NHL | Phoenix Coyotes owner agrees to sell bankrupt franchise to league

NHL

Agreement to sell bankrupt franchise must be approved by judge: Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has agreed to sell the bankrupt franchise to the league.

The agreement, which needs be approved by Judge Redfield T. Baum, was announced in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Monday after attorneys met for more than an hour during a recess in a status hearing on the case.

Ex-Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky, a Hall of Fame player who has a $22.5 million claim in the case, reportedly has not agreed to the deal.

Moyes' attorney said the decision to make a deal came largely because the costs of running the team in bankruptcy were coming out of the league's $140 million offer for the team.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said once the deal closes, the league will immediately look to sell the team, preferably to an owner who will keep it in Arizona.

Kovalchuk to miss at least three weeks with broken foot: Atlanta forward Ilya Kovalchuk, the Thrashers' captain and one of the league's top scorers, is expected to miss from three to five weeks with a broken bone in his right foot.

Media

Griese is suspended for a week: ESPN broadcaster Bob Griese has been suspended for one week because of a remark he made about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said former NFL quarterback Griese will not be working a game this week. Krulewitz said ESPN officials have spoken to Griese and "he understands the comment was inappropriate."

During ESPN's broadcast of the Minnesota-Ohio State game Saturday, a graphic was shown listing the top five drivers in NASCAR's points race. Fellow broadcaster Chris Spielman asked where was Montoya, who is Colombian.

Griese replied Montoya was "out having a taco." Griese has twice apologized on air.

ESPN production assistant fired: Brooke Hundley, 22, an ESPN production assistant whose affair with baseball analyst Steve Phillips led to Phillips' termination, has also been fired from the network, according to a spokesman.

Tennis

Wozniacki denies wrongdoing: Caroline Wozniacki denied there was any wrongdoing involved last week when she quit a match one game shy of victory.

The WTA Tour is investigating a surge in online bets backing her opponent that occurred after her father, Piotr, was overheard telling Wozniacki to quit because she wouldn't be able to play in the next round of the Luxembourg Open.

The 19-year-old Dane retired with a hamstring injury while leading Anne Kremer of Luxembourg 7-5, 5-0.

"There was no chance for me to finish, so I decided to stop," she said ahead of the WTA's season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships. "I don't have anything to do with betting. ... So I don't see any problems."

College basketball

Florida women's coach ruptures Achilles tendon: Florida women's coach Amanda Butler will spend part of the season on crutches. She ruptured her left Achilles tendon playing flag football Saturday and had surgery Monday.

Golf

Snedeker, Weekley combine to win Golf Skills Challenge: Brandt Snedeker and Boo Weekley won the Golf Skills Challenge in a playoff at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.

In the final of the worse-ball portion of the contest, Snedeker and Weekly initially tied finalists J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry at par, forcing a playoff on the 305-yard, par-4, 14th hole.

Snedeker and Weekly, who split $314,000 in prize money, used a 3-foot putt to win $200,000 for the reverse-scramble portion of the event.

Mixed martial arts

Lesnar withdraws: UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has withdrawn from his Nov. 21 title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 106 in Las Vegas because of an illness.

Soccer

AC Milan executive says Beckham's return is nearly certain: Adriano Galliani, chief executive officer of Italian team AC Milan, said former England captain David Beckham's return to the Serie A team on a loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer in January is nearly "100 percent certain."

Beckham wants to return to Europe to maintain his place on England's squad that will compete in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Winter sports

Uhlaender speaks out: U.S. skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender became the latest athlete to complain about the access organizers of the Vancouver Games are granting to their Olympic venues.

Uhlaender said the "world is pretty disappointed" with those restrictions, adding they are not consistent with Olympic ideals. The U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams are at the Olympic track in Whistler, B.C., limited to two weeks of training.

Olympics

VANOC releases financial report: Vancouver's Olympic organizing committee, VANOC, released its annual financial report for the year ended July 31, 2009, showing it made $591 million and spent $379 million.

Major spending is still to come as organizers pay for printing, services and other last-minute items for the 2010 Games. VANOC's operating budget reportedly is $1.64 billion.

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