Thursday’s Sports In Brief

NFL

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday night he will personally hear the suspension appeal of Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, who challenged the league’s punishment for his role in using deflated footballs during the AFC championship game.

The NFL Players Association filed the expected appeal about an hour before a 5 p.m. deadline on Thursday, asking for a neutral arbitrator to hear the case. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed about six hours later that the commissioner had rejected the request.

“Commissioner Goodell will hear the appeal of Tom Brady’s suspension in accordance with the process agreed upon with the NFL Players Association in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement,” he said.

Union officials declined immediate comment. Patriots team officials and Brady’s agent, Donald Yee, did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment from The Associated Press late Thursday night.

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NBA

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah won the J. Walter Kennedy Award, given annually to an NBA player, coach or trainer for community service.

The two-time All-Star was selected by the Pro Basketball Writers Association for his work with youth. His Noah’s Arc Foundation recently launched the “Rock Your Drop: The Drop of Consciousness” anti-violence initiative, supporting those impacted by violence and encouraging youngsters to express themselves through sports and art.

“I’m proud of everybody who’s helped bring positive (things) to Chicago, helped the kids,” Noah said. “My group has put in a lot of work to help. We still have a long ways to go. But it’s only the beginning.”

Last summer, Noah hosted a basketball tournament for young men from Chicago’s south and west sides.

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SKIING

Bode Miller hasn’t completely closed the door on his skiing career as he accepted a nomination to be a part of the U.S. Ski Team in 2015-16.

Hold on, though. His acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean the six-time Olympic medalist will definitely be back on the slopes, only guarantees him funding should he choose a return over retirement.

The official U.S. team will be named this fall.

Miller crashed during the super-G at the world championships in February and severed his right hamstring tendon. Right after surgery, Miller said he was going to weigh his options. The 37-year-old Miller and his wife have a baby due this month and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to commit all his time to training.

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BOXING

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - San Antonio police say they found heroin and a syringe next to the body of troubled boxer Tony Ayala Jr.

According to a police report released Thursday, investigators say they suspect a drug overdose killed Ayala. He was a rising star in boxing before a 1983 rape conviction that led to the first of two prison terms.

Ayala’s body was found Tuesday at an Ayala family-owned gym where he was trying to build a career as a trainer.

According to the offense report, a woman close to Ayala told police that she and Ayala had quarreled in a house they shared the night before his body was found. Police arrived to find the woman weeping over his body.

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COLLEGE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Indiana has dismissed sophomore basketball player Devin Davis and senior Hanner Mosquera-Perea following an incident on campus that led to a citation for marijuana possession against the younger player.

The school said Thursday that the two had been kicked out “for not living up to their responsibilities to the program.”

Campus police said they found marijuana in an apartment Monday night inside a backpack that belonged to Davis. He was cited with possession.

Coach Tom Crean said Mosquera-Perea was also present. The player was arrested on drunken-driving charges earlier in his college career.

Davis missed last season after sustaining a serious brain injury when freshman Emmitt Holt hit him with a car. Police later determined that Davis had jumped in front of the car.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Fran Fisher, who broadcast Penn State football games on the radio for many years, has died. He was 91.

Fisher’s son Jerry says his father was discovered in his State College town house Thursday morning but may have died late Wednesday.

Jerry Fisher says his father died of natural causes.

Fran Fisher began working for the Penn State Radio Network in 1966. He did play by play from 1970 to 1982 and again from 1994 to 1999.

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HOCKEY

PRAGUE (AP) - The Washington Capitals say forward Alex Ovechkin should arrive in Prague in time to help Russia play the United States in the semifinals of the ice hockey world championship on Saturday.

The Capitals said on Thursday that Ovechkin, the NHL’s leading goal-scorer, was travelling on the same day.

They were knocked out of the NHL playoffs late Wednesday by the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In his 10 previous worlds, Ovechkin helped Russia to three titles, including last year in Minsk, Belarus.

Russia was defeated by the U.S. and Finland in the group stage, and Ovechkin could make a difference.

He scored 53 goals in the NHL regular season, and five more in the playoffs.

DETROIT (AP) - A planned $2.1 billion bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, will be named after hockey great Gordie Howe.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the announcement Thursday in Windsor. The 87-year-old Howe, known as “Mr. Hockey,” was born in Floral, Saskatchewan, and led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup championships.

Snyder said it was an easy, mutual decision.

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BASEBALL

CINCINNATI (AP) - One of the most famous All-Star endings won’t be repeated when the game returns to Cincinnati this summer.

Cincinnati’s Pete Rose bowled over Cleveland’s Ray Fosse to end the 1970 All-Star Game at Riverfront Stadium. Fosse suffered a significant shoulder injury that curtailed his career.

Major League Baseball has tried to eliminate those home plate collisions the last few years. MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre saw the collision from the National League bench and says the hit was clean but devastating to Fosse’s career.

Torre thinks Major League Baseball has made a lot of progress in protecting catchers. He said during a conference call on Thursday that a catcher hasn’t been carried off the field since the rules were changed.