NFL:
Big Ben has struck 12.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has announced his retirement after an 18-year NFL career spent entirely with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In a video message Thursday, the 39-year-old said it was “time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats” after two Super Bowls, six Pro Bowl selections, countless team records and a likely spot in the Hall of Fame.
The much-anticipated decision came less than two weeks after Pittsburgh’s lopsided loss to Kansas City in the first round of the postseason, the 12th time in Roethlisberger’s career the Steelers reached the playoffs.
Roethlisberger was taken 11th overall by the Steelers in the 2004 draft and started their second game that season. He completed over 64% of his passes for 64,088 yards and 418 touchdowns in 249 career games.
In other NFL news:
A person with direct knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Matt Eberflus is the new head coach of the Bears. Eberflus spent the past four years as the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator, helping turn around a unit that ranked among the league’s worst. The hire is the first big move for new Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who took over on Tuesday.
The Broncos have hired Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach. Denver fired Vic Fangio after a 7-10 season. Hackett’s hiring will raise speculation that the Broncos might try to acquire Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee will hold a roundtable next week with former Washington Football Team employees about workplace misconduct and sexual harassment. Five former employees are scheduled to be a part of the roundtable. The NFL oversaw an independent investigation into Washington’s workplace misconduct and fined the team $10 million last year after it was completed.
NBA:
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have to contend with LeBron James on Thursday, leading to their 105-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Joel Embiid had 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, ending his four-game string of at least 35 points and 10 boards. Tobias Harris chipped in 23 points for the Sixers, who took control by outscoring Los Angeles, 34-20 in the third quarter.
Anthony Davis scored 23 of his 31 points by halftime and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lakers. Davis kept the Lakers competitive in his second game back after missing 17 with a sprained left knee.
The 37-year-old James is day to day with his sore left knee.
Also in the NBA:
Stephen Curry snapped out of his 3-point shooting slump by going 6-for-10 behind the arc while scoring a team-high 29 points in the Warriors’ 124-115 victory over the Timberwolves. Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson each hit five of the Warriors’ 21 3-pointers, with Thompson furnishing 23 points and Wiggins adding 19. Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points, 13 boards and six assists for Minnesota.
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will be the starters and captains for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game.
Joining Durant on the Eastern Conference starting lineup are Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, Chicago guard DeMar DeRozan and Atlanta guard Trae Young.
Denver center Nikola Jokic, Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins, Warriors guard Steph Curry and Memphis guard Ja Morant will start with James on the Western Conference team.
In other NBA news:
The Lakers have signed forward Stanley Johnson for the rest of the season after the Orange County native’s strong performances over the past month. The deal also includes a team option for next season on Johnson, a seven-year NBA veteran. Johnson has started six of his 14 games with the Lakers, averaging 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Hornets forward PJ Washington and Raptors forward Justin Champagnie have been fined $15,000 apiece for their roles in an on-court altercation on Tuesday. On the play before the confrontation, Washington knocked Champagnie to the floor with a hip check. On the next possession, Champagnie shoved Washington in the back, initiating the altercation.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL:
Freshman center Chet Holmgren helped second-ranked Gonzaga win with ease despite quiet performances from Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard.
Holmgren starred in the Zags' 89-55 rout of Loyola Marymount, delivering 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Nolan Hickman had 11 points as the Bulldogs earned their 63rd consecutive home win.
Timme and Nembhard combined for just 14 points, but Gonzaga was never threatened after holding the Lions to 19 first-half points.
Also on the top-25 men’s basketball schedule:
Sixth-ranked Purdue earned an 83-73 win over Iowa as Isaiah Thompson provided a career-high 18 points and Jaden Ivey had 15 in his return from a hip injury. Thompson shot 6 of 8 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range after entering the game averaging just 5.7 points.
No. 7 UCLA took over sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 with its fifth straight win, an 81-57 blowout over California. Jaime Jaquez Jr. delivered 15 points and all eight Bruins players scored on a night when they were missing leading scorer Johnny Juzang, who was sidelined by COVID-19 protocols.
Brad Davison scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half of 11th-ranked Wisconsin's 73-65 win at Nebraska. Freshman Chucky Hepburn added 13 in his return to his home state, helping the Badgers win for the eighth time in nine games.
Stanford completed its first sweep of Southern California in seven seasons by upsetting the 15th-ranked Trojans, 64-61 in Los Angeles. Jaiden Delaire scored 14 points and Harrison Ingram added 12, including the go-ahead layup with 33 seconds to play.
E.J. Liddell had 23 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to help No. 16 Ohio State knock off Minnesota, 75-64. Liddell stretched his double-digit scoring streak to 27 straight games and became the 60th player in program history to pass 1,000 career points.
NHL:
Aleksander Barkov reached a pair of milestones while the Florida Panthers protected home ice on Thursday.
Barkov notched his 200th NHL goal and 500th point while also providing an assist in the Panthers’ 4-1 downing of the Golden Knights.
Sam Bennett scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal 1:18 into the second period.
Spencer Knight made 24 saves for the Panthers, who improved to 22-3-0 at home.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Andrei Svechnikov scored the shootout winner as the Hurricanes beat the Senators, 3-2. The Hurricanes trailed in the third and were able to force overtime after Nino Niederreiter scored with just over three minutes remaining. Frederik Andersen stopped 37 shots as Carolina improved to 29-9-2.
Anthony Cirelli had the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period to push the Lightning past the Devils, 3-2. Cirelli got the game-winner after being stopped on a penalty shot in the opening period. Alex Killorn and Mathieu Joseph had the other Lightning goals, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves as Tampa Bay improved to 11-1-1 in its last 13 home games.
The Penguins lost for just the third time in 20 games as Adam Larsson scored at 1:17 of overtime to give the Kraken a 2-1 win at Pittsburgh. Former Penguin Jared McCann scored in the final four minutes of regulation before Larsson’s goal gave Seattle its fourth win in six games. Evgeni Malkin tallied for the Pens, who had won six straight overall and eight in a row at home.
The Blue Jackets scored four straight to rally from a two-goal deficit and end a three-game losing streak, 5-3 over the Rangers. Boone Jenner and Sean Kuraly each scored twice for Columbus, which surrendered 62 shots in a 6-0 loss to the Flames the previous night. Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists for New York.
The Blues rolled to a 5-1 win over the Flames as Ville Husso (VIH’-lay HOO’-soh) made 28 saves to win his sixth consecutive start. Brandon Saad’s two goals give him 15 for the season, matching his total from last season. Brayden Schenn had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Kyrou and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for St. Louis.
Connor McDavid scored once in regulation and again in the shootout to lead the Oilers past the Predators, 3-2. Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers, who have now won three straight after going 2-11-2 in their previous 15 games. Filip Forsberg scored his 200th career goal and Matt Duchene also had a goal for the Predators, who lost for the first time in four games.
The Kings earned a 3-2 win over the Islanders as Andreas Athanasiou had a goal and an assist in his first game since missing 16 straight with a lower-body injury. Athanasiou set up Quinton Byfield’s first NHL goal, which opened the scoring late in the first period and put Los Angeles ahead to stay. Cal Peterson made 23 saves and blanked New York until Mathew Barzal beat him with 2:04 remaining.
Trevor Zegras scored twice and Ducks netted three first-period goals before holding on to beat the Canadiens, 5-4. Sam Carrick, Troy Terry and Cam Fowler had the other goals for Anaheim, and Anthony Stolarz stopped 35 shots. Jake Evans scored twice for Montreal, which is 8-27-7.
The Canucks had dropped three straight until J.T. Miller registered his second career hat trick to propel them to a 5-1 trouncing of the Jets. Miller scored once on the power play and twice at even strength for the Canucks, giving him a team-leading 15 goals on the season. Brock Boeser had a goal and two assists as Vancouver dealt Winnipeg its season-high sixth consecutive loss.
The NHL has cleared Evander Kane after an investigation into his cross-border travel during the holiday break.
The decision paves the way for him to join the Edmonton Oilers. A person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday that Kane has agreed to terms with the Oilers on a contract for the remainder of the season.
Kane is expected to provide a boost for the Oilers, who recently lost seven games in a row to fall out of playoff position in the Western Conference.
In other NHL news:
Former Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has been charged with sexual assault following an investigation. Vancouver police say one count of sexual assault has been lodged against the 25-year-old stemming from an incident in a hotel room in September 2017, when Virtanen was playing for the Canucks. Virtanen was placed on leave by the Canucks and his contract was bought out. He’s scheduled for a court appearance in Vancouver in two weeks.
TENNIS:
Rafael Nadal stayed on track for a men’s-record 21st Grand Slam singles title when he beat Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open semifinals.
Nadal was dominant throughout the first two sets, moving the Italian around the court while dictating play. After Nadal took a 4-0 lead in the second set, seventh-seeded Berrettini had won only one point on his second serve in 11 attempts.
With the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena because of heavy local rain, and the subsequent high humidity in the building, the ball was heavy and flat. Nadal shares the men’s record at 20 major titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Neither of those men played this tournament.
The other semifinal has Daniil Medvedev against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been to one major final. Medvedev is coming off a 4 hour, 42-minute, five-set win over Felix Auger-Aliassime.
MLB:
Former major league outfielder Gene Clines as died at 75.
Clines was part of the first all-minority lineup in Major League Baseball history, batting second and playing center field for the Pirates On Sept. 1 1971. He helped Pittsburgh win the World Series that year.
Clines batted .277 in 10 seasons, all in the 1970s.
In other baseball news:
Cleveland Guardians officials say the team has reached an agreement to extend its lease at its downtown ballpark through at least 2036. Team officials say financing has been secured for improvements at Progressive Field, with renovation scheduled to begin after the 2022 season.
Major League Baseball will not require players with minor league contracts to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this season but is mandating that most staff receive the shots. Staff must be vaccinated, except for those who receive exemptions under state law.
An advocacy group for minor leaguers says Major League Baseball’s new housing policy is an improvement but still inadequate. The player steering committee of Advocates for Minor Leaguers is objecting to housing two players per bedroom and not accommodating spouses and children. The group is also against using host families and says it will identify teams that provide what it views as deficient housing.
PGA:
Justin Thomas is among three players sharing the lead through two rounds of the PGA’s Farmers Insurance Open.
Thomas followed his opening-round 68 with a 9-under 63 that puts him at minus-13, tied with Adam Schenk and Jon Rahm. Schenk climbed the leaderboard with 62, while Rahm posted a 65.
Cameron Tringale is one shot back and one ahead of Peter Malnati.
LPGA:
Lydia Ko carded birdies on half of her holes for a 9-under 63 and a two-shot lead over Danielle Kang in the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.
Ko ran off two three-birdie bursts to distance herself from long hitters Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson (70), who were playing alongside.
Aditi Ashok was alone in third after a 66, followed by a group of players at 5-under 67 that included U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso.
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