TAMPA, Fla. -- Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth has been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who signed him after injuries decimated their roster midway through last season.
General manager Mark Dominik said he appreciated Haynesworth filling in for seven games after tackle Gerald McCoy was lost for the year with a torn right biceps.
While the Bucs limited the number of days he practiced to try to keep Haynesworth healthy for games, his production declined steadily over the final month of a 10-game losing streak that claimed the job of former coach Raheem Morris. Haynesworth's base salary for next season would have been more than $6 million, so his release didn't come as a surprise.
The veteran of 10 NFL seasons was claimed off waivers from the New England Patriots on Nov. 8. He started six games for Tampa Bay, finishing with 25 tackles.
The Buccaneers hired long-time NFL assistant Jimmy Raye as a senior offensive assistant to new coach Greg Schiano.
Raye has been in coaching for 40 seasons, 34 of them in the NFL.
Jaworksi leaves Monday Night Football: ESPN announced Ron Jaworski will leave the "Monday Night Football" booth after five seasons, and that the show would use a two-man team of Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden. Jaworski, who signed a five-year contract extension with the network, instead will focus primarily on studio work. Jaworski joined MNF in 2007, replacing Joe Theismann.
Broncos sign C.J. Davis: Denver signed third-year free agent guard C.J. Davis, who will reunite with coach John Fox.
Davis played for Fox in Carolina in 2010, when he appeared in seven games after spending the previous season on injured reserve.
The Panthers signed Davis as a college free agent in 2009 after he started 43 games at the University of Pittsburgh and was named All-Big East his senior season.
Hall of Famer Hamilton retires: Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton, who had the memorable call on Henry Aaron's 715th home run, will retire as the radio voice of the Houston Astros after the 2012 season.
This will be the 84-year-old Hamilton's 28th year with the Astros and 59th year overall calling Major League Baseball games.
He will remain with the team after this season working mostly on special events, but will make sporadic appearances on radio broadcasts.
Hamilton made the call on Aaron's 715th home run on April 8, 1974, as a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. He has also called 11 no-hitters, Nolan Ryan's 4,000th strikeout in 1985 and Craig Biggio's 3,000th hit in 2007.
Maddon agrees to extension with Rays: Joe Maddon is eager to get to work at spring training after agreeing to a three-year contract extension that could keep him in Tampa Bay's dugout through 2015.
Saudi women want to compete: A human rights group is calling on the International Olympic Committee to require that Saudi Arabia's participation in Olympic sporting events, including the upcoming London Games, be contingent upon the Arab country allowing girls and women to play competitive sports.
Human Rights Watch issued a report Wednesday saying that Saudi Arabia is violating the IOC charter's pledge of equality. The country has never sent a woman to compete in the Olympics.
In interviews with Saudi women and international sporting officials, the group found that Saudi government restrictions put sports beyond the reach of almost all women in the Gulf nation.
Within a year, the group wants Saudi Arabia to start introducing physical education for girls in all schools, and allocate money for women's sports in the youth ministry, the Saudi national Olympic committee and Saudi sports federations.
Zambia rises in rankings: Zambia has soared in the FIFA rankings after winning the African Cup of Nations, and Germany climbed to second behind World Cup winner and European champion Spain.
The United States rose two spots to No. 31 in the latest rankings released Wednesday after winning exhibitions against Panama and Venezuela. Mexico leads the North and Central American and Caribbean region, unchanged at No. 21.
Zambia rose 28 places to No. 43, becoming the continent's fourth-ranked nation after starting the African Cup in 16th place.
Ivory Coast, which lost Sunday's final in a penalty shootout, is the highest-ranked African nation at No. 15.
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