Hunt unclaimed on waivers, becomes unrestricted free agent

Kareem Hunt went unclaimed on NFL waivers Dec. 3, three days after he was released by the Chiefs.

The star running back was cut Nov. 30 after TMZ released a video showing him pushing and kicking a woman during a February incident at a Cleveland hotel.

Police did not charge Hunt with a crime, but the Chiefs released him for being untruthful with them about what happened.

Hunt currently is on the commissioner’s exempt list and cannot play even if another team signs him. The NFL says it is continuing its investigation.

Hunt, the NFL’s leading rusher as a rookie in 2017, almost certainly would be fined and suspended by the NFL under its personal conduct policy should he find another team.

Soccer

MODRIC, HEGERBERG WIN BALLON D’OR >> Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural’s women’s trophy.

Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d’Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer’s elite. Women’s fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg’s award.

Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament.

France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d’Or since 1956, and created a women’s award for the first time this year.

Hegerberg is a threetime Women’s Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season.

The 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won’t play for Norway at the Women’s World Cup in France next June.

Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn’t played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women’s European Championship without scoring a goal.

Hegerberg told The AP she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her “authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer.”

NBA

BULLS FIRE HOIBERG >> Chicago fired head coach Fred Hoiberg on Monday and promoted associate head coach Jim Boylen in hopes of turning around a miserable season. Chicago is averaging 103.4 points, 28th in the NBA, and is getting outscored by 9.6 per game. They are a woeful 5-19, better only than Cleveland and Phoenix.

Hoiberg, who had to deal with a veteran roster that didn’t fit his style early on and then injuries to key players starting in training camp, never found his footing in Chicago. It added up to a 115-155 mark with one playoff appearance in three-plus seasons.

Executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson insisted the decision went beyond wins and losses, citing a lack of “energy and spirit.”

Paxson also said the Bulls are committed to Boylen as their long-term head coach and that general manager Gar Forman is “absolutely safe.”

Boylen becomes the sixth coach hired by the current front office. He spent four years as the head coach at the University of Utah. Over 20 years in the NBA, he also has been an assistant in Houston, Golden State, Milwaukee, Indiana and San Antonio.

MLB

DODGERS, ROBERTS

AGREE TO 4-YEAR EXTENSION >> Dave Roberts and the Dodgers agreed to a four-year contract extension Monday that would keep him as manager through 2022.

The 46-year-old skipper led the team to consecutive World Series appearances for the first time since 1977-78. The Dodgers lost in five games to Boston in October, and lost in seven games to Houston in 2017.

In three seasons, Roberts is 287-200 overall. The team has won three straight National League West titles under him and two straight NL pennants. Roberts was the 2016 NL manager of the year.