Rams release QB Foles; Jets sign Fitzpatrick

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams released quarterback Nick Foles on Wednesday after failing to find a trade destination for the disgruntled veteran. The Rams announced the move one day before their veterans report to training camp for their homecoming season in Southern California. Foles hasn’t been around the Rams since they traded up to choose California quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in the draft this spring. The veteran skipped offseason workouts while Los Angeles attempted to trade him.

› NEW YORK — Fitz Magic has returned and — voila! — the New York Jets are heading into training camp with their starting quarterback under contract. Finally. The Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick agreed to terms on a one-year deal Wednesday night, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The deal, worth $12 million guaranteed, could increase to $15 million in incentives and ends months of speculation and uncertainty at the team’s most vital position. Fitzpatrick set the franchise record with a career-high 31 touchdown passes last season while helping lead the Jets on a playoff push in Todd Bowles’ first season as coach.

› IOWA CITY, Iowa — Police have released body camera footage showing a University of Iowa football player being questioned by police who were searching for a robbery suspect. The footage released Tuesday shows the encounter that defensive end

Faith Ekakitie described on Facebook this week. He said he was playing “Pokemon Go” in a park when he was surrounded by police and searched at gunpoint. Ekakitie said he feared for his life but understood the police action. In the video, an officer can be heard telling Ekakitie to put his hands up. The officer says: “It’s probably not you, but we’ve got to double check.” Ekakitie told the officers he was playing the popular smartphone game, which sends players to physical locations to “catch” virtual Pokemon characters.

OLYMPICS

› MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin hit out at “discrimination” against the country’s banned track and field athletes at a Kremlin send-off ceremony Wednesday for its depleted Olympic team. Fencers, triathletes and table tennis players became the latest team of Russians to be cleared to compete in the Olympics by the governing bodies of their sports ahead of the Moscow ceremony, but the IAAF rejected a bid by the bulk of the track and field team to be reinstated. More than 100 Russians from the 387-strong Olympic team have been banned so far from going to Rio de Janeiro.

RACING

› CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Target will leave IndyCar at the end of this season after 27 years with Chip Ganassi Racing that included 11 championships and four Indianapolis 500 victories. The exit comes as Target is examining all of its marketing platforms under new chairman Brian Cornell. Target also is the primary sponsor of

Kyle Larson in NASCAR’s top Sprint Cup Series and will return to his car in 2017. Target’s relationship with Ganassi is one of the longest in any racing series, and the retail giant was a key player in helping Ganassi build his organization.

› CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR has suspended the crew chief for Kevin Harvick for an improperly installed lug nut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rodney

Childers will not appeal the suspension or his $20,000 fine. He will miss Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway. Childers is the fifth crew chief suspended over a lug nut rule instituted by NASCAR earlier this season. The rule was put in place because teams were not applying all five lug nuts properly in an effort to have faster pit stops. Other penalties issued Wednesday by NASCAR were written warnings for twice failing pre-race inspection to the teams for Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard and Matt DiBenedetto. Written warnings also were given to the teams of Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola for twice failing template inspection before pre-qualifying.

HOCKEY

› ST. PAUL, Minn. — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s reluctance to link hits to the head in hockey with a degenerative brain disease found in several deceased former players has reached Congress. League attorneys have filed Bettman’s letter to Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal with U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson, who’s presiding over a class-action concussion lawsuit against the NHL. Bettman’s 24-page response to Blumenthal was dated Friday. He said research on the link between concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy “remains nascent.”