• NFL fines Favre $50K for ‘failure to cooperate’: Brett Favre was fined $50,000 by the NFL for failing to cooperate with its investigation of inappropriate messages and lewd photos he allegedly sent to a former Jets game-day employee. Commissioner Roger Goodell “could not conclude” that Favre violated the league’s personal conduct policy based on the evidence currently available to him. The league said forensic analysis failed to establish that the 41-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback sent objectionable photographs to Jenn Sterger. “The review found no evidence to contradict the statements of both Favre and Sterger that they never met in person, nor was there anything to suggest that Sterger engaged in any inappropriate conduct,” its statement announcing the fine said. The NFL said its sole focus was on whether Favre violated workplace conduct policy, not to “make judgments about the appropriateness of personal relationships.” Goodell determined Favre was “not candid in several respects during the investigation resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention for Favre, Sterger and the NFL,” the league said. The NFL’s investigation began in early October.

• Penn State AD expects Paterno to coach in 2011: Penn State athletic director Tim Curley plans to meet with Joe Paterno next month and expects the 84-year old coach to return for the 2011 season. Curley, at an Outback Bowl luncheon Wednesday, said no date has been set yet for the meeting. Paterno, on Tuesday, insisted he has no plans to stop coaching after this week’s game against Florida. Curley says after the bowl game, they’re looking forward “to a great season next year.” Paterno’s contract runs through next season and has called rumors he may quit after Saturday’s game against the Gators “ridiculous.”

• Talking head says Vick ‘should have been ‘executed’: Fox analyst Tucker Carlson says Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick “should have been executed” for his role in a dogfighting ring. Carlson was guest hosting for Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News Channel on Tuesday night when he made the remarks. He led a panel discussion about President Barack Obama commending the owner of the Eagles for giving Vick a second chance after his release from prison. Vick served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring. Carlson says, “Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did (it) in a heartless and cruel way.” He added, “I think personally he should have been executed for that.” Carlson, a conservative commentator, is angry that Obama told Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie he believes people who have paid for their crimes should have the opportunity to contribute to society again.

• Seattle moving ahead with Whitehurst at QB: Seattle coach Pete Carroll says the Seahawks are moving ahead with plans to start quarterback Charlie Whitehurst in the NFC West title matchup against St. Louis. Carroll says quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is rehabbing to make a return from a strained hip area, but that it would be “against the odds.” Hasselbeck is working in the therapy pool trying to recover from the injury. Carroll says Hasselbeck insists he’s going to make it back for Sunday’s game with the Rams. Carroll calls such a return “miraculous.” It would be Whitehurst’s second career start. Whitehurst’s only other NFL start came in a 41-7 loss to the New York Giants.

• Garrard will miss season finale with finger injury: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard will miss the season finale at Houston because of a finger injury. Garrard will have surgery on the middle finger of his right hand Thursday. Trent Edwards is likely to start in Garrard’s place, essentially giving the former Buffalo Bills starter an audition with Jacksonville. Garrard injured his finger when he hit it on an opposing player’s helmet at Indianapolis on Dec. 19. Garrard likely would miss a first-round playoff game if the Jaguars (8-7) make the postseason. Jacksonville needs to beat Houston and have Tennessee upset Indianapolis to win the AFC South.

Triathlon

• Armstrong pulls out of New Zealand event: Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong won’t compete in a New Zealand triathlon next month because of a sore left knee. The American cyclist planned to compete in a sprint triathlon at the Blue Lakes multisports festival at Rotorua on the North Island on Jan. 29. In a phone interview Wednesday, Armstrong says he has quit running for now because of the sore knee, forcing him to skip the triathlon. He says the left knee has cartilage damage and eventually will require surgery. The injury does not interfere with his cycling. Armstrong still plans to compete in the Tour Down Under cycling race in Australia that runs Jan. 16-23. Armstrong has indicated the Australian race will likely be his last professional cycling race outside the United States.

Mixed martial arts

• ‘Iceman’ calls it quits after sterling MMA career: Former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, one of the pioneers of modern mixed martial arts, has retired from professional fighting. The “Iceman” said Wednesday that he will become an executive vice president for business development with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the promotion that rocketed him to stardom in the United States more than a decade ago. The former collegiate wrestler made his UFC debut in 1998 and quickly became one of the sport’s most popular fighters. He fought nearly every big name in mixed martial arts, including Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva. His last fight was a knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 115 in June.

Baseball

• Guillen’s son rips Jenks over White Sox comments: One of Ozzie Guillen’s sons is firing back at former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks for comments made about the Chicago manager. Jenks, who signed a two-year deal with Boston last week, expressed disappointment to MLB.com that the White Sox decided not to re-sign him. He told the website he was “looking forward to playing for a manager who knows how to run a bullpen.” Oney Guillen called Jenks a “punk” in a series of Twitter posts. In one, he wrote that Jenks should “be a man and tell the manager or the coaching staff how u feel or the organization when u were with the sox not when u leave.” In another, he wrote that Jenks “cried in the managers office bc u have problems now u go and talk bad about the sox after they protected u for 7 years ungrateful.” Oney Guillen resigned from his job in the scouting department in March after the organization took exception to some of his tweets.

• Palmeiro still insists he never used steroids: Rafael Palmeiro is sticking to his story that a tainted vitamin shot caused his failed drug test five years ago, and hopes Hall of Fame voters will overlook the mistake and honor him for his 3,020 hits and 569 homers. A week before the Baseball Writers Association of America announces its inductees to baseball’s Hall of Fame, Palmeiro told SI.com in a phone interview posted Wednesday that he never used performance-enhancing drugs in his 20-year career. As he asserted in 2005 after he was suspended for failing a test, Palmeiro again insisted the anabolic steroid was in a B-12 vial given to him by Baltimore Orioles teammate Miguel Tejada. “I was telling the truth then, and I am telling the truth now,” Palmeiro said. “I don’t know what else I can say. I have never taken steroids. For people who think I took steroids intentionally, I’m never going to convince them. But I hope the voters judge my career fairly and don’t look at one mistake.”

Hockey

• Pittsburgh warming up to Winter Classic: There isn’t much winter in the Winter Classic forecast. Air Science Consultants, a suburban Pittsburgh firm that is advising the NHL, predicts a high of 54 with showers Saturday for the Capitals-Penguins outdoor game at Heinz Field. The league said the ice can be kept stable, but any rain poses a risk to the players that might require a delay. The NHL is prepared to start the scheduled 10 a.m. PST game as late as 5 p.m. if it rains, or shift the game to Sunday. The forecast for Friday’s team practices is partly sunny with a high of 58. The thaw will occur after weeks of frigid weather in Pittsburgh, where the daily high temperature has been above 29 only five times in December.

— From wire reports