Aaron Rodgers says he plans to play Sunday

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he expects to play Sunday at Chicago after a rib injury knocked him out of a 40-33 loss at Philadelphia.

“I got good news with the scans yesterday, so I plan on playing this week,” Rodgers said Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and SiriusXM.

Rodgers left in the second half against the Eagles because of the rib injury. He already has been playing with a broken right thumb, an injury he sustained on the final play of a 27-22 loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 9.

“There was an earlier shot in the game that kind of rattled the ribcage,” Rodgers said. “I was trying to stretch some things out at halftime a little bit and realized it probably wasn’t some sort of muscle injury. And I just got hit again in the third quarter and was just having a hard time breathing.”

Soccer

IRAN RELEASES SOCCER PLAYERS AHEAD OF MATCH AGAINST US >> Iranian authorities said Tuesday that two former members of the national soccer team arrested this month in connection with nationwide protests have been released on bail.

The announcement came hours before Iran was set to play the U.S. at the World Cup in a politically-charged match that authorities are heavily promoting as they grapple with nationwide protests that are well into their third month.

Parviz Boroumand, a retired goalkeeper, was arrested nearly two weeks ago on charges of participating in protests in the capital, Tehran, and was accused of damaging property. Voria Ghafouri was arrested last week for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandizing against the government,” according to state-linked media. BELGIUM HOLDS PLAYERS’ MEETING AFTER POOR START >> Belgium’s squad held a meeting where players aired their “honest” views about how the team can salvage its World Cup campaign, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Tuesday.

Belgium arrived in Qatar as the No. 2-ranked team and one of the tournament favorites, but was unconvincing in a 1-0 win over Canada before losing to Morocco 2-0 on Sunday.

The team needs to beat Croatia in its final group game on Thursday to guarantee advancing to the last 16.

Courtois and Belgium captain Eden Hazard played down reports of infighting in the squad that surfaced after the Morocco game.

CROATIA CHARGED AFTER FANS TAUNT CANADIAN

WORLD CUP PLAYER >> A disciplinary case was opened against Croatia at the World Cup on Tuesday after the team’s fans taunted a Canada player with Serbian family ties.

FIFA said the charge against the Croatian soccer federation was “due to the behavior of its fans” and cited rules relating to discrimination and security at games.

Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan was born in an ethnic Serbian region of Croatia that was part of the conflict which split the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Borjan’s family left their hometown in 1995 when it was taken by Croatian forces amid stories that ethnic Serbs fled on tractors.

During Canada’s 4-1 loss on Sunday, one banner displayed by Croatia fans used a flag of tractor manufacturer John Deere and changed the marketing slogan to target Borjan. NEYMAR TO MISS BRAZIL’S LAST GROUP GAME >> Neymar will miss Brazil’s last group game at the World Cup because of his right ankle injury, the team doctor said Tuesday.

Rodrigo Lasmar said the Brazil forward will not recover in time to face Cameroon in the Group G game on Friday.

Neymar missed Monday’s game against Switzerland, when Brazil won 1-0 to secure its spot in the round of 16. A draw against Cameroon will be enough to give Brazil first place in the group.

CAMEROON GOALKEEPER ONANA LEAVES WORLD CUP AFTER DISPUTE >> Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana apparently left the World Cup on Tuesday and was heading home after being dropped from the country’s squad for disciplinary reasons.

A photo posted by a Cameroonian journalist on social media showed the Inter Milan goalkeeper at the airport in Doha and about to leave Qatar. The Cameroon team spokesman did not immediately answer calls seeking comment.

Onana also released a

Tennis

US TENNIS COACHES FISH, BRYAN FINED FOR PROMOTING GAMBLING >> U.S. Davis Cup team coaches Mardy Fish and Bob Bryan were fined $10,000 apiece for promoting a gambling operator via social media.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the punishments Tuesday, saying that Fish and Bryan cooperated fully with its investigation and removed the problematic posts immediately.

They were given fourmonth bans that were provisionally set aside and will be enforced only if there is another breach by Fish or Bryan during a four-month probationary period that began on Nov. 11.

“Bob and I did a DraftKings promo during the U.S. Open that we were unaware we weren’t allowed to do,” Fish wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday. “As soon as we found out, I deleted the posts and cooperated with the ITIA.”

College football

KANSAS COACH LEIPOLD SIGNS LUCRATIVE CONTRACT EXTENSION >> Lance Leipold has signed his lucrative contract extension at Kansas, which includes a massive pay raise for the Jayhawks’ football coach along with his assistants and staff, and could keep him tied to the school through the 2029 season.

Under terms of the contract, which was agreed to last week and made public Tuesday, Leipold will make $5 million in the first year of the deal with annual $100,000 increases. Leipold also gets a $750,000 signing bonus while his buyout rises to $12.5 million before gradually decreasing over time.

His original contract was a $16.5 million, sixyear pact that paid him $2.2 million last year with $200,000 increases each season. Leipold had a year added to the deal Sept. 1 before leading the Jayhawks to a 5-0 start and spot in the Top 25; the Jayhawks dealt with injuries down the stretch and finished 6-6 for their first bowl appearance since 2008.

WILLIAMS, STROUD, HOOKER FINALIST FOR MAXWELL AS TOP PLAYER >> Quarterbacks Caleb Williams of Southern California, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Hendon Hooker of Tennessee have been named finalists for the Maxwell Award as the player of the year in college football.

The Maxwell finalists were announced Tuesday along with finalists for most of the other awards that will be presented Dec. 8 on ESPN.

Williams is throwing for more than 300 yards per game and has 34 TD passes against just three interceptions. Stroud has thrown for a nation-leading 37 touchdowns and has the highest passer rating. Hooker was leader of the nation’s No. 1 offense before an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee ended his season Nov. 19.

Baseball

PIRATES SIGH 1B/DH CARLOS SANTANA TO 1-YEAR DEAL >> The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed veteran first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana to a 1-year contract.

The deal, announced Tuesday, is worth $6.75 million.

The arrival of the 36-yearold gives the young Pirates an experienced hitter who the team hopes will serve as a role model in 2023.