hurt his neck while diving headfirst in an attempt to tackle New England receiver Julian Edelman. Williams missed the final 11 games and had neck surgery, during which doctors shaved two disks to alleviate nerve damage.Williams said he elected to continue playing after doctors assured him ther

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys will return next year, with an 8-4 season earning him the full support of the schools new athletic director.The Golden Gophers went 5-4 in the Big Ten in Claeys first full season running the program. He took over midway through last year after Jerry Kill was forced to retire due to health concerns.Claeys is 10-8 in one and half seasons with Minnesota. He was given a three-year deal last year by interim athletic director Beth Goetz during a tenuous time in the athletic department. The school was looking for a permanent athletic director to replace the disgraced Norwood Teague, so Goetz authored a contract that would give Claeys a little bit of stability to trumpet while recruiting but was also designed to give the new athletic director as much flexibility as possible in evaluating the football program.Mark Coyle took that post in May, and said Monday that he and Claeys have started to discuss this past season and the plan for our program moving forward.He is our head football coach, Coyle said in a statement issued by the school. As is the case with every one of our head coaches, he has my full support. I will do whatever I can to help him and our students achieve at the highest levels.Claeys made $1.4 million in total compensation during the first year of his new contract that runs through 2018. But the buyout for the university would have been only $500,000 had Coyle decided to replace him now.A soft schedule had the Gophers hoping to make a run at the Big Ten West title, but narrow losses to Penn State, Iowa and Nebraska hurt them, and they finished the season with a 31-17 loss at rival Wisconsin on Saturday.Athletic directors often like to make their own coaching hires rather than stay with people they inherited, especially at a high-profile program like football. But Coyle, who came to Minnesota from Syracuse and was also the athletic director at football stronghold Boise State, has decided to stick with Claeys in hopes that continuity will help.Our football program has now won eight games in the regular season three times in four seasons, Coyle said. We expect that our program will continue to grow and I am committed to putting us in a position to do so. This includes working with coach Claeys to evaluate where we need to improve and what each of us can do to ensure we meet our expectations.Coaches at power conference programs typically operate with more than two years remaining on their deals to help assure recruits of stability so it remains likely that Claeys will receive some sort of contract extension in the coming weeks.---AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this report.---For more college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLUnder Armour Shoes Clearance . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Under Armour Cheap Shoes . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. http://www.underarmourcheap.net/ . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Under Armour Outlet Store . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Under Armour Wholesale China . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark".ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The father of Buffalo Bills safety Aaron Williams says his son intends to wait until the offseason to determine whether to continue playing after sustaining his latest neck injury.Anthony Williams told The Associated Press by phone Thursday that while the topic of retirement has yet to be discussed, he intends to involve his entire family in a discussion regarding his sons future.Well wait to talk about that at the end of the season as a family and well pray about it, and make the best decision thats right for him, Williams said.He added hes confident his son has plenty of opportunities beyond football should he elect to no longer play.Williams spoke after his son was blindsided and bowled over by a hit from Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry in a 28-25 loss at Miami on Sunday. Landry was penalized for unnecessary roughness after he launched himself and caught Williams in the head while blocking on a running play.The Dolphins receiver was fined $24,309 for an illegal crackback block, two people familiar with the situation said Thursday. The people confirmed the fine to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the NFL had not yet announced the fine.One of the people said a letter disclosing the fine was sent via email on Tuesday to Landry, his agent, the Dolphins and the NFLPA.Williams was taken to the hospital for evaluation, but cleared to travel home with the team.Coach Rex Ryan on Thursday would only say that Williams is out indefinitely, while adding: I dont think theres any doubt theres some long-term concerns there.Cornerback Stephon Gilmore told the AP that Williams was experiencing numbness in one of his arms. The team and Williams father would not confirm what Gilmore said.Anthony Williams would only say doctors ruled out a concussion and that his son is experiencing soreness in one of his shoulders. He also said his sons mouth was blooodied after the hit because he bit the inside of his cheek.ddddddddddddWilliams was moving to his right following the path of running back Jay Ajayi when Landry struck him.Ryan called Landrys hit dirty and deliberate, and questioned why the receiver wasnt ejected. Anthony Williams also called the hit dirty because of the way Landry launched into his son.Gilmore said Landrys hit dirty, especially coming against a player who has a history of head injuries.Last year, Williams hurt his neck while diving headfirst in an attempt to tackle New England receiver Julian Edelman. Williams missed the final 11 games and had neck surgery, during which doctors shaved two disks to alleviate nerve damage.Williams said he elected to continue playing after doctors assured him there was no increased risk of reinjury .He also missed a portion of training camp last summer because of a concussion sustained when he collided with receiver Dezmin Lewis.Williams has been a starter since being drafted by Buffalo in the second round in 2011 out of Texas. He began as a cornerback before switching to safety in 2013.Buffalo (4-3) hosts AFC East rival New England (6-1) on Sunday.Game notesRunning back LeSean McCoys status is uncertain after he missed his second straight practice with an injury to his left hamstring. ... Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is on track to make his season debut after missing the past three games with a hamstring injury. Dareus sat out the first four games serving a suspension for violating the NFLs substance abuse policy. ... Guard Richie Incognito did not practice Thursday because of an illness.---AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner in New York and AP Sports Writer Steven Wine in Miami.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '