ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Robert Griffin III is practicing with the Washington Redskins, three days after spraining his right knee.

The rookie quarterback was on the field Wednesday, wearing a helmet, his No. 10 jersey and sweatpants for the portion of practice that was open to reporters.

He took part in the full stretch routine, high-stepping and moving laterally with no apparent problems. He was a little gimpy during throwing drills, adding a slight hop after some passes.

The sweatpants — worn by many players on the chilly day — covered any brace Griffin might have been wearing.

It was the first practice as the team prepares for Sunday’s game against Cleveland.

Griffin has a mildly sprained ligament, the result of a hit during the overtime win over Baltimore.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jonathan Vilma has asked a federal judge to allow him to move forward with his defamation case against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

In a motion filed Wednesday, Vilma drops his case against the NFL’s disciplinary process, now that his suspension has been lifted. However, he continues to pursue damages from Goodell for harm he alleges was done to his reputation by the NFL’s bounty probe of the New Orleans Saints.

In an NFL appeal ruling Tuesday, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue threw out suspensions for Vilma and three other current and former Saints in connection with the bounty investigation. Tagliabue said the punishment was too heavy-handed, even though he affirmed much of the probe’s findings that the Saints, including Vilma, had an improper cash-for-hits program and tried to cover it up.

Majority of teams to see action

UNDATED (AP) — This is a busy night of play in the NBA with 26 of the league’s 30 teams in action.

In the Western Conference all three of the teams with just four losses are in action as the 18-4 Spurs are at Utah, the 17-4 Thunder are home to New Orleans and 14-4 Memphis is at Phoenix. Oklahoma City, by the way, is riding an eight-game winning streak, longest in the league.

The Clippers have won seven straight and this evening they play the Bobcats in Charlotte. The ‘Cats have dropped their last eight in a row.

New York, the winningest team in the East with a record of 16-5, has the night off after beating Brooklyn 100-97. The Nets aren’t so lucky as they are playing the Raptors in Toronto. Brooklyn has lost five of its last six outings. The Raptors, who have won just four times this season, will play the game without center/forward Amir Johnson. He was suspended by the league yesterday for one game for throwing his mouthpiece at a referee in a game Monday night.

Cleveland, fresh off a surprising home-win over the Lakers, has a game against the Pacers in Indianapolis. Indiana has won eight of the last nine games played between the two clubs.

The Hawks have won seven straight over Orlando and tonight they square off on the Magic’s home court.

The 76ers eliminated the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs last season and tonight they meet in Philadelphia. Each team enters tonight’s game with nine defeats.

Golden State is in the midst of a successful road trip. Tonight they face the Heat in Miami. The 14-7 Warriors have won the first four games of the current excursion.

A pair of teams playing around .500 ball are meeting tonight in Boston. The visiting Mavericks are 11-10 on the season while the Celtics are 11-9.

Sacramento has won the last two meetings between the Kings and Bucks. They’ll tangle this evening in Milwaukee with the home team looking for a three-game winning streak.

The Rockets may be without James Harden and Jeremy Lin for tonight’s game at home with Washington. Each is suffering from an ankle injury.

And in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves have a date with Denver’s Nuggets. This game features a pair of .500 teams as the Wolves are 9-9 and the Nuggets 11-11.

New coach for Red Wolves

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Texas co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin will become the head coach at Arkansas State. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement by either school.

Harsin spent the last two seasons at Texas, and the Longhorns had a 16-9 record. He came to Texas from Boise State, where he was offensive coordinator.

Texas will turn play-calling duties over to co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite.