The Florida Panthers decided to buy out the remaining year of Filip Kubas contract on Wednesday. The 36-year-old blue liner, who signed as an unrestricted free agent last summer, carried a cap hit of $4 million next season. It is not a compliance buyout, meaning the buyout amount will count against the Panthers salary cap. Since the deal included a no-movement clause, Kuba does not have to clear waivers to become an unrestricted free agent. Dan-Axel Zagadou Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Marcel Schmelzer Jersey . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. http://www.footballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Axel-Witsel-Jersey/ . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Dzenis Burnic Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Raphael Guerreiro Jersey . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. NFLSAN DIEGO -- Colin Kaepernick and San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid kneeled during the national anthem, continuing the quarterbacks preseason protest of American racial injustice and minority oppression.Kaepernick and Reid dropped to one knee while a naval officer sang The Star-Spangled Banner and dozens of military members unfurled an oversized flag at the Chargers Qualcomm Stadium.Kaepernick and Reid received scattered boos when they dropped to a knee amid a crowd of teammates, but the protest was otherwise unremarked by the San Diego crowd. The 49ers visit coincided with the annual Salute to the Military preseason game for the Chargers, who have strong fan support in their citys extensive armed forces community.Kaepernick got much heavier boos when he took the field to start the game for the 49ers.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With a four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal beginning in just a few days, Tom Brady had an NFL going-away party Thursday night, playing the first half in the New England Patriots preseason finale against the New York Giants.Brady completed 16 of 26 passes for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Patriots (3-1) missed out a perfect preseason in a 17-9 loss to the Giants (2-2).PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL is expected to pick up the majority of the cost to stage the 2017 draft in Philadelphia, with the citys iconic Rocky steps serving as its backdrop.City officials say they dont expect the NFLs 82nd event to come at taxpayer expense, but instead expect to fundraise about $5 million of the $25 million budget with the league paying for the events staging and infrastructure.Senior vice president Peter OReilly said on Thursday the events location will represent a return to the birthplace of the draft. The first NFL draft was held in Philadelphia in 1936, when the Eagles selected versatile halfback Jay Berwanger first overall.MINNEAPOLIS -- While Teddy Bridgewater is weighing options for surgery, the Minnesota Vikings are scrutinizing the possibilities for another quarterback.Bridgewater visited team headquarters just two days after the freak non-contact injury to his left knee sent him to a hospital by ambulance and devastated a team that was counting on its beloved leader to help make a legitimate push for the Super Bowl.About 20 players gathered around Bridgewater in the training room for encouragement, inspiration and even a few laughs.The initial diagnosis was a dislocation of the knee and a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament, plus other significant damage that the Vikings have not disclosed, and the likelihood of it occurring was pegged at less than 1 percent.COLLEGE FOOTBALLKNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Exactly nine years to the day after it pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, Appalachian State nearly did it again.A couple of missed kicks and an inability to recover an overtime fumble prevented the Mountaineers from getting it done.Jalen Hurd pounced on quarterback Joshua Dobbs fumble in the end zone and No. 9 Tennessee overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to escape with a 20-13 vvictory over Appalachian State.ddddddddddddhe Mountaineers were trying to stage a repeat of their 2007 upset of No. 5 Michigan, which marked the first time a Football Championship Subdivision program had beaten a Top 25 team. Appalachian State has since left the FCS ranks and is in its second season as a full-fledged Bowl Subdivision member.Tennessee faced third-and-goal from the 2 when Dobbs ran to his right and lost control of the ball as he tried to stretch his arms across the goal line. Hurd won the scramble for the loose ball in the end zone to give the Volunteers their only lead of the night.TENNISNEW YORK -- When heavy rain began pelting the closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Andy Murray couldnt pick up the usual sounds of a tennis match.Most importantly, he said, the thwack of a ball coming off his opponents racket strings -- or his own, for that matter -- was completely indiscernible during a 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 second-round victory over Marcel Granollers at the U.S. Open on Thursday.As it is, the new $150 million retractable cover makes the tournaments main stadium louder because the structure, even when open, traps the sounds of spectators chatting in the stands.Because of the wet weather, action around the grounds was limited until the early evening -- but matches kept coming under the roof in Ashe, including Serena Williams 6-3, 6-3 victory over American wild-card entry Vania King at night.Men advancing included 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro, No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, No. 6 Kei Nishikori, No. 8 Dominic Thiem, No. 14 Nick Kyrgios and No. 22 Grigor Dimitrov, but No. 16 Feliciano Lopez lost.Williams older sister, seven-time major champion Venus, beat Julia Goerges 6-2, 6-3, 2011 U.S. Open winner Sam Stosur lost 6-3, 6-3 to Zhang Shuai of China, and No. 5 Simona Halep eliminated Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-4 in a meeting between past French Open finalists.BASEBALLNEW YORK -- Mets second baseman Neil Walker will miss the rest of the season because of surgery for a herniated disk in his back, the latest in a series of severe injuries to strike the defending NL champions this year.Walker made the announcement before the wild-card contenders played Miami.Had he continued to play, he estimated he wouldve been at 60 percent. Or, as New York manager Terry Collins said Walker told him Wednesday night, Not sure I can help.Minus Walker, the Mets will use Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson at second base. A recent push moved the Mets within 1 1/2 games of St. Louis for the second NL wild-card spot.GOLFCAMBRIDGE, Ontario -- Chella Choi ended up on top of the LPGA Manulife Classic leaderboard at windy Whistle Bear when Belen Mozo unraveled with a closing triple bogey.Choi shot a 6-under 66, finishing with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.Mozo was 7 under before running into trouble on the par-4 18th. The Spaniard finished with a 68.Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was four strokes back after a 70 in her bid to win three straight events for the second time this season. ' ' '