Sports Round-up: Boxing business, Brees near NFL, Panthers sign S Reid, NHL investigating Flyers'

At 39, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees seems to have pulled the lithium batteries out of his clock on the wall.

HBO getting out of the boxing business after 45 years

U.S. broadcaster HBO said on Thursday it will be dropping live boxing from its programming schedule from 2019 due to dwindling ratings, ending a 45-year association with the sport. With the top fights on Pay Per View and boxing available on other places and platforms such as the streaming service DAZN, which in May partnered with Matchroom Boxing in a $1 billion eight-year deal to broadcast 16 U.S. based fights a year, HBO has decided to put those resources into other projects.

Brees near NFL passing mark; Saints meet Manning, Giants

At 39, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees seems to have pulled the lithium batteries out of his clock on the wall. At 37, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who has two Super Bowl rings to Brees' one, is trying his best to keep pace with a respected elder.

NFL notebook: Panthers sign S Reid

The Carolina Panthers signed safety Eric Reid, the team announced Thursday after the former Pro Bowl player spent more than six months as a free agent. The first player to join then-teammate Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 season, Reid filed a collusion grievance against the NFL in May as he remained unsigned in free agency.

Titans grant WR Matthews his release

The Tennessee Titans released wideout Rishard Matthews on Thursday, the team announced, a day after reports emerged that the veteran had requested to be let go. Matthews' request, which general manager Jon Robinson said he received Monday, stemmed from a lack of playing time and targets. Matthews has just three catches for 11 yards this season while playing only half (95) of the team's offensive snaps.

Take 5: Biggest weaknesses for AL playoff teams

There's a chance the American League playoff field could feature three 100-win teams, but that doesn't mean each club isn't without its flaws. Even the mighty Boston Red Sox, whose 107 wins entering Thursday are the most by a major league team since the Seattle Mariners won 116 in their historic 2001 season, have a glaring weakness as the start of the postseason approaches.

Consider commissioner to heal rifts, Wimbledon chief says

World tennis should consider appointing a global commissioner to bring rival governing factions together for the good of the sport, the chairman of Wimbledon says. Tensions over tournaments, ranking points and new events in an already crowded calendar have bubbled to the surface in recent weeks, most notably with the ITF's controversial re-fashioning of the Davis Cup men's team competition into a year-end one-week extravaganza.

Doping - Triple jumper Claye cleared by USADA after positive test

Triple Olympic medalist, Will Claye was cleared of wrongdoing after returning a positive doping test that was determined to be the result of contaminated meat he consumed in Mexico, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said on Thursday. The 27-year-old American, who won triple jump silver medals at the last two Olympics and a long jump bronze in 2012, tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol as a result of an out-of-competition urine sample collected last month.

Raiders ready for 'magic' Mayfield, Browns

Cleveland Browns fans had to wait an awfully long time -- 635 days to be exact -- for last week's win over the Jets. They've waited even longer for a franchise quarterback to arrive.

Panthers sign S Reid; grievance reportedly still active

The Carolina Panthers signed safety Eric Reid, the team announced Thursday after the former Pro Bowl player spent more than six months as a free agent. The first player to join then-teammate Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 season, Reid filed a collusion grievance against the NFL in May as he remained unsigned in free agency.

NHL investigating Flyers' Lehtera after cocaine ring report

The NHL is investigating Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera after a Finnish news outlet reported he was questioned by police in his native Finland about his involvement in a cocaine ring. According to an online translation of the report, Lehtera is among 23 suspects from a group accused of distributing two kilos of cocaine since January of 2017, and seven people are currently in jail relating to the case. The report adds that a house Lehtera owns was raided, but he has denied involvement and has not been charged.