from the country because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Medvedev defeated fellow Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-3. The Russian was the runner-up last year to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open. World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka was the first woman through to the semifinals after beating Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 7-5.

Gianluca Vialli, former Italy striker, dies at 58

Former Italy striker Gianluca Vialli has died. Vialli helped both Sampdoria and Juventus win Serie A and European trophies before becoming a player-manager at Chelsea. He was 58. The Italian soccer federation confirmed Vialli’s death. Vialli announced in 2018 that he had overcome a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer but then said in December 2021 that the disease had returned. With his condition worsening, Vialli announced in mid-December that he was temporarily stepping down from his role as the delegation chief for Italy’s national team. Vialli played for Italy’s national team from 1985-1992, making 59 appearances and scoring 16 goals.

WWW’s Vince McMahon is back after misconduct investigation

Vince McMahon is rejoining the board of WWE several months after he retired from the sports entertainment company during an investigation into alleged misconduct. Shares surged more than 22% Friday. WWE said Friday that McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, would return as executive chairman. It also announced a board shakeup. McMahon retired as WWE’s chairman and CEO in July. He had stepped down temporarily from the posts a month earlier. The Wall Street Journal reported over the summer that McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million over the past 16 years to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity. The company said that it would be looking at “all strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value.”