CHICAGO (AP) — Northwestern rewarded coach David Braun for a remarkable turnaround following Pat Fitzgerald’s firing in the wake of a hazing and abuse scandal by removing the “interim” label from his job title on Wednesday.

Hired in January as the team’s defensive coordinator, Braun and the Wildcats (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) are in a position few would have envisioned.

“I am truly honored for the opportunity to continue leading Northwestern’s football program,” Braun said in a statement. “Over the past five months, having the chance to lead this group has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Moving forward, my mission is to build on this positive momentum, aiming to create one of the best experiences in college football for our student-athletes.”

Braun seemed more like a place-holder given his background when he was elevated to interim head coach three days after Fitzgerald was fired, ending a 17-year tenure. He had never coached at an FBS program let alone led one, but after spending the past four seasons as defensive coordinator at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, he has been a steadying force at Northwestern.

The calls to stick with him grew louder in recent weeks.

Northwestern has more wins than in the previous two seasons combined, after going 3-9 in 2021 and 1-11 last year, and is one away from bowl eligibility. Players made their feelings clear, giving full-throated endorsements after the Wildcats won at Wisconsin on Saturday. They even had #RemoveTheTag circulating on social media.

“He’s never wavered,” said quarterback Ben Bryant, who led Northwestern to the 24-10 win over the Badgers. “He stepped in a really difficult situation and has taken us to this point. I think we still have a lot to go, but he’s the guy that everyone looks to, to lead and motivate.”

Braun is the first Northwestern coach with five wins in his first season since Walter McCornack went 10-1-3 in 1903. And he has a chance to become the first to finish above .500 in his debut year since Pappy Waldorf led the 1935 team to a 4-3-1 record. The Wildcats were a combined 4-20 in 2021 and 2022.

“We asked Dave to support our student-athletes this season, and he has done an exceptional job,” school president Michael Schill said. “Under his guidance, Northwestern’s football team has exceeded expectations on the field and excelled in the classroom. The turnaround he has led, under very difficult circumstances, is nothing short of phenomenal.”

Northwestern is facing more than a dozen lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse of players by teammates, as well as racist comments by coaches and race-based assaults. Baseball coach Jim Foster was fired July 13 amid allegations of a toxic culture that included bullying and abusive behavior.

Fitzgerald, by far Northwestern’s winningest coach, is suing his alma mater for $130 million, saying it wrongfully fired him. He was let go three days after the school announced a two-week suspension without pay following an investigation by attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff. That probe did not find “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about ongoing hazing, but concluded there were “significant opportunities” to find out about it.

Connor Stalions, the former Michigan football recruiting staffer who is now the center of the NCAA’s sign-stealing investigation into the Wolverines, did not file a single expense report while he was employed by the football team from Sept. 1, 2021-Oct. 15, 2023, according to documents obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

The Free Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request for any and all expense reimbursement submissions from Stalions, but the request was denied because the university said it has no record of any such request.

‘There are no responsive records,’ FOIA coordinator Shannon Hill wrote in an e-mail to the Free Press.

Stalions allegedly purchased tickets on the sideline of Michigan’s future opponents, which he would send to accomplices for them to attend games, record videos of the team’s sideline with their phone, then send back to Stalions to time-up the game tape and decipher the signals.

According to reports, there’s evidence Stalions purchased 35 tickets at more than 17 different schools dating to the 2021 season. The NCAA has also handed the Big Ten evidence of the scouting scheme that included a budget, which was originally reported to be up to $15,000 for this season.

Before he was suspended with pay on Oct. 20, Stalions was paid $55,000 annually as a recruiting analyst according to the university’s public data.

The Lake Orion native and Naval Academy graduate formally resigned on Nov. 3, a team spokesman confirmed to the Freep after initial reports surfaced that he was fired. Stalions later put out a statement saying he did ‘not want to be a distraction from what I hope to be a championship run for the team’ before he added he ‘will continue to cheer them on.’

Last Friday, the Big Ten suspended Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season for violating the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy for ‘conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition’ according to the 13-page letter.

The league’s commissioner, Tony Petitti, made it clear there has not been evidence presented that shows Harbaugh had direct knowledge of the scheme, rather that as the head of the football program, the buck ultimately stops with him.

‘I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter,’ Harbaugh wrote in an initial statement. ‘I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed staff members or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.’

Harbaugh, who missed last week’s win against Penn State, is scheduled to be heard in front of Judge Timothy Connors in Washtenaw County on Friday at 9 a.m., as the program seeks a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten’s suspension.

If granted an injunction, Harbaugh would be allowed to coach the next two weeks; Saturday at Maryland (noon, Fox) and then in the regular season finale against undefeated Ohio State.

The Buffalo Bills are not broken, star quarterback Josh Allen says. But the Bills know their backs are against the wall when it comes to making the playoffs this season. 

The Bills are 5-5 and fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey this week. Now, Joe Brady is interim playcaller, and the Bills’ climb into the playoff contention begins when the New York Jets visit for Sunday’s game. 

“I gotta be better. We gotta be better as an offense,” Allen said in his weekly press conference Wednesday after Dorsey was fired. 

“Turnover wise, it’s abysmal when we lose, and there there’s no secret to that. So … it’s not like it’s broken. We’re not, we’re not a broken offense. we’re not a broken team. but the splits compared to when we win and when we lose are massive.’

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How drastically different are Josh Allen’s stats in wins and losses?

Here are the splits Allen was referring to:

In five wins: Allen has completed 74.4 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns, three interceptions, zero fumbles and a 114.0 quarterback rating. The Bills average 32.2 points in their victories

In five losses: Allen has completed 66.7 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns, eight interceptions, four fumbles and an 81.3 rating. The Bills score 20.2 points per game in their defeats.

“Again, that’s on my shoulders and we gotta be better,” Allen said. “I gotta be better.” 

How far are the Bills from the playoffs?

At 5-5, the Bills own the 10th seed in the AFC playoff race with seven games remaining. Nine wins could get Buffalo into the playoff picture. Ten or more would be ideal. The top seven teams will make the playoffs.

The Buccaneers reached the playoffs last year with an 8-9 record, but won their division. The Bills are second in the AFC East, looking up at the Dolphins (6-3) in first place.

“We’re 5-5 and our back’s against the wall,” Allen said. “The clock’s ticking on what we can do this season, and it starts this Sunday to try to turn this thing around. It’s no secret how many wins you probably need to get into the playoffs and we don’t got much more wiggle room.”

Josh Allen takes Ken Dorsey’s firing to heart

Allen said he owes his NFL success to Dorsey, who was his quarterback coach since 2019 before becoming offensive coordinator when Brian Dabollo left to coach the Giants in 2021.

But Allen understands why coach Sean McDermott abruptly fired Dorsey earlier this week.

“I love Dorsey. As a human being, he’s one of the good ones who’s been in this room with me for a very long time. I feel like I owe him a lot of the success that I’ve had my career. He’s been a huge part of that. So, sad to see him go,” Allen said.

“The fact is, you know, we play better as a team, we probably don’t have to make a move like that. He’s been a big part of what we’ve been doing here in the last few years.”

Josh Allen says Joe Brady has some ‘juice’ to him

Brady – the passing game coordinator and receivers coach when Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase led LSU to the national title in 2019 – has the keys to the Bills offense.

Bills coach Sean McDermott hired Brady, 34, to be the Bills’ quarterbacks coach in February 2022, after promoting Dorsey to offensive coordinator. Brady joined Buffalo following two seasons as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator.

“Everyone talked about how smart he was and how hard he worked,” McDermott said of Brady. “And I think those two [traits] combined can be dangerous in professional sports.”

Allen says since Brady is younger, he can relate to the Bills players. He also has faith in Brady to lead the offense.

“He’s got a lot of juice to him,” Allen said of Brady.

Thursday’s matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens is a pivotal divisional matchup that could determine the winner of the AFC North. ‘It feels like a playoff game in November,’ Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said in the leadup to the primetime matchup. But neither team will be at full strength.

The Bengals (5-4) and Ravens (7-3) are both coming off of walk-off Week 10 losses and are looking to bounce back on Thursday, but both are facing injuries. Several key players, including one of the Bengals’ top wide receivers, have been ruled out of the ‘Thursday Night Football’ matchup at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Here’s a status update on key players heading into Thursday:

Bengals WR Tee Higgins is out

Higgins will miss his second-straight game due to a hamstring injury he suffered during practice last week. He did not play in the Bengals’ 30-27 loss to the Houston Texans and head coach Zac Taylor said it would be a ‘short, tough’ week for Higgins to bounce back for ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Higgins was officially ruled out on Wednesday after he didn’t log a practice all week.

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This will mark the third game Higgins has missed this season. Higgins sat out the Bengals’ Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals due to a rib injury sustained during Week 4.

Higgins, who registered back-to-back 1,000-plus receiving-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022, has recorded 328 yards and two touchdowns through seven games this season.

Bengals DE Sam Hubbard is out

Hubbard also is out Thursday, marking the second straight game he will miss due to an ankle injury. Hubbard did not practice this week.

‘He’s irreplaceable in that position,’ Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said Monday. ‘Let’s start with communication and helping everybody with, hey, this might happen, that might happen … So we miss him there and then just his physical presence. He’s one of the top edge run defenders in the league and it’s hard to replace those guys. But we have to … and we’ve got to do better.’

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson is in

The Bengals, however, are expected to have Hendrickson, just four days after he injured his knee in the Bengals’ Week 10 loss to the Texans. Hendrickson didn’t practice Monday, got a limited practice in on Tuesday and was a full participant on Wednesday. Hendrickson has 27 total tackles, 8.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in nine games.

Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey is ‘doubtful’

The Ravens could be without Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey on Thursday. He was listed as doubtful in Wednesday’s injury report after he didn’t practice all week. Humphrey missed the first four games of the season due to a foot injury that required surgery. He’s recorded 14 total tackles in six games this season.

Ravens OT Ronnie Stanley is out

Stanley will not suit up Thursday due to a knee injury after he did not practice all week. This will mark the fourth game Stanley has missed this season.

Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was beside himself after Michigan defeated Penn State 24-15 on Saturday, and it bled through during his postgame interview with Fox.

‘I wanna thank the lord,’ Moore said. ‘I wanna thank Coach Harbaugh. (Expletive) love you, man. Love the (expletive) out of you, man. Did this for you. For this university. The president, our AD, we got the best players. Best university. Best alumni in the country. Love you guys. These (expletive) guys right here. These guys right here, man. These guys did it.’

It sounds like Moore got a bit of a chewing-out for his postgame passion — and it came from his family. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Moore said he apologized to his mother and grandmother for his profanity-laden speech, adding, ‘it was a lot bigger than just that moment.’ He also said the likes of Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard and others reached out to show their support.

The sentiment, however, clearly stood. He was still wearing a ‘Michigan vs. Everybody’ sweater at the podium, and he reiterated that those outside the program want to see it fail. He added that the entire team wanted suspended coach Jim Harbaugh to be on the sideline Saturday against Maryland before saying, ‘If he isn’t, we’ll operate at the highest level we can.’

Michigan is 10-0 (7-0 Big Ten), and playing Maryland this week before ‘The Game’ against Ohio State on Nov. 25. The Wolverines are hoping a Friday hearing grants them a temporary restraining order that would allow Harbaugh to coach those two games. If not, Moore is expected to act as head coach for the rest of the regular season.

Aaron Rodgers says he expects to be back this season for the New York Jets. If cleared, and if he’s willing to return, his head coach won’t be stopping him.

During a news conference Wednesday, Jets coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers would have final say on the decision to return to field, from his torn left Achilles tendon suffered during the team’s first offensive possession of the season.

‘Aaron’s a big boy, a grown man and no one’s going to know Aaron’s body like Aaron knows his body,’ Saleh said. ‘And if he feels, after all the doctors clear him, and I’m sure there’s a million of them, I have no idea on that stuff, but if Aaron says he wants to play, he’s going to play.’

Rodgers sustained the injury during an eventual 22-16 Jets victory over the Buffalo Bills. Since then, he has made accelerated progress and has made clear his desire to return to the field before the end of the season. That would be an unprecedented timeline; typically, Achilles tendon tears require a year to fully heal.

Rodgers, who turns 40 on Dec. 2, has been walking without crutches and without an orthopedic boot commonly used in recovery. He has even thrown passes during warmups before Jets games.

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Saleh’s comments come one day after Rodgers’ appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ in which he reiterated his desire to return. Rodgers did say, though, that New York’s performance would dictate his availability.

‘There’s no set date,’ Rodgers said Tuesday. ‘It could change. If I have a great week this week and next week, that could be accelerated. If we are not in it in three or four weeks, that could take it a different way, but I expect us to be in it and I expect to come back, so that’s about all I can tell you at this point.’

The Jets (4-5) are one of 12 teams with at least four victories in a crowded AFC. New York has lost its last two games and faces a divisional foe Sunday in the Buffalo Bills (5-5).

‘The pressure to keep the season afloat is just to keep it afloat,’ Saleh said. ‘The pressure to go to the playoffs is always pressure. It’s not for any one individual. It’s not for any possibility. It’s for competitors who want to win football games, and I think Aaron’s just the icing.’

Rodgers also said Tuesday that he plans to rejoin the Jets full-time soon, joining the regular schedule of meetings, film sessions and other team activities.

ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s hard to find a Major League Baseball owner or executive who believes that Las Vegas will suddenly become a thriving baseball market, but just the same, they are convinced the franchise will enjoy more success than in Oakland.

The 30 Major League Baseball owners are expected to unanimously approve Thursday morning A’s owner John Fisher’s proposal to relocate his franchise from Oakland to Las Vegas.

Several owners and executives conveyed privately that their patience simply has been exhausted with Oakland government officials and the A’s inability to reach a deal for a new stadium. They believe that Las Vegas provides the best alternative with its tourism and economy while also providing about $380 million towards the price of a $1.5 billion ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip.

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to make the relocation official at a press conference Thursday with owners voting on the move earlier in the morning at the final day of their meetings.

The eight-member executive council has already recommended to Manfred that their fellow owners approve the relocation, where the A’s have been the past 55 years in Oakland.

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The A’s still have a lease at the Oakland Coliseum through 2024, but it’s unknown where the A’s will play until their Las Vegas ballpark is ready in 2028. They could play games at Oracle Park in San Francisco, at Allegiance Stadium where the Raiders play, or their Triple-A Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, Nevada. Everything is on the table.

The A’s who have been in Oakland since 1968, will become the first MLB team to relocate since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., in 2005, and just the second relocation since 1972 when the Washington Senators moved to Texas and became the Rangers.

The relocation needs only 75% approval – 23 of the 30 votes – but no owner or executive contacted at these meetings are aware of a dissenting vote.

“Look, do I think it will work?’’ one AL executive said. “I have no idea. I’ve got my doubts. But enough is enough. We’ve been dealing this for nearly 20 years, and nothing has changed. It’s time to try something new.’

There could be remaining obstacles with the Nevada teachers union threatening to file a lawsuit in Nevada District Court to stop the public funding for a new ballpark, which could require Fisher to pay entirely for the new ballpark. The union has also filed a petition for a referendum putting $120 million of the $380 million on the ballot next November.

This will be the third major sports franchise to leave Oakland in the past five years, including the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas and the Golden State Warriors move from the Oracle Arena to San Francisco.

Although the A’s will be moving to a smaller ballpark with an estimated 30,000-seat capacity, and only the 40th-largest market, MLB executives say the revenue will be greater than in Oakland because of suite sales and higher ticket prices.

MLB is expected to explore expansion in the next few years, ideally bringing two new clubs into the league. Oakland mayor Sheng Thao said the city would like to be a viable candidate for a future expansion team, keeping the team nickname and colors, if the Athletics’ departure happens.

Yet, the current favorites for expansion are Nashville, Tenn., and Salt Lake City, Utah, with MLB last expanding in 1998 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays, leaving Oakland for a potentially long wait.