PITTSBURGH (AP) Le'Veon Bell won't play in 2018.

The star running back declined to sign his one-year $14.4 million franchise tender with the Pittsburgh Steelers by Tuesday's deadline, making him ineligible to suit up for the AFC North-leading Steelers or anyone else this season. (MORE)

CINCINNATI (AP) Hue Jackson needed only a few weeks to land another job in the place where he's always welcomed.

The Bengals hired Jackson on Tuesday as a special assistant to head coach Marvin Lewis as he tries to resurrect Cincinnati's historically bad defense. Jackson was fired by the Cleveland Browns last month after he won only three games in three seasons as head coach. (MORE)

NEW YORK (AP) Caris LeVert's injury wasn't as bad as it looked.

The Brooklyn Nets said Tuesday their leading scorer suffered only a dislocation of his right foot and no fractures, and he could return this season. (MORE)

SEATTLE (AP) Major League Baseball is investigating claims made against the Seattle Mariners by the team's recently fired training and conditioning director, who said team management had disparaged Latino players.

The Mariners denied the allegations in a statement on Monday following the social media postings from Lorena Martin in which she claimed general manager Jerry Dipoto, manager Scott Servais and director of player development Andy McKay had called Latino players "lazy, dumb and stupid, especially the Dominicans." Martin, whose title with the team was director of high performance, posted her message on Instagram and Twitter . (MORE)