Vikings’ Zimmer defends his defenseEDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer says he doesn’t believe his defensive backs made their own plan for covering Green Bay wide receiver Jordy Nelson.Xavier Rhodes repeatedly called the conflict a “miscommunication.” Terence Newman said it was a non-issue.Post-game commentary on Saturday by Rhodes suggested players defied Zimmer’s orders to put the Pro Bowl cornerback on Nelson, rather than keep Rhodes and Newman in their places regardless of the formation shown by the Packers.The stunning admission after the 38-25 loss by the Vikings served as a snapshot of Minnesota’s spoiled season and became a national headline. Two days later, the Vikings tried to thoroughly dismantle any controversy or tension.

Human errors caused fatal crashBOGOTA, Colombia — A series of human errors caused an airliner to run out of fuel and crash in Colombia last month, killing 71 people including most of a Brazilian soccer team, aviation authorities said.Colombia’s Civil Aeronautics agency concluded in its investigation that the plan for the flight operated by Bolivia-based charter company LaMia did not meet international standards. Among the errors made were the decisions to let the plane take off without enough fuel to make the flight safely and then to not stop midway to refuel. The pilot also did not report the plane’s emergency until it was too late, it said.

Grid coach Diaco fired by UConnSTORRS, Conn. — UConn fired football coach Bob Diaco after his third losing season, choosing to cut ties rather than allow Diaco to rebuild a struggling offense.Diaco will be relieved of his duties effective Jan. 2, university officials said.The move was surprising in its timing a month after the Huskies season ended but it made financial sense for the university. The buyout on Diaco’s contract drops from $5 million to $3.4 million after Jan. 1.“I believe a new leader for our program and student-athletes is needed to build long-term success,” athletic director David Benedict said.Diaco said he hoped things would have played out differently but that he’ll continue to root for UConn to succeed.