HOT CORNER

PRO FOOTBALL: Cleveland Browns starting running back Jerome Ford made a surprise return to practice Friday after missing time earlier this week with a sprained right ankle suffered in Cleveland’s win at Indianapolis. Ford has had to pick up the slack with star Nick Chubb out with a season-ending knee injury. He’s listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Seattle. 1

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Regular-season conference champions are no longer guaranteed spots in the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT Board of Managers tweaked its qualifying rules for its postseason tournament and now say regular-season champs who do not win their conference tournament and are not otherwise selected to the NCAA Tournament will not receive an automatic bid to the NIT. Instead, the NIT will guarantee two teams — based on the NET rankings — from each of six major conferences. Those 12 will also get to host a game.

PRO SKIING: Mikaela Shiffrin has been named“skier of the year”by the federation of ski journalists. American great Bode Miller handed over the trophy. Shiffrin set the record for most World Cup wins with 88 and won her fifth overall title last season. She received the Skieur d’or AIJS award for the third time. The American also won in 2017 and 2019.

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PRO GOLF: Thomas Aiken held a share of the lead with Santiago Tarrio and Daniel Hillier after a marathon second day at the Qatar Masters. The South African was the only one of the three to finish his second round before play was suspended because of fading light. The 40-year-old veteran made 13 birdies and two bogeys in 31 holes for rounds of 69 and 65 to reach 10 under. Defending champion Ewen Ferguson and Robert Macintyre were a shot further back with Edoardo Molinari.

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

PRO GOLF: First-round leader 5

Jasmine Suwannapura trailed on the leaderboard for most of the day but emerged with a one-stroke lead going into today’s third round of the Maybank Championship on the LPGA Tour. Suwannapura shot a second-round 3-under 69 for a two-round total of 12-under 132 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course. Rose Zhang of the United States was in second place after a 68. She was followed by Celine Boutier of France, who had the round of the day with a 64 and was two strokes behind the leader and tied for third with Australia’s Hannah Green (70) and Peiyun Chien of Taiwan, who shot 69.