In the news

‘Strong odor’ of alcohol on Jose Fernandez after boat crash: A search warrant affidavit says the bodies of Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez and two of his friends had a strong odor of alcohol on them when they were recovered by divers following a boat crash off Miami Beach.

The warrant released by the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office Wednesday also says investigators found evidence that the boat was speeding when it slammed into a jetty Sept. 25.

Fernandez, 27-year-old Emilio Jesus Macias and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero died.

The crash is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The agency asked prosecutors to draft the warrant so they could search Fernandez’s 32-foot SeaVee named “Kaught Looking.”

The affidavit says officials found a receipt for alcohol from American Social Bar & Kitchen, where the trio had been before the crash.

Romo throws in practice for 1st time since August injury: Tony Romo is participating in throwing drills at practice for the first time since the Dallas quarterback broke a bone in his back in a preseason game at Seattle in August.

The 36-year-old worked in several individual drills Wednesday in shorts and a T-shirt with his teammates in full pads. While he almost certainly won’t play against Philadelphia on Sunday, it’s the biggest step in his return.

The Cowboys (5-1) have won five straight with Dak Prescott, who is set to face fellow rookie starter Carson Wentz of the Eagles.

Romo was the third quarterback for each drill behind Prescott and veteran backup Mark Sanchez. Romo appeared to be throwing at full velocity, and also dropped back and threw a few passes on the run.

Jets place Smith on IR with torn ACL: The New York Jets have placed quarterback Geno Smith on injured reserve with a torn knee ligament.

Smith injured the ACL in his right knee in the second quarter of the Jets’ 24-16 win over Baltimore on Sunday.

An MRI on Monday revealed the severity of the injury , and a second examination on Tuesday apparently confirmed the torn ACL, which will end Smith’s season.

Smith is a free agent after the season and unlikely to be re-signed by New York.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, benched in favor of Smith last Sunday, will start this weekend at Cleveland.

To replace Smith on the roster Wednesday, the Jets signed linebacker Taiwan Jones.

New York also signed center Kyle Friend and linebacker Reshard Cliett to the practice squad and released wide receiver Myles White from the practice squad.

McIlroy, Johnson to face off in Philippines: Instead of ending his year in the Bahamas, U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson is headed to the Philippines for an 18-hole match against Rory McIlroy geared toward raising money for charity.

McIlroy was supposed to play Jason Day in an exhibition called “Battle for a Cause” until Day cited a need for rest to heal his ailing back. Johnson gladly stepped in.

This is the second attempt at a head-to-head exhibition for McIlroy this year. He was planning to play Rickie Fowler in Detroit this summer until a deal with sponsors fell through. This one was set up on Nov. 29 with Day, the No. 1 player in the world whose mother is from the Philippines and who had family members perish in the 2013 typhoon.

Kuznetsova makes semis at WTA Finals: Svetlana Kuznetsova became the first player to reach the last four of the WTA Finals after sealing her second round-robin victory this week, beating Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday in Singapore.

Kuznetsova fell to the ground, smiling, after securing a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) win on a fourth match point.

“I felt the support of the crowd and I couldn’t let anyone down,” said Kuznetsova, who at 22-8 has the most three-set match wins this year. “So I had to fight.”

When defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska prevailed over Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the second match, the Pole’s win guaranteed Kuznetsova’s progress in the competition.

Muguruza’s 0-2 standing eliminates the Spaniard from semifinal contention. The second semifinal berth in the White Group will be decided between Radwanska (1-1) and Pliskova (1-1) on Friday.

The four players from the Red Group - No. 1 Angelique Kerber (2-0), Simona Halep (1-1), Madison Keys (1-1) and Dominika Cibulkova (0-2) - will vie for the two semifinal spots in round-robin matches on Thursday.

Bills’ McCoy works out on his own to test hamstring injury: Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy spent practice working out on his own to test a nagging left hamstring injury, leaving his playing status uncertain against New England on Sunday.

Coach Rex Ryan said Wednesday the team’s top offensive threat is receiving treatment and his progress will be monitored through the week. McCoy was hurt in practice a week ago, but played into the third quarter before being pulled from a 28-25 loss at Miami on Sunday.

Safety Aaron Williams is not expected to play after sustaining a severe neck injury against Miami.

DeMarcus Ware returns to practice: DeMarcus Ware returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since breaking his right forearm in a game on Sept. 18.

The Broncos (5-2) are hoping Ware can play Sunday when they face the surging San Diego Chargers (3-4).