Thursday Sports in Brief

NFL

COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) - Melvin Gordon called Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn on Wednesday night to let him know he was ending his holdout.

Lynn wasn’t ready to believe it until the fifth-year running back walked through the door at the team’s complex. That happened Thursday morning as Gordon took part in his first practice since the final day of minicamp on June 13.

Gordon missed training camp and LA’s first three games as he held out for 65 days in the vain hopes of getting a new contract.

Lynn said he wasn’t concerned about Gordon’s frame of mind after their long conversation.

“That was the biggest concern, but I’m telling you that he’s in a good place right now. He just wanted to play football,” Lynn said.

Gordon did not appear during Thursday’s media availability. He is expected to take questions after Friday’s practice.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Nigel Bradham picked off Aaron Rodgers’ pass in the end zone with 20 seconds left, Jordan Howard gashed Green Bay for his second career three-touchdown game and the Philadelphia Eagles ended a two-game losing streak with 34-27 victory over the Packers on Thursday night.

Howard finished with 15 carries for 87 yards with two touchdowns rushing and one receiving, Carson Wentz went 16 for 27 for 160 yards, three scores and no turnovers, and the Eagles (2-2) rebounded after losing back-to-back games by a combined seven points.

Rodgers started 10 for 10 and finished 34 for 53 for 422 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble that set up a short Philadelphia scoring drive.

Davante Adams had a career-high 180 yards on 10 catches for Green Bay, but he wasn’t on the field for the Packers (3-1) on the last drive because of a toe injury.

CINCINNATI (AP) - Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman called his final Cincinnati Reds game Thursday.

Brennaman’s move ended a 46-year career that’s featured so many big stars and historic moments - Hank Aaron, the Big Red Machine, Pete Rose - and more than a few verbal tiffs with fans and players who weren’t exactly endeared to his tell-it-like-it-is style.

The Reds’ voice since 1974, the 77-year-old Brennaman intended to quietly retire after the season. He agreed to a farewell season that would allow fans and teams to show their appreciation and celebrate a career with so many calls: Aaron’s 714th homer that tied Babe Ruth, three World Series titles and Rose’s record-setting hit No. 4,192 among the most memorable.

For one more time, Brennaman was nearly as big as the game itself.

NFL

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Nigel Bradham picked off Aaron Rodgers’ pass in the end zone with 20 seconds left, Jordan Howard gashed Green Bay for his second career three-touchdown game and the Philadelphia Eagles ended a two-game losing streak with 34-27 victory over the Packers on Thursday night.

Howard finished with 15 carries for 87 yards with two touchdowns rushing and one receiving, Carson Wentz went 16 for 27 for 160 yards, three scores and no turnovers, and the Eagles (2-2) rebounded after losing back-to-back games by a combined seven points.

Rodgers started 10 for 10 and finished 34 for 53 for 422 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble that set up a short Philadelphia scoring drive.

Davante Adams had a career-high 180 yards on 10 catches for Green Bay, but he wasn’t on the field for the Packers (3-1) on the last drive because of a toe injury.

NEW YORK (AP) - Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are going to bring the heat to the 2020 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show.

NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced Thursday that the superstar performers, who have released music in Spanish and English since the 1990s, will perform on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Lopez and Shakira both posted a photo of them standing side by side on social media to announce the news. “Going to see the world on fire,” Lopez wrote.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than this! So excited about getting on that #SuperBowlLIV #PepsiHalftime stage!” Shakira wrote.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia Tech’s basketball team was banned from postseason play for the upcoming season and slapped Thursday with four years of probation for major recruiting violations committed by a former assistant coach and an ex-friend of head coach Josh Pastner.

The sanctions handed down by the NCAA also included a reduction in scholarships, limits on recruiting and a fine of $5,000 plus 2% of the program’s budget - a major blow to Pastner’s efforts to rebuild the struggling Atlantic Coast Conference program.

The NCAA said former assistant coach Darryl LaBarrie gave $300 to a highly touted prospect for a visit to an Atlanta strip club and arranged for him to meet with a former Georgia Tech athlete who played for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, including a visit to the player’s home and a free meal at a lounge owned by the player.

The NBA player was not identified, but Jarrett Jack was on the Hawks’ roster in 2016. He never played for Atlanta, which waived him during training camp as he struggled to return from a serious knee injury

SWIMMING AND DIVING

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Terry Bassett has been hired as CEO of USA Diving, taking on the role nearly a year after his predecessor left having served 16 months on the job.

USA Diving said Thursday that Bassett will begin his duties Oct. 1.

He succeeds Lee Walsi Johnson, who came over from USA Gymnastics where he was vice president of marketing. Jack Perkins had been acting CEO.

Bassett most recently worked at Nitro Circus, Travis Pastrana’s action sports company where Bassett was vice president of partnership marketing and sales.

Bassett has had other stints with the Miami Dolphins, NASCAR/International Speedway Corp., and the Professional Bull Riders.

SPORTS BROADCASTING

NEW YORK (AP) - Fox’s cable sports networks and some local Fox stations have gone dark for customers of satellite TV provider Dish because of a dispute over the networks’ cost.

Dish says the broadcast network was pulled in 17 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. Fox News remains on Dish.

Customers of the Sling streaming service are also affected.

These types of blackouts have become increasingly common as broadcasters seek to charge cable and satellite TV providers more. Those costs eventually show up on customers’ bills.

Dish is offering affected customers antennas for the Fox network. It’s also recommending the Locast streaming service. Those won’t work for cable. It suggests watching NFL games using the TV antenna or the NFL app for mobile.

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