AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:29 p.m. EST

NFL MVP and other top awards to be announced at NFL Honors

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The league MVP and the other seven AP NFL awards will be announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night, days before Super Bowl 60. Christian McCaffrey is a finalist for three awards, including the 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player. He joins Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford in the MVP race. Maye, who is leading the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and McCaffrey are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year. A panel of 50 media members completed voting before the playoffs. The awards ceremony will be held in San Francisco.

Sam Darnold has overcome doubters, Drake Maye has lived up to hype. Only one will win Super Bowl 60

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Nobody on the Seattle Seahawks has supported Sam Darnold quite like Ernest Jones IV. When Darnold threw four interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams in a 21-19 loss in Week 11, Jones had his quarterback’s back. The second-team All-Pro linebacker wouldn’t allow Darnold to take the blame. Jones was right. Darnold rewarded his teammate’s faith. He led the Seahawks back from a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit to an overtime win against Los Angeles in the next meeting and was sensational in Seattle’s 31-27 victory over the Rams in the NFC championship game.

Bad Bunny says he will bring his culture to 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bad Bunny says he wants to bring his culture to his Super Bowl halftime show Sunday. He will highlight Latin identity at America’s most-watched event. The Grammy winner revealed some details Thursday during an interview in San Francisco, but he won't provide any spoilers. The conversation was broadcast on Apple Music and social media. Bad Bunny recently won Album of the Year at the Grammys, marking the first time an all Spanish-language album took the top prize. The Super Bowl will be held Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots.

Antetokounmpo remains with Bucks as an extremely hectic NBA trade deadline passes

Giannis Antetokounmpo remains with the Milwaukee Bucks as the NBA trade deadline passes. Despite rumors, the Bucks kept the two-time MVP. The deadline saw 28 trades in a week, a 20-year record, with 18 finalized on Thursday. Antetokounmpo, who hasn't played since January due to injury, has expressed his commitment to Milwaukee but wants a competitive team. The Bucks are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference. Other notable trades included Indiana acquiring Ivica Zubac and Minnesota getting Ayo Dosunmu. James Harden and Anthony Davis were among big names traded earlier in the week.

Vance says the Olympics are 'one of the few things' that unite Americans

MILAN (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance is in Milan leading U.S. President Donald Trump’s delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics. He told a group of U.S. athletes that the Games are “one of the few things that unites the entire country.” Vance, who said the trip is a highlight of his time as vice president, took his family to watch the U.S. women’s hockey team beat the Czech Republic 5-1 in a preliminary game on Thursday. After spending the weekend at the Games, Vance plans stops in Armenia and Azerbaijan. It's a show of support for an agreement the two nations signed at the White House last year aimed at ending decades of conflict between them.

After questions and concerns, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are ready to go as a new era arrives

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — When the Winter Games kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday it won’t just be the athletes who are going to be tested. It’s a new era for the entire Olympic movement. Spread out over a vast swath of northern Italy, these are the first Games to truly embrace the IOC’s reform plan of using existing venues no matter how far apart they are. This Olympic footprint covers an area of more than 22,000 square kilometres (nearly 10,000 square miles). That’s about the size of the state of Massachusetts.

Pair of flubbed chips leave Scottie Scheffler in danger of missing the cut at Phoenix Open

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler stubbed a chip shot on the par-4 18th and showed a rare bit of anger, repeatedly tapping the shaft of his wedge against his legs as the ball rolled back to his feet. When he did it again on No. 8, the world’s No. 1 player threw his hand up in disbelief before muttering to himself as he walked off with another bogey. Scheffler got off to a shaky start in his bid to win a third straight PGA Tour start, shooting a 2-over 73 in the first round of the Phoenix Open on Thursday. The frustrating round left Scheffler 10 shots off Chris Gotterup’s early lead and put him in danger of missing a cut for the first time in more than three years.

Tarik Skubal wins salary arbitration case, will be paid record $32 million

Tarik Skubal has won his salary arbitration hearing with the Detroit Tigers, and the two-time Cy Young Award winner will be paid a record $32 million this year instead of the team’s $19 million offer. Jeanne Charles, Walt De Treux and Allen Ponak made the decision one day after listening to arguments. Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had held the record for the highest salary in an arbitration case decided by a panel at $19.9 million in 2024. David Price had held the highest negotiated salary in a one-year contract for an arbitration-eligible pitcher, a $19.75 million agreement with Detroit in 2015.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey issues affidavit supporting NCAA in Bediako eligibility case

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey eleased an affidavit backing the NCAA in its eligibility case against Alabama’s Charles Bediako. Bediako is playing in the SEC for the Crimson Tide over two years after signing an NBA two-way contract. Bediako has appeared in four games and has averaged 9.5 points and 5 rebounds in four games since a Tuscaloosa (Alabama) circuit court judge granted him a temporary restraining order allowing him to play. An injunction hearing on Bediako’s case is set for Friday.

Top NHL prospect and Penn State freshman Gavin McKenna charged with felony assault

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna has been charged with felony assault for allegedly breaking a man’s jaw and knocking out a tooth in an altercation last weekend. Police say McKenna twice punched the 21-year-old man in the face, requiring him to undergo surgery. The 18-year-old McKenna is the presumptive top pick in this summer's NHL draft. He was arraigned and released on $20,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11. The incident happened in the hours after Penn State lost to No. 2 Michigan State in an outdoor game at Beaver Stadium.