Wednesday's Sports in Brief

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) The New England Patriots joined the latest ''Deflategate'' appeal to support Tom Brady, taking sides with their star quarterback in court for the first time in his fight against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell.

In an eight-page friend of the court brief filed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals , the Patriots said they ''stand to lose their All-Pro quarterback for 25 percent of the upcoming regular season based on a severely flawed process.'' They also tried to raise the stakes in an effort to persuade the entire circuit to overrule the 2-1 decision that reinstated Brady's four-game suspension last month.

''The impact of the majority opinion is not limited to professional football,'' the brief said. ''It threatens to undermine vital principles governing arbitration of collective bargaining agreements throughout the national economy.''

PRO BASKETBALL

The Memphis Grizzlies are ready to make another assistant coach a first-time NBA head coach after offering their job to Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The person says Fizdale met with Grizzlies controlling owner Robert Pera in California and that the job had been offered. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Grizzlies are not commenting on specific candidates.

Yahoo! Sports first reported the offer.

Fizdale would replace Dave Joerger, fired May 7 after three seasons and three playoff berths. This would be Fizdale's first head coaching job. He has been with the Heat since the 2008-09 season and has been assistant head coach the past two seasons.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Prosecutors have filed charges against former NBA forward Kermit Washington, accusing him of embezzling about a half-million dollars in charitable donations meant to help the needy in Africa and spending it on jewelry, vacations and other things.

Washington, who was best known for his bone-shattering punch to the face of Houston Rockets player Rudy Tomjanovich during a 1977 game, was charged in an indictment filed in Kansas City on Monday. He was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday and the indictment was unsealed Wednesday.

Washington, who was released on $75,000 bond, is charged with interfering with internal revenue laws, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of justice and aggravated identity theft. The charges largely stem from transactions that occurred from about 2004 through 2013, according to the indictment.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Maryland guard Melo Trimble has withdrawn his name from consideration for the NBA Draft and will return for his junior season.

The Terrapins reached the Sweet 16 last season behind Trimble, who led the team in scoring, assists and steals.

He will be the lone returning starter from a squad that went 27-9.

Because Trimble never hired an agent after announcing his intention to enter the draft, he had the option to return to Maryland.

In a statement released by the university, Trimble said, ''I learned a great deal through this experience. ... I look forward to continuing my education and building upon the success that we have had at Maryland.''

Coach Mark Turgeon said, ''After gathering information throughout this process, I agree that this is the best decision for him.''

SOCCER

LONDON (AP) - Accountancy firm KPMG says Manchester United and Real Madrid are soccer's most valuable clubs, worth an estimated 2.9 billion euros ($3.2 billion) each.

The study finds Europe's leading 32 clubs have a combined value exceeding 26 billion euros.

KPMG's report was published as the European season reaches its climax with Saturday's Champions League final between Real Madrid and crosstown rival Atletico Madrid, which is valued at 592 million euros.

United remains strong financially, despite not winning the Premier League in three years.

Behind Real and United in the rankings are Barcelona (2.8 billion euros), Bayern Munich (2.2 billion euros), Arsenal (1.7 billion euros), Manchester City (1.6 billion euros), Chelsea (1.5 billion euros), Liverpool (1.3 billion euros), Juventus (983 billion euros) and Paris Saint-Germain (843 billion euros).

BERLIN (AP) - Photos of Germany's national soccer team on a popular chocolate bar have prompted online outrage among Germany's far right because they include childhood pictures of some players of migrant origin.

Candymaker Ferrero swapped the usual blond boy on its `Kinder' bars ahead of this summer's European Championships for photos of the German soccer players as children. Among them are Jerome Boateng, whose father is from Ghana, and Ilkay Gundogan, whose parents are Turkish.

A regional branch of the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement asked on Facebook ''Is this a joke?'' Other commenters expressed outrage and threatened boycotts. One suggested the photos were previews of ''future terrorists'' before the page was taken down.

AUTO RACING

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Drivers Benny Parsons and Mark Martin and car owners Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress and Raymond Parks were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Parsons, the 1973 NASCAR premier series champion, was the first driver to eclipse 200 mph. Parsons, also a longtime broadcaster, died in 2007 at age 65.

Martin won 96 races across NASCAR's national series competition, including 40 on the Sprint Cup level.

Hendrick won 14 owner championships, and Childress 11 across NASCAR's three series.

Parks was the first car owner to win a title. He died in 2010 at 96.

DAILY FANTASY SPORTS

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - As many as 11 states may adopt regulations permitting and regulating daily fantasy sports by the end of the year, according to an analyst who closely tracks the issue.

Six states have passed bills to regulate daily fantasy sports so far, and five more may do so soon, Chris Grove, of Narus Advisors, said.

He said Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi and Colorado have passed bills regulating the games. He listed New York, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and South Carolina as states that might also do so by the end of this year.

Grove's comments came during a panel discussion at the East Coast Gaming Congress and iGaming Institute at Harrah's Waterfront Conference Center.