Raiders Fire Coach – NFL Roundup

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have promoted offensive line coach Tony Sparano to interim coach to replace the fired Dennis Allen. Sparano takes over a winless team after four games.

He had a 29-32 record as head coach in Miami from 2008-11.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Linebacker Robert Mathis has agreed to a new contract with the Indianapolis Colts through the 2016 season. Mathis is the Colts' career leader in sacks and set a single-season franchise record with 19 1/2 sacks last season.

He was suspended for the first four games of this season after violating the NFL's the league's performance-enhancing substance policy, and then sustained a season-ending torn Achilles' tendon.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NFL says Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah (ab-DOO'-luh) should not have been penalized for dropping to his knees in prayer in the end zone after an interception in Monday night's game. NFL spokesman Michael Signora writes in an email to The Associated Press that "the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression.

The flag thrown in the fourth quarter of Kansas City's 41-14 victory over New England last night touched off a firestorm on social media, with many wondering how it was different from players dropping to one knee in Christian prayer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission has voted to end the decades-old rule preventing cable and satellite operators from airing sports events that were blacked out on local TV.

The commission says the rule was outdated and unnecessary. It was originally adopted to help boost ticket sales in the 1970s.

This may not spell the end to sports blackouts. The NFL would still be able to privately negotiate its own rules with cable and satellite companies that would not have the backing of the federal government.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheelers says the agency will consider a petition to ban the Washington Redskins nickname from the public airwaves.

A law professor has challenged the use of the name on broadcast television, saying it violates FCC rules against indecent content. Native American and other groups have demanded the name be changed, calling it a racial slur.

Wheeler did not offer a timetable for a ruling on the matter.