NFL to use advisory committee to avoid conflicts of interest

The NFL will consult an advisory committee made up of former coaches, general managers and players on such issues as postponing, moving or even canceling games this season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Troy Vincent, the league’s football operations chief, said Wednesday that the advisers, who will report to Commissioner Roger Goodell, will help avoid any “inequities” in those decisions.

Vincent also said the league will consider playoff games in a bubble environment, noting that “all options are on the table.”

• The New York Giants signed placekicker Graham Gano, 33, who has not played since 2018 because of injuries. Gano has played in 134 regular-season and seven postseason games with Washington and the Panthers.

• Miami Dolphins linebacker Vince Biegel was placed on injured reserve with a torn right Achilles tendon. Last year, Biegel started 10 games, led the Dolphins with 13 quarterback hurries and tied for the team lead with seven tackles for a loss.

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Big Ten’s Warren defends decision

Facing backlash from fans, players’ parents and others, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren sought to elaborate on the decision last week to postpone football season until spring.

The first-year commissioner has been criticized for a lack of transparency in how the decision to call off football this fall was made.

“We thoroughly understand and deeply value what sports mean to our student-athletes, their families, our coaches and our fans,” Warren wrote Wednesday in what was called an “Open Letter to the Big Ten Community.”

“The decision was thorough and deliberative, and based on sound feedback, guidance and advice from medical experts.”

Golf: Brooks Koepka ended his PGA Tour season when he withdrew from the Northern Trust with what he described as nagging hip and knee injuries. Koepka was No. 97 in the FedEx Cup. He would have needed a good week at the TPC Boston to reach the top 70 and advance to the BMW Championship next week south of Chicago.

• Tom Lehman had four birdies in a late five-hole stretch for a 7-under-par 64 and a share of the first-round lead with Shane Bertsch in the Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge at Ridgedale, Mo.

Soccer: Bayern Munich beat Lyon 3-0, setting up a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain at Lisbon, Portugal. It’s the first time in 22 years that the final will feature two teams who qualified as domestic league champions.

WNBA: At Bradenton, Fla., Candace Parker had 16 points, 12 rebounds and four assists to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 83-74 for their fifth consecutive win. ... Stella Johnson set a Washington rookie record with six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 25 points and the Mystics beat the Atlanta Dream 98-91 to snap a seven-game skid. ... Rookie Crystal Dangerfield scored 21 points with five 3-pointers and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Dallas Wings 91-84.

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