Wednesday's sports briefs

NBA

Jackson leaning toward retirement

Eleven-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson said Wednesday he is leaning toward retirement. After a full season of speculation on his health and future, Jackson will wait for the results of another battery of medical tests before informing Lakers owner Jerry Buss of his final decision late next week.

"Some of it's about health," Jackson said. "Some of it is just the way I feel right now. I've had vacillating feelings about it. It's hard not to feel like coming back when you ... have an opportunity to coach a team that's this good, but it's what I feel like right now."

NFL

Bucs sign C Raiola

The Bucs signed center Donovan Raiola and released center Jeff Tow-Arnett, the team announced.

Raiola (6-foot-2, 293 pounds) joins the Buccaneers after spending time with Arizona and Chicago in 2009. He entered the league with St. Louis as an undrafted free agent and also spent time with Pittsburgh and Seattle.

SOCCER

RSL Florida wins Region III title

Travis Jehs scored in overtime to give RSL Florida's boys under-16 team a 2-1 victory against the Concorde Fire from Georgia in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Championships in Baton Rouge, La., sending the team to the national event next month.

Jehs latched onto a long ball over the top and fired home from the top of the penalty area in the 102nd minute, and his side held on for victory. It was his fourth goal of the tournament.

Kody Thomas had given RSL the lead in the 42nd minute, but Adrian Alabi tied the game midway through the second half, sending the game to overtime.

MISC.

LEGAL: Pro football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was indicted Wednesday by a suburban New York grand jury on charges of third-degree rape and patronizing a prostitute.

FIGURE SKATING: Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton, 51, underwent surgery Wednesday at a Boston hospital to remove a benign brain tumor. His publicist, Michael Sterling, said he was "doing very well" and was expected to make a full recovery.

CONFERENCES: David Boren, the president of the University of Oklahoma, said his school and Texas A&M both received invitations to join the Southeastern Conference during the last round of conference realignment.

A Tribune staff, wire report

NBA

NFL

SOCCER

MISC.