HOUSTON (AP) - Hurricane Harvey has forced both the Houston Astros and Houston Texans to play home games well away from home. It's left players wondering when they will be able to come back. The Astros will play a three-game series against the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, this week, starting Tuesday, and the Texans will wrap up their preseason NFL schedule against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington instead of NRG Stadium.

UNDATED (AP) - A big weekend college football game is also on the move due to Hurricane Harvey. The BYU-LSU game will be played Saturday night at the Superdome in New Orleans after massive flooding in Houston. The game is still scheduled to kick off at 9:30 p.m. Eastern and be televised on ESPN.

DETROIT (AP) - A person familiar with the deal says Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions have agreed to a $135 million, five-year extension that makes him the highest-paid player in the NFL. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms were not disclosed. The team announced the deal keeps the quarterback under contract through the 2022 season. Detroit drafted Stafford No. 1 overall in 2009. He helped the Lions reach the playoffs last season for the third time in six seasons.

NEW YORK (AP) - A year after the NFL pledged $100 million in support of independent medical research and engineering advancements, a huge chunk of that soon will be awarded to such research, primarily dedicated to neuroscience. A Scientific Advisory Board assembled by the NFL is set to launch its program to solicit and evaluate research proposals for funding. The board will provide direction for the $40 million allocated under the league's initiative.

HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) - Ex Baylor coach Art Briles is having a little trouble with his job search in the wake of his firing over a sexual assault scandal allegedly involving some players. Less than 11 hours after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League announced the hiring of Briles as an assistant coach, the league and the team backtracked in the face of public pressure and said he will not be joining the team after all.

See the original post:
Harvey forces sports changes...Stafford gets a new deal...NFL promoting neuroscience research - WCTI12.com