#SportsReport: Amherst College Suspends Men's Cross-Country Team

NFL:

Tom Brady didn't have the services of Danny Amendola on Monday because of an ankle injury. That didn't stop Brady from throwing for 406 yards and three touchdowns in the New England Patriots' 30-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Chris Hogan was the Pats' top receiver in Amendola's absence, grabbing five passes for 129 yards. The Ravens trailed just 23-20 until Hogan hauled in a 79-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter.

Brady completed 25 of his 38 passes with one interception to help the Patriots improve to an AFC-best 11-2. Malcolm Mitchell and Martellus Bennett also had scoring receptions for New England, which gained 496 total yards against the NFL's top defensive squad.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was 37 of 52 for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He hit Darren Waller and Kenneth Dixon for third-quarter touchdowns after the Patriots built a 23-3 lead. Both TDs were set up by New England fumbles on special teams. The 7-6 Ravens fell one game behind the first-place Steelers in the AFC North.

The Los Angeles Rams will have a new coach for Sunday's game at Seattle. Jeff Fisher was fired a day after the Rams suffered their eighth loss in nine games, a 42-14 drubbing by Atlanta. The Rams are just 4-9 in their first season since returning to Los Angeles.

In other NFL news:

- Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill likely won't need surgery on his left knee after it was determined his injury isn't as serious as initially thought. Coach Adam Gase (gays) says Tannehill has been diagnosed with a sprained ACL and MCL suffered in Sunday's win over Arizona. Although the news was good, it's uncertain that Tannehill will play again this season.

- The Supreme Court has rejected challenges to the NFL's estimated $1 billion concussion settlement. The court's action clears the way for payouts to begin to former players who have been diagnosed with brain injuries linked to repeated concussions. The settlement covers more than 20,000 NFL retirees.

- Bears top receiver Alshon Jeffery has rejoined the team after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy. The former Pro Bowl receiver says he took a supplement for inflammation containing a substance banned by the NFL. He's the team leader with 630 receiving yards for the 3-10 Bears.

- The Giants' 10-7 win over the Cowboys on Sunday is the most-watched prime-time NFL telecast this season, drawing a total audience of 26.7 million viewers. The 26.5 million viewers solely watching on NBC was a high for a prime-time NFL game since 1989. TV viewership peaked at 28.1 million from 11:30-11:35 p.m. EST for the game's final minutes.

NHL:

In the NHL, Boston beat Montreal in overtime 2-1, and it was Pittsburgh over Arizona 7-0.

NBA:

In the NBA, Houston won against Brooklyn 122-118, Dallas bested Denver 112-92, the Clippers topped Portland 121-120, Sacramento won against the Lakers 116-92, Toronto beat Milwaukee 122-100, Miami defeated Washington 112-101, and it was Indiana over Charlotte 110-94.

MLB:

Mets outfielder Juan Lagares is expected to be ready for spring training after spraining his right shoulder diving for a ball while playing a winter league game in the Dominican Republic. New York said Lagares was diagnosed Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

MLB has created an Anti-Hazing and Anti-Bullying Policy that will prohibit veterans from dressing up rookies as females such as Wonder Woman, Hooters Girls or Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. The policy, obtained by The Associated Press, bans players from dressing up as women or wearing costumes that may be offensive to others. However, veterans will still be allowed to force rookies to dress as male superheroes such as Batman or Superman. Other minor forms of rookie hazing will be permitted.

The Rays have finalized their two-year, $12.5 million contract with free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos, who continues to recover from a torn ACL in his right knee. Ramos was a National League All-Star last season with the Nationals, batting .307 with 22 homers and 80 RBIs in 131 games. He's expected to return from his knee injury at some point next summer.

NCAA:

The men's cross-country team at Amherst College has been suspended from team activities after a number of messages came to light that administrators called racist, misogynistic and homophobic. A student publication reported on a series of emails and messages sent from 2013 to 2015 that include messages remarking on female students' sexual history, among other comments. Amherst's president calls the messages appalling, vulgar and cruel.

In men’s college basketball, Canisius beat Albany 77-64.

Villanova tops the latest Associated Press college basketball poll again as the top 11 teams held their spots from last week. The top-ranked Wildcats got 56 first place votes from the 65-member media panel. UCLA is second, followed by Kansas, Baylor and Duke. The next six are Kentucky, North Carolina, Gonzaga, Indiana, Creighton and Louisville.

Western Michigan basketball player Jovieair Kennedy has been charged with murder and armed robbery in the shooting of 19-year-old Jacob Jones at an off-campus apartment last Thursday. Prosecutors are accusing Kennedy of gunning down Jones during a robbery of a phone and money. Kennedy has been denied bond.

The 16th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks suffered their first loss of the season in the lone game involving a top-25 team on Monday. Desi Rodriguez hit a tiebreaking layup with 11.6 seconds left before Myles Powell added a free throw in Seton Hall's 67-64 win over South Carolina. The Pirates trailed by nine early in the second half before improving to 8-2. Khadeen Carrington had a team-high 21 points for Seton Hall despite missing his first five shots. P.J. Dozier had 20 points for the Gamecocks, but he missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds. South Carolina is now 8-1 after shooting just 38.6 percent.

In women’s college basketball, UAlbany topped Post 85-61, Sacred Heart beat Siena 62-58.

UConn is the unanimous Number 1 in the Associated Press college women's basketball poll. The Huskies moved to the top spot last week and beat Number 2 Notre Dame on Wednesday as well topping Kansas State on Sunday, improving their winning streak to 84 consecutive games. UConn received all 33 first place votes from a national media panel yesterday. The Huskies are off this week for exams.

Top-ranked Alabama has placed four players on The Associated Press All-American team. The Crimson Tide players are defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, linebacker Reuben Foster, defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and offensive tackle Cam Robinson. Alabama and second-ranked Ohio State have each placed six players on the three Associated Press All-America teams. Clemson was next with five players. Also named to the first team is Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson of Louisville. Joining him are fellow Heisman finalists Jabrill Peppers of Michigan and Dede Westbrook of Oklahoma.

Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer is giving up his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Kizer threw for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns this season, while rushing for 472 yards and eight touchdowns. He ranks among the most prolific players in Notre Dame history despite playing extensively in only 24 games over the past two seasons.

Alabama coach Nick Saban says offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is the new head coach at Florida Atlantic. Saban says Kiffin will remain with Alabama for the College Football Playoff, in which the undefeated Crimson Tide are the No. 1 seed. Kiffin has been the offensive coordinator at Alabama for the last three seasons, after previous stints as head coach at Tennessee and Southern Cal. FAU has called a Tuesday news conference to announce the hiring.

Baylor University regents are rejecting calls from a group of major donors for a third-party investigation into alleged sexual and physical assault, saying they have full confidence in a previous inquiry. The original probe led to the firing of football coach Art Briles and the departures of President Ken Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw. The Bears for Leadership Reform group has complained the full investigation hasn't been publicly released.

The NCAA is honoring the former Boston College baseball captain who inspired the ice bucket challenge that raised millions of dollars for Lou Gehrig's disease research. Officials with the collegiate sports organization are set to present an award to Pete Frates on Tuesday at his home in Beverly, Massachusetts. The NCAA announced earlier that Frates would be unable to accept the 2017 Inspiration Award at its January awards celebration in Nashville, Tennessee, because his neurodegenerative disease was progressing. The organization will instead give him the award on Tuesday. Frates was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. It's also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The ice bucket challenge raised more than $220 million when it took off worldwide on social media in 2014.

Golf:

Phil Mickelson has undergone a second hernia surgery since October. His management company said Monday that the five-time major champion is expected to make a full recovery, but it did not offer a timetable for his return. Mickelson had planned to start 2017 at the CareerBuilder Challenge on Jan. 19-22 in Palm Desert, California.

©2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.