Monday Sports in Brief

NFL

DENVER (AP) — Von Miller is no longer the face of the franchise in Denver.

The loquacious linebacker is headed West to join Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams are sending the Broncos second- and third-round picks in the 2022 draft for the perennial Pro Bowler who led Denver to a 24-10 win in Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season, Peyton Manning’s last.

Miller’s trophy case includes his Super Bowl 50 MVP award and 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honor. He’s an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, seven-time AP All-Pro and a member of the league’s 2010s All-Decade team.

He’s the Broncos’ franchise leader with 110½ sacks in the regular season and has another 6½ in the playoffs.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry will have surgery Tuesday morning on his right foot, and coach Mike Vrabel says the Tennessee Titans are not putting a timeline on when he will return.

Henry had tests Monday to check the severity of the injury after he finished a 34-31 overtime win in Indianapolis. The Titans placed Henry on injured reserve Monday afternoon.

Vrabel said he knows Henry will do everything possible to work himself back to help the Titans (6-2). Vrabel said doctors will put a timeline on Henry’s recovery and possible return but he won’t necessarily listen to that.

The Titans have nine games remaining this season including their bye Dec. 2. The defending AFC South champs hold a three-game lead and the tiebreaker inside their division.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints quarterback Jameis Winston was diagnosed on Monday with torn knee ligaments that will end his season, coach Sean Payton said.

Payton confirmed the extent of the injury, first reported by the NFL Network, following an MRI that showed a torn anterior cruciate ligament and damage to the medial collateral ligament in Winston’s left knee.

Winston was injured early in the second quarter of New Orleans’ 36-27 victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday. On the play, Winston was scrambling when he was pulled down from behind by linebacker Devin White, who was penalized for a horse-collar tackle.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Baltimore Ravens starting linebacker Malik Harrison was recovering Monday after being struck in the leg by a stray bullet while police said he was outside a Cleveland nightclub.

The Ravens released a statement saying Harrison suffered a non-life-threatening injury when he was shot in the left calf while attending a gathering Sunday night. The 23-year-old was treated at a hospital and has been in touch with team doctors.

The Ravens, who lead the AFC North, had their bye last week. They host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

MLB

NEW YORK (AP) — Acting general manager Zack Scott will not return to the New York Mets after being placed on administrative leave following an arrest on drunken driving charges in August, according to a person familiar with the firing.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night because the team had not announced the decision.

Scott’s dismissal is hardly a surprise after New York fell apart in the second half and missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. President Sandy Alderson assumed GM duties with Scott on paid leave and already oversaw the firing of manager Luis Rojas. The Mets are trying to hire a president of baseball operations for the second straight offseason under owner Steve Cohen.

— By Baseball Writer Jake Seiner.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers have hired Donnie Ecker as their bench coach and also offensive coordinator, a role in which he will oversee the organization’s overall hitting program at both the major and minor league levels.

Texas is coming off a 102-loss season and ranked 29th in the majors with a .232 team batting average. The Rangers were last with a .670 OPS, and their American League-low 625 runs were 34 fewer than the Baltimore Orioles.

Ecker was introduced Monday as the replacement for bench coach Don Wakamatsu, who was not retained after the season. The 35-year-old Ecker spent the past two seasons as a hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres announced the hiring of Bob Melvin as manager, bringing a veteran presence to an exciting team that imploded down the stretch.

Melvin takes his 18 years of big league managerial experience to a team where his two predecessors had no experience as a major league skipper before they were hired.

The 60-year-old Melvin signed a three-year contract.

He inherits a team that had Fernando Tatis Jr. and four other All-Stars but underperformed after the trade deadline and finished with a losing record for the 10th time in 11 seasons.

NHL

Commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday defended the NHL’s decisions and discipline meted out following an investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks’ handling of sexual assault allegations in 2010.

Bettman called the organization’s $2 million fine significant and stood by decisions to let Joel Quenneville coach one more game and not discipline Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff based on his limited role in Chicago’s front office at the time. Quenneville resigned as Florida Panthers coach after meeting with Bettman last week.

The executive board of the NHL Players’ Association also met Monday to discuss how the union apparently ignored Beach’s situation when it was brought to officials’ attention a decade ago. Executive director Don Fehr recommended outside counsel launch a review into what happened — something the executive board was set to vote on.

NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Fox agreed to terms on a seven-year extension Tuesday with the New York Rangers, a deal that keeps the Norris Trophy-winning defenseman under contract through 2029.

Fox became one of the youngest players to win the award last season after putting up 47 points in 55 games. He joined Hall of Famer Bobby Orr as the only players to win the Norris in one of his first two NHL seasons.

The 23-year-old already has nine points in New York’s first nine games this season. Fox has 98 points in 134 regular-season games since making his debut with the Rangers in 2019.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL suspended Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette for two games without pay on Monday for boarding Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras.

The incident occurred in the first period of the Ducks’ 4-2 win over Montreal on Sunday in Anaheim. Paquette was given a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama State has fired football coach Donald Hill-Eley two days after the Hornets’ latest loss to rival Alabama A&M.

Alabama State athletic director Dr. Jason Cable announced the “change in leadership” on Monday. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season, starting with Saturday’s game at Prairie View A&M.

Hill-Eley went 20-21 in four-plus seasons after taking over following an 0-5 start in 2017. The Hornets went 5-1 the rest of the way, earning him the promotion.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The NCAA has suspended Illinois center Kofi Cockburn for the first three games of the season because he sold apparel and memorabilia before new regulations that allow athletes to participate in money-making ventures went into effect.

The Associated Press preseason All-American is set to play his first game Nov. 22 against Cincinnati in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the school’s announcement Monday.

The 7-foot center will miss the 11th-ranked Illini’s first two home games, Nov. 9 against Jackson State and Nov. 12 against Arkansas State, as well as a Nov. 15 game against Marquette in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. He is permitted to practice with the team during the suspension.

SOCCER

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham fired manager Nuno Espírito Santo on Monday after losing half of his 10 Premier League matches in charge of the club.

The dismissal, after only four months in the job, followed a 3-0 home loss to Manchester United on Saturday when Nuno was booed and fans chanted “You don’t know what you’re doing” at the Portuguese coach.

In an increasingly volatile atmosphere, supporters also shouted “We want Levy out” at chairman Daniel Levy, who has now decided change is required again after firing Jose Mourinho in April.

Tottenham is in eighth place in the Premier League, 10 points behind leader Chelsea and five points behind fourth-placed West Ham.

ZURICH (AP) — Mexico will have to play in an empty stadium for its next two home games in World Cup qualifying because of persistent anti-gay chants by fans, FIFA said Monday.

The Mexican soccer federation was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs ($110,000) for charges of “discriminatory behavior by supporters.” It’s the latest punishment in a long-standing campaign to stop fans from directing slurs at opposing players.

Mexico will host Costa Rica on Jan. 30 and Panama on Feb. 2 in an empty stadium, costing the federation millions of dollars in lost revenue.

The anti-gay chants were heard last month when Mexico hosted qualifiers against Canada and Honduras. The storied Azteca Stadium drew a combined attendance of more than 130,000 fans for those games.

BEACH HANDBALL

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Bikini-style uniforms will no longer be mandated for female beach handball players following protests by players and European lawmakers.

The new wording by the sport’s governing body follows a campaign started by the Norwegian national team in July and now allows women to wear “short tight pants” instead of bikinis.

The Norwegian federation was fined because players wore “improper clothing” at the European Championship in July. They had worn shorts to protest the bikini rule.

HORSE RACING

Knicks Go is the early 5-2 favorite for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic this weekend at Del Mar.

The two-day world championships drew 169 horses from eight countries, including 46 foreign horses to the seaside track north of San Diego. Del Mar is hosting for the second time in four years.

Knicks Go drew the No. 5 post on Monday in the nine-horse field for Saturday’s 1 1/4-mile Classic. Trained by Brad Cox, he’ll be ridden by Joel Rosario.

Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality is the 3-1 second choice. Medina Spirit, controversial winner of the Kentucky Derby, is the co-third choice at 4-1 for embattled trainer Bob Baffert. Also at 4-1 is Hot Rod Charlie, winner of the Pennsylvania Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Churchill Downs announced that jockey Miguel Mena, who won nearly 2,100 thoroughbred races in North America and earned $72.4 million in prize money, has died following a pedestrian accident. He was 34.

The track stated in a release that Mena was killed Sunday night on westbound Interstate 64 near Jeffersontown, a community in east Louisville/Jefferson. Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Police Chief Rick Sanders told The Associated Press that Mena got out of a rideshare vehicle, crossed the eastbound lanes of the highway, climbed over a retaining wall and was struck by a vehicle traveling in the westbound lanes. Mena died at the scene.

The driver was interviewed but not charged, Sanders added. The investigation is pending.

Mena’s 451 wins at Churchill Downs rank 15th all-time. He won 16 stakes races at the historic track including two in the Stephen Foster Stakes, most recently last year aboard Tom’s d’Etat. His career victory total includes 136 stakes wins with 37 graded-race triumphs.

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