Sports briefly: Titans to acquire Eagles' Murray

A person familiar with the deal says the Tennessee Titans agreed to acquire DeMarco Murray in a trade with Philadelphia, trying to land the running back threat they've lacked since releasing Chris Johnson.

Murray also agreed to rework the five-year, $40 million contract with $21 million guaranteed he signed last year. Murray led the NFL in rushing for 1,845 yards with 13 touchdowns in Dallas in 2014 and was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He only ran for 702 yards last season.

… The Eagles also are working on a deal to send cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Dolphins for a draft choice.

Redskins release RG3

The Redskins released Robert Griffin III, four years after trading a bevy of draft picks to take the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with the No. 2 overall choice. The Redskins had until Wednesday to part ways with Griffin and prevent his 2016 contract for about $16 million from becoming guaranteed.

… The Browns extended a qualifying offer to receiver Terrelle Pryor, a former Gophers quarterback. … Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Logan Mankins is retiring after 11 NFL seasons. … The Colts re-signed tight end Dwayne Allen to a contract extension and released former Vikings quarterback Josh Freeman. … The Miami Dolphins are expected to release Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes in the coming days for salary cap reasons.

Digging out from a scandal and weary of having its football program mired near the bottom of the Big Ten, Illinois made a splash by hiring former NFL coach Lovie Smith.

"I take this responsibility very seriously and can't wait to get a staff in place to start our move to make Illinois a contender for Big Ten titles," Smith said, hours before greeting a couple hundred enthusiastic students in the university union. "We will play an exciting brand of football that will make our fans, alumni, student body and members of the university community extremely proud."

Smith agreed to a six-year contract worth $21 million.

… The College Football Playoff semifinals are staying on New Year's Eve — despite last season's television ratings — but the schedule is getting a tweak. The Dec. 31 semifinals will start an hour earlier than they did last season (2 p.m. and 6 p.m.) and the Orange Bowl now will be played in prime time Friday, Dec. 30, instead of during the day Dec. 31.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova says she failed a drug test at the Australian Open.

The five-time major champion took full responsibility for her mistake. The 28-year-old Sharapova said she tested positive for meldonium, which she said she has been taking for 10 years for numerous health issues.

Baseball: St. Louis shortstop Jhonny Peralta injured his left thumb and could miss the first two months of the season. Peralta is expected to get a second opinion of what might be a damaged ulnar collateral ligament.

Colleges: A lawsuit filed Monday accuses Iowa athletic director Gary Barta of unfairly removing female coaches and the top women's sports administrator during a tenure marked by gender bias.