Even when the NFL institutes a rule designed to reduce concussions, it can't shake the perception that it doesn't care what players and coaches think. The league took a step toward eliminating kickoffs this week by enhancing the touchback rule for a one-year trial with a priority on player safety. The receiving team will now get the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anywhere behind that yard line. Some of the league's most prominent coaches criticized the decision.

Clint Castleberry had one glorious season at Georgia Tech. He was a whirlwind on both sides of the line, seeming to turn up everywhere. And then, he was gone. All that potential, snuffed out by the horrors of war. On this Memorial Day weekend, the largely forgotten exploits of Castleberry are a somber, painful reminder of what might've been if not for war. He finished third in the Heisman balloting as a freshman in 1942. Then he headed off to World War II, where he died while piloting a B-26 off the coast of Africa. He was just 21.

Southeastern Conference leaders will continue debating what to do with their football schedule when they meet in the Florida Panhandle next week. The options: Play eight conference games with one annual rival or go to nine with three. Whether ESPN is willing to pay for extra conference games will factor into the decision, but how much? There is still no hard deadline to make a call on a format that goes into effect next year. Commissioner Greg Sankey told AP there is no guarantee a vote will even be taken next week.

Scouting and recruiting players in the NCAA transfer portal has become a vital part of building a college football program. And the process moves fast. To sift through a mountain of names, NFL-style personnel departments are using data and statistics from online analytics companies to more efficiently identify players who can help their teams. Information and services from companies such as SportSource Analytics, Tracking Football and The UCReport have become essential in college football's new age of free agency.

New Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is not taking part in organized team activities as he continues to recover from a broken left foot. Coach Josh McDaniels said Thursday that Garoppolo could be held out until July when training camp begins. McDaniels said Garoppolo is one of a number of players being held out of OTAs.

The United States beat the Czech Republic 3-0 to set up a semifinal game against Germany at the ice hockey world championship. Canada will face Latvia at Nokia Arena in the other semifinal on Saturday. The Americans earned their eighth straight victory. In another quarterfinal in Tampere, Canada beat defending champion Finland 4-1. In the Latvian capital of Riga, Germany upset Switzerland 3-1 to reach the semifinals. Co-host Latvia followed the suit by upsetting Sweden 3-1.

The president of France's Olympic Committee has resigned unexpectedly. It's the latest leadership shake up of French sports and preparations for the Summer Olympics in Paris next year. Brigitte Henriques, a former soccer player on the French national team, was the first woman to lead Olympic sports in France. Her departure follows a period of infighting in French Olympic circles. The French Olympic Committee says she announced at the start of a general assembly meeting on Thursday that she was stepping down. The committee statement did not give her reasons but said she explained them to the meeting's attendees. She'd occupied the role since June 2021.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson has a simple explanation for why he decided to participate in voluntary practices for the Baltimore Ravens this year.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is moving forward allowing schools to earn more money generated from their own postseason performances. That move comes as the league tries to find ways to close a growing financial gap with two power-conference peers. The ACC announced Wednesday that its board of directors have endorsed a "success incentive initiative" for the 2024-25 season. Details are being finalized. The league has long distributed revenue evenly among its membership. TV money will remain equally distributed. The change would affect money coming from revenue-generating postseason events like the College Football Playoff and the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Aaron Rodgers never made it past warmups in his first New York Jets practice in front of the media. The 39-year-old quarterback strained a calf while participating in conditioning drills Tuesday. Rodgers watched quarterback drills and remained on the field during practice, but was without his helmet and threw no passes. Rodgers downplayed the injury and said it's not too serious.