AP Sports SummaryBrief at 2:59 p.m. EST

Review: Tagovailoa didn’t show concussion signs vs. Packers

NEW YORK (AP) — A review by the NFL and the league’s players association has determined Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t need to go into concussion protocol during the team’s game against Green Bay because he wasn’t showing signs of a head injury at the time. A joint statement released Saturday said Tagovailoa didn’t report symptoms of a concussion until a day after his team’s Christmas Day loss to the Packers, “at which time the team medical personnel appropriately evaluated and placed Mr. Tagovailoa in the concussion protocol.” Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Sunday’s game at New England after suffering the concussion against Green Bay.

No. 22 Xavier hands No. 2 UConn its first loss, 83-73

CINCINNATI (AP) — Zach Freemantle scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Colby Jones also scored 16, helping No. 22 Xavier hand No. 2 UConn its first loss, 83-73. Jack Nunge started the game for Xavier despite an illness but scored 15 points, and Jerome Hunter also had 15. Adama Sanogo led UConn with 18 points. Andre Jackson Jr. scored 14 points and Jordan Hawkins had 11 for the Huskies. Xavier has three losses by a combined 13 points to Indiana, Duke, Gonzaga. UConn was off to its best start since beginning the 1998 season 19-0 and going on to win its first NCAA championship.

BYU offensive lineman Veikoso dies in construction accident

HONOLULU (AP) — Brigham Young University offensive lineman Sione Veikoso has been killed in a construction accident in his hometown in Hawaii. His family confirmed that the 22-year-old died Friday after a retaining wall he was helping repair during holiday break from school collapsed. The Honolulu Fire Department reported that three others were injured when the rock wall partially fell behind a home in Kailua. Veikoso had completed his first season at Brigham Young, where he transferred after one year at Arizona State, while retaining four years of football eligibility.

Mind-bending memes capture vibe of TCU’s chaotic season

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — TCU’s surprising run to the College Football Playoff has been punctuated by mind-bending celebratory memes that have become social media sensations. The man behind the memes is Jon Petrie, a recent graduate of the University of Maine and aspiring filmmaker. His official title is coordinator of creative video for TCU and his main job is shooting an online docuseries about this Horned Frogs’ season. The memes started about halfway through the season after TCU beat Oklahoma State. They captured a chaotic season for the Frogs, filled with close game. Petrie said the fast-paced posts can seem absurd, but he was confident they would be a hit.

Rashford wakes up United; Man City held by Everton in EPL

LONDON (AP) — After sleeping in late Marcus Rashford has helped Manchester United to come awake in the Premier League. But Manchester City couldn’t find a similar spark on Saturday as its title defense took another stumble despite Erling Haaland scoring yet again. Rashford was dropped to the bench after being late for a team meeting but responded by coming on to score the only goal in United’s 1-0 win at Wolverhampton. United moved into the top four for the first time this season. Another goal from Haaland wasn’t enough to prevent second-place Man City from dropping more points as the defending champions were held 1-1 by Everton. Arsenal can stretch its lead to seven points when it plays at Brighton later.

NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ rolls with new broadcast crew

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” featured new faces in the booth and production truck before the season started, the broadcasts continue to deliver at a high level. “Sunday Night Football” is on pace to be prime time’s top show for the 12th consecutive year. Cris Collinsworth, NBC’s top analyst since 2009, remained in his role while Mike Tirico took over play-by-play after Al Michaels left. Melissa Stark became sideline reporter after Michele Tafoya moved on. Through last Sunday’s overtime game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals, the broadcast is averaging 19.8 million viewers, a 2% increase over last season. The season already had four games flexed, which tied 2018 for the most before the final week.

Ronaldo Saudi move to signal likely end of elite club career

Less than two weeks after his great rival Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo has completed a move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr and likely signalled the end of his career in elite club soccer. In agreeing a contract until 2025, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has ended speculation about his future after having his contract terminated by Manchester United last month. Ronaldo says, “I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia.” Al Nassr described the deal as “history in the making.”

Brazil mourns Pelé, who made every part of the country proud

Bocaina de Minas, BRAZIL (AP) — With Pelé’s death, Brazilians have lost a piece of their hearts. Down a dirt road in the mountains of Minas Gerais, Pelé’s home state, Jorge Tavares received the news of the soccer star’s death from a 4 a.m. newscast. As a boy, Tavares and his cousins listened to Pelé’s World Cup games on the radio. His dazzling performance inspired them to play a game they had never seen, first using a ball made of socks and string. “We feel this a lot. He leaves a legacy, a person of color who was crowned king of soccer, and he also brought a lot of peace outside Brazil,” Tavares, a 67-year-old school-van driver, said in an interview at the barbed-wire fence outside his home. “He represented Brazil to everyone abroad.”

Pelé invigorated US soccer, paved way for ’94 World Cup, MLS

NEW YORK (AP) — Clive Toye started his pursuit of Pelé with a trip to Jamaica and a cold call in 1971. Pelé signed with the New York Cosmos four years later. It put U.S. soccer on a path to hosting the World Cup in 1994 and launching Major League Soccer two years later. The Cosmos averaged 3,578 fans in 1974. Pelé joined in June 1975 and that season’s average nearly tripled to 10,450. Pelé was 34 when he joined the Cosmos and scored 37 goals in 64 matches. He agreed to countless interviews and promotional appearances as part of a mission to make soccer mainstream.

Aaron Judge is AP male athlete of year after setting HR mark

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been voted The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He hit 62 home runs to break an American League record that lasted six decades. The outfielder edged Los Angeles Angels pitching and hitting star Shohei Ohtani in balloting. Ohtani won the award last year. Judge joins an esteemed list that includes Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan. Among the former Yankees to win was Roger Maris, who set the previous AL mark of 61 homers in 1961.