SOCCER

Goalkeeper Tim Howard has been elected to the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame and will be inducted on May 4. Howard was on the ballot for the first time and received 46 of 48 votes from the player selection committee. The 44-year-old made 121 appearances with the U.S. national team from 2002-17 and was in goal at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

BASKETBALL

The NBA has awarded the Portland Trail Blazers a $5.8 million Disabled Players Exception in response to center Robert Williams III undergoing season-ending knee surgery, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Williams, who injured his right knee on Nov. 5, had surgery and was ruled out for the season.

FOOTBALL

Fresno State football coach Jeff Tedford is stepping away from the program because of health concerns. The school’s athletic director, Terry Tumey, announced Tedford’s status Friday. Assistant head coach and linebacker coach Tim Skipper will serve as head coach through the Bulldogs’ bowl game.

It’s the second time Tedford, 62, had to step away because of his health. He left the team in 2019 while dealing with heart-related issues.

BASEBALL

There was just one positive test resulting in discipline from among a record 11,783 samples collected by Major League Baseball and the players’ association in the year ending with the 2023 World Series.

The only positive test among players on 40-man rosters involved Milwaukee Brewers pitcher J.C. Mejía, suspended for 162 games on Sept. 20 for his second positive test for Stanozolol, a steroid. Mejia was suspended for 80 games on May 17, 2022.

Drug tests were up from from the previous high of 11,619 in 2019.

TENNIS

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal announced Friday that he will return to competitive tennis, ending his yearlong absence because of back and hip problems.

Nadal last played in the 2023 Australian Open, where he bowed out to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round in a match where he needed constant treatment on his hip. In June, after Nadal missed the French Open he’s won a record 14 times, the 22-time Grand Slam champion announced that he had surgery in an attempt to return to competitive tennis for a farewell tour in 2024.