MADRID, Spain -- Atletico Madrid brought back Diego to strengthen its Spanish league title push, while Valencia witnessed a series of arrivals and exits from the club as the January transfer window closed on Friday. Brian McCann Black Jersey . Atletico signed the Brazilian midfielder on loan from Wolfsburg until the end of the season. Diego previously played under coach Diego Simeone during the 2011/12 season, helping Atletico win the Europa League title that season. Diego said he was overwhelmed by the return to Atletico as it bids for a first league title since 1996, while also competing in the knockout stages of the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. "It was only a matter of time before Atletico got to where it is," Diego said. "I had already seen the potential of this team and this club when I was here before." Diegos arrival meant midfielder Oliver Torres playing time was certain to dip, so Atletico loaned the promising teenage talent to Villarreal. With neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid making any last-ditch transfer moves, Valencia took the spotlight as it looks to turn around a bitterly disappointing season that has left it 17 points adrift of the Champions League places. The club unloaded a handful of underperforming players -- including Argentina midfielder Ever Banega -- and added several recruits, including former Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita. Valencia was active from Thursday when it signed Keita and striker Eduardo Vargas from Napoli while loaning out forwards Dorlan Pablon, Helder Postiga, and Andres Guardado. On Friday, Valencia added Cruzeiro striker Vinicius Araujo to its attack alongside Vargas after signing the Brazilian to a reported five-year-deal. Valencia also rid itself of a pair of underperforming midfielders as Sergio Canales joined Real Sociedad in a reported 3.5 million euros ($4.7 million) deal. Banega, whose career at Valencia has been riddled with problems, joined Newells Old Boys on loan until the end of the current season. Valencia also signed Swiss defender Philippe Senderos from Fulham, while midfielder Ricardo Costas move to Turkish club Besiktas fell through, however. Rayo Vallecano signed Inter Milans Samule Longo, Granada landed Brazilian striker Welliton from Spartak Moscow, and Levante signed former Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Sissoko, a free agent, after Valladolid balked. Valladolid instead signed former Barcelona winger Jeffren Suarez from Sporting Lisbon.J.J. Hardy Orioles Jersey . -- Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is listed as probable to return to the lineup Sunday against the New Orleans Saints after missing the past three games with a high ankle sprain. Wei-Yin Chen Orioles Jersey . Coverage kicks off from Philadelphia on Thursday as Hustler and Lawless tee up the action with a preview show. First round coverage starts on Friday at 3pm ct, as Hustler and Lawlesss and the Illegal Curve Hockey Show are live from the draft floor and continues on Saturday of rounds two through seven at 9am ct.On February 9, 2014, Michael Sam publicly declared he was a homosexual. The Missouri Tigers Defensive End and SEC Defensive player of the year is eligible for the upcoming NFL draft in May. The watershed announcement gives rise to a bit of a legal minefield and the league and teams will look to ensure that no lines are crossed. Lets break it down. Does the NFL have any rules any place protecting homosexuals from discrimination? They do have protection for homosexual players, although it wont apply unless Sam gets drafted. Article 49 of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement provides that you cant discriminate against a player on the basis of "race, religion, national origin" or "sexual orientation". The reference to "sexual orientation" is brand new in the CBA, and the other 3 major sports also have a similar provision. Heres the catch: the CBA wont apply to Sam if hes not drafted. While the CBA provides that it covers all "present and future" players, it still restricts that player pool to drafted rookies or undrafted players who are negotiating with a team. If undrafted, Sam wouldnt qualify as either type of player. So that means if Sam goes undrafted, the NFL CBA wont apply to him. Is that it? Is there nothing else protecting a player like Sam? There is, but its not perfect. Theres no federal law prohibiting discrimination based upon sexual orientation. The existence of such a law would be ideal for Sam since it wouldnt matter where he would end playing since a federal law covers the entire country. There are laws at the state level, although not every state has them. In all, 21 states have laws on the books that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the context of private employers. So that shakes out to 27 of the 32 NFL teams being the subject of gay employment protection laws. So which teams are in states where there arent state or other local laws protecting gay people? The five teams are as follows: Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Tennesseee Titans. Jason Heyward Jersey. Heres the big question: if Michael Sam is not drafted, can he sue and win? Indeed, that is the big question. Sam is projected to be a mid to late round pick. In order to be successful in a lawsuit against the league he will need to show that he was not drafted because he is a homosexual. That can be tough in the context of a draft – even if it is true. We have seen the draft stock of players inexplicably drop in all the sports. We routinely see players drafted a lot later (or earlier) than projected. Apart from the top prospects, drafts can be highly unpredictable. Indeed, drafts are complicated beasts and it can be hard to show that a player wasnt drafted simply because he is gay. To have a shot at winning a lawsuit, Sam would need strong evidence supporting his case. He would be looking for things like incriminating statements or emails that provide that a team conspired not to draft Sam because of his sexuality. That may not be easy to find. Teams may pass on Sam because he is gay, but just never say it. Ultimately, Sam would need a smoking gun, and absent that he would have a tough time winning a lawsuit. Do you think teams will take a pass on Sam because hes gay? Reason would suggest that some teams may shy away from Sam because he is gay. From a philosophical standpoint, some executives may not be comfortable with the idea of a gay player. Other teams may not have an issue with his sexuality, but may still take a pass because they fear he will become a distraction. Indeed, we have already heard anonymous executives express this sentiment. While some may believe he could become a distraction, and by extension adversely affect his team, it seems unlikely to be the case. The NFL is filled with real and legitimate distractions: DUIs, domestic violence, vehicular manslaughter, murder and whatever Dez Bryant did last Sunday. None of these events have led to the downfall of a team or the demise of the league. And most certainly something as innocuous and irrelevant as a players sexuality wont become a problem. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '