Sports Briefly

Peyton Manning working out at Duke

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Rockies first baseman Todd Helton have been working out at Duke this week, an athletic department spokesman says Thursday.

The spokesman said both are there primarily to visit David Cutcliffe, who was Tennessee's offensive coordinator when both were college quarterbacks.

The cover was blown earlier Thursday when Matt Skura, a Duke football player, posted on Twitter that he was "stretching" next to Manning. The post was later taken down.

Manning has spent the past five months recovering from his third neck surgery in less than two years, and there have been conflicting reports about how much progress the four-time league MVP has made. Manning's doctor has cleared him to resume playing, although Colts owner Jim Irsay says he has not yet passed the team's physical.

Raiders cut ties with CB Routt

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders have released cornerback Stanford Routt less than one year after signing him to a blockbuster contract.

The move Thursday is the first major personnel change the Raiders have made since general manager Reggie McKenzie and new coach Dennis Allen took over last month.

Routt signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract last February before becoming a free agent. The contract included $20 million in guarantees over the first two years. The Raiders restructured the deal in August by adding two years, making it a $54.5 million, five-year contract.

But Routt ended up lasting only one year of the contract as the new regime in Oakland decided to go in a different direction.