UR MAG

The band might not be getting back together for the Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Friday that he has been talking to tight end Travis Kelce about returning but is unsure about wide receiver Tyreek Hill's health status.

"There is communication,"Reid said about Kelce's status. "That's the main thing. I've said this before: As long as there's communication, I'm good. That means people want to move forward. I think that's where Travis is."

While Reid has talked to Kelce about returning for his 14th season, he said he has not talked to Hill about reuniting with the team.

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"I don't even know if Tyreek is healthy right now to do anything,"Reid said."So I'm sure he's working hard on that part of it and trying to get that all straightened out. Listen, we talk about everything. There's nothing happening there, but we know that he's out there and working hard, trying to get himself back to where he can play, period."

Hill last played for the Chiefs in 2021 before being traded to the Miami Dolphins the following season. The 31-year-old wide receiver wasreleased by the Dolphinson Monday after four seasons with the team. Hill is recovering from a dislocated knee and a torn ACL that ended his season in Week 4.

In January,Hill reacted on Twitterafter the Chiefs hired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Hill had career years under Bieniemy, who previously coached in Kansas City. From 2018-21, Hill averaged 85.8 catches per year, with 1,213.5 receiving yards and 10.8 touchdowns.

Reid also told reporters that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is doing a great job in the rehab process. Mahomes is recovering from a season-ending torn ACL and LCL in his left knee that he suffered in Week 15.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — Joe Scott is out as the Air Force basketball coach, the academy said on Friday, a month after he was suspended pending an investigation into his treatment of cadets.

The school said it was "a mutual parting of ways." Assistant coach Jon Jordan had been serving as the interim coach.

"Coach Scott's passion for the game of basketball has long been evident in his competitive and direct coaching style. It was this coaching style that guided Air Force Basketball to some of the program's most memorable achievements during his initial tenure at the Air Force Academy," Athletic Director Nathan Pine said.

"This is a different day, and now is the right time for a new voice and a new approach to drive the culture and success of the men's basketball program, aligned with the Air Force Academy's mission of forging leaders of character developed to lead in our Air Force and Space Force." Scott was 97-183 in charge of the Falcons, first leading the team from 2000-04 — a stint that ended with a 22-7 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. After spending time at Princeton, his alma mater, and Denver, he returned to Air Force in 2020.

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The Falcons are 47-129 since then, winning just four games last season; they have won three so far this year, losing their last 19 in a row.

"I thank Nate Pine for his leadership. The Air Force Academy gave me my first head coaching opportunity and I am forever grateful," Scott said. "We will always be fans of Air Force Basketball."

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphereandhere(AP News mobile app). AP college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Maybe it's the quarterback chaos or thelandslide of head coaching changes. Or because it's late February and many of the NFL's personnel departments already seem satisfied that the No. 1 overall pick in the draft is in the barn. Or maybe it's because the 2025 season produced a wildly unexpected Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, and an even moreunexpected Super Bowl quarterback winner in Sam Darnold.

Whatever the driving force, it's thrusting the usual sideshow of the NFL scouting combine — trade rumors,free-agencybuzz and clandestine general manager meetings — into the middle of the main stage. And with that, the college players who are taking their next big step toward draft positioning have become a subplot.

"It's going to be a wild offseason and it's going to start next week [at the combine]," one prominent NFL agent said this week. "There's so much more than usual with different veteran stuff compared to how guys are going to work out — and we have a good class of guys [in the draft]. All the quarterback things to figure out, some of the [veteran] defensive players — some of the young players that could be traded with the staff changes — there's going to be a lot going on. …

"I see you guys talking about storylines — when was the last time anyone checked in on what's going on with Lamar Jackson [and the Baltimore Ravens]? It's like that situation has gotten lost in all this noise. That's how crazy next week is going to be, though."

In fairness, Jackson's potential extension deadline — spoken into existence by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in January — has been a prominent story over the past month. Indeed, it will crank up next week, with the quarterback and franchise having been in a contract talks window for several weeks by the time Ravens new head coach Jesse Minter and general manager Eric DeCosta meet with the media in Indianapolis. It's expected there will be some kind of temperature gauge coming out of the combine, with the front office and ownership wanting to sign an extension with Jackson and lower his $74.5 million salary cap hit in 2026.

Of course, Jackson is only one of multiple pressing maneuvers — or non-maneuvers — heading into the combine that will certainly drain some of the daily news thunder from draft prospects' workouts. Among the prominent:

• Who will be getting the franchise tag applied to them before free agency, with the biggest potential name being Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. As it stands, Dallas is expected to tag Pickens prior to the March 3 deadline and then either attempt to retain him or try to engage in a sign-and-trade scenario. With Pickens wanting to get to free agency and a likely $35 million average salary per season, there will likely be sparks in a tag scenario.
  

• Potential veteran trades, including Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and others. Throw in some young players who might get a call or two just to see if they are available on the trade market, including Buffalo Bills wideout Keon Coleman, Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr., Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
  

• The future of Aaron Rodgers will be a pressing question for the Pittsburgh Steelers — at least as it pertains to the organization's other options and what kind of timeline there would be for a Rodgers decision. It's possible we exit the combine under the presumption that the Steelers are going to move forward and try to find their future QB, which would shift the Rodgers conversation back to the Vikings, whom he was interested in before landing in Pittsburgh last offseason.
  

• And finally, one very big nugget that has yet to be developed: How much interest there will be in Malik Willis in free agency and what the money could ultimately look like. The ballpark speculation in the agent community is some kind of two-year deal averaging $30 to $35 million a season with $40 to $45 million guaranteed. That would put Willis in position to go back to the table next offseason and negotiate a longer term deal that tacks on to the end of 2027 and extends his guaranteed money out into a three-year window through the 2028 season. There are varying opinions on the numbers and structure, not to mention the potential interest. Willis feels like the first big quarterback domino that has to fall in March to trigger a larger migration. If he were to land in Pittsburgh, that then puts Rodgers — if he still wants to play — onto the market for the Vikings or any other suitors. And once Willis is off the board, the teams that ultimately don't have him as an option will then have to reassess.

There's a sliding scale of a trade likelihood for all these players. Crosby's situation with the Raiders, from what Yahoo Sports has been told by league sources familiar with their talks, is still at a standstill — but also not unrepairable. Part of the Raiders' motivation is to see what Crosby's trade market looks like and also where he is at with the franchise in a new phase of a rebuild. The market will likely be the driving force here. If there is a solid offer of draft picks on the table, a trade seems more likely than not.

The same goes for Brown and the Eagles, although it remains to be seen what general manager Howie Roseman could engineer to fill his No. 1 wide receiver spot if there is ultimately an attractive offer available for Brown. It's highly unlikely the Eagles would move Brown and not have another player in the mix, so the combine's wide receiver workouts and other available players at the position could factor.

The Murray and Tagovailoa process is going to depend on suitors and money. Right now there are zero indications of an appetite to take on either Tagovailoa or Murray's remaining contract in a trade, let alone surrender any meaningful draft assets to make him a starter. That could change if the QB shuffling doesn't break right for some teams and desperation enters the scenario. Lest anyone forget, there was a market (albeit diminishing) for Russell Wilson the past two offseasons. So there can certainly be a market for Tagovailoa or Murray if a situation gets bad enough.

As for the young players, Coleman seems likeliest to be traded, given the comments of Bills owner Terry Pegula that essentially branded him as not being the front office's draft choice. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Coleman's trade value will be nothing more than a late pick at this stage. Even with his youth.

Thomas, Richardson and McCarthy are not expected to be officially on the trade block, but all three could garner some interest and calls. Thomas seems less likely to be dealt with the Jaguars moving Travis Hunter primarily to cornerback. McCarthy won't be dealt unless the Vikings are presented with a quarterback option that effectively renders any chance of him having a future as moot. And Richardson doesn't have much of a market, and will have only one year left on his rookie deal once his fifth-year option is ultimately declined. That doesn't leave much room to develop him for any interested franchise. But again, we don't know how desperate the quarterback field gets.

That's a lot of veteran questions and potential developments that will hang over the primary reason teams are in Indianapolis next week: To begin laying down the foundations of their draft boards for April's selection process in Pittsburgh. While the veteran news and ramp up to free agency will cast a long shadow in Indianapolis, it won't eliminate a litany of prospect-related storylines that will get rolling once workouts begin.

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Here's a look at some of those that will be worthy of watching.

The top of the wide receiver group

While it's not expected to be as top-heavy as the 2024 wide receiver class — which saw seven first-round picks at the position — the wideouts are considered a spot that is going to have depth and offer needy teams quality options potentially into the third round. The general consensus at this point is that four to five receivers could go in the first round. Most of the intrigue will be how the top of the class sorts itself between the trio of Ohio State's Carnell Tate, Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson and USC's Makai Lemon.

"I think you could see some [changes in that trio] between interviews, measurements and whatever work gets done," one NFC talent evaluator said. "The medicals, too — definitely the medical for Tyson. … And it depends how you want to use them in your scheme. Lemon, some teams might not like the size but others might love the versatility and how he catches it. How fast will Tyson run and some of the speed and agility things with Tate will be important. They're all good players, but there's definitely some of the [Travis] Hunter, [Tetairoa] McMillan, [Emeka] Egbuka [conversations from 2025] because they're not all similar players."

As it stands, Tate appears to stand out among talent evaluators as the most "clean" player from the threesome, in terms of the total package of consistency, health, size and production. But there's definitely curiosity about what his pure speed and agility will look like, especially alongside Lemon and Tyson. Some of those questions will be answered — if all three actually do full workouts at the combine, which isn't guaranteed. Beyond that trio, there will definitely be some gravity toward the next tier of WRs in Washington's Denzel Boston, Tennessee's Chris Brazzell II and Notre Dame's Malachi Fields, who all bring prototypical "X" receiver size to the table. The Bills will be an interesting team to watch with that group.

Quarterbacks not named Fernando Mendoza

For only the second time in 13 years, we could end up seeing only one quarterback selected in the first round. With the Las Vegas Raiders expected to take Indiana's Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, it's also trending toward Mendoza passing on everything at the combine and opening the floor for the rest of the class. That will be a solid opportunity for multiple players, including Alabama's Ty Simpson, Penn State's Drew Allar, Miami's Carson Beck, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and others.

It's simply not a great class when it comes to star power (that will come in 2027), but there could be a bit of developmental depth with some strong showings.

Even with the thin class, there is still plenty of quarterback need across the league — and that will point plenty of eyes in the direction of Simpson. He was a prospect with some solid draft heat near the midpoint of the college season, but red flags began to get raised as he got knocked around and turned the ball over later in the schedule and then suffered a rib injury that knocked him out of the College Football Playoff. Right now he's likely to land in the late first to mid-second round range, somewhat similar to how teams were looking at Bo Nix in 2024, and Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough last year. If Simpson can wow teams in interviews and put up a good workout, he can build momentum to move up the board and get a QB-needy team to expend a first-round pick on him. Already, you hear his name connected a lot to the Los Angeles Rams, who have the 13th and 29th overall picks.

As for the rest of the pack, it's unclear what Allar will be able to do at the combine due to an ankle injury that ended his 2025 season. He's the player with the size and easy arm strength, so he'll draw in someone believing they can home his considerable talent into consistent results. Same goes for Beck, who also has size and arm, but also some leadership and love-for-the-game questions that teams want to pick at in interviews. Not to mention some bad turnovers in important spots, going all the way back to his time at Georgia. Then there's Nussmeier, who some evaluators once believed could develop into a first-round pick, maybe even a solidly high one, before injuries derailed much of his 2025 college season. He'll be another player who draws plenty of eyeballs.

Defensive picks almost everywhere

It's a loaded class with edge players, with an onslaught at that position expected to end up packing the first round. While there's still a lot of work ahead, it wouldn't be surprising to see as many as eight edge rushers come off the board in the first 32 picks. A lot of the attention will go to potential top-10 picks in Texas Tech's David Bailey, Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. But there will be a battle to figure out the stack after that trio, with players like Auburn's Keldric Faulk, Missouri's Zion Young and Miami's Akheem Mesidor battling it out. Young is a player to keep an eye on. He had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl and ended up as the game's defensive MVP, giving him a lot of buzz coming into the combine. But top to bottom it's going to be great draft for teams that need edge players and defensive line talent in general.

"It might be one of the deepest [edge] classes ever, especially through the top 50, 60 guys [in the entire draft]," an AFC general manager concluded. "There's all types of skill sets and body types that fit different needs, but the talent in general just very, very good. There's really not a Myles Garrett or Nick Bosa, but there's a half dozen guys who could become just good, core second-contract players for teams."

Beyond the defensive line, there's strength in the class of safeties and cornerbacks as well, with as many as a half dozen or more picks in the secondary likely to land in Round 1. And while safety isn't traditionally a position that sees multiple first-round selections, this will almost certainly be one of those years, with Ohio State's Caleb Downs, Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Oregon's Dillon Thieneman all having the profile to possibly land in the first half of the first round. That just doesn't happen. Downs in particular will be very intriguing. His résumé is the kind that he'd be an easy top-five pick if he played at a more premium defensive position — and there were times that some evaluators believed he could even be worth that kind of juice in this draft. The overall strength of the defensive class at premium positions is likely to push him down the board, but it's certainly not lost on front offices that so many of the NFL's best defenses now feature a dynamic safety like Downs. That could cement Downs higher on teams boards by April.

Alvin Kamara comparison builds for Notre Dame's Jadarian Price

The next running back after Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love is going to be an interesting development to watch. Overall, the class isn't amazing and it's going to be dinged a bit by the free-agent class being so strong. There's no doubt that some teams want to see what Love's backup for the Fighting Irish, Jadarian Price, does in the workouts. As much as game tape matters, Price could have transferred elsewhere for the 2025 college football season and doubled his touches while positioning himself to challenge Love as this year's top running back. Now he comes into the draft with less wear and tear but also some curiosity about whether he can be a centerpiece starter and also catch the ball consistently out of the backfield. His workouts will matter, especially as it pertains to his receiving ability. If he can showcase that and put up the type of athletic numbers that some think he can, there will likely be more Alvin Kamara comparisons to follow. As of now, I'm not sure how that framing works without the receiving end of his game being more proven.

TE Kenyon Sadiq a talent evaluating mystery

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is going to be interesting. Some evaluators like him as almost a hybrid running back/wide receiver if he fits into the right scheme. Others see him as a plus-level athlete whose "expected" 6-foot-2, 240-pound size is going to make him a bit of a tweener — and not in a good way — in the NFL. There's curiosity about Sadiq's true height and weight and what his workouts look like. There's little doubt he has mismatch potential and maybe some considerable ceiling with the right coach and scheme, but some evaluators don't see him as the kind of tight end who can fit in a lot of different places and be on the field at the rate of a multitude of TEs from last year's draft. He can't be compared realistically to the bigger bodied guys like Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren. And his overall consistency of college production wasn't in the realm of Brock Bowers going into the 2024 draft. Who is the realistic comparable at the NFL level to Sadiq and what coach can draw that unique talent out of him?

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Officials worked to lower the risks of more deadly slides Friday in the areawhere an avalanchestruck in California's Sierra Nevada so crews could safely recover the bodies of the people killed.

APTOPIX California Avalanche

Rescue crews loaded up a snow vehicle with skis and other supplies and headed toward the area near Castle Peak, northwest of Lake Tahoe, while helicopters circled overhead. Avalanche mitigation work is designed to intentionally release unstable snowpack to reduce the risk when rescue crews go in.

The Nevada County Sheriff's office previously said the mitigation work would include controlled explosions, but later said Friday's efforts only involved using water to break up snow. The work was done in partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric.

Brutal weather and the threat of more avalanches have kept crews from safely recovering the bodies of the eight people killed and another still missing from Tuesday's avalanche, which was roughly the size of a football field.

Authorities are investigating the avalanche, including whether criminal negligence played a role in the tragedy, a sheriff's office leading one of several investigations said Friday.

Why the tour company that organized thebackcountry ski tripdidn't cancel in the face of a powerful storm and what their guides knew as the weather worsened are the questions being considered.

Both the Nevada County Sheriff's office and a state agency that regulates workplace safety have opened investigations. Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson with the sheriff's office, declined on Friday to share more information, saying it is an open investigation.

Six of the people who died were part of a close-knit group of friends who were experienced backcountry skiers and knew how to navigate the alpine wilderness, their families said. The three others who are dead or presumed dead were guides.

"We are devastated beyond words," the families said in a statement released Thursday through a spokesperson. The women were mothers, wives and friends who "connected through the love of the outdoors," they said, and were carrying avalanche safety equipment and prepared for backcountry travel.

Victims were loved by their neighbors

The six were identified as Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt, and they lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Idaho and in the Lake Tahoe area. The families asked for privacy while they grieve.

Just north of San Francisco, where Keatley lived with her family in the city of Larkspur, resident Rob Bramble was shocked to learn that the friendly woman he would say hello to in passing was among the victims.

"She was just a great mom. I'd always see her with the kids, picking them up, just seemed like a great mom and a great family," said Bramble, whose daughter babysat for the family a few times.

Keatley and her husband owned a wine business and often shared their namesake wines at community events, Larkspur Mayor Stephanie Andre said.

"She was warm, kind and exuded a special quality that drew people to her," Andre said in a statement.

Morse also lived with her husband and three children north of San Francisco, and worked in the biotech industry, according to her LinkedIn profile. Vitt previously worked at SiriusXM and Pandora, according to her online profile, and lived north of the city with her two sons and husband.

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Atkin was a former corporate executive who lived in Lake Tahoe with her husband and two children, according to her leadership coaching website. She's a talented student who could "run like the wind" and made it to state finals for hurdling two years in a row, recalled Jerome Bearden, her high school hurdling coach. She later had a track and field scholarship to Harvard.

"Everybody liked Carrie," said Bearden, who heard about her death from a former student on Friday. "She was a good person."

Sekar and Clabaugh were sisters, their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, told The New York Times. Sekar was a mother of two who lived in San Francisco.

Liz Clabaugh was a nurse who oversaw a new graduate nursing residency program at St. Luke's Health System in Boise, Idaho. She was also a mom and ran a Facebook page featuring encouragement and advice for new nurses. Photos showed that her family were frequent adventurers outdoors.

Clabaugh also had served as a health volunteer in Zambia with the Peace Corps, according to a Facebook page for Peace Corps alumni.

The names of the other victims have not been released.

The 15 skiers began their three-day trip Sunday, just aswarnings about the stormwere intensifying. By early Tuesday, officials cautioned that avalanches were expected.

Avalanche safety experts say it is not uncommon for backcountry skiers to go out when there is an avalanche watch or even a warning.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, which was leading the expedition, said the guides who were on the trek were trained or certified in backcountry skiing and were instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.

"We don't have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do," founder Zeb Blais said in a statement. "In the meantime, please keep those impacted in your hearts."

The slide wasthe deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state.

This story has been corrected to show that Friday's avalanche mitigation efforts used water, not controlled explosives as the Nevada County Sheriff's office had previously indicated.

Watson reported from San Diego and Har from Marin County, California. Associated Press writers Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Jessica Hill in Las Vegas; and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed.

By Nate Raymond

Feb 20 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday cleared the way for a Louisiana law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all classrooms of the state's public schools and universities ‌to take effect.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on a 11-7 vote overturned a judge's ‌ruling declaring the state's law was unconstitutional, saying the law needed to be assessed based on how local school boards ultimately would implement it.

The ruling marked ​a setback for parents who had sued over the Republican-led state's enactment of the law, which they argued trampled on their religious rights under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Their lawyers had no immediate comment.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, in 2024 signed into law the measure known as H.B. 71, which required the display of posters or framed versions of the Ten Commandments in K-12 ‌schools and state-funded colleges.

In the Christian and ⁠Jewish faiths, God revealed the Ten Commandments to the Hebrew prophet Moses.

The law made Louisiana the first state to require displays of the Ten Commandments since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ⁠similar Kentucky law in 1980. Arkansas and Texas passed their own laws in 2025 requiring similar displays, prompting litigation and rulings blocking those laws.

A trial court judge blocked the law in November 2024, and a three-judge 5th Circuit panel upheld that ruling in October. But the ​full ​appeals court subsequently voted to hear the case, leading to Friday's decision.

In ​an unsigned opinion, the 5th Circuit's majority said ‌because the law gave school boards discretion on how to implement the law, it could not be deemed unconstitutional in all applications and that context would matter.

"We do not know, for example, how prominently the displays will appear, what other materials might accompany them, or how—if at all—teachers will reference them during instruction," the majority said. "More fundamentally, we do not even know the full content of the displays themselves."

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The court's majority, all appointees of Republican presidents, called their ruling narrow, saying nothing prevented future challenges ‌to the law based on how it is applied once it had ​been implemented.

U.S. Circuit Judge James Dennis, in a dissenting opinion joined by ​five fellow appointees of Democratic presidents, called the majority's ​ruling a "calculated stratagem" to evade Supreme Court precedents.

"By placing that text on permanent display in public school ‌classrooms, not in a way that is curricular or ​pedagogical, the State elevates words ​meant for devotion into objects of reverence, exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance," Dennis wrote.

The case is Roake et al v Brumley et al, 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 24-30706.

For the plaintiffs: ​Jonathan Youngwood of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

For the ‌state: J. Benjamin Aguinaga of the Louisiana Department of Justice

Louisiana's Ten Commandments law struck down by US ​appeals court

US judge blocks Louisiana from requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms

Louisiana requires display of Ten Commandments in ​all classrooms

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi)