Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Australian Open to start on Feb. 8 - ATP; Ex-MLB star Vizquel accused of domestic violence

The 48-year-old, who won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, signed a one-year deal with the Australian team in August and was in line to make his debut against Melbourne Aces at Blacktown International Sportspark on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NFL: Former Ravens RB Taliaferro dies at 28

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro has died at age 28, the team announced Thursday. Taliaferro passed away in his hometown of Williamsburg, Va. A family member told WBFF-TV in Baltimore that Taliaferro died of a heart attack.

NHL: Blues forward Steen retires due to back injury

St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen retired Thursday due to a back injury following a 15-year career that included a Stanley Cup championship in 2018-19. Steen, 36, recorded 622 points (245 goals, 377 assists) in 1,018 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2005-08) and Blues (2008-20).

Chiefs shine, athlete-activists take center stage in year of change

The Kansas City Chiefs broke their 50-year Super Bowl drought in February before the NFL embarked on a 2020 like no other year before that saw the league navigate the COVID-19 pandemic amid a public reckoning over its history with athlete activism. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 31-20 comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Miami, earning MVP honors followed by a 10-year contract extension in a deal worth a reported $450 million, the biggest in NFL history.

Baseball-Ramirez's Australian league debut on hold due to medical issues

Manny Ramirez's Australian Baseball League debut has been put on hold due to medical reasons, his Sydney Blue Sox team said. The 48-year-old, who won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, signed a one-year deal with the Australian team in August and was in line to make his debut against Melbourne Aces at Blacktown International Sportspark on Thursday.

MLB gives 1920-1948 Negro Leagues 'Major League' status

Major League Baseball (MLB) is giving the Negro Leagues of 1920 through 1948 to "Major League" status, MLB said on Wednesday, calling the move a correction of "a longtime oversight." The records and statistics of the Negro Leagues, in which Black players competed after being forced out of MLB competition due to racism and segregation laws, will be incorporated into MLB history, a century after the formal introduction of the Leagues.

Golf-Johnson masters annus horribilis to return to the top

While 2020 was an annus horribilis for the vast majority of people, Dustin Johnson was a rare exception. In the year COVID-19 brought the world to its knees, the American reclaimed his place as golf's leading player, shrugged off his own brush with the virus, and won the rescheduled Masters in stunning style.

Ex-MLB star Vizquel accused of domestic violence

Former All-Star shortstop Omar Vizquel has been accused of domestic abuse by his wife, Bianca, according to a report in The Athletic. Bianca Vizquel, 36, who initiated divorce proceedings in August, reportedly said Vizquel abused her in 2011 -- before they were married -- and again in 2016. She also said cited a heated argument in August.

Top 25 roundup: No. 20 Ohio State falls at Purdue

Trevion Williams had 16 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight assists to lead Purdue to a 67-60 victory over No. 20 Ohio State in the teams' Big Ten opener on Wednesday in West Lafayette, Ind. Eric Hunter Jr. had 15 points and Sasha Stefanovic 10 for the Boilermakers (5-2, 1-0 Big Ten), who led 38-33 at the half.

Tennis-Australian Open to start on Feb. 8 - ATP

The Australian Open will start on Feb. 8, three weeks later than scheduled, the ATP Tour said on Thursday in releasing an update of its calendar for 2021 revising the first seven weeks of the season. The start date of the main draw of the tournament was originally slated for Jan. 18 and Tennis Australia have been locked in drawn-out negotiations with local government over COVID-19 health security measures.

Swiss court rejects Russia's appeal against Olympic doping ban but halves its length

A Swiss court on Thursday upheld doping sanctions that will prevent Russian athletes from competing at major international events under the country's flag, but halved the period of the ban to two years from four. The ruling will leave Russian athletes without their flag and national anthem at next year's Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and at the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar, a severe blow to Russian sport which has been tarnished in recent years by a string of doping scandals.