Basketball
• Summitt says she was not forced out by Tennessee: Former Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt says she retired on her own and never believed athletic director Dave Hart forced her to step down. Summitt issued a statement Friday in response to the “misunderstandings" her signed affidavit created when she indicated that she had been forced out. She said Friday “it was entirely my decision to step down" in April and that she never felt “forced out" by the university. In the signed affidavit released Wednesday as part of former Lady Vols media director Debby Jennings’ lawsuit against Tennessee, Summitt says Hart told her on March 14 she’d be replaced after the season. She said Hart later told her she’d misinterpreted his comments. The 60-year-old Summitt has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and is currently Tennessee’s head coach emeritus.
Hockey
* NHL, players’ association meet in Toronto: The NHL and the players’ association quietly resumed collective bargaining talks Friday and expect to be in contact again in the upcoming days. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly met with union head Donald Fehr and special counsel Steve Fehr in the NHLPA office on the 20th day of the NHL lockout. NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said any discussions this weekend won’t be in person. The meeting on Friday marked the first negotiating session since talks broke off Tuesday in New York, where the sides had met four times in five days to discuss issues other than core economics. No specifics were given about Friday’s negotiations.
Football
• Ex-NFL player Larry Johnson arrested in Vegas: Las Vegas police say former NFL running back Larry Johnson is in jail after he was arrested in a felony domestic violence case involving an ex-girlfriend at a Las Vegas Strip resort. Police officer Jose Hernandez says the 32-year-old Johnson was arrested early Friday at the Bellagio. It wasn’t clear if the 32-year-old woman received medical treatment. Records show Johnson is being held at the Clark County jail on $15,000 bail. Johnson starred for the Kansas City Chiefs, but most recently played for the Miami Dolphins in 2011. He has been arrested several times during his nine-year NFL career.
• Hawaii, NFL committee to boost Pro Bowl attendance: Hawaii’s state tourism agency and the National Football League are creating a committee to boost attendance at the Pro Bowl and Pro Bowl Week events leading up to the game. The Hawaii Tourism Authority said Friday the committee will engage the community, get more servicemen involved, and create business partnerships. Honolulu business leader and Cincinnati Bengals limited partner Dr. Edison Miyawaki will chair the committee. The committee has 49 professionals from the worlds of business, sports, government, unions, media and other fields.
Motor sports
• Beckman tops Funny Car qualifying: Jack Beckman topped Funny Car qualifying Friday in the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals in Mohnton, Pa., the fourth event in the six-race NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship. Coming off a victory Sunday in Madison, Ill., Beckman became the third driver in Funny Car history to dip into the 3-second range with a track-record run of 3.989 seconds at 320.58 mph in his Dodge Charger. If he can post a time during the rest of the weekend at 4.029 seconds or quicker, Beckman will certify the time as an NHRA national record and receive a 20-point bonus. He entered the week second in the standings, 30 points behind Ron Capps. Morgan Lucas led the Top Fuel field, V. Gaines topped the Pro Stock competition and Eddie Krawiec took the Pro Stock Motorcycle lead. Lucas had a run of 3.760 at 326.95 mph, Gaines finished at 6.544 at 209.62, and Krawiec had a 6.821 at 196.19.
— From wire reports