AP Sports SummaryBrief at 7:48 p.m. EST

Boras: Giants wouldn’t seal Correa deal, so he called Mets

NEW YORK (AP) — Agent Scott Boras says the San Francisco Giants asked for more time to investigate and discuss medical records of Carlos Correa and let a 1 p.m. PST deadline Tuesday pass to finalize that deal. Boras then struck a $315 million, 12-year deal with the free-spending Mets and Correa headed to New York for a physical Thursday. Boras said results usually come back within 24-48 hours and timing of an announcement was up to the team. A news conference likely won’t be scheduled until next month, after the holiday break.

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.

NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ headed to YouTube beginning next season

The NFL has announced a multiyear agreement with Google for “NFL Sunday Ticket.” The package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games will be distributed on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels. The NFL was seeking $2.5 billion per season for the package, which has been on DirecTV since 1994. The satellite provider has paid $1.5 billion per year on an eight-year contract that expires at the end of this season. Besides Amazon, Apple and ESPN also expressed interest in “NFL Sunday Ticket.”

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.

Injured Eagles QB Hurts expected to be sidelined at Dallas

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is not expected to play Saturday against Dallas because of a sprained right shoulder. Philadelphia will instead start Gardner Minshew. Hurts was injured on a hard tackle in Sunday’s win at Chicago. The Eagles have the best record in the NFL at 13-1 and can clinch the NFC East title and the No. 1 seed in the conference with a win against the Cowboys.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett ready to go after 2nd concussion

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is taking extra precautions as he returns from the concussion protocol for a second time this season. Pickett will wear a larger helmet that offers more protection for the back of his head when the Steelers face Las Vegas on Christmas Eve. Pickett says each of the two concussions he’s sustained this season came when the back of his head hit the Acrisure Stadium turf. Pickett added he’s not worried that he’s become concussion prone and believes the decision to have him miss a win over Carolina on Dec. 18 was the right call.

Titans’ Tannehill out vs. Texans, rookie QB Willis to start

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee rookie Malik Willis will start his third NFL game Saturday against the Houston Texans with veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill ruled out with an injured right ankle. Titans coach Mike Vrabel refused to discuss Tannehill’s future beyond this game. Vrabel said Thursday that Tannehill is only out this week. The Titans coach said he doesn’t have to issue an injury report for next week until next week. The Titans (7-7) sit atop the AFC South looking for a third straight division title, yet their once four-game lead is down to one with three games remaining.

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.

Gonzaga ponders future with realignment beckoning

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Gonzaga is being discussed as a potential target for bigger conferences that never would have looked toward the small school in Spokane, Washington. The courtship opens up the possibility of a future somewhere other than the West Coast Conference, where Gonzaga has been a member since 1979. There are no known offers to date, but there seems to be interest from the Big 12 Conference. The Pac-12 is also considered to be a potential option but still needs to finalize its next media deals. Gonzaga has become a national brand and it seems there could be an opportunity to capitalize on that.

After flip from ND to Oregon, 5-star signs with Oklahoma

Highly rated defensive back Peyton Bowen, who backed off a verbal commitment to Notre Dame and said he was going to attend Oregon, ended up signing with Oklahoma. Bowen’s flip from the Fighting Irish to the Ducks during a ceremony at his high school in Denton, Texas, was one of the biggest stories Wednesday, the opening day of college football’s early signing period. Bowen was one of several high-profile recruits to make a last-minute pivot to Oregon. But the five-star safety was never officially announced as part of Oregon’s class. Bowen posted a statement on social media, saying he regretted some of his actions and apologizing to the fans of the schools he jilted.