HOCKEY

NHL: Rumors to the contrary, the NHL insists expansion is not imminent.

“Nothing has happened to change the status quo,” said the NHL deputy commissioner, Bill Daly. “There continues to be interest from some markets and we continue to be interested in discussing the possibilities, but there is no plan moving forward in terms of expansion.”

Daly’s comments followed reports from Canada and tweets that Seattle, Las Vegas, Quebec City and suburban Toronto were on the verge of being granted franchises for 2017.

SOCCER

FIFA: Soccer joined the growing legal debate over head injuries after FIFA and some of the sport’s governing bodies in the U.S. were made the target of a lawsuit seeking new safety rules.

A group of soccer parents and players filed the lawsuit in San Francisco federal court. Lawyers representing the parents and players are asking a judge to grant the lawsuit class-action status on behalf of thousands of current and former soccer players.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Alexis Sanchez scored his first Arsenal goal, and the Gunners beat Besiktas 1-0 in London to reach the Champions League group stage for the 17th consecutive season.

MOTORSPORTS

INDYCAR: The IndyCar series has committed to an April 12 race date for next season’s inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana at Avondale.

BASKETBALL

NBA: Coach Doc Rivers is staying with the Los Angeles Clippers for another five years, having agreed to a contract extension with new owner Steve Ballmer that will take him through the 2018-19 season.

COLLEGES

NCAA: Southern California cornerback Josh Shaw was suspended indefinitely after admitting to lying about how he sprained his ankles last weekend, retracting his story about jumping off a balcony to save his drowning nephew.

The school didn’t explain how Shaw actually was injured, but Coach Steve Sarkisian said the Trojans were “extremely disappointed in Josh.”

– From staff and news services