The U.S. Soccer Federation Athletes' Council, which represents the interests of athletes within the USSF, announced that it has removed Seth Jahn from the council after he made racially charged comments at the USSF Annual General Meeting on Saturday.

At a meeting on Sunday, the Athletes' Council determined that Jahn, who previously represented the U.S. Paralympic team and led the security detail at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, violated the USSF's Prohibited Conduct Policy.

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The bylaws of the Athletes' Council allow for a member to be expelled by a two-thirds majority vote "in the event of a violation of the federation's Prohibited Conduct Policy, Policy Concerning Conflicts of Interest and Business Ethics, or otherwise for a violation of Federation Bylaws or Policies."

The federation's Prohibited Conduct Policy prohibits harassment on the basis of race, religion or national origin. This includes "any verbal, written or physical act in which race, religion, or national origin is used or implied in a manner that would make a reasonable person uncomfortable in the work environment or which would interfere with a person's ability to perform the job."

In a statement on Sunday, the Athletes' Council said that it "does not tolerate this kind of language and finds it incompatible with membership on the Council. While the Council understands that each person has a right to his or her own opinion, there are certain opinions that go beyond the realm of what is appropriate or acceptable.

"The Council wants to be unequivocal in its condemnation of the statements that Mr. Jahn made yesterday both on the floor of the National Council and what he posted on Twitter later in the day, as well as similar statements he has made in the past, which is why it voted to remove him as a member of the Council effective immediately."

The meeting of the Athletes' Council was held in the wake of comments Jahn made about the repeal of Policy 604-1 (approved with 71.34% of the weighted vote), which required all national team players to stand for the national anthems when representing the U.S. Jahn said there was "relatively zero data to substantiate" the prevalence of police brutality on the Black community, and that the frequency of incidents of police brutality were a "statistical anomaly." He later minimized the impact of slavery on the Black community.

During a Zoom call with reporters Saturday, USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone initially spoke of needing to "hear both sides." After stating that she hadn't heard all of Jahn's remarks due to technical difficulties, she later clarified, saying, "Obviously, there's no place for racist comments. And so if that occurred, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of it. What I meant about hearing all sides on an issue, it is important for us to listen to different sides, whether it's comfortable listening to them or not, but there's absolutely no place for racist comments."

The USSF later issued a statement further distancing itself from Jahn's comments.

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— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) February 28, 2021

The response to Jahn's comments from members of the Athletes' Council was swift, with U.S. women's national team defender Becky Sauerbrunn and former U.S. men's national team defender Oguchi Onyewu among those voicing opposition.

Jahn later posted on Twitter, saying, "I will never apologize for the statements I made."

What began as a much-anticipated clash in the battle for the top four ended up as a 0-0 draw that served as a 90-minute advert for why Chelsea and Manchester United are expected to fight for Erling Haaland's signature this summer.

That particular off-field battle might prove more of a spectacle than this Stamford Bridge stalemate, albeit one which improved after a dour first half and is notable for another entry into the growing list of differing handball interpretations in the VAR era.

After 14 minutes, following an Edouard Mendy save from Marcus Rashford's powerful free kick, referee Stuart Attwell decided that Callum Hudson-Odoi did not move his hand toward the ball when it struck the limb while he was attempting to clear under pressure from Mason Greenwood.

It was a curious decision, given the evidence before Attwell's eyes, but neither side did enough thereafter to create a convincing argument they should have won the game; both were perhaps inhibited by a degree of caution in their approach, but each also showed bluntness in attack.

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United are the Premier League's top goal scorers -- their total is 53 is one ahead of runaway leaders Manchester City, whose title celebration planning can begin in earnest now they are 12 points clear at the summit -- but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have registered five goalless draws against the traditional "Big Six" this season.

Their last goal from open play in such matches was Scott McTominay's late strike against Man City on March 8 last year, since when 720 minutes have passed. It indicates that, for all their attacking prowess orchestrated expertly by Bruno Fernandes, United still require a match-winning forward who can decide games of fine margins.

"We're not scoring enough goals, that's for sure," Solskjaer said after this latest shutout. "We've come away with another good clean sheet, but as I said before this game, the next step for this team is to win these games and score the goal we need to get three points.

"We haven't had the quality or the fine margins or the luck, but mostly today it was about a lack of quality in the last third. We had some moments that were close. Some near moments. But we didn't have enough so that's the next step for us. We will improve."

There remains hope that the solution can come from within. It was a year ago this week when Solskjaer described Mason Greenwood, then 18, as being on the path to becoming "more or less the complete No. 9" once he develops into a more physically imposing player. The question is whether United are prepared to wait.

Just past the half hour mark here, Antonio Rudiger left a boot on Greenwood as the ball disappeared, not in a way worthy of serious sanction, but more the type of tackle to intimidate the teenager. Greenwood took a forlorn look at the nearby assistant referee, who gave the protest short shrift, prompting the England international to drop his head in disappointment.

Greenwood is a supreme talent in his own right and went close to scoring midway through the second period with a fiercely struck shot from the edge of the box, but he was not able to impose himself sufficiently to avoid being replaced by Anthony Martial, who possesses United's No. 9 shirt and has been given an extended period to prove himself without ever truly convincing.

Rashford possesses the quality to play through the middle, but continues to look at his post potent drifting in from the left, while Edinson Cavani -- who missed this game through injury -- has had a positive impact and, with seven goals, affected matches in his own right and is expected to stay for a second season at Old Trafford, but he is 34.

As such, a longer-term signing is required and Haaland, who turns 21 in July, has piqued interest across Europe. His availability this summer could be dictated by Borussia Dortmund's fortunes in seeking Champions League qualification, but United, Man City and Chelsea are among the handful of teams that can afford an asking price of up to £150 million in the COVID-19 affected market.

The Blues spent £220m before this season, but a deal for the Norway international is still considered viable by owner Roman Abramovich; despite the volume of recent additions, there is a Haaland-shaped hole in Thomas Tuchel's team.

Olivier Giroud is performing the Cavani role with greater efficiency than many expect, but this was an off day for the French striker, who was unable to get himself on the end of a dangerous Hudson-Odoi cross in the first half and only completed nine passes in United's half overall.

Giroud was substituted with 25 minutes remaining as Tuchel opted to use substitute Christian Pulisic as a split striker alongside Hakim Ziyech, who himself was later replaced by Timo Werner after having an excellent chance brilliantly saved by David De Gea. Reece James, on as a half-time substitute, had a follow-up shot superbly blocked by Luke Shaw in what proved to be Chelsea's brightest moment.

"In this highest level, at some points, maybe two big chances have to be enough," Tuchel said. "If you don't do that then we have to be alert and aware of the counter-attacks and quality from Manchester United. We did this and defended very well. This was extraordinary effort and quality. We take it and go on."

Werner's improvement has been notable under Tuchel, while Kai Havertz has also been mooted as a possible option up front, but there is considerable distance left to travel between that duo's current form and the end product of a top striker in a title-winning team.

Ultimately, that is where these two sides want to be. Bridging the growing gap to City at the summit has to be the main aim for Chelsea and United next season; beating Pep Guardiola & Co. to Haaland this summer would be a huge step toward that.

The remainder of the two ongoing series in New Zealand, involving Australia's men and England's women, will be played entirely in Wellington after the final T20I double-header on Sunday was shifted from Mount Maunganui.

NZC said the change was needed due to "logistical complications" caused by the shift of Friday's matches from Auckland after the city was put into a week-long Covid-19 lockdown. All the remaining matches will be played behind closed doors.

The New Zealand men's team trained in Wellington on Monday without four Auckland-based players - Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips - as they awaited results from Covid-19 tests having briefly returned home after the second match in Dunedin.

The squad are expecting to be under tighter restrictions around their movement over the coming week in Wellington

"Yesterday we got summoned to go to the hotel and stay in a small bubble together to create that secure environment for ourselves," Devon Conway said. "Those little late changes do put spanners in the works but it's a smart move so we are playing our part in being safe. At least it gives us an extended opportunity to play cricket even though there aren't going to be any crowds."

For Australia, the other major factor is whether the squad will need to quarantine when they return home early next week.

New Zealand has had a one-way bubble with some Australian states since late last year which has enabled quarantine-free travel, but since the latest outbreak in Auckland emerged in mid-February, the city has been designated a "red zone", which means anyone travelling through has to go into two weeks hotel quarantine when arriving in Australia.

The team had been due to fly out of Auckland at the end of the series but an alternative departure point may now be used in order to try to avoid quarantine, although that will still depend on whether the New Zealand government adds further cities onto the "red zone" list.

The Australia squad had the weekend off in Wellington as the alert level changed but were able to spend time around the city as they plot how to come back from 2-0 down.

"We have to just look forward to the games coming up in Wellington, and that's all we can do at this point in time," Ashton Agar said of the challenges presented over the last few days.

"It's not the ideal situation doing quarantine, no one really likes the thought of quarantine. "You always have to prepare a little bit, that thought is never easy. There's a lot of guys who have done up to six weeks of isolation and quarantine, maybe more, and they've probably got more coming up.

"But we have really good support around us. We have faith in Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket that they have the players' physical and mental health in their best interest."

The New Zealand and England women's team arrived in Wellington on Monday with their entire T20I series now taking place in the city.

Tom Moody has been appointed Sri Lanka's director of cricket, a broad new role that will have Moody overseeing Sri Lanka's international programme and domestic tournaments. The appointment was made on the recommendation of Sri Lanka's new technical advisory committee headed by Aravinda de Silva.

The role will see Moody spend at least 300 days in Sri Lanka over the next three years focusing on "analysis of the future tour programme, focusing on the domestic tournament structure, player welfare, education and skill development, coaching and support staff structure, high performance, and data analytics".

Moody had been Sri Lanka's coach between 2005 and 2007 - years in which Sri Lanka tasted considerable success in the Test format and became World Cup runners-up. Since then he has been a coach at the IPL, the Caribbean Premier League's director of cricket and has had several other high-profile positions.

"Tom has worked with Sri Lanka Cricket in the past and has shown results, and I am sure with his working knowledge of the system, Tom will add greater value to our game," SLC's CEO Ashley de Silva said.

On why Moody was specifically sought out for the role, Aravinda had told ESPNcricinfo that his committee needed "someone responsible and neutral working on certain areas with an open mind, who understands the culture, the players, the country's culture, someone who's been around. We need to blend and get the administrative side as well as the cricketing side.

"Tom has got a lot of experience and understands more things about what some of the other countries are doing right, and we need to get the best things out of those countries that will suit our culture and then implement those."

Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan, who played under Moody during his tenure as coach, are also on the advisory committee.

Moody starts his role on March 1. His contract runs for three years.

PHILADELPHIA -- Irv Cross, the former Pro Bowl defensive back who became the first Black man to work full time as a sports analyst on national television with CBS, died Sunday. He was 81.

The Philadelphia Eagles, with whom Cross spent six of his nine NFL seasons, said Cross' son, Matthew, confirmed his father died near his home in Roseville, Minnesota. The cause of death was not provided.

"All of us at CBS Sports are saddened by the news of Irv Cross' passing," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said in a statement. "Irv was a pioneer who made significant contributions to the storied history and tradition of CBS Sports and, along with Phyllis George and Brent Musburger, set the standard for NFL pregame shows with THE NFL TODAY.

"He was a true gentleman and a trailblazer in the sports television industry and will be remembered for his accomplishments and the paths he paved for those who followed."

Cross spent 23 years at CBS and won the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2009. He was the first Black recipient of the annual award, which seeks to recognize "longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football."

Cross, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, had 22 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, eight forced fumbles and a pair of defensive touchdowns for his career. He also averaged 27.9 yards on kickoff returns and returned punts.

He joined CBS after retiring from the game, covering several sports before teaming up with Musburger, George and Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder on "The NFL Today" in 1975. The program broke a variety of barriers, including featuring the first woman network sports show anchor in George. It also was the first live pregame show.

Cross left the network in 1994 and later served as athletic director at Idaho State and at Macalester College in Minnesota.

Musburger called Cross "one of the finest gentleman I've been with" in a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday.

"No one ever had a bad thing to say about Irv," Musburger wrote. "He led the way for African Americans to host NFL and other sports shows. Rest in peace my friend."

The eighth of 15 children, Cross is survived by wife, Liz; children Susan, Lisa, Matthew and Sarah; grandson, Aiden; brothers Raymond, Teal and Sam; and sisters Joan, Jackie, Julia, Pat and Gwen.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons and Indiana Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley are expected to join New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the slam dunk contest, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday.

The NBA is continuing a recent trend of highlighting some of the league's younger players in the contest, with the 21-year-old Simons competing alongside two rookies. This year's dunk contest will take place at halftime of the All-Star Game on March 7.

Toppin was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, while Stanley was a late second-round draft pick out of Duke. While neither rookie has yet made his mark as a dunker in the NBA this season, both boast impressive highlight reels from their time in college.

Toppin has played limited minutes with the Knicks this season. Stanley has averaged 12.4 points in nine games for the Pacers' G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Simons is in his third season with the Blazers, averaging 8.5 points in 17.5 minutes per game this season.

Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo recently turned down a two-year, $45.2 million maximum contract extension, the most the franchise could offer him before the end of the regular season, sources told ESPN.

As expected, Oladipo is pursuing a longer-term deal, sources said, something that the collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow the Rockets to offer him until the offseason.

Oladipo is in the final year of a four-year, $85 million contract, which leaves the Rockets with decisions to make prior to the March 25 trade deadline -- including whether they'll make him available in trade talks. The transitional state of the Rockets' roster makes it likely they'll listen to overtures as they continue to get to know Oladipo -- and he gets to know them -- since the mid-January trade that brought him from the Indiana Pacers as part of the James Harden blockbuster.

For the Rockets, amid a post-Harden and Russell Westbrook era, there are a number of options with Oladipo, including weighing his value in the trade deadline marketplace; committing to aggressively pursuing a long-term deal in the summer; working with Oladipo on getting value back in sign-and-trade talks in the offseason; or letting him walk to use the cap space on other players in free agency.

It is typical that teams become more focused in pursuing trades closer to the deadline, which is still nearly four weeks away. Houston has yet to engage with teams on trade talks involving Oladipo, sources said.

Nevertheless, Oladipo, 28, has the chance to become one of the best two-way players available at the trade deadline or in free agency. The Miami Heat and New York Knicks are among teams that have had an interest in Oladipo, and both have the salary-cap space to sign him outright in the summer.

After the season concludes, but before the start of free agency, Houston would be able to offer him as much as a four-year, $113 million extension; once free agency begins, Houston can offer up to four years for $151 million or five years for $195 million.

Oladipo has averaged 18.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 13 games with the Rockets this season. For his nine-year career, including stops with the Orlando Magic, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Pacers, he has averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Oladipo also has shown the ability to be a top defender.

Front office insider Bobby Marks contributed to this report.

Trey Mancini received a standing ovation and applause from both dugouts Sunday during his first live at-bat after missing the 2020 season while recovering from Stage 3 colon cancer.

When the Baltimore Orioles' first baseman came up in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he drew a nice round of applause as he approached the batter's box and waved to the crowd. The cheers kept growing, with pitcher Chad Kuhl stepping off the mound and umpire Will Little cleaning the plate to prolong the salute.

After tipping his cap in acknowledgement of the applause, Mancini then punctuated his return with a single to center.

"It was amazing," Mancini told reporters when asked about the ovation. "I almost teared up a little bit, I'm not going to lie, when I was up there and everybody gave me a standing ovation and I saw all the guys on the field clapping on the Pirates, clapping in the dugout, our team and all our fans. It meant the world to me. It was a really, really cool moment and one of the favorite moments of my baseball career.

"I think it was a huge day for me, personally, getting back in a game. Just another kind of milestone that I can check off here."

After producing 35 home runs and 97 RBIs for the Orioles in 2019, Mancini seemed primed for even bigger things. But after playing just five spring training games last year, he needed to end his season to have surgery for colon cancer.

"It's almost a year to the day when I was last in a game, so it definitely felt like a moment where we came full circle a little bit," Mancini, who turns 29 in a few weeks, said Sunday. "I thought more about everything that happened today than I have in a long time. I've mostly tried to in a lot of ways just move on and not think too much about last year. But today I ran through all the tough days that we had and really tried to appreciate and cherish today.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ABERDEEN, Md. -- Vi Ripken, matriarch of the famed Orioles family that includes Hall of Fame son Cal Ripken Jr., has died. She was 82.

Family spokesman John Maroon said Sunday that she died on Friday, a day before her birthday, in Aberdeen, where a youth stadium carries the Ripken name.

Violet and Cal Ripken Sr. married in 1957, and he spent four decades in the Baltimore system as a player, minor league coach and manager. He managed the Orioles in 1987 and early 1988, when sons Cal Jr. and Billy played infield for him.

Vi Ripken made headlines in 2012 after being the victim of a bizarre kidnapping. Police said she was kidnapped at gunpoint at her home in Aberdeen and driven around blindfolded by her abductor. She was found bound and unharmed about 24 hours later in her car near her home. The case was never solved.

Ripken was involved for many years in local and charitable organizations in the Maryland area.

"We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Vi Ripken," the Baltimore Ravens said in a statement. "The Ripkens are engrained in the fabric of the greater Baltimore community, and Vi played a significant role in helping establish their family's strong legacy. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her children and grandchildren during this sorrowful time."

She is survived by sons Cal Jr., Billy and Fred and daughter Elly. Grandson Ryan Ripken, a minor leaguer in the Baltimore system, played Sunday in the Orioles' spring training game against Pittsburgh.

Cal Sr. died in 1999.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fly-half Callum Sheedy hopes the Welsh public's perception of his goal-kicking might have changed after an impressive replacement display against England.

"I couldn't kick snow off a rope two weeks ago according to the public," said Sheedy.

"Now I'll probably be a decent kicker!"

Sheedy added: "The public can get excited when you win, and kill you when you lose.

"The people who build you up are the same people who shoot you down. You've just got to take it with a pinch of salt.

"I hope the Welsh people enjoy this win, as they should. In tough, testing times, it''s great to get a win over England."

Sheedy again replaced Dan Biggar and produced a coming-of-age performance to help Wales finish the game with a flourish as part of a strong bench.

The 25-year-old has credited Wales kicking coach Neil Jenkins - the former world record points scorer - for helping him as he punished what he called expected England indiscipline.

"I've done a lot of work with Jenks, who's the best ever kicker," said Sheedy.

"He talked about trusting the process and not letting the occasion get the better of you, and to take each kick as it comes. Thankfully they went through the middle.

"We knew if we could choke them enough, they would get ill-disciplined. Thankfully that happened and credit to the boys for the work they did in defence."

Sheedy only won his first cap last November and is now part of a Triple Crown-winning side.

"It all just feels like a blur," said Sheedy.

"To even put the shirt on for Wales is a unbelievable achievement, but to win a Triple Crown and beat England ls definitely up there in terms of what I've achieved in my career.

"If you'd told me that a couple of years ago I would be in this position I would have laughed at you."

He has shared the moment with half-back partner Kieran Hardy with the pair having grown up playing alongside and against each other as well has having a stint on loan with Jersey four years ago.

"Kieran is a brilliant player," said Sheedy.

"I remember growing up with him in the Wales under-16s. In under-11s he was playing for the Scarlets and I was playing for the Blues. We always had battles.

"You could see from a young age, he was a class player. I enjoyed playing alongside him for Jersey - he was good for them - and he's gone from strength to strength."

Hardy is nursing a leg injury suffered against England, while Sheedy and Dan Biggar are due to return to their respective clubs Bristol and Northampton next weekend for Premiership matches.

Wales will reconvene for a trip on 13 March against Italy who have now lost 30 successive Six Nations matches.

The expected victory there would set up a Grand Slam match against France seven days later, scheduled for Paris.

"Let's not get carried away with Grand Slam chat," said Sheedy.

"We will keep our feet firmly on the ground. We will enjoy the Triple Crown, and then a big week ahead of Italy.

"Grand Slam might be said in the public, but it won't be said in the circle, Alun Wyn Jones won't let it.

"Al, I know for a fact, won't let any complacency get into this squad, and rightly so. We haven't done anything yet."