Georgia star Jalen Carter charged with racing in fatal wreck
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, projected as one of the top players in the NFL draft, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department issued an arrest warrant alleging that Carter was racing his Jeep Trackhawk against the Ford Expedition driven by the recruiting staffer, which led to the Jan. 15 wreck. The crash occurred hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national championship with a parade. Carter had been due in Indianapolis on Wednesday for the NFL scouting combine. Police say he is expected to address the arrest warrant when he returns to Athens.
Kobe Bryant family settles photo lawsuit for $28.5 million
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of the late Kobe Bryant has agreed to settle legal issues surrounding photos of the body of the NBA star and others who were killed in a 2020 helicopter crash. Attorneys say Los Angeles County agreed to pay Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, and their daughters $13.5 million on top of the $15 million that jurors awarded her at a trial in August. County deputies and firefighters had shot photos of the bodies and shared them with others in their departments. A county lawyer said the pictures were part of their job, but Vanessa Bryant’s lawyer said they were shared as “visual gossip.”
Rangers acquire star winger Patrick Kane from Blackhawks
The New York Rangers have acquired Patrick Kane in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Rangers sent a conditional second-round draft pick and a future fourth-rounder to Chicago and a third-rounder in 2025 to Arizona to complete the deal. Kane joins the Rangers after waiving his no-movement clause to leave the only NHL organization he has played for. The 34-year-old won the Stanley Cup three times with the Blackhawks and was playoff MVP in 2013. Getting Kane is the latest big move by New York in the team’s pursuit of its first championship since 1994.
Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals at 1958 World Cup, dies
PARIS (AP) — World Cup record holder Just Fontaine has died. He was 89. The French soccer great scored a record 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup. The former Reims striker took six games to achieve his feat at the World Cup tournament in Sweden after being a last-minute inclusion on the French squad. Fontaine set the record when FIFA did not present a specific award for the tournament’s top scorer. Fontaine told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview “beating my record? I don’t think it can ever be done.” Fontaine scored in every match of the 1958 tournament. He never played at another World Cup.
New NCAA president says NIL rules could protect athletes
Former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is starting his new job as president of the NCAA this week. At the top of his to-do list is getting a handle on name, image and likeness compensation for college athletes. Like his predecessor, Mark Emmert, Baker says the NCAA needs help from Congress in the form of a federal law to govern NIL. But Baker brings a different way of thinking about regulating NIL. He views the athletes as the consumers in a burgeoning market that lacks transparency and is littered with unqualified and even unscrupulous actors.
Jokic has 100th triple-double; Nuggets down Rockets 133-112
HOUSTON (AP) — Nikola Jokic recorded his 100th career triple-double and Jamal Murray had 32 points as the Denver Nuggets coasted to a 133-112 win over the Houston Rockets. The hapless Rockets were done in by a balanced scoring attack by the Nuggets Tuesday, a game after allowing Damian Lillard to score a career-high 71 points in a loss to the Trail Blazers Sunday. Jokic had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his NBA-leading 24th triple-double this season and his 15th in the last 20 games. The Nuggets have won each game in which he’s had a triple-double this season and 28 straight dating back to last season.
Shiffrin dominates training as she eyes Stenmark’s record
American skier Mikaela Shiffrin dominated downhill training ahead of what could become another record-breaking weekend. Shiffrin is aiming for her 86th career World Cup victory to match the all-time mark set by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark in the 1970s and 80s. Shiffrin is expected to have three chances this weekend. She could also lock up the season-long World Cup title for the fifth time in her career. That would move Shiffrin past Lindsey Vonn for a second time this season. Shiffrin broke Vonn’s women’s record of 82 career World Cup wins in January.
Little sign of Olympics in Milan with only 3 years to go
MILAN (AP) — There is little sign the Winter Olympics are coming to Milan in less than three years. One of the major sites is still an overgrown wasteland and construction work has only just started at what will be the Olympic Village. The organizing committee for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics says there have been delays and rising costs. Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi says there is nothing to be concerned about but warns that timelines “have to be respected.” It will be the first time Italy has staged the Olympics since 2006 and Dubi says the IOC is considering the option of rotating hosts “using what already exists.”
Jessie Diggins becomes 1st American to win XC gold at worlds
PLANICA, Slovenia (AP) — Jessie Diggins became the first American to win world championship gold in an individual cross country ski race, finishing 14 seconds in front of Sweden’s Frida Karlsson on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Diggins outlasted the competition in the 10-kilometer race to become the first racer outside of Europe to win gold at world championships in the sport since 2017. Diggins closed the Beijing Games last year with silver, the best result by an American in an individual cross-country skiing event since 1976. Earlier, she earned Olympic bronze to become the first woman from the U.S. to win an individual cross-country medal.
Rodgers, QBs become top attractions at NFL combine
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Green Bay Packers are still waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide whether or where he’ll play next season. Other teams at the NFL’s annual scouting combine seem to be jockeying for other quarterbacks. As coaches and general managers kicked off one of the league’s biggest offseason events, the discussions took off. Marcus Mariota was cut, Derek Carr became a hot commodity, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were expected to discuss how they’ll replace the retired Tom Brady.
