STEELERS RB BELL OPTIMISTIC FOR DEAL
FLA.» Pittsburgh LAKE BUENA VISTA, 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 spoke Wednesday at the Pro Bowl. He says he doesn’t believe talks will drag on.
“I think we’ll get something done and it will be exciting for both sides, for the fans and everybody,” Bell said.
The 25-year-old back turned down a long-term contract in 2017, skipped training camp and then signed a oneyear, $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.
• Todd Haley was hired as Browns coach Hue Jackson’s offensive coordinator.
The 50-year-old Haley spent six seasons guiding Pittsburgh’s highpowered offense but was fired after the Steelers’ loss to Jacksonville in the playoffs.
• The Packers have rehired Joe Philbin as offensive coordinator and named Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator.
Philbin is a former Miami Dolphins head coach, but he also spent 2007-11 as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator.
No. 8 Xavier rolls. Point guard Quentin Goodin scored 13 of his team-high 15 points while No. 8 Xavier took control in the first half, and the Musketeers routed Marquette 89-70 in a men’s basketball game to remain unbeaten at home.
• Sam Merrill scored 21 points with five 3-pointers, Koby McEwen added 20 points, and Utah State opened the second half with a big run to beat Air Force 71-49. Ryan Swan led the Falcons with 10 points.
• The University of Denver lost 118-93 at Western Illinois in a women’s game. Emily Clemens scored 39 points and added 13 assists and nine rebounds to lead Western Illinois, which shot 59.7 percent from the field. Lauren Loven led the Pioneers with 28 points.
• Colorado State scored 30 points in the third quarter and rolled past San Diego State 72-43. Hannah Tvrdy led the way for the Rams with 28 points and eight rebounds.
• Napheesa Collier scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and topranked Connecticut routed Memphis 93-36 to remain undefeated in women’s basketball.
Vonn, Shiffrin highlight Olympic
ski team. UTAH» Past
PARK CITY, Olympic medalists Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, Ted Ligety and Andrew Weibrecht are among the 22 ski racers named to the U.S. alpine team heading to the PyeongChang Games.
Vonn won a downhill gold and super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games, then sat out the Sochi Olympics four years later because of a knee injury. Shiffrin won a slalom gold in 2014, while Ligety owns two golds and Weibrecht has one silver and one bronze.
Footnotes. Serena Williams plans to return to tournament play after the birth of her first child in March. It will be the two-time champion’s first tournament after 14 months off. Her daughter was born in September. … A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that David Beckham’s plan to bring a Major League Soccer team to Miami may finally become a reality. Beckham and his partners are planning a Monday event to formally announce the team name and other details about the club, according to the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because nothing has been announced by the team or MLS officials. … Twelve North Korean female hockey players crossed the heavily fortified border into South Korea to form the rivals’ first-ever unified Olympic team.