SPORTS HEADLINES

Chiefs and Eagles shouldn’t be fazed by the zany extravaganza of Super Bowl opening night

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Before Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs take on Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, they have to tackle the media repeatedly. The wild week kicks off Monday at Super Bowl opening night, a zany extravaganza that could overwhelm teams that aren’t used to the circus atmosphere. But the Chiefs have been here five times in the past six years and the Eagles are back after nearly beating Kansas City in 2023. Both teams have plenty of new players but neither side should be fazed by strange questions or odd requests that are far too common at this media spectacle.

Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett requests to be traded so he can have chance at Super Bowl

CLEVELAND (AP) — Star defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns with the hope of better positioning himself to play in a Super Bowl. That’s according to a statement he sent to media outlets. The Browns finished last in the AFC North with a 3-14 record and general manager Andrew Berry said last week that he would not trade Garrett. Garrett is under contract with the Browns for two more seasons under a five-year, $125 million extension he signed in 2020.

‘I felt disrespected’ Hermoso says after World Cup kiss from former Spain soccer boss

MADRID (AP) — Spain forward Jenni Hermoso has testified at Luis Rubiales’ trial in Madrid that she did not consent to being kissed by the country’s former top soccer official after winning the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and of trying to coerce Hermoso to publicly support him after the incident in Sydney. The 47-year-old has denied the charges but was forced to resign and banned by FIFA for three years. The trial in Madrid’s High Court is expected to last at least 10 days. Court officials say Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty.

The NBA trade deadline is approaching and Antetokounmpo says no player is exempt from the chaos

The list of NBA players who might get traded before the 3 p.m. Eastern deadline on Thursday is a long one, according to Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo. It includes basically everybody. After this weekend, he might be right. Luka Doncic is now with the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis is now with the Dallas Mavericks. It’s the first time that two reigning All-NBA players were traded for one another in season. That move overshadowed another one that sent De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento to San Antonio, where he’ll play with Victor Wembanyama.

Controlling owner Josh Harris says the Washington Commanders name is not changing

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris says the team name is not changing. Harris said the name is here to stay after inheriting it when he and his group bought the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder in 2023. Harris said the name has come to mean something and has been embraced by staff and fans. Harris, who grew up as a Washington football fan, had previously said upon taking over that the team would not be going back to its old name that Snyder dropped in 2020.

Auburn, Duke remain 1-2 atop latest AP Top 25; Maryland jumps in for 1st time since 2023

Auburn and Duke remain 1-2 atop The Associated Press Topo 25 men’s college basketball poll for the third straight week. Bruce Pearl’s Tigers held the No. 1 ranking for the fourth consecutive week. Alabama moved up to No. 3, followed by Tennessee and Houston in the top five. Maryland is No. 18 in that program’s first appearance since February 2023. The Terrapins were joined by No. 20 Arizona and No. 24 Michigan as the new additions. Oregon, Louisville and Vanderbilt fell out from last week. The SEC had at least nine teams in the poll for the seventh straight week,

Southern Cal drops to No. 7 after loss; UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame remain atop women’s Top 25

Southern Cal’s second loss of the season has dropped the Trojans to seventh in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll. The Trojans lost at Iowa in an upset over the weekend. UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remain the top three teams in the rankings. The Bruins received all 32 first-place votes. Texas, UConn and LSU all moved up a spot to follow the Fighting Irish. Ohio State, TCU and Duke remained eight through 10.

Transfer deadline day: done deals and deals to look out for as Man City spends big in winter window

Europe’s winter transfer window is about to close with teams trying to secure late deals before the deadline. Manchester City has already spent $150 million to freshen up a creaking squad that has been at crisis point this season and might not be finished there amid links to Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez. Aston Villa could be busy on deadline day after selling Jhon Duran and signing Marcus Rashford. The team could go back into the market for Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Asensio and is looking to keep hold of star striker Ollie Watkins amid links with Arsenal. PSG has re-entered the ‘galactico’ market by signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli and offloading Randal Kolo Muani.

Lindsey Vonn faces more criticism for competing at age 40 than Tom Brady, Lewis Hamilton

SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) — Lindsey Vonn has faced a lot of second guessing about her comeback to ski racing at the age of 40 this season. Marcel Hirscher didn’t get nearly as many pointed questions when he returned to ski racing after five seasons away. Two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister suggested that Vonn “should see a psychologist.” Austrian downhill great Franz Klammer said “she’s gone completely mad.” Vonn responded at the world championships by saying that “there were a lot of questions that had to do with me as a person and my psychological state and what life is outside of skiing. And that was completely inappropriate and disrespectful and I didn’t deserve it.”