ORLANDO, Fla. -- The past three Pro Bowl Games have made one thing unmistakably clear: The NFC has a knack for flag football.

One week before the AFC's Kansas City Chiefs attempt a Super Bowl three-peat, the NFC completed a three-peat of its own in the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, topping the AFC 76-63 after the completion of all events, including a 56-50 win in Sunday's flag football game.

The NFC has won all three years in the flag football format that began with the February 2023 event.

On Sunday, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff -- who started the game -- won offensive MVP after completing 10 of 11 pass attempts for 126 yards and three touchdowns, getting the AFC off to a fast start.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., playing in his first Pro Bowl, was named defensive MVP after he picked off New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and scored on an 8-yard return.

The flag format has seemingly increased the competitiveness of the event, seeing as how players harbor fewer fears about sustaining injuries than they did under the longtime tackle football version of the Pro Bowl.

But not to be overlooked was a particular incentive.

"We were trying to win," Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said. "They told us what the prize was, and I was like, 'We might need to do a little bit more.' So, that's what we did."

Robinson was referring to the $92,000 in prize money awarded to each member of the winning conference team. Members of the losing team receive $46,000.

After years of uncertainty about the game's future because of the lack of intensity in the tackle format, the Pro Bowl seems to have found a viable path forward, according to league officials. Players also support moving forward with the flag football approach.

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, who has played both tackle and flag football in the Pro Bowl, was clear which he prefers.

"I like this more just because it gives the fans a chance to see our faces and just kind of see who we are off the field," he said. "And we compete, but we keep it very civil."

Said Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold: "I think [flag] is really fun, especially after the season when guys have been kind of chilling for three weeks. It's good to just ease into a game of flag football."

In Sunday's skills events -- a continuation of Thursday night's skills show -- the NFC won the relay race and tug of war competitions, while the AFC won the "punt perfect" event.

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Chip Kelly is returning to the NFL to become the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive coordinator under new head coach Pete Carroll, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel on Sunday.

Kelly, 61, spent the past seven years in college football, including last season as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for national champion Ohio State, which averaged 35.7 points in going 14-2, including a 34-23 defeat of Notre Dame for the national title.

Previously, Kelly was head coach at UCLA for six seasons, going 35-34 with the Bruins.

Kelly last coached in the NFL in 2016, when he was the San Francisco 49ers head coach for one season, with the Niners going 2-14.

He had also been head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-15 and went 26-21 with one playoff appearance.

The addition of Kelly completes the coordinator staff for Carroll, who retained defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon.

Carroll said he was hoping for a "combination" of coaches to fill out his staff when he was introduced last Monday.

"I'm really looking for people that have been with me, that understand the philosophy to some extent," Carroll said at the time. "I [also] want guys that have never been around me before so they have to learn what we're all about and we can watch the process of them learning what we're all about and what we expect. And then I'm hoping that we can maintain some of the terrific coaches that are on the staff, too, so we can have the benefit of the insights that they bring and the continuity that they can generate for us.

"We want ball people. We want guys that love the game...also, it's important to find people that can help us grow and challenge us and -- I know in my history -- I need people to keep me on track. As you can tell, I get pretty juiced up and I'm going to get going. I need people to keep me balanced."

Carroll, as coach of the Seattle Seahawks, went 3-0 in head-to-head matchups against Kelly's Eagles and Niners teams.

They met once in college, Kelly's Oregon Ducks beating Carroll's USC Trojans in 2009. Kelly went 46-7 over four seasons at Oregon, which included an appearance in the national title game, two Rose Bowl appearances and a Fiesta Bowl win.

Kelly becomes the third key assistant to leave the Buckeyes this offseason. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left Ohio State for the same role with Penn State and offensive line coach Justin Frye left for the same role with the Arizona Cardinals.

Carroll, meanwhile, is returning to the NFL after a one-year hiatus. The former Seahawks, New England Patriots and New York Jets head coach was hired in January to replace Antonio Pierce, who was fired following a 4-13 season.

In Las Vegas, Kelly will find a first-team All-Pro tight end in Brock Bowers, who was the No. 7 pick of the 2024 draft, and a receiver who just recorded his first career 1,000-yard receiving season in Jakobi Meyers.

The Raiders, though, have needs at running back and quarterback and hold the No. 6 overall draft pick, as well as an extra third-round draft pick from the Davante Adams trade to the New York Jets and more than $108 million in salary cap space as well as a new general manager in John Spytek.

Kelly has long been regarded as a gifted playcaller, having served as a longtime offensive coordinator and innovator at New Hampshire and Oregon. As Kelly moved on to become the head coach at Oregon (2009-12) and then in the NFL, he remained the play-caller, and along the way his offenses shifted from breakneck tempo to a more deliberate NFL style.

Wanting to be more football-focused and not have his time occupied by the myriad off-field responsibilities of a college head coach, Kelly left UCLA for Ohio State last year.

Kelly finished with a flourish as the Buckeyes averaged 36.3 points per game in the College Football Playoff in four games against Top 10 teams. His play-calling salvo came in the title game, when the Buckeyes called a go-route to freshman Jeremiah Smith on a third-and-11 late in the game that essentially sealed the game for Ohio State. The play hit for 56 yards and will be long remembered in Ohio State history.

Kelly's arrival came at a pivotal time for Ohio State as head coach Ryan Day played for Kelly in college at New Hampshire and the two are close friends. Day give up offensive play-calling and become more ingrained in the macro day-to-day running of the program.

Early in his career, Kelly had one of the most successful and transformative runs of a college coach this generation. His Oregon teams utilized a devastating tempo, that led to a cutting-edge strategic advantage that defined his time there.

ESPN's Pete Thamel contributed to this report.

TORONTO -- Fans at a Toronto Raptors game continued an emerging trend Sunday of booing the American national anthem at pro sporting events in Canada.

Fans of the NBA's lone Canadian franchise booed the anthem after similar reactions broke out Saturday night at NHL games in Ottawa, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump made his threat of import tariffs on America's northern neighbor a reality.

After initially cheering for the 15-year-old female singer, fans booed throughout "The Star-Spangled Banner" performance. At the end, mixed boos and cheers could be heard before the crowd erupted in applause for the Canadian anthem, "O Canada."

Fans also booed Sunday night when Agasha Mutesasira began her performance of the American national anthem in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the NHL's Canucks hosted the Detroit Red Wings.

Raptors forward Chris Boucher, a Canadian citizen, was asked after his team's win over the LA Clippers whether he'd ever experienced something like that.

"No, no, no," he said. "But have you ever seen us getting taxed like that?"

Trump declared an economic emergency Saturday in order to place taxes of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on imports from China. Energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, would be taxed at a 10% rate.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ordered retaliatory tariffs on goods from America in response.

Joseph Chua, a Toronto resident who was at the game, said he's going to be feeling the tariffs "pretty directly" in his work as an importer.

Still, he said he doesn't think booing is "the right thing to do in this situation." He chose to stay seated instead.

"I have a bunch of American family, friends that live in the states that are Americans, we travel to America all the time, but I thought chanting, 'Canada,' would be a more appropriate stance," said Chua, who was deliberately wearing his red Canada Basketball cap. "Usually I will stand. I've always stood during both anthems. I've taken my hat off to show respect to the American national anthem, but today we're feeling a little bitter about things.

"We were already talking about what businesses are Canadian, specifically, what are American, specifically, what to avoid. When I go grocery shopping, I will definitely be trying to avoid American products and groceries."

U.S. national anthem boos in Canada are rare but not unheard of, especially when tied to world events. In the early 2000s, fans at games in Canada booed to show their disapproval of the U.S.-led war against Iraq.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019, and coach Tyronn Lue declined to comment on the booing.

Lue, however, sang along to "O Canada." He said he just likes the song.

"I heard it a lot of times being in the playoffs here, so I know it by heart," he said.

PHILADELPHIA -- As the 76ers -- minus four of their top eight rotation players, including stars Joel Embiid and Paul George -- opened up a 90-64 lead over the Boston Celtics with 2:56 to go in the third quarter, it looked like another rough loss was on the way for the defending champions.

But Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla kept watching his team's body language, judging when it might be time to pull the plug with a significant game on the way Tuesday in Cleveland against the East-leading Celtics.

"I was kind of studying their body language and it looked like they really, really wanted to do what it took to win," Mazzulla would say after the game. "So I kind of stuck with them."

Mazzulla's belief turned out to be warranted. Boston, after Ricky Council scored to give Philadelphia that 90-64 lead, completely turned the game on its head, closing it out with a 54-20 obliteration of the 76ers -- including going 12-for-16 from 3-point range over the final 15 minutes of game action -- to emerge with a 118-110 victory here at Wells Fargo Center.

"We just had to be honest with ourselves at halftime," Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who had 25 of his 35 points after halftime, said. "They had 20 points in transition. Our competitive spirit wasn't where it needed to be. Joe was like, 'Yo if you're tired, then just tell me. I'll sit you guys down, let the stay ready group play.' And we just had a choice to make.

"It was a long third quarter, it didn't go our way right away and we just had to keep fighting. But it brought the best out of us, it brought -- that's how we're supposed to play. It took a little bit from everybody. Our competitive joy was there on both ends. And it was just fun to be a part of."

Before Derrick White drained a 3-pointer with 2:42 to go in the third off a Tatum assist -- one of his 11 on the night, 8 of which came after halftime -- the Celtics had gone 9-for-33 from 3-point range. But then the Celtics rattled off four straight to end the third -- two from White, another from Sam Hauser and one from Tatum -- as part of a 16-4 run that cut Boston's deficit down to 14 points to start the fourth quarter.

From that point on, the Celtics felt confident that if they stuck to their game plan, things would eventually break right for them.

And, once Tatum hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Boston into the lead at 101-100 midway through the fourth quarter, he blocked a Tyrese Maxey 3-pointer to lead to a Luke Kornet fastbreak dunk and a Philadelphia timeout.

All told, the Celtics ripped off a 41-10 run over exactly an 8-minute span to flip the game around, and come away with a third straight victory for the first time in a month.

"I think so," said Jaylen Brown, when asked if it felt like a special game for Boston to pull off such a big comeback. "Just how easy it is to just call it a night and just throw the subs in and just come up with some type of excuse to give the media or whatever.

"We rallied back, we put the effort in, we turned it up, we stayed together and we persevered through a win even though we probably shouldn't have been down that much in the first place, but I think it's a credit to us that we was able to get it back on track in a hostile environment."

For Philadelphia, it briefly looked like the 76ers would be able to pull off a fifth win in six games -- none of which have come with Embiid on the court -- before the second half collapse. The question now, though, is whether Embiid and George could come back sometime this week.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said before Sunday's game that both Embiid, who has missed 15 straight games with knee swelling and a foot sprain, and George, who has missed the past four with a finger injury, could play sometime this week.

Philadelphia plays at home Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks -- in what could be the first game for Anthony Davis following Saturday night's shocking trade -- and Wednesday against the Miami Heat before playing Friday in Detroit and Sunday in Milwaukee.

LeBron James intends to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers beyond Thursday's NBA trade deadline, a source familiar with his plans confirmed to ESPN, setting up the four-time MVP with Luka Doncic to form the latest superstar tandem of his career.

James, 40, signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers in the offseason, a deal that included a de facto no-trade clause.

Before the no-trade clause was in place, the Golden State Warriors inquired about trading for James at the deadline in February 2024. The initial conversation between Warriors governor Joe Lacob and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss was directed by Buss to James' representative, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who informed Lacob his client was not interested.

A few days later, during All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, James stated his desire to finish his career with the Lakers.

"I am a Laker, and I'm happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way," James said at the time. "But I don't have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I'll be in. Hopefully [it] is with the Lakers. It's a great organization, so many greats. But we'll see."

James has a player option for 2025-26, which would mark a record-setting 23rd season in the NBA for the four-time champion.

Doncic was dealt to Los Angeles in a stunning three-team trade Sunday that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks.

James learned of the blockbuster trade while he was out to dinner with family after Saturday's win against the Knicks in New York, sources close to player told ESPN. James was surprised by the news, according to sources.

Doncic, who turns 26 later this month, has referred to James as his "idol." Doncic and James are two of the only three players in NBA history with career averages of at least 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game. The other is Oscar Robertson.

Veteran NBA journalist Chris Haynes first reported James' plans to remain in Los Angeles past the deadline.

CLEVELAND -- Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison emphasized the importance of "culture" in explaining his stunning decision to trade 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by 31-year-old All-Star big man Anthony Davis.

"As we turn the page, I think it's important to know that [Mavs coach Jason Kidd] and I, we've had a vision and the culture that we want to create since we've been here," Harrison said before Sunday's 144-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. "The players that we're bringing in, we believe, exemplify that. We think defense wins championships, and we're bringing in one of the best two-way players in the league."

The Mavericks and Lakers finalized the three-way deal that the Utah Jazz helped facilitate around midnight ET on Saturday night. The Mavericks will also receive promising third-year wing Max Christie and the Lakers' 2029 first-round draft pick while sending injured big man Maxi Kleber and reserve veteran forward Markieff Morris to Los Angeles along with Doncic.

The reaction throughout the league and team, however, was shock that Dallas would part with a five-time first-team All-NBA selection who is approaching his prime, particularly only months after Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

"Well, let's be clear: I'm the one making the decision and [Kidd]'s supportive of it, so it's me," said Harrison, who has made major trades before the deadline in each of his four years as Mavericks GM. "I don't do anything that's scary. I think everything that we do, we put a lot of work into it, we study it and we re-study it and we go back. I understand the magnitude of it.

"So the easiest thing for me to do is do nothing, and everyone would praise me for doing nothing. But we really believe in it -- and time will tell if I'm right."

Sources told ESPN that constant concerns about Doncic's conditioning were a major factor in the Mavericks' decision to approach the Lakers about a trade for Davis. Doncic has played in only 22 games this season because of injuries, primarily a left calf strain that has sidelined him since Christmas Day. There was extreme frustration throughout the organization about Doncic's lackadaisical approach to diet and conditioning, which Dallas' decision-makers believed negatively impacted his durability, sources said.

Harrison, however, demurred when asked whether he was implying that Doncic did not fit the culture that the Mavericks are attempting to build.

"Listen, one thing about me, I'm not going to talk bad about any players," Harrison said. "I mean, that's not going to do us or me any good. I just say there's levels to it. There's people that fit the culture and there's people that come in and add to the culture. And those are two distinct things. And I believe the people that [are] coming in are adding to the culture."

Later Sunday, Doncic posted a message to Dallas on social media, telling fans that "[I] thought I'd spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship. The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home.

"In good times and bad, from injuries to the NBA Finals, your support never changed. Thank you not only for sharing my joy in our best moments, but also for lifting me up when I needed it most."

Harrison said the trade was made to "make our team better," but he also mentioned Doncic's contractual situation as a consideration. Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax contract this summer, and league sources said he anticipated agreeing to that deal.

Instead, the Mavericks traded him before they could offer him such an extension. Because of the trade, Doncic no longer qualifies for a supermax deal. He can sign an extension with the Lakers for as much as $229 million over five years this summer. Doncic can opt out of his contract after the 2025-26 season, when several teams, including the Miami Heat, are expected to make a maximum offer to free agents.

"There's some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to," Harrison said. "There's other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not. Whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration, and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer."

Harrison did not discuss potential Doncic trades with any franchise other than the Lakers, as the Mavericks made acquiring 10-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive Team selection Davis their goal. Harrison initiated talks with Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka over coffee when the Lakers were in Dallas to play the Mavs on Jan. 7, and those discussions progressed over the following weeks.

"We kept it between us," Harrison said. "We had to keep it tight. J-Kidd didn't know about it, but J-Kidd and I are aligned. We talk about archetypes, and we talk about the culture that we want to create. So I know the type of players that he likes without actually talking to him."

Kidd, who coached Davis as a Lakers assistant on the 2019-20 title team, said he wasn't aware of the trade until the "11th hour." It was briefly discussed in a Sunday morning team meeting, but Kidd said none of the Mavs players asked questions when given the opportunity.

"It is a little shocking, but in the sense, we have to push forward," Kidd said. "As an organization, as a team, we have a game to play, and we have to be pros about it. But we understand what Luka has meant to the Mavericks, and we wish him and his family the best in L.A. Also, Maxi and [Morris]. But we have to push forward, and we believe we have a team to do that."

Trading Doncic, who averaged 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in his 6-year Mavericks tenure and led the league in scoring last season, has not received positive feedback. The Mavericks fan base has reacted angrily on social media and in small protests outside the American Airlines Center.

"I'm sorry they're frustrated, but it's something that we believe in as an organization," Harrison said. "It's going to make us better. We believe that it sets us up to win, not only now, but also in the future. And when we win, I believe the frustration will go away."

Harrison was adamant that the addition of Davis, in particular, immediately boosted the Mavs' championship hopes. Davis, who is recovering from a minor abdominal injury, is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks this season.

"He fits our timeframe," Harrison said. "If you pair him with Kyrie [Irving] and the rest of the guys, he fits right along with our timeframe to win now and win in the future. And the future to me is three, four years from now. The future 10 years from now, I don't know. They'll probably bury me and [Kidd] by then. Or we'll bury ourselves."

The Sacramento Kings are finalizing a trade to send De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and acquire Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine as part of a three-team trade involving multiple draft picks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday.

The move gives San Antonio an All-Star guard to pair with young phenom Victor Wembanyama after Fox, who has one more year remaining on his deal after this season, had not shown a willingness to commit long term to Sacramento, leading to the Kings opening up trade talks for the franchise star in the past week.

In exchange for Fox, the Kings receive LaVine, in the midst of a career year at age 29; Spurs guard Sidy Cissoko; three first-round picks (2025 Charlotte pick, 2027 San Antonio and 2031 Minnesota); and three second-round picks (2025 Chicago, 2028 Denver and a return of their own 2028 second-round pick from Chicago).

The Bulls get back control of their 2025 first-round pick from San Antonio as well as three players: Zach Collins and Tre Jones from the Spurs and Sacramento's Kevin Huerter.

In addition to Fox, the Spurs receive Jordan McLaughlin, who averaged 1.9 points in 28 games for the Kings.

The Spurs made the deal for Fox happen without giving up much of their copious stash of draft picks or the keys to their young core -- players such as rookie Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson. The Spurs also held on to veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, both of whom are in their first year with San Antonio.

Fox, 27, is averaging just over 25 points per game to go along with five rebounds and 6.2 assists. He has played his entire eight-year career in Sacramento and ranks fourth in career points in franchise history. He helped the Kings snap a 16-year playoff drought in 2022-23, earning All-NBA honors that season.

Sacramento has been trying to return to the playoffs since that season but lost in the final play-in game last year and got off to a rocky start this season, leading to the firing of coach Mike Brown in December.

The move continues the momentum from Saturday night's stunning blockbuster that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks as Thursday's NBA trade deadline approaches.

According to ESPN Research, the trade centered around Fox and LaVine means that four players averaging 20 points per game have now been traded by the deadline, the most before any deadline in NBA history.

Chicago has been trying to trade LaVine for most of the past year as it attempts to rebuild around a younger team. The Bulls had made it a priority to keep the top-10-protected first-round pick they owed to the Spurs in this upcoming draft, sources told ESPN, and they also found a new home for LaVine, who has been enjoying a bounce-back season.

He is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range, both career highs.

LaVine, who turns 30 next month, is owed $46 million next season and holds a $49 million player option for 2026-27.

LaVine was the longest-tenured member of the Bulls, having been traded to Chicago by Minnesota before the 2017-18 season in a deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves.

But after eight years, he is moving West to be reunited with another former teammate, Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, who played with LaVine on the Bulls for the past three seasons.

Huerter has averaged 11.5 points in his career, playing first with Atlanta and then with the Kings. He has come off the bench 28 times in 43 appearances with Sacramento this season.

Collins averaged 4.6 points for the Spurs, Jones averaged 4.4 points and Cissoko 1.3 points in 17 appearances with San Antonio.

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.

Fay Vincent, who took over as Major League Baseball's commissioner in 1989 and navigated the league through the earthquake-disrupted Bay Area World Series, has died at the age of 86, MLB announced Sunday.

Vincent had undergone radiation and chemotherapy for bladder cancer and developed complications that included bleeding, said his wife, Christina. He asked that treatment be stopped, and he died Saturday at a hospital in Vero Beach, Florida.

"Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of many challenges, and he remained proud of his association with our national pastime throughout his life," current commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Vincent unexpectedly became baseball's eighth commissioner following the death of A. Bartlett Giamatti of a heart attack in 1989. Vincent, who was hired as deputy commissioner by Giamatti, a longtime friend, then was forced out three years later by owners intent on a labor confrontation with players.

Vincent's first major test came a month into the job.

Just before first pitch of Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the Athletics and Giants, a massive earthquake struck the San Francisco area. Vincent was immediately thrust into action, opting to postpone that night's game at Candlestick Park, and later the World Series as whole, for 10 days as the area dealt with the earthquake's aftermath.

"It is becoming very clear to us in Major League Baseball that our concerns, our issue, is a rather modest one," Vincent said then.

The decision wasn't universally praised; some thought the World Series should be canceled given the tragedy. But many saluted Vincent's compassion and decision-making during such a sensitive situation.

"Fay Vincent played a vital role in ensuring that the 1989 Bay Area World Series resumed responsibly following the earthquake prior to Game 3," Manfred said in his statement.

Turmoil followed Vincent during the remainder of his three-plus-year reign. He had a string of what he called "three-cigar days," angering owners by becoming the first management official to admit the collusion among teams against free agents following the 1985, '86 and '87 seasons.

In 1990, baseball endured a 32-day work stoppage as owners and the union battled over free agency, arbitration and revenue sharing. Vincent ultimately announced a basic accord on the CBA, but the lockout wiped out most of spring training and postponed the start of the regular season by a week.

Later that year, Vincent issued a lifetime ban to New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who had paid a known gambler $40,000 to find dirt on then-New York outfielder Dave Winfield. Steinbrenner was allowed to resume control of the Yankees in 1993.

Vincent issued another lifetime ban in 1992, this time to 1980 NL Rookie of the Year Steve Howe for repeated drug offenses. An arbitrator reinstated Howe a year later.

Under Vincent's watch, baseball expanded to 28 teams, with the Rockies and Marlins gaining approval from major league owners in 1991 and beginning play in 1993. As part of the expansion, Vincent ordered that the National League pay $42 million of $190 million received in expansion revenue to the American League, and that the AL provide players to the two new NL teams in the expansion draft.

Vincent also was a proponent of realignment and sought to have the Cubs and Cardinals move from the NL East to the NL West as part of a reconfiguration that would begin in the 1993 season. But some teams were against the proposed change -- the Cubs fought it through the courts -- and the realignment that Vincent sought never took place.

Vincent ultimately resigned in September 1992 -- two years before his five-year term was due to end. A month earlier, major league owners had issued an 18-9 no-confidence vote in Vincent, whom some were dissatisfied with due to his involvement in the 1990 labor negotiations, his rules on expansion revenue sharing and his thoughts on realignment, among other issues.

"The commissioner has to look out for the fans, and the owners don't want to hear me speak that idea," Vincent said.

Vincent, some owners believed, was too player-friendly.

"I had the conviction that being commissioner was a public trust. I tried to do what I thought was best for the game and the public who cared so much about it," Vincent said in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press. "I had mixed results. Sometimes I'm pleased with what I did.

"The tragedy of baseball is the single biggest thing I left undone was to build a decent relationship between the owners and the players. I thought somebody would take over after me and get that done. If I died tomorrow, that would be the big regret, is that the players and the owners still have to make some commitment to each other to be partners and to build the game."

In one of his lasting acts as commissioner, he chaired an eight-member committee for statistical accuracy, which removed the asterisk that had been next to Roger Maris' entry as the season home run leader and deleted 50 no-hitters. The group defined a no-hitter as games of nine innings or more that ended with no hits.

Milwaukee Brewers owner Bud Selig replaced Vincent as commissioner.

Selig was installed as chairman of the executive council, a new position that made him in effect acting commissioner. He led owners through a 7-month strike in 1994-95, was voted commissioner in 1998 and remained on the job until retiring in 2015.

A Connecticut native, Francis Thomas Vincent remained in baseball after his resignation, and he served as president of the New England Collegiate Baseball League -- a wooden-bat summer league for college stars -- from 1998 to 2004. The winner of the NECBL each summer is awarded the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup.

Earlier in his life, Vincent worked as a lawyer in New York City, served as president/CEO of Columbia Pictures and was an executive vice president of Coca-Cola Co., where he ran its entertainment division.

He recorded interviews with Hall of Fame members and Negro Leagues players for an oral history project that led to three books: "The Only Game in Town" (2006), "We Would Have Played for Nothing" (2009) and "It's What's Inside the Lines That Counts" (2010). In 2024, he made a $2 million gift to Yale to endow the Yale baseball coach's position in the name of his father.

In 2019, Vincent disclosed that he had been diagnosed with leukemia.

"My diagnosis means the game of life is turning serious and the late innings loom," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal Op-ed.

"I cannot let the way my life comes to an end destroy the way I would like to be remembered. Dying is still a part of living, and the way one lives is vital, even in the dying light."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.