Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday in Pittsburgh, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin is in no hurry to announce Justin Fields as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh.

While Fields will again get the nod on Sunday in place of the injured Russell Wilson when the Steelers (3-0) visit Indianapolis (1-2), Tomlin stopped short of giving the job to Fields on a full-time basis, mostly because there’s no need at this point while Wilson rehabs from a calf issue he aggravated a few days before the season opener earlier this month.

“When Russ gets to an appropriate point of health and we have a decision to make, I’ll make it and I’ll announce it and I’ll be really transparent about it,” Tomlin said Tuesday.

Wilson will be limited again in practice on Wednesday, as the 35-year-old has been each of the previous two weeks. Tomlin didn’t rule out Wilson’s potential availability later in the week but added it will take more than just Wilson being cleared by the medical staff for him to be in consideration for a return to play.

Asked when he thinks Wilson might meet those benchmarks, Tomlin shrugged.

“We’ll know when we get there,” he said. “He’ll not only be healthy in terms of keeping himself safe, but he’ll be healthy in terms of being able to be productive and do the things that he needs to do and we need him to do.”

Wilson, signed to a one-year deal in March after being cut by Denver, beat out Fields during a training camp competition that felt “open” in name only. The nine-time Pro Bowler, however, aggravated a calf injury just days before the opener in Atlanta.

Fields stepped in and has steadily improved with each passing week. He completed 25 of 32 for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception — his first of the year — in a 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday that pushed the Steelers to 3-0 for the first time since 2020.

“He’s steady, he’s a competitor, man, he likes to compete,” Tomlin said of Fields. “He doesn’t turn down things. He’s aggressive in play, scrambling and so forth. It’s just been fun to get to know him and not only know him as a guy but know him as a competitor.”

Fields is completing 73% of his passes, well above his career average of 60%. He’s also thrown just one pick in 75 attempts, an ill-advised third-quarter throw against the Chargers that was batted into the air and pulled in by Los Angeles linebacker Bud Dupree. While Fields stressed he needs to be better going forward, it’s also his only turnover in three games. He gave it away 41 times in 40 games during three seasons in Chicago.

After sticking mostly to passes on the outside in wins over the Falcons and Denver, Fields was more aggressive over the middle against Los Angeles. He connected on several important throws between the hash marks, none bigger than a dart to Calvin Austin III in the third quarter that Austin turned into a 55-yard touchdown.

Tomlin praised Fields’ accuracy, something he first saw up close while attending Fields’ Pro Day at Ohio State in 2021.

What Tomlin would like to see going forward from Fields is a better start. The Steelers went three-and-out on three of their first four possessions against Los Angeles, with only a methodical 13-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in between.

“We got to get that solved and get it solved quickly,” Tomlin said, later adding, “Three-and-outs and things of that nature just doesn’t tee us up to play the type of ball that we desire to play.”

It’s a type of ball — a physical defense and an offense that is careful but also dynamic — that has made the Steelers the early front-runners in the AFC North. Fields has been an increasingly significant factor in Pittsburgh’s hot start. The season, as Tomlin put it Tuesday, is a “moving train.”

Asked if it’s possible for the train to start moving too fast for someone with even Wilson’s decorated resume to hop on and play immediately, Tomlin demurred.

“I don’t know, man,” he said. “We’ll know when we get there.”

NOTES: OLB Alex Highsmith (groin) is likely out against the Colts. Nick Herbig, who had two sacks last week against Los Angeles, will fill in. … G Isaac Seumalo (pectoral) could ramp up his participation this week. The veteran has been out since late August. … RB Jaylen Warren’s status is up in the air after Tomlin pulled him from the Chargers’ game after noticing Warren was limping.

FILE – In this March 20, 2017, file photo, Heather Lyke makes remarks during a news conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The University of Pittsburgh has fired athletic director Heather Lyke, a somewhat surprising move that came a few months before Lyke’s contract was set to expire.

Pitt chancellor Joan Gabel made the announcement Monday.

While Gabel thanked Lyke for her leadership, Gabel also noted that with the landscape of college athletics changing rapidly, she felt it was time for a fresh start.

“We need a new vision and a new leader of our athletics department,” Gabel said in a statement.

Lyke arrived at Pitt in 2017 and helped the Panthers start to find their footing in the Atlantic Coast Conference after treading water in their initial years following their departure from the Big East.

The football program won its first ACC title in 2021 and her decision to hire Jeff Capel as the men’s basketball coach in 2018 helped bring that program back to life. The women’s volleyball team has become a national power and the men’s soccer team reached the College Cup twice, 2020 and 2022.

In a statement posted on social media, Lyke thanked the many she worked with at Pitt.

“Today, I reflected of the wise words from a mentor: ‘If you leave a place better than you found it, you can be proud of your work,’” she said. “I am immensely proud of the accomplishments of the student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, donors and community members that I have had the privilege to serve alongside at the University of Pittsburgh.”

Lyke’s most ambitious project was “Victory Heights,” a $240 million facility currently under construction next to the Petersen Events Center. When completed, Victory Heights will serve as the home for 16 of Pitt’s 19 intercollegiate programs and will accommodate seating for up to 3,000 for volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics.

The building, launched in 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025.

Lyke, however, will not be around to see her vision come to fruition. She was in the final months of a contract that ran through 2024 but had explored other options lately, most recently when she was a finalist for the athletic director job at Northwestern.

The Wildcats ended up hiring Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson for the job.

Gabel said the school will launch a “comprehensive search” for Lyke’s replacement. Jennifer Tuscano will serve as interim athletic director until the search is complete.

FILE – Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is introduced before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Cam Heyward said Thursday he wants to retire with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 35-year-old defensive tackle also understands it’s likely not his call.

“It’s my goal, yeah. Not everybody thinks like that,” Heyward said after the Steelers first training camp practice at Saint Vincent College. “I want to be here. But a lot of football to be played, this season and (for) a couple seasons. But I can only focus on what’s in front of me.”

Heyward, selected to the Pro Bowl in six of his past seven seasons, is entering the final season of a four-year, $64 million extension signed in September 2020. He had two sacks and 33 tackles last season, missing six games after tearing his groin muscle in a season-opening loss to San Francisco.

About an hour after practice Thursday, general manager Omar Khan said he isn’t concerned with Heyward’s health entering season No. 14. Heyward was drafted in the first round (No. 31) by Pittsburgh out of Ohio State in 2011.

As for Heyward’s future with the Steelers, Khan said he believes it will last past this season.

“I’m not going to talk about a specific negotiation, but I think Cam’s got a lot of football ahead of him still. I’ll leave it at this, I expect him to be here for years to come,” Khan said.

“Last year, he had a rough stretch there. But I’m confident in the way he works and in Cam, the person and the player, obviously. I have no doubt that Cam has a lot of football left.”

Heyward said he was able to move past the injury in the offseason.

“I feel good. My groin is great, if you really want to ask,” Heyward said. “I don’t feel any lingering effects with that. I feel excited just to be out there and dealing with what I dealt with last year, I was nursing it during training camp last year, so to be full strength and not really have to worry about it is really a good sign.”

Moving on from contract speculation hasn’t been as easy since the Bills eliminated the Steelers in the wild-card round last postseason. Back on the field, Heyward said he has less time to dwell on possible negotiations.

“For me, I can’t control that,” he said. “I’m not going to get my hopes up either way. I’m not going to put stock into that. It’s just about trying to get better every day. The offseason, you can dwell on it. You can’t do anything about it.

“But the thing I can control is I can be productive. I can be healthy. If they believe in me, they think I can play more, so be it. If they don’t, do somewhere else. … Am I confident? I don’t like to go either way with that because you get your hopes up and something doesn’t happen. I’m just going to focus on being the best player I can be, controlling what I can control and being locked in for this team.”

Heyward is a Steelers defensive captain, along with linebacker T.J. Watt, and was the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year. He was a full participant on Thursday, choosing not to go through a camp “hold-in” after sitting out the first two weeks of OTAs in May.

“I’ll keep saying it,” Heyward said. “This team needs my leadership, my production. I look forward to doing it.”

Attempting to take it in stride, Heyward is trying to focus on the upcoming season, where Pittsburgh will try to win a playoff game for the first time since the 2016 season.

Not that it’s been easy.

“It’s a motivator, I’ll say the least,” Heyward said. “When everybody’s against you, you kind of just want to shut everybody up.”

NOTES: QB Russell Wilson was held out of practice Thursday because of calf tightness and is considered day to day, coach Mike Tomlin said. Justin Fields took first-team reps in Wilson’s place. … RB Najee Harris, who had his fifth-year option declined this offseason, was a full participant after reporting Wednesday. There remains a chance for Harris to be signed to a new contract, Khan said.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris addresses the media after arriving for his first Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Sebastian Foltz/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Najee Harris has heard the modern orthodoxy that running backs are as unimportant as they have ever been in the NFL. He has the associated lack of contract security beyond this season to prove it.

But for everyone who tells him running backs are no longer as valuable as they used to be or that the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t value him, he points to the 978 times he’s touched the ball and 4,135 yards from scrimmage he’s gained for them over the past three seasons.

To Harris, and speaking on behalf of his fellow NFL running backs, that equates to plenty of value.

“I wouldn’t say devalued,” Harris said Wednesday of the state of the position across the league. “They’re only devalued when it comes time to pay.”

Speaking to reporters for the first time since the Steelers in May declined their fifth-year contract option for Harris for 2025, Harris acknowledged he was disappointed.

“Me sitting here and saying I’m a devalued position where there are games where I literally carry the offense, giving me the ball (repeatedly)?” Harris said, rhetorically, as he reported to Saint Vincent College for the start of training camp. “It’s not really devalued, it is just when it comes time to pay you, that’s when they want to devalue the position. Which, it is what it is.”

In their reasoning for declining Harris’ option, the Steelers have cited uncertainty with the future direction and focus of their offense — and where Harris’ role falls in it. The unit’s highest-profile pieces were overhauled in the offseason with former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith taking over as offensive coordinator and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson signed to a one-year contract.

Wilson reported to an off-site camp for the first time since entering the NFL a dozen years ago. These next three weeks will represent his first set of regular practices on a college campus since he led Wisconsin to the Big Ten title in 2011 after four years at N.C. State.

“Latrobe, I’ve heard about it for years,” Wilson said, “but to actually be here? An old-school style training camp, I love it. It’s all about ball.”

Though the Steelers also acquired former Chicago Bears starter Justin Fields over the offseason as they overhauled the quarterback position, Wilson has been characterized by coach Mike Tomlin as being in the “pole position” to open the season as the starter. Wilson ran the first-team offense throughout OTAs and minicamp this spring, and that’s not expected to change over these next three weeks while an hour’s drive east from Pittsburgh at bucolic Saint Vincent College.

Several players took note Wednesday of the gravitas the 35-year-old Wilson brings to the offense.

“He’s done a great job so far,” defensive player of the year finalist T.J. Watt said. “He’s a challenging guy to go against, very calm and collected at the line of scrimmage.

“He’s just a guy that seems very calm and steady, never too high or too low, and loves to compete. I am happy he’s with us.”

Like Fields, Wilson is on a one-year deal. Harris likewise is entering the final year of his contract. So is Jaylen Warren, the former undrafted Harris backup who over the past two years has eaten away at Harris’ playing time.

Harris will be 27 when free agency begins next March, and his touches and yards from scrimmage have declined each season since he was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie first-round pick in 2021.

Harris seems resigned to the fact that as a running back in the latter half of his 20s, he likely won’t be cashing in on the open market the way players at some other positions do when their rookie contracts expire. Like he did last year at this time, Harris implied that running backs are working together to find ways to be more valued.

“There is something that is going on but I don’t want to say it,” Harris said. “I have an idea of what is going on.

“Right now, we’re not in the best position because if they tell us, this (particular) game you have got to carry the ball this number of times, you can’t say no. It won’t look good on you. You don’t really have any leverage right now as a running back. So, I don’t know. There’s nothing really you can do. You have no leverage.”

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Paul Skenes is set to start the All-Star game, the first time since 1995 that a rookie pitcher has that honor.

It’s been even longer since a Pittsburgh player has been in that spotlight.

The last pitcher from the Pirates to start the All-Star game was Jerry Reuss in 1975, in the middle of a decade when Pittsburgh won two World Series. That’s the second-longest active drought without a pitcher starting the All-Star game. The Chicago Cubs have not had one since Claude Passeau in 1946. (The Miami Marlins have never had the starting pitcher for the National League, but they’ve only been playing since 1993.)

The longest drought in the American League belongs to the Baltimore Orioles, who have not had the All-Star starter since Steve Stone in 1980. Corbin Burnes could potentially be chosen to start this year’s edition, which takes place Tuesday night.

This stellar beginning to Skenes’ career — in 11 starts, he’s 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA — has made his outings must-see TV and brought a bit of buzz to Pittsburgh. The Pirates are 48-48, which puts them in the mix for a wild card. Skenes and outfielder Bryan Reynolds are both All-Stars. The team hasn’t had more than two in a season since 2015, when Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole were both in Pittsburgh.

Now McCutchen is back with the Pirates as his career winds down, and with Skenes, Reynolds and 6-foot-7 shortstop Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh has a chance to turn some heads the rest of the way.

TRIVIA TIME

Name the record 13 different pitchers from the Brooklyn or Los Angeles Dodgers who have started the All-Star game.

A-PLUS OFFENSE, OCCASIONALLY

The Oakland Athletics pummeled Philadelphia 18-3 on Sunday. Although the A’s are 24 games under .500, they’re also responsible for the three highest-scoring games in baseball this year. Oakland also beat Miami 20-4 on May 4 and routed Baltimore 19-8 on July 6.

The A’s have 390 runs so far. Nearly 15% of them were in those three games.

Oakland is also one of just five teams in the majors to be shut out at least 10 times already. The Chicago White Sox are atop that list with 12.

LINE OF THE WEEK

It belongs to Skenes, who pitched seven no-hit innings at Milwaukee on Thursday before being removed after 99 pitches. The Pirates won 1-0. Opponents are batting just .202 against Skenes.

Skenes also had a six-inning start with no hits allowed in May against the Cubs. The Pirates are 8-3 in games he’s started.

COMEBACK OF THE WEEK

The Los Angeles Dodgers could use a break right now. After being swept in a three-game showdown at Philadelphia, the NL West leaders went to Detroit and dropped two of three, giving away ninth-inning leads in both losses. Saturday’s 11-9 defeat was particularly troubling. Los Angeles was up 9-4 in the ninth — its win probability maxed out at 99.5% according to Baseball Savant — before a dramatic rally by the Tigers.

It was still 9-6 with Detroit down to its last out, but then Carson Kelly hit an RBI single and rookie Colt Keith tied it with a two-run homer. Gio Urshela than hit a two-run shot in the 10th to end the game.

TRIVIA ANSWER

Whit Wyatt, Ralph Branca, Don Drysdale, Johnny Podres, Sandy Koufax, Andy Messersmith, Don Sutton, Fernando Valenzuela, Hideo Nomo, Brad Penny, Zack Greinke, Hyun Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw.

FILE – Detroit Lions cornerback Cam Sutton looks on after an NFL football practice in Allen Park, Mich., Thursday, June 8, 2023. The NFL on Monday, July 8, 2024, suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Cam Sutton for the first eight games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The Steelers signed Sutton to a one-year deal in June. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Cam Sutton for the first eight games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

The league announced the decision Monday, stipulating Sutton — who will not be paid during the suspension — would be eligible to apply for reinstatement on Oct. 29.

The discipline stems from Sutton’s involvement in an alleged domestic violence dispute in Florida in March.

Sutton eventually surrendered to authorities and entered a pretrial diversion program in April after the charges were reduced from a felony to misdemeanor battery. His agreement with prosecutors required Sutton to take a mental health evaluation.

The NFL did its own investigation into the incident, leading to the suspension.

The Detroit Lions cut Sutton immediately after an arrest warrant was issued. He found a lifeline in Pittsburgh, where he played for the first six seasons in the league from 2017-22.

The Steelers signed Sutton to a one-year deal in June. Sutton participated in organized team activities and minicamp but declined to get into specifics about what led to his arrest or any potential punishment that the NFL could levy if it finds he violated the league’s personal conduct policy.

“Adversity strikes everyone in life,” Sutton said the day he signed with the Steelers. “So it’s all about how you handle it, how you necessarily go through those phases and just knowing who you are individually, not letting someone else dim your light.”

FILE – The NFL logo is seen during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. Opening arguments are expected to begin Thursday, June 6, 2024, in federal court in a class-action lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers claiming the NFL broke antitrust laws. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 and has withstood numerous challenges, including a dismissal that was overturned. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NFL has been found guilty of breaking antitrust laws in its distribution of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on the “Sunday Ticket” premium subscription service.

Even though the jury of five men and three women in a U.S. District Court awarded nearly $4.8 billion in damages Thursday to residential and commercial subscribers of “Sunday Ticket,” don’t expect any settlement checks or the shuttering of the service anytime soon.

What did the jury determine?

The league broke antitrust laws by selling “Sunday Ticket” only on DirecTV and at an inflated price. By offering the service on only one distributor and with a high price, that limited the subscriber base and satisfied concerns by CBS and Fox about preserving local ratings while the NFL got a lot of money for its broadcast rights.

How long was the trial?

Three weeks. It began with opening statements on June 6 and featured 10 days of testimony before closing arguments on Wednesday. The jury deliberated for nearly five hours Wednesday and Thursday before coming to a decision.

The NFL brought in Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to testify, but it didn’t help. The plaintiffs’ mostly used economists and video from pre-trial depositions.

Who were the plaintiffs?

The class action applied to more than 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses, mostly bars and restaurants, that purchased “NFL Sunday Ticket” from June 17, 2011, to Feb. 7, 2023.

What is the breakdown of the damages?

The jury awarded $4.7 billion to residential subscribers and $96 million to businesses. Because damages are trebled under federal antitrust laws, the NFL could end up being liable for $14.39 billion unless it reaches a settlement or it is reduced

The residential damages were slightly less than the $5.6 billion offered under the plaintiffs’ College Football Model but more than a model where “Sunday Ticket” would have multiple carriers and a 49.7% reduction in the subscription cost ($2.81 billion).

The business damages were much lower than the plaintiffs presented in any of their three models. The lowest was $332 million under what was called the “NFL Tax” model.

How would the NFL pay damages?

It would be spread equally among the 32 teams. That means each one could be paying as much as $449.6 million.

Will there be any immediate changes?

Changes to the “Sunday Ticket” package and/or the ways the NFL carries its Sunday afternoon games would be stayed until all appeals have been concluded. It could consider offering team-by-team or week-by-week packages along with reducing the price.

ESPN proposed offering “Sunday Ticket” for $70 per season with team-by-team packages in 2022, but it was turned down by the NFL before it went with YouTube TV.

If the NFL offered team-by-team packages all along, one of the key class members likely would not have been part of the lawsuit.

Rob Lippincott — a New Orleans native who moved to California — bought “Sunday Ticket” only for Saints games.

“He just wanted the Saints. If he had a choice to buy a single-team package and watch the Saints games, he absolutely would have,” plaintiffs attorney Amanda Bonn said during her opening remarks on June 6.

But college football had to change, why not the NFL?

The landmark college football TV case in 1984 was determined by the U.S. Supreme Court. This was at the U.S. District Court level.

The NFL said it would appeal the verdict. That appeal would go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and then possibly the Supreme Court.

It wouldn’t be the first time the 9th Circuit has seen this case.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2015 by the Mucky Duck sports bar in San Francisco. On June 30, 2017, U.S. District Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell dismissed the lawsuit and ruled for the NFL. Two years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the case.

What were the keys to the plaintiffs’ case?

During his closing remarks, lead attorney Bill Carmody showed an April 2017 NFL memo that showed the league was exploring a world without “Sunday Ticket” in 2017, where cable channels would air Sunday afternoon out-of-market games not shown on Fox or CBS.

Judge Philip S. Gutierrez voiced his frustration with the plaintiffs’ attorneys midway through the trial, but the closing argument by Carmody was clear and easy to understand.

Was the NFL an underdog in this trial?

The NFL might be the king of American sports and one of the most powerful leagues in the world but it often loses in court, especially in Los Angeles. It was in an LA federal court in 1982 that a jury ruled the league violated antitrust rules by not allowing Al Davis to move the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles.

What’s next?

All eyes turn to July 31 when Gutierrez is scheduled to hear post-trial motions. That will include the NFL’s request to have him rule in favor of the league because the judge determined the plaintiffs did not prove their case.

Could this impact other sports?

All the major U.S. leagues offer out-of-market packages. They are keeping an eye on this case because individual teams selling their out-of-market streaming rights, especially in baseball, would further separate the haves from the have nots.

A major difference though is that MLB, the NBA and the NHL sell their out-of-market packages on multiple distributors and share in the revenue per subscriber instead of receiving an outright rights fee.