Bounty ruling for players finally at hand

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — More than nine months after the NFL first disclosed its bounty investigation of the New Orleans Saints, four players will finally get a ruling on whether their initial suspensions are upheld, reduced or thrown out.Former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was appointed to handle a second round of player appeals to the league, has informed all parties he planned to rule by Tuesday...

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No. 12 Oklahoma 24-17 win at TCU for Big 12 share

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Landry Jones and Oklahoma  treated their regular-season finale like a championship game — and finished wearing caps and T-shirts declaring the 12th-ranked Sooners the Big 12 champions.The Sooners have to share their eighth Big 12 title since they didn't get any help later from archrival Texas."Sharing it or not sharing it, winning the conference championship is great,"...

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Miami bound: No. 2 Alabama holds off No. 3 Georgia 32-28 in thrilling SEC championship game

ATLANTA - Alabama got a hand on the ball, which wobbled into the arms of a Georgia receiver who wasn't supposed to catch it.Before the Bulldogs could get off another play, the clock ran out.The Crimson Tide is heading back to the national championship game.By a mere 5 yards.AJ McCarron threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper with 3:15 remaining and No. 2 Alabama barely held on at the end,...

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Spectator falls from stands at ACC Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A 22-year-old man is in critical condition after sustaining life-threatening injuries after falling about 40 feet off a fourth-floor ramp outside Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night at the ACC Championship between No. 13 Florida State and Georgia Tech.The Charlotte Observer reported that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police identified the victim as Sean Michael Powers, a resident...

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No. 7 Kansas State wins Big 12 title, beats Texas

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Just as Collin Klein was preparing to trot onto the field for the biggest home game in Kansas State history, coach Bill Snyder put his arm around his senior quarterback and whispered something in his ear."He just told me how much he appreciated me, and that he loved me," Klein said. "It was a great moment. And I know he said that to every single one of us, and I wouldn't have...

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What T-Mobile's unsubsidized iPhone means for you

Although customers will pay higher upfront costs, they'll actually save hundreds over the course of their contractEver since AT&T walked away from a deal to acquire T-Mobile last year, T-Mobile has been struggling to define itself and win over customers — and it hasn't helped that its lineup did not include the iPhone. But that's about to change: Speaking at the Deutsche Telekom's analyst conference...

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The rapid die-off of the world's oldest trees

Trees across the globe are disappearing at 10 times the normal rate, and their demise could spell ecological disasterIf you've never been to California to see its giant redwoods, you should probably go soon. It might be only a matter of time before they're all gone. Research released Friday indicates that the world's oldest trees are dying at an alarming rate. "It is a very, very disturbing trend,"...

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Is President Obama going to war against legalized pot?

The leader of the now-immortal Choom Gang is reportedly on the verge of becoming the buzzkiller-in-chiefOh, the Choomanity! President Obama, the nation's most famous former pot smoker, is reportedly considering taking legal action against Colorado and Washington that could overturn the states' new marijuana legalization laws. The new state rules, which allow those over 21 to possess up to an ounce...

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Making money: Snagging year-end dividends, and more

Gift cards to avoidIf you give gift cards this holiday season, make sure they're not ones "loaded with sneaky fees," said Martha C. White at TIME. The Federal Reserve cracked down on retailer gift cards in 2010, ruling that they can't expire in less than five years and that issuers can't charge any fees until the card has been inactive for a year. But those rules don't apply to promotional gift cards,...

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Today in business: 5 things you need to know

1. JOB GROWTH BRINGS UNEMPLOYMENT TO FOUR-YEAR LOWThe economy added 146,000 non-farm jobs in November, pushing the unemployment down from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent, the lowest it's been in four years. Last month's job gains were far better than expected — economists had predicted a rather meager gain of just 93,000 jobs — partly because Hurricane Sandy didn't slow down hiring in the Northeast as...

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