Sports

Patrick Mahomes on whether NFL officials favor the Chiefs: ‘The referees are doing their best’

Published

7 days ago

January 24, 2025

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes breaks away from Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes doesn’t believe NFL officials are doing the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback any favors.

Nor do the statistics support that assumption.

In last week’s divisional-round win over Houston, the Texans were twice penalized for hits on Mahomes, and one of them came on third down to extend a drive that ended in points. And that led many fans — to say nothing of some members of the Texans defense — to believe the league’s officials were blatantly favoring one of its biggest stars.

“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes said Wednesday in his first media availability ahead of Sunday’s AFC title game against Buffalo, where the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs will try to earn a chance at a three-peat.

“I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and proper as best they can,” Mahomes said. “For me, it’s go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to win the football game, and then live with the results based on my effort and how I play the game, and that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.”

While it may seem as though one of the NFL’s most visible franchises gets more than its share of calls, the Chiefs in fact have been penalized 147 yards more than their opponents over the past three seasons, including the playoffs.

And lest some think the Chiefs benefit more in moments that matter most, opponents have gained 20 more first downs via penalties on third or fourth down since 2018, which is when Mahomes became the starter. In the fourth quarter or overtime of games decided by one score, the Chiefs have the seventh-worst penalty differential over that same time period.

Still, it appears the narrative that officials are helping the Chiefs to win had reached the Houston locker room before the Texans ever reached Arrowhead Stadium last Saturday, where they lost 23-14 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said afterward.

Then again, Mahomes didn’t earn any latitude among fans by appearing to flop in an attempt to draw another flag. That came as he was scrambling to his left and went out of bounds, and when touched by Houston linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, the two-time NFL MVP dramatically threw himself to the ground — but failed to fool the officials, who kept their flags in their pockets.

It certainly drew the ire of former NFL quarterback Troy Aikman, who was calling the game for ESPN.

“He’s trying to draw the penalty. Rather than just run out of bounds, he slows down,” Aikman said. “That’s been the frustration, and I get it. I understand it. That’s been the frustration for these defensive players around the league.”

Mahomes didn’t seem perturbed by the sudden national discourse into penalties and flopping when he addressed the media on Wednesday. Instead, he methodically answered questions about them and then turned his attention to the Bills.

“You get new referees every year. You get new circumstances,” Mahomes said, “and you never can really tell because every play is different, and that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I just continue to play the game. I just try to win.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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Sports

NBA Europe? A Possibility In The Future

Published

2 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

Adam Silver

There are arenas available in Europe.

National Basketball Association owners were supposed to be considering expanding to 32 teams sometime in 2025 but almost a month has passed and it appears that NBA owners are more interested in euros or pounds than the glitz of Las Vegas and the corporate rich Seattle market. The league is also investigating whether Mexico City has the wherewithal to host an NBA franchise. “Mexico City is a market that we’ve been playing regular season games and not just preseason games for a long time. I think that’s potentially doable, “said the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “There are other issues involved, it’s not about to happen overnight, but I think that’s a real opportunity.” But European expansion is also on Silver’s mind. He has dusted off the old David Stern plan to expand into Europe. About two decades ago, the NBA Commissioner Stern was wondering whether an NBA European Division would work but there was an arena problem in Europe. There were enough NBA state-of-the-art facilities on the continent and the notion went dormant until recently. Silver made an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast and discussed how things might work in Europe but there are some obstacles.

“One of the things we’ve been discussing is whether, before adding NBA franchises in Europe, there’s an opportunity to create an independent league there. This could leverage the enormous interest in basketball in major European capitals like Paris, London, Berlin, and Madrid and other major cities that love basketball,” Silver continued, “One day, maybe it’ll be my successor, but I can definitely see a division of NBA teams in Europe, and I think it would be an incredible thing for the game.” The business of the NBA is selling the brand globally. The league is looking for new money making markets and Europe appears to be the next stop.

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FILE – In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, the NBA logo (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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Rays and free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim agree to 2-year deal worth $29 million, AP source says

Published

14 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (7) in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Aug. 17, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

The Tampa Bay Rays and free agent Ha-Seong Kim have agreed to a two-year contract valued at $29 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. ESPN first reported the agreement.

Kim, who played his first four seasons in the majors with the San Diego Padres and won a Gold Glove in 2023, will be paid $13 million this year. He also could earn $2 million in performance bonuses — $10,000 per plate appearance starting at 326 through 525.

Kim has a $16 million player option for 2026.

The 29-year-old infielder from South Korea tore the labrum in his right shoulder on Aug. 18 and needed season-ending surgery. He hit .233 with 11 homers and 22 stolen bases in the final season of a $28 million, four-year contract.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Tampa earns the No. 1 spot in the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason rankings.

Published

22 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

Tampa earns the No. 1 spot in the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s initial rankings. After earning the program’s highest final ranking in 2024 following a National Championship title, the team garners its highest-ever preseason ranking in any poll at No. 1 surpassing the previous mark at No. 4.

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Tampa is the No. 1 team in the USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Preseason Top 20, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced Tuesday.

When Tampa put the final touches on its 13-8 win over Adelphi in the 2024 NCAA championship game, the Spartans became the fourth straight first-time champion in Division II. And they were certainly deserving.

The defending national champs are the popular choice among Division II coaches as the preseason No. 1, with returning talent throughout the lineup. Peyton Howell and Sophi Wrisk return to lead the offense, with Lexi Waters and Delaney Stahrr back as the defensive anchors.

While it’s still to be seen how the changes for 2025 ‑ an expanded NCAA tournament field of 24 teams and automatic berths for conference champions ‑ will impact the parity, what is known is that Tampa begins the new season right where it left off last year, sitting at the top of the national rankings.

Led by midfielders Maggie Schipfer and Megan Bunker, No. 2 Regis has a strong group returning from last year’s final-four team. A sixth straight RMAC title and another deep NCAA run won’t be surprising in 2025.

No. 3 Florida Southern battled Tampa three times last year, with those games decided by a combined four goals. The margin between these two Sunshine State Conference foes is usually razor-thin, and that’s likely to be the case again this spring.

No. 4 Pace, which was undefeated until the NCAA regional final in 2024, must replace national player of the year Angelina Porcello in the midfield as well as first-team All-America defender Alexandra Quinn, but the Setters welcome back All-America goalie Sami Tanguay.

Rounding out the top five, West Chester has some key losses from last year’s regional final squad, most notably midfielder Hannah Stanislawczyk, the program’s all-time scoring leader. The return of midfielder Keri Barnett, who missed all of 2024 due to an injury, should help.

Preseason rankings are compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors with consultation from college coaches.

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