Sports News Roundup: Formula One pays tribute to Schumacher at 50; WADA hires law firm to investigate bullying accusations

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Formula One pays tribute to Schumacher at 50

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher turned 50 on Thursday as Formula One and his fans paid tribute to the sport's most successful driver with a mixture of celebration and sorrow. The German great, who retired in 2012 after a comeback with Mercedes, has not been seen in public since he suffered severe brain injuries in a recreational skiing accident in the French Alps five years ago.

Dexter Lawrence among Tigers officially ruled out of title game

Clemson star junior Dexter Lawrence and two of his teammates have officially been ruled out of Monday night's title game between the Tigers and No. 1 Alabama. Clemson released a statement Thursday affirming that Lawrence, Zach Giella and Braden Galloway would be suspended, as they were for the national semifinal game against Notre Dame. The trio tested positive for ostarine, a banned substance.

Harrington to be named European Ryder Cup captain

Padraig Harrington will be announced next week as the captain for Europe's 2020 Ryder Cup team, according to multiple reports. The European Tour has called a press conference for Tuesday at its headquarters, where the three-time major champion will officially be named captain. Harrington will become the third Irish captain for Team Europe in the past four Ryder Cups.

Doping: WADA hires law firm to investigate bullying accusations

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Thursday it had hired a law firm to investigate accusations of bullying and harassment within the organization after an initial probe was unable to prove any improper behavior. Beckie Scott, a Canadian Olympic gold medal cross country skier and WADA's athletes committee chair, accused members of the executive committee of making inappropriate comments and gestures during a September meeting in the Seychelles when she opposed the reinstatement of Russia's anti-doping agency.

LeBron leads pack in early All-Star voting

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the first tally of fan voting for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. According to totals released by the league Thursday, James is the first player to get more than 1 million votes (1,083,363) for the Feb. 17 showcase at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Parise completes Wild comeback against Leafs

Zach Parise scored early in the third period and the visiting Minnesota Wild held on to earn a 4-3 comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday afternoon. Jared Spurgeon notched a goal and two assists for the Wild and Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist. Mikki Koivu added a goal and Parise also had an assist.

Curling: Canadian Fry to return to action after drunken escapade

Canadian Ryan Fry, who took a leave of absence from the team he won an Olympic gold medal with in 2014 after being kicked out of a competition for alcohol-fuelled bad behavior, will return to curling next week. Fry was serving as a spare with another rink when he and three team mates were thrown out of a World Curling Tour event in Alberta in November for what organizers called unsportsmanlike behavior resulting from excessive drinking.

Canadiens' Price, Armia returning; Shaw to IR

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will make his return Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks after missing the previous three games with a lower-body injury. Price told reporters Wednesday that the injury had bothered him for several weeks before he finally sat out late last month.

Phillies sign ex-Yankees reliever Robertson

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed veteran reliever David Robertson to a two-year, $23 million deal, the team announced Thursday. Robertson, who represented himself during his free-agent negotiations, told MLB.com that the Phillies "checked off all the boxes for me."

Falcons' Quinn to call defensive plays in 2019

The Atlanta Falcons' search for a new defensive coordinator ended before it began, as coach Dan Quinn has decided to handle those duties himself in 2019. The Falcons fired Marquand Manuel on Monday after a 7-9 season in which the team finished 25th in the league in scoring defense and 28th in total defense.

(With inputs from agencies.)