Reuters Sports News Summary

He missed eight of his first nine 3-point tries but hit four in the fourth to help Cleveland to its ninth win in 12 games. NFL-Brady 'forever grateful' to Belichick after coach leaves Patriots Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he could never have been the player he was without the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick, who on Thursday announced that he was parting ways with the team after 24 seasons.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Report: Farmers ending sponsorship of Torrey Pines event

Farmers Insurance will no longer sponsor the PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines in San Diego when its contract runs out in 2026, Sports Business Journal reported Thursday. The company has been the title sponsor since 2010 but seems to be pulling out of the golf business. Last week, Rickie Fowler told Golfweek that his sponsorship contract with Farmers had expired and he was told it would not be renewed.

Lions ready to roar in reunion with Matthew Stafford, Rams

Matthew Stafford returns to Detroit in a Los Angeles Rams uniform. Jared Goff faces the team that gave up on him. The Lions are hosting a playoff game for the first time in 30 years. The preamble to Sunday night's first-round playoff matchup has all the fixings of a script, but neither team wants to discuss much more than the primetime wild-card meeting and the spot in the conference semifinals at stake.

NFL-New England Patriots coach Belichick leaves team after 24 seasons

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, one of the most successful coaches in National Football League history, has left the team after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles, he and owner Robert Kraft announced on Thursday. Belichick, 71, and Kraft mutually agreed to part ways after the team finished the season with a dismal 4-13 record, the worst in Belichick's 29-year head coaching career.

Donovan Mitchell takes over in fourth, Cavs beat Nets in Paris

Donovan Mitchell scored 21 of his season-high 45 points in the fourth quarter to go along with 12 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers continued their surge with a wire-to-wire 111-102 victory over the slumping Brooklyn Nets Thursday in the NBA's Global Games in Paris. Mitchell took over the game in the fourth quarter when the Cavaliers let what had been a 26-point lead slip into single digits. He missed eight of his first nine 3-point tries but hit four in the fourth to help Cleveland to its ninth win in 12 games.

NFL-Brady 'forever grateful' to Belichick after coach leaves Patriots

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he could never have been the player he was without the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick, who on Thursday announced that he was parting ways with the team after 24 seasons. Hired by the team in 2000, Belichick turned to little-used second-year quarterback Brady in 2001, who led the Patriots on an improbable run to the team's first of six Super Bowl championships with the coach at the helm.

Grizzlies G Marcus Smart (finger) out at least 6 weeks

Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart is expected to miss at least six weeks due to an injury to his right ring finger, the team announced Thursday. Smart sustained the injury during the third quarter of the Grizzlies' 120-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. That was one day after the team announced star guard Ja Morant (shoulder) is out for the season.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts practices in glove; A.J. Brown (knee) absent

Jalen Hurts practiced with a glove on his injured right hand but the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback wasn't hiding the intolerable pain he experienced in his finger this week. Hurts threw on Thursday for the first time since he was injured Sunday and confessed he made a poor decision returning to the loss to the New York Giants after being hurt.

Australian Open draw: No. 1 Iga Swiatek opens against former champ

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland will face former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin as part of an intriguing first-round slate in Melbourne. The draw was announced on Thursday for the season's first grand slam, with action getting underway on Sunday.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers returning in 2024

Quarterback Quinn Ewers plans to return to Texas rather than entering the 2024 NFL Draft. "Ever since I was a kid, I've dreamed of playing quarterback at the University of Texas. ... I'm coming back," Ewers said in a social media post Thursday. "Hook 'em."

Colts QB Anthony Richardson learning to play 'smart'

After an injury-shortened rookie season, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson still plans to maintain his aggressive style while "being smart" and hopefully staying healthy. "I feel like I'm going to stay the same, keep being me," the 2023 first-round draft pick told reporters on Thursday. "I can't try to run through everybody. If it's first-and-10, I need to get what I can get, get down, get out of bounds, get to the sideline, do what I can do. ... But if the game is on the line, I've got to go out there and compete."