AP Sports SummaryBrief at 10:48 a.m. EST

By The Associated Press

Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach

Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring of Rodriguez. It comes 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit from his alma mater for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. Rodriguez replaces Neal Brown, who was fired Dec. 1. Rodriguez went 60-26 at West Virginia from 2001 to 2007. He led the Mountaineers to three straight 10-win seasons and four Big East titles in five years, including a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl following the 2005 season. Rodriguez has spent the past three seasons as coach at Jacksonville State.

Rape investigation that Swedish media say focused on Kylian Mbappé has been closed

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish prosecutors say they have dropped a rape investigation that was launched in connection with soccer star Kylian Mbappé’s visit to Stockholm in October. In a statement, lead investigator Marina Chirakova says there is not enough evidence to continue the investigation into the allegation at a hotel. Prosecutors never publicly named the suspect in the investigation but some Swedish media reported it was Mbappé. The Real Madrid striker visited Stockholm in October during a break in the Spanish league. At the time, Mbappé’s legal team dismissed those reports as false.

Saudi rights activist says 2034 World Cup visitors will live in ‘a bubble’ and not see real life

LONDON (AP) — A Saudi human rights activist says soccer fans visiting Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup will live in a “bubble” that doesn’t reflect real life there. Lina al-Hathloul is a London-based activist whose sister was jailed in Saudi Arabia then banned from travel after campaigning to end a ban on women driving. When FIFA confirmed the kingdom as the 2034 tournament host on Wednesday its president Gianni Infantino acknowledged “the world will be watching” for positive social change. Al-Hathloul says western people “will be very safe” at the World Cup but “will see a bubble of what Saudi Arabia is.”

Wander Franco trial: Rays star faces sexual abuse, human trafficking charges in Dominican Republic

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is scheduled to go to trial Thursday in the Dominican Republic in a sexual abuse case involving a 14-year-old girl. Now 23, Franco was having an All-Star season in 2023 before Dominican authorities began investigating allegations he had been in a relationship with a minor and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. Franco has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking.

North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference

North Carolina’s trustees have approved terms of the deal to hire Bill Belichick as the Tar Heels’ new football coach. The board met Thursday morning to sign off on the agreement, announced Wednesday night by the school as a five-year deal. Specific terms of that deal have yet to be released. The school is set to hold its introductory news conference for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Thursday afternoon. Belichick has never coached in college football.

North Carolina announces 5-year deal with Bill Belichick to take over as coach of the Tar Heels

North Carolina and Bill Belichick have agreed to a five-year deal for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach to become the Tar Heels’ next football coach. The school announced the hiring Wednesday. That came roughly a week after the 72-year-old Belichick’s name surfaced as an unlikely candidate to replace the program’s winningest coach in Mack Brown. The deal still requires approval by UNC trustees. Belichick won six titles in his 24-year run as head coach of the Patriots. Most of that success came with quarterbacking great Tom Brady.

Steve Kerr deems foul call that led to Warriors’ loss to Rockets in NBA Cup ‘unconscionable’

HOUSTON (AP) — Golden State coach Steve Kerr said a foul call against his team that led to a loss to Houston on Wednesday night in the NBA Cup was “unconscionable” and that an elementary school referee wouldn’t have made it. After Stephen Curry missed a 3-pointer with Golden State up a point with 11 seconds to go, Gary Payton II grabbed the offensive rebound, but turned it over with a pass that Jalen Green intercepted. Jonathan Kuminga was then called for a foul against Green while they were on the floor, giving Green a pair of free throws that lifted Houston to the 91-90 victory and a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals. Said Kerr: “That is unconscionable. I mean, I don’t even understand what just happened.”

Juan Soto gets free luxury suite and up to 4 premium tickets for home games in $765M Mets deal

DALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract. The Mets agreed to provide personal team security for the All-Star outfielder and his family at the team’s expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. New York agreed to assist Soto’s family for in-season travel arrangements, guaranteed he gets uniform No. 22 and included eight types of award bonuses.

NBA Cup: How to watch, betting odds and more about the league’s in-season tournament

The NBA Cup semifinals are set. It’s Milwaukee vs. Atlanta, and Oklahoma City vs. Houston. Those games are Saturday in Las Vegas and the championship game is there on Tuesday night. 17. The NBA Cup was called the In-Season Tournament last year when it debuted, after years and years of Commissioner Adam Silver wanting to add something extra to the regular season.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow laments loss of privacy following home break-in

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow kept his comments short Wednesday when addressing the media about having his home broken into two nights earlier while he and the Bengals were on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. “I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one,” Burrow said. The NFL and NBA issued security alerts to their players late last month after several homes were broken into while athletes were away for games.