Falcons’ McKay: Roof will be open

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons expect the retractable roof on Mercedes-Benz Stadium to be “fully operational” for their 2018 season and next year’s Super Bowl. On Wednesday, Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay told The Associated Press he expects the team to have more open-air home games in the 2018 season. “The roof is being worked on as we speak, and yes, we expect the roof to be fully operational by football season, if not well before,” McKay said. “Fully operational means you will see us go to much more of an open configuration as we designed at the beginning. When it’s ready to go, we’ll be open depending on weather.” Problems kept the roof closed on the $1.5 billion stadium for most of the 2017 season. The unique roof, designed to open like a camera’s shutter, was open only for the Falcons’ first home regular-season game against Green Bay on Sept. 17. It was closed for all other NFL and college games, including the Southeastern Conference championship game, the Peach Bowl and the College Football Playoff national championship game. The stadium is also home to Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC.

› CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson wasn’t going to turn his offense over to just anyone. Todd Haley met his high standards. After operating for two seasons as his own offensive coordinator, Jackson hired Haley to take over that role after the assistant’s six successful seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Brown announced the move Wednesday. Haley wasn’t on Jackson’s radar after the Browns went 0-16 this season. But when Haley was fired by the Steelers after they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC playoffs, Jackson didn’t waste a moment and swooped in to nab the 50-year-old, who was the Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach from 2009 to ’11 and is regarded as one of the league’s elite coordinators. Haley’s arrival should provide a much-needed infusion for the Browns, who have gone 1-31 in two seasons under Jackson. The Browns also announced the additions of Freddie Kitchens as running backs coach/associate head coach and Amos Jones as special teams coordinator.

› LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell said he and the team are making progress on a contract extension. The team has presented an initial offer, and Bell said “we are a lot closer than we were last year.” Bell, who spoke Wednesday during preparations for Sunday’s Pro Bowl, said he doesn’t believe talks will drag on. The 25-year-old back turned down a long-term contract in 2017, skipped training camp and then signed a one-year, $12 million franchise tender. The Steelers could franchise him again in March, a move Bell told ESPN would force him to consider retiring or sitting out the 2018 season. A second tag would be worth around $14.5 million. Bell led the NFL in touches (404) this season. He insists his preference would be to remain in Pittsburgh.

BASKETBALL

› OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant said he is sorry for his behavior toward referee James Williams during Tuesday night’s victory against the New York Knicks, when the 2017 NBA Finals MVP was ejected late for a second technical foul. While Durant had yet to hear from the league as of Wednesday afternoon, he said he is prepared for whatever fine he receives. He also plans to apologize to Williams in person the next time he sees the official, and Durant vowed to handle himself more respectfully in the future. Durant had 14 points, a career-high 14 assists and two blocks before his ejection with 2:50 left in the 123-112 win, then criticized Williams publicly afterward. On Wednesday, described himself as acting like a “diva” and “jerk” in the game and said that he realizes now he wasn’t being unfairly targeted by officials.

› MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo grew from a reed-thin, inexperienced teenager into one of the NBA’s dominant players under the tutelage of coach Jason Kidd, who was fired earlier this week by the Milwaukee Bucks with the team mired in mediocrity despite high expectations. Kidd’s abrupt and surprising dismissal Monday has taken an emotional toll on the All-Star forward, affectionately known as the “Greek Freak.” “He’s a big part of my success in the league,” Antetokounmpo said after Wednesday’s practice in his first public comments since the coaching change. “I’m loyal to the people I work with. I love him as a person. I care about him as a person.” Informed by Bucks’ management of the planned firing even before Kidd learned his fate, Antetokounmpo called his soon-to-be ex-coach to break the news. Joe Prunty, a member of Kidd’s staff, has been named interim coach for the remainder of the season. He directed the Bucks to a 109-105 win over Phoenix on Monday, just hours after taking over the team.

GOLF

› SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods is more confident than ever his return to the PGA Tour will be different this time. It’s not so much how he plays, but rather how long. “I have no more pain in my back,” Woods said Wednesday. That wasn’t the case a year ago. Woods was coming off the longest break of his career after two back surgeries when he played the Hero World Challenge in December 2016 and showed promise by making 24 birdies against an 18-man field with no cut. But then he missed the 36-hole cut in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and lasted one round in Dubai before withdrawing due to back spasms. Fusion surgery on his lower back followed two months later, and now Woods is on the same track as he was last year — with one exception. “I was trying to manage the disk and the vertebrae,” Woods said after his pro-am round before this year’s event at Torrey Pines. “But it’s all finished now. It’s fused, and the quality of life is infinitely better than it was last year at this point.” He looked just as strong, just as healthy, as he did in the Bahamas last month. Woods began and ended the pro-am with an approach to a few feet for easy birdies. The real test begins today at a tournament he has won seven times.

› GREAT ABACO, Bahamas — Adam Svensson closed with a 4-under-par 68 for a oneshot victory Wednesday in the Web.com Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic. The 24-year-old Canadian began the final round a shot out of the lead but seized control when Willy Wilcox took a triple bogey on the 11th hole. Even with a bogey on the par-3 17th, Svensson held on to finish at 17-under 271, just ahead of Sungjae Im (69). Rhein Gibson (67) was third.

OLYMPICS

› PARK CITY, Utah — Past Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn and Andrew Weibrecht were among the 22 ski racers named to the U.S. Alpine team heading to South Korea for the Pyeongchang Games, which open Feb. 9. U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced the roster Wednesday. A couple of familiar faces and repeat medalists who are not on the team because they have retired from competition are Julia Mancuso and Bode Miller. The U.S. men’s team includes David Chodounsky, Tommy Ford, Tim Jitloff, Nolan Kasper and Steven Nyman. The women’s roster includes Stacey Cook, Megan McJames, Alice Mckennis, Laurenne Ross, Resi Stiegler and Jackie Wiles.