International Olympics Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach says he is not communicating with President-elect Trump before leaving office later this year. 

Bach told DPA International News he congratulated Trump on the Republican's election victory in November but has not sought any other communication beyond that.

"I don't think it would be really fair or right, with regard to my successor, to seek contact again now and perhaps influence any decisions that are then incumbent on my successor," Bach said of not speaking to Trump. 

The IOC has its own presidential election in March with Bach about to leave office in June.  

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Bach's lack of communication with Trump comes as the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires have put the viability of Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics in doubt. 

As of now, there are no plans to move the 2028 Games out of Los Angeles. The 2028 Games were to be the first in history in which the host city would not have to build any new venues due to the number of stadiums and arenas in the city. But many of the areas where those venues are located have been decimated by fires. 

Olympic venues close to areas affected by the fires include the Riviera Country Club, the Olympic Village, Pauley Pavilion and Rose Bowl Stadium.

LA2028 Chairman Casey Wasserman said in a statement he was confident Los Angeles would rally from the wildfires and that they would not undercut the Olympics. 

"Los Angeles is defined by its resilience and determination," Wasserman said. "The strength of our communities and our unity in tough times make this city extraordinary, and when Los Angeles welcomes the world in 2028, our spirit will shine brighter than ever before."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told NBC News the state is "organizing a Marshall plan" to ensure the Olympics can still commence in Los Angeles in 2028. 

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"President Donald Trump was helpful in getting the Olympics to the United States of America — to get it down here in LA. We thank him for that. This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine," Newsom said. 

"That's why we're already organizing a Marshall plan. We already have a team looking, reimagining LA 2.0, and we're making sure everyone's included."

However, the prospect of the city being able to host the Olympics amid what is projected to be years of reconstruction has been criticized by some. 

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in an interview with Newsmax he believes the Olympics should be moved to a Republican-controlled city and state.

"I do think the American people rightly see how poorly that state is being run, how poorly these tragic fires have been handled by the governor and, of course, the mayor there in Los Angeles," Jordan said. 

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has also suggested the Olympics be moved out of Los Angeles in 2028, suggesting Dallas or Miami as the new host city.

"The Los Angeles Olympics should be canceled," Kirk wrote on X. "If you can’t fill a fire hydrant, you aren’t qualified to host the Olympics. Move them to Dallas, or Miami, so the world’s athletes can compete in a place capable of actually safely building and running something." 

Before the fires, Bach expressed confidence in Trump's ability to lead the organizing of the 2028 Olympics in early December. 

"We are very confident there with regard to the steps and efforts being undertaken," Bach said at a news conference after an executive board meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland. "We saw also that President-elect Trump repeatedly declared his support for the Games, which we never had any doubt because he has declared this support from the very beginning."

Bach added that Olympic leaders are "very confident and relaxed" about working with Trump.

Trump and Bach last met in June 2017 at the White House when discussing a bid to bring the Olympics back to Los Angeles. Trump has taken credit for securing the 2028 bid. However, Bach did not speak flatteringly of Trump after that first meeting. 

"Pray for our world," Bach was heard to say on a cellphone call later that day in Washington, D.C.

Now, Trump will have the task of leading America's hosting of the Olympics after one of the worst disasters in the host city's history. He will have to make decisions without any consultation from the sitting IOC president until a new one is elected.

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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said he was "fuming" after getting pranked by several kids into believing Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had accepted the Bears’ head coaching job. 

Williams went viral this week after a video surfaced showing a group of young kids texting him as Johnson. 

The rookie quarterback, believing the kids, jumped on a FaceTime call, where the prank was revealed. 

Williams appeared to laugh off the encounter on the call, but in an appearance on the "St. Brown" podcast with Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, he revealed just how upset he was after the prank. 

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"That whole night I was getting texts. I was obviously getting spam calls from all my friends, like, ‘No way,’" Williams recalled.  "I didn’t respond to one text. I was so mad. Pissed!" 

Williams said he knew the kids were filming and was "trying not to flip out," but it was a different story when he hung up. 

"When I got off the call, I was fuming. I wanted to smash some s---. I was fuming," he said, laughing about it. 

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Williams doesn’t know how they got his number, which he claims to have had at least 15 years. 

"The text was so official. Like I’ve gotten that text from college coaches and other coaches before getting drafted and all of that. … It looked mad professional," Williams said, adding he has since changed his phone number.   

"I don’t know. I’ve had the number for probably 15 years. I don’t have it no more. New number. But I’ve had it for 15 years and so. I don’t know. Somebody must’ve gave it to them. Somebody must’ve said something, or he got lucky and just dialed the number." 

Despite his immediate reaction to the prank, Williams did give the young fans some credit. 

"I ain’t gonna lie. It was a classic prank. It was a Grade A, S-tier prank. I gotta give them props. I wasn’t locked in in the moment." 

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It could be argued Sam Darnold cost himself a lot of money over his last couple games, but one Minnesota Vikings legend says Darnold's done enough to remain the team's quarterback.

In his first 16 games, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft rewrote his story, throwing for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 68.1% of his passes. All of those numbers were, by far, career highs.

But in his final two games — one in which he could have clinched the top seed and the other a playoff game — he threw for just one touchdown pass and 411 yards and led his offense to just 18 points.

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Darnold looked in those final two games like what he was known for before arriving in Minnesota, and there are now calls for the team to move on to J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback they selected with the 10th pick last year.

But former Vikings running back Chuck Foreman thinks Darnold did enough to remain the starter.

"The guy comes into the league, he's drafted by a team that has no talent, he gets labeled. Goes to another team with no talent, gets labeled more. Then he goes to San Francisco, a winning team to get behind the coach that shows him the way … and then he comes here with Kevin, and he takes them to another level," Foreman told Outkick's "The Ricky Cobb Show." 

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Foreman shifted blame for the two losses to Minnesota's offensive line rather than Darnold, who, he said, was helpless against the Lions and Rams. 

"The pressure he was under, I only see one or two other quarterbacks that could have any kind of escapability with that, and that's Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen," Foreman added.

"I'm signing him, I'm hoping they can both come together in the middle. I understand the money part, but I hope Sam understands his career has been revived right here. And he's got a following here. Make adjustments next season, but I think he should be the guy."

Darnold is a free agent after the season and is a candidate for a franchise tag. His previous highs in yards and touchdowns were 3,024 and 19, respectively, in 2019 with the team that drafted him, the New York Jets.

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Former Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw has revealed the details of Caitlin Clark's decommitment from her program during the star's recruiting process in 2019. 

McGraw appeared on the "Good Game With Sarah Spain" podcast on Tuesday, and said that if Clark followed through on her commitment to Notre Dame, then McGraw might still be the coach there. McGraw retired from coaching in April 2020, just months ahead of Clark's freshman year. 

"I may still be coaching if Caitlin Clark came to Notre Dame," McGraw said.

McGraw says she received a verbal commitment from Clark to play at Notre Dame, but it never felt certain. 

"She committed to us, but I had a feeling it was kind of a soft commitment when she did, because she couldn't decide, couldn't decide," McGraw said. "And then finally she said, 'I want to come.' But it wasn't like 'I'm coming!' It was kind of like ‘I made the decision.’"

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Then, after a tense and dramatic wait, McGraw found out she would miss out on Clark, who announced her commitment to Iowa on Nov. 12, 2019. 

"After that, we waited and waited for her to announce it, because as you know, we're not allowed to announce anything. The players have to do that themselves," McGraw said. "So she made the announcement a long time after that, I kept saying 'When is it coming out?' And then when she made the announcement, she was going to Iowa. But of course she called me to tell me." 

McGraw's retirement came shortly after the end of the 2019-20 season, five months after finding out she wouldn't be coaching Clark, ending a 33-year run that included two national championships in 2001 and 2018. 

McGraw went on to call Clark's decommitment from her program in favor of Iowa, "probably a pretty good decision." 

Clark previously told ESPN that her own family wanted her to play for the Fighting Irish. 

"My family wanted me to go to Notre Dame," Caitlin said. "At the end of the day they were like, you make the decision for yourself. But it's Notre Dame! 'Rudy' was one of my favorite movies. How could you not pick Notre Dame?"

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Clark then spoke about her experience visiting Notre Dame and her consideration of playing for the Fighting Irish during an interview on the "New Heights" podcast on Jan. 2. She said she ultimately made the decision not to play there because of a feeling in her gut. 

"I could feel it in my gut, I was like ‘Ahh, I’m not supposed to go there,'" Clark said. 

"I basically narrowed it down pretty early on when I was going through my college recruitment that I wanted to be like in the Midwest, just kind of a homebody. Family person. Just wanted to stay fairly close to home. So that narrowed a lot of stuff down."

Clark then played her entire four-year college career for the Hawkeyes, where she broke multiple program and NCAA records, including the all-time leading scoring record among all college basketball players, men or women, in history. 

Clark also met her current boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, while at Iowa. McCaffery played on Iowa's men's basketball team for his father, head coach Fran McCaffery. 

Meanwhile, without Clark, Notre Dame fared OK, but not nearly as well as Iowa. Under the leadership of current head coach Niele Ivey, the Fighting Irish made the NCAA tournament three years in a row from 2021-24, but they lost in the regional semifinal all three times, while Clark led much deeper tournament runs in 2023 and 2024. 

Clark led Iowa to two straight national championship game appearances, en route to becoming the No. 1 overall selection by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. McCaffery was already in Indiana working on the Pacers' coaching staff, and they are still in the city together as he now works on Butler's men's basketball coaching staff. 

Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, was selected to the All-Star team, led the WNBA in assists, and helped lead the Fever to the playoffs in her rookie season. 

Clark was also named Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year for 2024. 

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Tubi will stream Super Bowl LIX in February for free on its platform using FOX’s feed of the game, the company announced.

Viewers will be able to watch the game on Feb. 9 when they sign up via email registration. There will be no Multichannel Video Programming Distributor authentication or credit card sign-up needed to be able to watch it.

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The FOX Sports pregame show will also be available for fans tuning in to watch the game. A second stream on Tubi will also include the Tubi Red Carpet event, hosted by Olivia Culpo at 3:30 p.m. ET, and the FOX Deportes Spanish language feed.

The Super Bowl's kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.

The ability to have a free and easy way to watch the Super Bowl would try to cut into the illegal streams that are set up for the game. About 17 million people watched the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers illegally last year.

REGISTER FOR TUBI HERE

Additionally, those who have to work on game day will be able to watch from their mobile phones or tablets. About 28 million will be working on Super Bowl Sunday when the game kicks off at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. 

Those who have cut cable out of their lives will also have a new avenue to watch the game as well without committing to another subscription.

It’s unknown which two teams will be playing in the game, but it’s sure to draw a large audience as it does every year. The NFL said last year that 123.4 million viewers tuned in for the game across all platforms.

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Montreal Canadiens rookie Emil Heineman was hit by a car while walking downtown in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday.

Heineman, 23, is expected to miss three to four weeks with an upper-body injury suffered from the incident.

The Canadiens were in town to play the Utah Hockey Club, who they beat 5-3 on Tuesday.

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Salt Lake City police said in a news release they received a 911 call around 3 p.m. Monday, and officers were dispatched to the scene and checked the area but could not find the pedestrian or the passerby who reported the incident.

Police said officers received information later in the evening from a nearby business, which said it had info likely associated with the crash.

After discovering that Heineman was the pedestrian, police said the Swedish hockey player did not show any signs of serious injuries and was being attended to by team doctors.

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It was not immediately clear what Heineman’s injury was. 

Police identified all parties involved and said they could not release any additional details. The Utah Highway Patrol is investigating.

Heineman played four games last season with the Canadiens, and has become a regular this season, playing 41 games this season.

Heineman is third among rookies in goals scored with 10 this season, along with having seven assists. 

The left-winger was a second-round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2020 who was traded to Calgary Flames in 2021 and to Montreal in '22.

The Canadiens' next game is on the road against the Dallas Stars on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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FIRST ON FOX: Just one day after Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., got the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed in the House of Representatives, he already has plans to introduce a resolution to further tackle the issue of trans athletes in women's sports.

Steube will be introducing a joint resolution alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., that will call on the NCAA to revoke eligibility of trans athletes who compete as women. It would also call on the NCAA to create new policies that would forbid any future trans-identifying males from competing as women, and push all their member conferences to do the same, according to a draft of the legislation obtained by Fox News Digital.

Unlike the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, this resolution would directly address the issue of trans inclusion at the college level and would also affect schools that aren't federally funded. 

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Steube's earlier bill only provides that it is a violation of Title IX for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. 

But this resolution could extend to private institutions that compete in the NCAA. The issue of trans inclusion at the women's college level has been a mainstream political issue during the Biden administration, highlighted by controversies involving trans swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022 and trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming in 2024. 

The NCAA has enabled and protected trans athletes in women's sports with its current policies. 

NCAA President Charlie Baker faced questions and criticism from Republican lawmakers for these policies during a congressional hearing on Dec. 17. He repeatedly cited federal law and recent rulings of federal courts that have enabled it. 

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On President Biden's first day in office, he issued an executive order to allow and protect trans inclusion in women's sports. And during December's hearing, Baker referenced "five lawsuits in the last 18 months" that have enabled trans athletes to compete against biological females. However, there have not been any rulings that have explicitly instructed the NCAA to allow trans athletes to compete against females or share women's locker rooms.

If Steube's bill becomes law, Baker and the NCAA will be tasked with enforcing the new mandates, just as he claimed to be enforcing the previous ones under Biden.

One of the groups that lobbied heavily for this resolution was the Concerned Women for America (CWA), which has taken up the issue of trans athletes competing against women at the NCAA level as a core mission throughout Biden's term. 

Current CWA legislative strategist and former NCAA women's athlete Macy Petty told Fox News Digital that she attempted to deliver a letter on this issue to NCAA Board of Governors Chair Dr. Linda Livingstone last year, but was dismissed and that Livingstone "didn't even look me in the eye." 

"The NCAA continues to fail their responsibility to protect female athletes and are the foremost leader facilitating this discrimination. They’ve proven an utter disregard for the safety and dignity of their athletes they govern," Petty said. 

The NCAA may soon have to answer to a new set of rules once the Trump administration begins. 

President-elect Trump himself vowed to ban trans athletes in women's sports as president during his 2024 campaign, and it became one of the key issues for him and other Republicans in their sweeping November victory. 

The issue became so prominent that the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act was the first priority of the 119th Congress and passed the House with unanimous support from Republicans and even two Democrats. 

With a Republican majority in the Senate as well, both of Steube's proposals could be approved during Trump's first year in office. 

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Several Olympians will receive new medals after complaining that their hardware from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris have already begun to tarnish, according to the French mint that produced the medals. 

The Monnaie de Paris, which produced 5,084 medals for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, told The Associated Press that it will replace medals after several athletes complained that they had already begun to deteriorate as early as August. 

"The Monnaie de Paris has taken the issue of damaged medals very seriously since the first exchange requests in August, and has mobilized its internal teams," the French mint said. 

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"Since then, the company has modified and optimized its relative varnishing process. The Monnaie de Paris will replace all damaged medals at the athletes’ request during the first quarter of 2025."

According to the AP, the French mint declined to comment on the exact number of medals it would be replacing, but a French outlet reported the number was over 100. 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was working with the French mint to ensure the medals are made in an "identical way to the originals."

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"The Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, in order to appraise any issues with medals to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage," the IOC said in a statement to Front Office Sports.

"Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals."

American skateboarder Nyjah Huston was among the athletes to complain about the medals tarnishing. After winning bronze in the men’s street event, Huston took to social media just days later to reveal how his medal had deteriorated. 

"Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they are brand new," Huston said in a video posted on Instagram. 

"But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and then letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they are apparently not as high quality as you would think." 

French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchi also recently complained about their medals chipping. 

The medals were crafted to include polished chunks of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower which were saved from renovations. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Texas Longhorns star quarterback Quinn Ewers declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday.

Ewers posted a video on his social media pages thanking Longhorns coaches and his teammates for helping him succeed while he played in the burnt orange and white.

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"My entire life I have dreamed about playing football on the 40 acres. These past three years have been some of the best years I could have imagined. The relationships I’ve built between coaches and teammates will last forever. I’m truly thankful for the opportunity to play football in my home state, at the best university in the world.

"With prayer and careful consideration, I’m officially declaring for the NFL Draft. Thank you. Hook ‘em."

Ewers made his decision as rumors swirled about whether he would enter the transfer portal instead of declaring for the draft. Ewers had a $6 million offer to transfer out of Texas and play elsewhere next season, On3 Sports reported. 

However, that does not seem to be the case now.

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The Texas star’s 2024 season ended in crushing fashion with a loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Ohio State.

Ewers had 3,472 passing yards and 31 touchdown passes for the Longhorns this season.

It is unclear where he will land in the draft. Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are considered to be the top two quarterbacks in the draft class, but a few solid workouts in the days leading up to the event could change scouts’ opinions quickly.

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LeBron James declared after the Los Angeles Lakers win over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas that the holiday belongs to the NBA.

"I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day," James said on the court after the game. 

James walked back his declaration of who owned Christmas during a recent appearance on "New Heights."

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"Listen, I saw the f------ numbers, after the fact, you guys kicked our a-- alright? From a viewership standpoint, y’all kicked our a--," James said.

The NBA did have a great day, averaging 5.2 million viewers across their five games on Christmas, the most on the holiday in five years, but the NFL dominated those numbers.

Netflix averaged 24.2 million viewers between their two NFL games on Christmas. 

James said having Beyoncé perform during halftime helped the NFL have a good day, despite the non-competitive games.

LEBRON JAMES TROLLED FOR SAYING CHRISTMAS BELONGS TO NBA AFTER NFL VIEWERSHIP IS REVEALED

"You know, the games weren’t as great as they should have been, but when you have f------ Beyoncé come out there. (Patrick) Mahomes and Travis (Kelce) and you guys go there, and kick Pittsburgh’s a--, and you know Beyoncé comes out there," James said.

The Lakers' superstar made the analogy between the NBA and the NFL like a little brother and a big brother fighting.

"But I had, you know, when you go out there with your little brother, and he may get beat up one time, (he’s) like, ‘Hey, we didn’t lose that fight, we here, we stand here, we didn’t lose,’ that’s how I felt I had to stand up. I had to stand up for the NBA," James said while laughing.

With Christmas falling on a Thursday next year, there is a chance the NFL has more than two games during the day as they continue to compete with the NBA for ratings on the holiday.

James’ Lakers are 20-17 this season, and despite just turning 40 years old, James has been productive this season.

James has averaged just under 24 points per game while grabbing just over 7.5 rebounds per game and averaging nearly nine assists per game. 

The Lakers’ next game is at home against the Miami Heat at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday. 

Fox News' Ryan Morik contributed to this report. 

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Bubba Thompson, who was a first-round MLB draft pick in 2017, will trade in his glove for a helmet and some shoulder pads as he’s set to join the South Alabama Jaguars football team.

He will join the team as a walk-on for spring practices, South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite told AL.com. He posted a video on his Facebook page of himself throwing a football at the school’s football facility.

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"We back y’all," he captioned the clip.

Thompson, 26, has experience on the gridiron. He played football while attending McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Alabama, leading the school to a state title game in 2017.

He then committed to the University of Alabama to play baseball. However, he never enrolled in the college. Instead, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2017 with their No. 26 overall pick and decided to pursue a Major League career.

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Thompson didn’t emerge as a superstar. He was a speedster on the basepaths, recording 18 stolen bags in 55 games in 2022. He was with the Rangers in 2023, playing in 37 games. He then joined the Cincinnati Reds last year and appeared in 17 games.

Because he never enrolled in college, he has five years of eligibility. Rivals rated him as a two-star quarterback coming out of school.

South Alabama was 7-6 last season in Applewhite’s first year. They ended the year with a win in the Salute to Veterans Bowl.

Gio Lopez and Bishop Davenport played quarterback for the Jaguars last season.

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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid knows football. He also knows a thing or two about being a dad. 

On Monday, Patrick and Brittany Mahomes announced the birth of their third child in a post on social media. Golden Raye Mahomes was born on Sunday, Jan. 12 and is the couple's second daughter. 

They also have a 2-year-old son named Patrick Lavon III, nicknamed Bronze.

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With three under three, Mahomes told reporters on Tuesday that he is content with the size of his family "for right now," but Reid offered a different perspective when talking to the media. 

"Yeah, I think he does great with it," Reid said when asked how the veteran quarterback is handling fatherhood. "He came in as Patrick 2pm, now he’s Patrick 3pm."

But for Reid, a father of five, he believes the more, the merrier.  

CHIEFS' PATRICK MAHOMES ADMITS HE'S 'GOOD' WITH 3 KIDS FOR NOW AFTER CELEBRATING LATEST BIRTH

"Once you have three, four and five are easy. That’s what I told him," Reid said with a smile. "You’ve made three, you add a couple more, we’ll talk." 

However, the focus now for Mahomes is certainly on the playoffs. 

The Chiefs will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in the divisional round hosted at Arrowhead Stadium as the Chiefs pursue a historic third straight championship. 

"I think every year is special," Mahomes said. "Obviously, you want to win three in a row and build those memories with the guys and the community. But every single year is special. And when I look back at all the different Super Bowls that we've won, I look back at special moments that we've had and special games that we've had. And so, we'll try to do the same this year."

The Chiefs enter Saturday’s game well rested after securing a bye as the No. 1 seed. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Shedeur Sanders is likely to be one of the first quarterbacks taken off the board and whichever team lands him will have an intriguing storyline before the start of the season.

For now, all eyes are on his father as the Dallas Cowboys could be trying to lure Coach Prime from the Colorado Buffaloes to the NFL. The elder Sanders had been adamant about not going to the pros unless he could coach his sons.

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Dallas has the No. 12 pick of the draft and would likely have to make a move up the board to be in line to select Shedeur Sanders if that was a part of the whole plan.

The star collegiate quarterback spoke briefly with the Dallas Morning News as he attended the Dallas Mavericks-Denver Nuggets game on Tuesday night.

"I think it would be cool. What do you think?" he told the paper.

The Cowboys parted ways with Mike McCarthy after five seasons as the two sides couldn’t agree to a new contract. Dallas has the opening but at least one former player doesn’t really consider it a "coveted job."

Troy Aikman made his thoughts clear about the situation on Monday.

DEION SANDERS HAS 'LEGIT' CHANCE OF COACHING COWBOYS BUT UNDER SPECIFIC CONDITIONS, SUPER BOWL CHAMP SAYS

"I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach, so this is a bit of a surprise for me today that he’s not going to be… It suggests that there's not a real plan," he said before calling the playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

"I do think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team. Whoever is the head coach of that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention, but I think most football people that take over as a head coach they want to do it on their terms and that’s hard to do.

"I love the Dallas Cowboys. I played there for 12 years. I wish them well. To say that it’s a coveted job, I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with that."

Deion Sanders didn’t exactly pour cold water on the notion of taking the job. He confirmed reports Monday he talked with team owner Jerry Jones.

"To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing," Sanders told ESPN. "I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

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The possibility of Deion Sanders becoming the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys got the NFL world fired up earlier this week as the team parted ways with Mike McCarthy.

Drew Pearson, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Cowboys star, hopped on the Sanders train and expressed his support for Coach Prime going back to the pros to roam the sidelines for the team he won a Super Bowl with in the 1990s.

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"I think he's capable," Pearson told TMZ Sports. "There's no question he has the qualifications to do it. He paid his dues. He came through the ranks, and he's proven it each step of the way that he knows what he's doing.

"He's had success in the coaching ranks, from high school to college," he added. "So why can't he be a successful coach in the pros? I think he should be the No. 1 choice for the Dallas Cowboys."

DEION SANDERS HAS 'LEGIT' CHANCE OF COACHING COWBOYS BUT UNDER SPECIFIC CONDITIONS, SUPER BOWL CHAMP SAYS

It is unclear how much interest there is in the Cowboys signing Sanders to become the head coach. Sanders has been adamant about staying at Colorado unless he could coach his sons in the NFL.

He confirmed reports that he talked with team owner Jerry Jones about the job but did not exactly say he would not jump at the chance to coach the Cowboys.

"To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing," Sanders later told ESPN. "I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

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Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin is the latest athlete to have his home burglarized.

Malkin’s three Stanley Cup rings were among the items taken in the robbery, per KDKA-TV.

The 38-year-old’s home was broken into on the day the Penguins were playing the Ottawa Senators.

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Malkin’s Penguins lost 5-0 to the Senators on Saturday, but the star forward didn’t play due to an upper-body injury. 

"We are working closely with local authorities and team security," the team said in a statement late Tuesday night. "Malkin has requested that his privacy be respected during this time, and we will have no further comment on the matter."

KDKA-TV also reported that Malkin’s home security system was down during the robbery and that his safe was left open.

Malkin has been in the NHL for 19 seasons, spending them all with the Penguins. He won the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player in 2011-2012, and has 1,328 points (506 goals, 822 assists) in his career. 

LUKA DONČIĆ'S HOME BURGLARIZED, ADDING TO LIST OF TARGETED HOMES OF HIGH-PROFILE ATHLETES

The FBI warned professional sports leagues late last month that South American organized criminal groups were behind a string of home invasions, according to ABC News. The report said the groups conduct "physical and technical surveillance" to prep for the burglaries. They use social media to get an idea of where and when a person will be gone from their home, and then they make their mark.

Both the NFL and NBA sent memos to teams about home security measures in November following the break-ins of some of their athletes' homes.

Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce had their homes broken into in October.

While the Cincinnati Bengals were playing against the Dallas Cowboys in December, quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was targeted. 

In the NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves Mike Conley Jr.’s home was burglarized on Sept. 15 while he was attending a Minnesota Vikings game. 

Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis had his home broken into on Nov. 2. 

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić's home was burglarized at the end of December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Deion Sanders seemed to shoo away any chatter of him coaching the Dallas Cowboys, but one of his former teammates is not buying it just yet.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer, who currently coaches at the University of Colorado, all but confirmed reports that he and Jerry Jones have had dialogue about the open position in Dallas.

Sanders told ESPN the opportunity is "intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

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However, Sanders' former teammate, Daryl Johnston, said the chances of him heading to the Lone Star State are "legit."

It is not as easy as it sounds, considering Sanders said last week that he would only consider coaching in the NFL if he were to team up with his sons.

"I think if Deion is going to come here, because he seems to have his plan in place - he would love to coach his son, Shedeur, in the NFL. I don’t know if that happens in Dallas," Johnston told OutKick's "Hot Mic." "It’s gonna take a lot of different things to happen."

MIAMI COACH PUSHES BACK ON 'BULLS---' NARRATIVE CAM WARD QUIT ON HIS TEAM AFTER SETTING TOUCHDOWN RECORD

Johnston also mentioned something rather important - they already have Dak Prescott.

"To me, it would not be a smart thing to do. I think you have to have that conversation up front and go ‘Listen, I know what your plan is, but we just don’t see that working out. So if you’re gonna come here, we really don’t see how Shedeur is gonna be a part of this journey moving forward,'" Johnston said. "You gotta get all that talked about. I just think it’s not good for the franchise moving forward to try to make a move that puts you in a position to bring in Shedeur as your quarterback when you’ve got Dak Prescott."

Shedeur, of course, could very well be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, while Dallas currently owns the 12th spot.

Deion Sanders played for the Cowboys from 1995 to 1999. He was a part of the organization’s last Super Bowl run – in 1995. He was a Pro Bowler in four of those five seasons.

The Cowboys parted ways with Mike McCarthy earlier Monday after five seasons.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee dealt with a serious situation when he left Monday night’s playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings at the end of the first quarter.

Rams head coach Sean McVay explained to reporters on Tuesday that Higbee was hospitalized for a chest injury because he was "spitting up a little bit of blood," according to the team’s site.

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McVay added that he was optimistic Higbee would be back for the team’s divisional round game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"He has full expectation that he’ll be ready to go, but I do not have any updates from (VP of medicine Reggie Scott) yet. … You felt his presence early. He was on pace to have a really big night, and he still made a huge contribution even just playing a quarter," he said, via The Orange County Register.

PATRIOTS LEGEND VINCE WILFORK SAYS 'BS' JEROD MAYO FIRING WAS A 'SETUP'

Higbee only played three games during the regular season as he recovered from offseason knee surgery. He made his season debut against the New York Jets, and his impact was felt immediately as he had a touchdown catch in the 19-9 win.

He led the team on Monday night with five catches for 58 yards even as he exited early.

Rams star Matthew Stafford managed to go 19-of-27 for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He completed passes to eight different receivers, including Higbee.

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A Philadelphia Eagles fan at the center of a vile incident at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday lost his job at a New Jersey-based DEI-focused consulting firm this week.

The fan, who was identified as Ryan Caldwell, was seen in the viral video getting into the face of a female Green Bay Packers fan and calling her a "dumb c---" while her fiancé recorded the situation. He also taunted the man with other disgusting gestures.

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The fan and his employer have since "parted ways," the company said.

"We, the management of BCT Partners, have concluded the international personnel investigation regarding an employee who was caught on a video outside of the workplace making highly offensive and misogynistic statements," the company said in a statement Tuesday. "In keeping with our company values, which are firmly centered in respect, dignity, and inclusion, we have decided to part ways with the employee. This separation is effective immediately.

"We condemn our former employee’s conduct in the strongest possible terms. This individual’s conduct and language were vile, disgusting, unacceptable, and horrific and have no place in our workplace and society. Such conduct is not who we are and not what we stand for.

"At the same time, again, to be true to our values, we can condemn the actions without condemning the individual. None of us deserve to be remembered for actions taken on our worst day. We have offered grace and support to our former employee. We hope that he will grow, and we all can learn from this deeply disturbing incident. That’s what real inclusion is and does. That is also who we are and what we stand for.

EAGLES COACH CALLS OUT 'LAZY' TAKES ABOUT AJ BROWN AFTER HE'S CAUGHT READING BOOK DURING GAME

"We sincerely apologize to the victim and for the many ways in which these events already have impact so many people. We remain committed to gender equity and fostering a culture of respect and dignity for all."

Caldwell’s tirade was caught as the Eagles topped the Packers in the wild-card game over the weekend. Aside from just calling the woman a "dumb c---," he also called her an "ugly dumb c---." Caldwell asked her fiancé if he was going to do anything about the name-calling, and if not, then he should turn around and watch the game.

The woman’s fiancé identified himself on social media as Alexander Basara and posted the video on social media. He wrote on X he did not want to get into a physical altercation with Caldwell.

He mentioned in one post that he definitely was not going to start painting all Eagles fans with a broad brush.

"A lot of you guys were very nice. Trust me. The normal banter but a handshake at the end. This was out of line tho for sure," he wrote on X.

The Eagles fan was also banned from all games at Lincoln Financial Field, according to USA Today.

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In non-New England Patriots fashion, they now have their third head coach in as many seasons (and less than 13 calendar months).

After Bill Belichick manned the sidelines for 24 seasons, the two parted ways in early 2024 and went with Jerod Mayo to replace arguably the greatest coach of all time.

However, after a 4-13 season, Kraft did not like what he saw, fired Mayo and hired Mike Vrabel, who was available last offseason.

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Vince Wilfork does not deny that the Patriots are in a better place today than they were two weeks ago, but in echoing former teammate Rob Gronkowski's thoughts on the matter, Wilfork said on Tuesday that Mayo "never had a chance" and that it was all a "setup."

"I think it was BS to pull that. And knowing Jerod personally, I know the conversations," Wilfork told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "I know what it is. It’s just hard to fathom, but that’s the business when you deal with certain people. I think it was unfair."

Wilfork noted that Mayo coached "the same s----y roster" that Belichick made and "sucked" with.

"So what do you think Mayo was [going to] do with the same people Bill brought in? Mayo’s the one who found the future quarterback in Drake Maye. It’s just unfortunate. But it’s part of the game, part of the business," Wilfork said.

Wilfork spoke with Fox News Digital at an event where he promoted Tums, as he's on the case to stop heartburn when people stuff their faces at their Super Bowl parties. Tums and DraftKings recently partnered up for fans to hit the app for its Fantasy Foodball Pool, where players can draft their perfect game-day plates for free for a shot at a share of cash prizes.

NFL TO EXPLORE PLAYOFF FORMAT CHANGES; DIVISION WINNERS WOULD NOT BE ASSURED HOME GAMES: REPORT

"Tums goes hand-in-hand with food, and what they were trying to do with Foodball, that’s a perfect collab. … When you have football and DraftKings and the chance of winning something, it keeps it fun," Wilfork said. "You can do this with your friends, have a good time, and everything is themed off food. Something competitive, but it’s light. We talking about food. It’s a great way to bring people together. Food, sports, football, that’s what it’s all about."

Despite letting Mayo go, though, Wilfork said Vrabel is the best guy to get his former Patriots "back on track."

"I’m very happy for Vrabel. I played with Vrabel. He coached me down in Houston – a good friend. I know he checks all the boxes when it comes to running the team. Hopefully, he can get us back on track. It’s time for us to get on track. He’s a good person that can get us back going and on the right direction. But it has a lot to do with that roster," Wilfork said.

Wilfork played in Super Bowls with both Mayo and Vrabel on the same defensive unit and considers them both good friends. Perhaps one could say that it's an odd situation for Wilfork, but he mentioned that it's "not awkward … just facts."

"It has nothing to do with Vrabel as a coach or person. I think he’s phenomenal. He’s the best coach I would have got. I just think it was unfair for Mayo to go through what he went through," he said.

"I don’t question Vrabel’s capabilities. I know he can win. He showed that with Tennessee, going to the AFC Championship in his first year. I know what a great coach Vrabel is. I’m not questioning that whatsoever. I’m very happy and thrilled for the Patriots to land Vrabel. 

"I just think it’s unfair what Mayo had to go through. He didn’t have a chance. It was bullcrap from the get-go, and it’s a lot of backstabbing going on. … We’ll see what happens. It’s all part of the game, I guess, but it’s unfair however you slice it. He never had a chance."

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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni came to the defense of wide receiver A.J. Brown over criticism toward him for reading a book on the sideline during Sunday’s playoff game.

Brown was seen reading "Inner Excellence" by Jim Murphy and explained after the game he always reads the book to help his mental focus. Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers was just the first time the cameras caught him doing so.

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Sirianni called out the critics in an interview on Sports Radio 94 WIP.

"I'm definitely OK with it," he said Tuesday. "The crazy thing is, he's been reading this book on the sideline for a long time. It just so happened a camera saw it this week. Some guys pray in between, some guys mediate in between. A.J. reads in between. 

"Whatever these guys need to do to put their mind in a place where they can play with great detail and great effort, I fully encourage them to do that. I love A.J. He's such a great teammate. I saw Jahan Dotson said something defending A.J. and I thought that was awesome too. Another example of our teammates defending each other.

VIKINGS ROOKIE JJ MCCARTHY SHARES CRYPTIC POST FOLLOWING CRUSHING PLAYOFF DEFEAT

"We don't do any research, and we jump to a conclusion of, 'Oh he must be disgruntled.' That to me is lazy. Everyone needs to figure out why he's doing it before they jump to judgment on the man. Because the man, A.J. Brown is a great, great, great person. The man A.J. Brown is the best receiver—and I'll say it without hesitation—the best receiver that this city has ever seen...It's hard for me to watch when people are getting on him without doing the proper research of who the man is and what he's doing in the first place."

Brown’s reading escapade helped the book jump to the top of Amazon’s bestsellers list over the course of the night. All of that on top of the win over the Packers.

The Eagles could probably use a little bit more from Brown on the field. He had one catch for 10 yards in the game. He has not had more than five catches since Dec. 22.

Philadelphia will welcome the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round game on Sunday.

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