Sports shorts Former Patriots standout Wilfork officially retires

Former New England and Houston defensive tackle Vince Wilfork announced his retirement from the NFL in a barbecue commercial Aug. 7.

Wilfork tweeted a video showing him un-taping his ankles, hanging up his cleats and grabbing grilling tongs. The video then shows the 35-year-old defender dancing, cooking ribs and smoking a cigar while wearing his trademark overalls.

The video ends by noting that “Vince’s Farewell Tailgate” will take place Sept. 7 in New England. The defending Super Bowl champions open the season that Thursday night against Kansas City.

Wilfork played 13 NFL seasons, including the last two in Houston. He said earlier this summer he was contemplating retirement after the Texans declined to offer him a new contract.

Wilfork was drafted by New England in 2004 and anchored the Pats’ defense line for 11 seasons. He was named to five Pro Bowls and helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls.

Officials say Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry is being investigated for possible domestic battery.

A spokesman for the Broward County State Attorney’s office said Aug. 7 in an email the allegations were under review and no decision has been made on whether Landry will be charged.

The case was recently referred to prosecutors by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. A police spokeswoman said the incident occurred in April.

Dolphins coach Adam Gase says the team is aware of the situation and that “proper steps” have been taken.

The 24-year-old Landry is in his fourth NFL season out of Louisiana State University. He has 288 career receptions for 3,051 yards for the Dolphins. He was on the practice field Monday.

The Buffalo Bills signed free agent Anquan Boldin in a move that adds a veteran presence to a mostly young and untested group of receivers.

The Bills announced the signing following practice at training camp Aug. 7, and two weeks after Boldin traveled to Buffalo to meet with team officials. Boldin is a 14year veteran who spent last season with Detroit, where he had 67 catches for 584 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games.

Boldin’s 1,076 catches for 13,779 yards overall rank third among players since breaking into the NFL in 2003, when he was drafted in the second round by Arizona. He played seven seasons with the Cardinals and also had two three-year stints in Baltimore and San Francisco.

The United States’ Christian Taylor needed only one attempt to show he is still the man to beat in the triple jump.

With the automatic qualifying standard set at 17 meters, Taylor hit 17.15 right away and reached Thursday’s final.

Taylor already has two world titles and two Olympic gold medals.

Another American, Chris Benard, also immediately qualified for the final with a mark of 17.20, while 18-year-old Cuban Cristian Napoles jumped 17.06.

The NHL has decided that players with active NHL contracts, even those in the minors, will not be allowed to participate in the Olympics next February in South Korea. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the league’s stance to The Associated Press Aug. 7.

The league announced in April it wouldn’t be stopping its season to go to the Olympics for the first time since 1994, but questions had remained about players in the American Hockey League and ECHL .

This means players signed to two-way NHL contracts or who are loaned to minor league affiliates by their clubs won’t be available to the United States, Canada or other national teams. The AHL said earlier this summer that general managers could decide to allow players on AHL contracts to play in South Korea.

Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations and the U.S. general manager for the 2018 Olympics, said that organization will honor its partnership with the NHL and not put anyone under contract in its player pool. Hockey Canada is also expected to avoid any potential conflicts.