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Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has been fined $25,000 by the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday for his post-game conduct and comments related to officiating following his team's 75-74 loss at Auburn last week.

The Tigers escaped with the win on Saturday following Elyjah Freeman's tip-in with 1.1 seconds remaining in the second half. That play came on the heels of Collin Chandler being whistled for an offensive foul at the other end of the court.

In his postgame comments, Pope walked a fine line when discussing the officiating.

"We're not allowed to talk about the referees, but you guys saw it, and I think sometimes it's just super personal," Pope said. "I'm not allowed to comment on the referees. I won't comment on the referees. It's unfortunate. It didn't cost us the game."

Pope said the following to Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart as he concluded his post-game conference:

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"Mitch, if those mother F'ers try to fine me, screw 'em because I did not say a word about how they cheated us."

The league said Pope violated SEC bylaw 10.5.3 (sportsmanship) and the league's commissioner's regulation regarding public criticism of officials, which "prohibit coaches, student-athletes and institutional staff from publicly criticizing officials or disclosing officiating-related communications."

Pope also provided a pointed comment prior to that.

"We refuse to give control to people that are outside of our program. Refuse," Pope said after the loss. "Regardless of how personal it might get or how bad it might get, we refuse to give control to fans, to give control to anybody else associated with this game. Regardless of how blatantly people are trying to make this not happen, we refuse to give them our power. ... We don't make excuses. We don't do that. Regardless of what is happening. Regardless of how disgraceful things are, we don't give away our power. Regardless of how embarrassing, personal, awful, unacceptable things are, we refuse to give away our power."

Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) will look to snap a three-game losing streak on Tuesday when it visits South Carolina (12-15, 3-11) in Columbia, S.C.

--Field Level Media

Who said the NFL scouting combine is just for draft prospects?

Some of the biggest names in the NFL — Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers and Maxx Crosby, to name a few — will be the focus of discussions between coaches, executives, agents and media when the combine gets underway Tuesday.

With the No. 1 pick essentially set in stone, rising draft stocks actually might take a backseat to setting the stage for free agency, franchise tag and trade frenzy.

Here is a look at eight storylines for the week:

QB carousel

Most head coaches and general managers meet the media Tuesday and Wednesday.

Will Rodgers retire orreunite with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy?

Are the Ravens close, after weeks of talks, to getting an extension done with Jackson to lower his $74.5 million salary cap charge in 2026?

Will Kyler Murray (Cardinals) andTua Tagovailoa (Dolphins)be released at huge dead salary cap costs if they can't be traded?

Do the Colts have a Plan B if hard-line negotiator Daniel Jones pushes things too far while recovering from a torn Achilles?

It might not be 2023 No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson if he requests a trade, as some expect.

Is Kirk Cousins going to be released by the Falcons to start a final chapter elsewhere?

How much is Packers free agent Malik Willis worth on the market?

Are backups Mac Jones (49ers), Tanner McKee (Eagles) and Davis Mills (Texans) available in trades?

Better to receiver

Two years ago, teams were splitting hairs between receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.

Is it going to be that way again with Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon?

It could be pick-your-flavor (size, speed, route-running, hands, etc.) unless one of the three separates from the pack over the next week.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout, gave top-three-round grades to 19 receivers.

The teams in the receiver market could change over the next couple of weeks based on what happens with Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars), A.J. Brown (Eagles), D.J. Moore (Bears), Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) and Keon Coleman (Bills).

Mad Maxx

With all due respect to the receivers listed above, Crosby is the biggest name on the trade block.

Crosby is also at the center of the NFL's tanking debate after heangrily left the Raiders when he was shut down against his wishes(for injury protection) at the end of last season.

Is the relationship salvageable?

Game of tag

ReceiverGeorge Pickens (Cowboys)and tight endKyle Pitts (Falcons)are going to be franchise tagged to buy more time in extension talks.

Willrunning back Breece Hall (Jets)or linebacker Devin Lloyd (Jaguars) be tagged?

Will the Colts be so extreme as to use both the transition tag and the franchise tag on Jones and receiver Alec Pierce?

Fresh starts

Two of the 14 winningest coaches of all time — McCarthy and John Harbaugh (Giants) — are in new places.

Two franchises defined by their last head coaches — Steelers (Mike Tomlin) and Ravens (Harbaugh) — begin new eras.

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Robert Saleh (Titans) and Kevin Stefanski (Falcons) get second chances.

In all, 10 teams changed head coaches and 21 changed offensive coordinators.

Mendoza Mania

It was hard to knock anything about Fernando Mendoza's play at Indiana last season.

In the search for something, critics poked fun at the Heisman Trophy winner's high-enthusiasm, family- and faith-based, "nerdy" on-field interviews.

So, how does he handle the big media crowd that he will face Friday?

And the inevitability of some coaches trying to make him uncomfortable during private formal interviews?

Mendoza will not throw for scouts until his pro day.

Will he take meetings with teams other than the Raiders (No. 1 pick) and Jets (No. 2)?

Will Raiders general manager John Spytek rule out accepting a Godfather trade offer?

QB2 in RD1?

There hasn't been a first round where the only quarterback taken was No. 1 since 2001 (Michael Vick).

What looked like a promising quarterback class entering last season plummeted when Clemson's Cade Klubnik, Penn State's Drew Allar and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier regressed. Add in a broken ankle for Allar.

Alabama's Ty Simpson has only 15 career starts (all last season).

He is the consensus No. 2 quarterback.

Can he interview and throw well enough to sneak into the back end of the first round (beginning at No. 16 with the Jets)?

How high is too high?

Let the debate on the value of non-premium positions (running back and safety) continue.

Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love is the best non-quarterback offensive prospect.

There have been five running backs drafted with top 10 picks since 2017 to varied results, but Ashton Jeanty (No. 6 in 2025) underwhelmed as a rookie.

Will that hurt Love?

Ohio State's Caleb Downs might be the best defensive prospect.

The last safety drafted within the top 10 was Jamal Adams in 2017.

Minkah Fitzpatrick and Kyle Hamilton paid the price.

Who has the edge?

If you prefer been-there-done-that film, there are pass rushers for you — led by Texas Tech's David Bailey (14.5 sacks last season) and Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. (9.5).

If you prefer potential and projections, there is Ohio State's Arvell Reese, who started just one season.

Reese spent most of his career at off-ball linebacker (there's positional value again) but is projected as a full-time edge rusher in the NFL.

Micah Parsons made that same NFL adjustment seamlessly.

Others have tried and failed.

Reese, Bailey and Bain could be drafted No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in any order.

Behind the debate over whether Casey Wasserman should resign as the 2028 Olympics chief over 20-year-old correspondences unearthed in the Epstein files is a fraught question that has long haunted the L.A. Games: Will there be enough money?

A growing number of California politicians are calling on Wasserman to step down over steamy emails between him and Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime companion to Jeffrey Epstein, who was later sentenced to prison for luring minors to have sex with the financier. Wasserman apologized for the emails and said he knew nothing about the pair's criminal behavior.

So far, the Olympics committee has backed Wasserman, with allies saying he's a strong leader and prodigious fundraiser. His supporters say L.A. needs to keep him on the job in part because taxpayers are responsible for paying any cost overruns or budget shortfalls from the $7.1 billion Games.

The Olympics has a history of leaving host cities with big deficits and LA28 organizers have repeatedly revised their expenses upward.

Some politicians are skeptical that Wasserman's role is essential to keep the finances on track, and worry continued publicity about the Epstein files could make some sponsors think twice before getting involved. In addition to sponsorships, the LA28 committee brings in money through ticket sales and licensing agreements.

Reynold Hoover, chief executive for the LA28 committee — the non-profit leading the Games — on Monday doubled down on LA28's support for Wasserman, telling Reuters that sponsors aren't concerned.

"I was at a meeting in Dallas with a potential sponsor — hopefully we'll get them signed up — and it wasn't even raised," he said to Reuters.

Hoover also said that there is no discussion about replacing Wasserman.

By some measure, the 2028 Games is less of a fiscal gamble for L.A. compared to past Olympics. Organizers argue that they don't need to build new structures because they will use existing buildings, including SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Intuit Dome.

But there are still massive costs that need to be covered, including transportation and security. Given the city's ongoing budget problems, L.A. could face financial catastrophe if LA28 can't break even.

Wasserman is responsible for bringing in sponsorships that are the "lifeblood of the host committee," said Chris Dempsey, a leader of the opposition to Boston's 2024 bid for the Olympics.

"If he steps down, is there a person who can replace that skill set and those relationships?

"He's probably uniquely positioned to do that and that's a concern that the [LA28] board has to consider, the [United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee] has to consider."

Revelations that the then-married Wasserman, 51, exchanged flirty emails with Maxwell in 2003 after taking part in a humanitarian trip to Africa with Maxwell, Epstein and others, have prompted a rush of Southern California politicians to call for Wasserman to step down.

He's apologized for his association with the pair, which occurred years before her and Epstein's crimes around sex trafficking minors were known.

Nevertheless, Wasserman earlier this month announced he would sell his talent agency, saying in a memo to his employees that he'd become a "distraction."

Wasserman, chair of LA28, has close relationships with International Olympic Committee figures and is entrenched in the sports and marketing worlds. He's also been involved with the planning effort for more than a decade after being picked by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti to lead the Olympic bid.

Wasserman last year told The Times that LA28 has contracts for about 70% of the projected $2.5-billion domestic sponsorship goal. Big-name Olympic sponsors include Google, Starbucks, Delta and others.

Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College who has been a critic of the Olympic movement in the past, questioned why the city would seek to replace Wasserman given his connections and long-standing work on the Games.

"He still has an important role to play that no one else can," said Zimbalist.

Mayor Karen Bass is among those calling on Wasserman to step down, telling reporters last week that it's "unfortunate" the LA28 board is supporting him.

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According to city sources, who asked for anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the media, Wasserman is not involved in the day-to-day planning when it comes to the city's Olympics preparation. Bass and others work primarily with Hoover, COO John Harper and other LA28 employees.

Wasserman also isn't known to be close to city staff or elected officials. "Casey's relationship with the city termed out in 2022," said the source, referring to the year that Garcetti stepped down as mayor.

The feeling among some at City Hall is that replacing Wasserman at this juncture wouldn't be disruptive because the majority of sponsorship money has been raised and LA28 has grown into a large, independent company with some 600 staff members.

While LA28 is responsible for raising money and paying for the Games, the city will handle traffic, security, trash-removal and more. The city has stillnot come to an agreementwith LA28 about who will pay for city services, sparking tension at City Hall.

Separately, L.A. is on the hook for the first $270 million in cost overruns for the $7.1 billion Games, while the state is responsible for the next $270 million. Any additional overruns will be paid by the city.

State Assembly member Mark Gonzalez, whose district includes downtown L.A, said Monday that past cheating allegations targeting Wasserman that were detailed in a 2024 Daily Mail story create "another layer" of distraction around the sports mogul. Wasserman has dismissed the tabloid story.

Gonzalez said he's concerned representatives for sponsors are not going to want to stand next to Wasserman at Olympics-related events.

There has been no public indication so far that sponsors are getting cold feet. But if they do, that could put Wasserman's position in further jeopardy.

In 2021, Yoshiro Mori, the 83-year-old president of the Tokyo Olympic Committee,announced his resignationafter an uproar over sexist comments he made.

He told a media outlet that women have an "annoying" habit of talking too much as he justified why his Olympics board didn't have more female members.

While many urged him to step down, it wasn't until a major Olympic sponsor, Toyota,spoke out, that he left.

Jules Boykoff, a Pacific University professor and Olympics expert, suggested a good barometer of Wasserman's prospects is how sponsors react, and whether musicians and artists want to take part in programs around the Olympics.

"I look at L.A. and there is plenty of glitz and glamour to rally the donor class," Boykoff said. "I don't think he's the only person to do the job — and now he may be one of the few who can't do the job."

Members of the International Olympic Committee gave a warm welcome to Wasserman, who was in Italy earlier this month for the Winter Olympics.

The executive committee of the LA28 board also determined that, based on the facts and his record at LA28, he should continue to serve as chair.

LA28 has not responded to multiple Times' email requests about its operations.

As a private entity, LA28 doesn't have to reveal such information or divulge financial arrangements about its sponsorships.

The Wasserman drama highlights the opaque nature of the committee, said Dempsey.

"It has this independence even though it relies on city funding and city approval to happen," said Dempsey.

"How many entities do you know that have a $270 million backstop from the city of L.A. but aren't required [to be transparent]?"

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This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has scrapped plans for an immigration detention facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire, the state's Republican governor said on Tuesday, as localities grapple ‌with a surge in planned detention centers nationwide.

Republican candidates speak at the First in the Nation Leadership Summit in Nashua

"The Department of Homeland Security will not move ‌forward with the proposed ICE facility in Merrimack," the New England state's governor, Kelly Ayotte, wrote on X following a meeting ​with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in Washington last week.

Ayotte said she expressed the concerns of the town roughly 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) northeast of Boston, and that New Hampshire law enforcement would continue to cooperate with DHS to secure the state's northern border with Canada.

Noem, in a statement from DHS, confirmed the meeting and said ‌it would continue to work with ⁠New Hampshire, calling it "a strong partner."

The withdrawal comes as Republican President Donald Trump enacts his sweeping immigration campaign pledges. The deportation drive's aggressive tactics have been met ⁠with growing U.S. voter disapproval ahead of the November midterm election that will decide control of Congress.

ICE and U.S. Border Patrol agents have surged into major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, sweeping through neighborhoods ​and ​clashing with residents. Federal agents shot and killed two ​U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January, and ‌another citizen was shot and killed last year in Texas.

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Trump's administration is also moving to increase detention centers to house immigrants as it ramps up its raids, spending more than $38 billion this year for facilities that have drawn criticism from Democrats as well as concerns from Ayotte and other Republicans.

Democrats, civil rights groups, clergy and other critics have cited human rights, legal and health concerns, including dismal conditions, poor ‌treatment and diseases such as measles at various detention facilities, ​which are run by companies including GEO Group and CoreCivic.

At ​least eight people have died in ICE detention ​centers since the start of 2026, following at least 31 deaths last year.

On ‌Tuesday, Democratic-led Maryland sued the Trump administration to ​halt a detention facility ​in its western Washington County.

DHS officials have rejected any claims that the buildings are akin to "warehouses."

Senate Democrats have blocked funding for DHS as they seek to rein in ICE. White House ​spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on ‌Tuesday that Trump would use his State of the Union speech later that night to ​call for funding to be approved.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; additional reporting by ​Ted Hesson and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

PARIS (AP) — The Louvre Museum's director resigned Tuesday, ending months of questions in France's cultural world over why no top official had stepped down after the Octobercrown jewels theft.

France Louvre

Laurence des Cars' departure closed a bruising chapter for the world's biggest museum. It came as the Louvre faces a widening narrative of an institution spiraling out of control.

In the last year alone, the museum has endured the high-profile jewels theft from the Apollo Gallery, water leaks that damaged priceless books, multiple staff walkouts and a wildcat strike over poor working conditions, mass tourism and understaffing.

That scrutiny intensified again in recent weeks, when French authorities revealed a suspected decadelong ticket fraud scheme — carried out under their noses — linked to the museum that investigators say may have cost the Louvre 10 million euros ($11.8 million).

PresidentEmmanuel Macronaccepted des Cars' resignation as "an act of responsibility" at a moment when the Louvre needs "calm" and new momentum for security upgrades, modernization and other major projects, according to a statement from his office.

Macron wants to give des Cars a new mission during France's presidency of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, focused on cooperation among major museums, the statement said.

For many in France's cultural world, the resignation answers months of head-scratching over why no top official had fallen after the heist: a daylight robbery that many here saw as the most humiliating breach of French heritage security in living memory.

Brazen theft

Thieves tookless than eight minutesin October to steal crown jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) from the Louvre, in a weekend operation that stunned visitors, exposed glaring vulnerabilities and left one of France's most symbolically charged collections in criminal hands.

Several suspects were later arrested, but the stolen pieces remain missing.

Des Cars, one of the most prominent museum directors in Europe, had reportedlyoffered to resignon the day of the robbery, but it was initially refused by the culture minister.

In remarks after the theft, she described the moment as a "tragic, brutal, violent reality" for the Louvre and said that, as the person in charge, it had felt right to offer her resignation.

She had led the Louvre since 2021, taking over one of the global museum world's most prestigious jobs at a time when the museum was still navigating the aftershocks of the pandemic and the return of mass tourism.

Multifaceted crisis

The latest announcement is the latest in a string of blows for the crumbling former royal palace, amid growing complaints that the museum's infrastructure and staffing haven't kept pace with the crowds pouring through its galleries.

In June, awildcat strikeby front-of-house staff and security workers forced the Louvre to halt operations, stranding thousands of visitors outside the glass pyramid and underscoring the depth of anger among employees over overcrowding, understaffing and what unions called untenable working conditions.

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Workers said that the pressure of daily visitor flows — particularly around the "Mona Lisa" — had become unmanageable and that promised reforms were arriving too slowly.

The resignation came at an especially punishing moment, less than two weeks after French authorities revealed the separate ticket fraud scheme.

That case widened scrutiny beyond the jewels robbery and toward the museum's day-to-day controls.

Fraud scheme

Prosecutors say tour guides are suspected of — up to 20 times a day — reusing the same tickets to bring in different visitor groups, at times allegedly with the help of Louvre employees, in a system investigators believe operated for a decade.

In a rare interview just days ago with The Associated Press after the fraud case was made public, the Louvre's No. 2, general administrator Kim Pham, said that fraud at an institution the size of the Louvre was "statistically inevitable."

He argued that the museum's sheer scale — millions of visitors, multiple checkpoints and a sprawling historic complex — makes it uniquely exposed.

But he also acknowledged shortcomings, and said that the museum had tightened validation checks and increased controls.

New Renaissance

The succession of crises has put new political weight on a project Macron has heavily championed: the Louvre's sweeping overhaul plan, branded the "Louvre New Renaissance."

Unveiled by Macron in January 2025, the renovation, which could take up to a decades, aims to modernize a museum widely seen as overstretched and physically worn down by mass tourism.

The plan includes a new entrance near the Seine River to ease pressure on I.M. Pei's pyramid, new underground spaces and a dedicated room for the "Mona Lisa" with timed access — all intended to improve crowd flow and reduce the daily crush that has become a symbol of the Louvre's success and its dysfunction.

The project is expected to cost roughly 700 million-800 million euros ($826 million-$944 million), with funding from ticket revenue, state support, donations and Louvre Abu Dhabi-related income.

Macron has framed the overhaul as a national priority, comparing its ambition to other landmark French restoration efforts and casting it as part of a broader defense of French cultural prestige.

But the events of the past year — staff unrest, security failures and now alleged fraud — have sharpened doubts over whether the Louvre can hold the line operationally, while preparing for a costly, yearslong transformation.

That tension defined des Cars' final months in office.

She was both the public face of the Louvre's modernization drive and the official left carrying the fallout from damaging failures.

Seventy-two tigers have died at a tourist parkin Thailandin less than two weeks.

The animals died at two facilities operated by Tiger Kingdom, in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Visitors to the park are allowed to touch and interact with the big cats.

Samples taken from the tigers showed signs of canine distemper virus, a highly contagious disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, the local livestock department said.

The virus is normally found among dogs but can also infect big cats. It is not known to affect humans.

The carcasses also tested positive for a bacteria associated with respiratory disease, and some for feline parvovirus. The livestock department said it was expediting post-mortem examinations and would conduct an investigation into the deaths.

On Tuesday, officials said the virus was no longer spreading and no more tigers were dying, but the remaining gravely ill animals were recommended to be euthanised.

A veterinarian said nearly all the tigers across the park fell ill, but it is unclear how many will be culled.

At a news conference in Bangkok, Pattana Promphat, the public health minister, said no humans had been infected.

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"If we detect any sick persons, we will prepare for a nationwide monitoring measure," said Monthien Khanasawat, the director-general of the public health ministry's disease control department.

More than 240 tigers are kept at the park. The animals appeared to have been infected and become sick rapidly, with officials initially suspecting that the outbreak came from contaminated raw chicken used to feed them.

"By the time we realised they were sick, it was already too late," Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, the director of the national livestock department, previously told local media.

He said it was harder to detect sickness in tigers than animals such as common household cats or dogs.

Veterinarians or park staff working in the tiger enclosures were placed under observation for 21 days, but none had so far shown signs of illness, Thai PBS reported.

The deaths have prompted condemnation from animal rights groups over the treatment of captive tigers used as tourist attractions in Thailand.

"Currently, Thailand has approximately 1,500 captive tigers in over 60 locations. Many of these tigers are kept in deplorable conditions, bred for tourism, and it is believed that some may enter the illegal wildlife trade," Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand said in a statement.

"These venues prioritise entertainment and profit over animal welfare and conservation and this outbreak highlights the devastating consequences."

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ATLANTA (AP) — Left-hander Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves agreed to a contract on Tuesday adding $27 million for the 2027 season.

CORRECTION Twins Braves Spring Baseball

A 36-year-old who won the 2024 NL Cy Young Award in his first season with Atlanta, Sale agreed to a deal that includes a $30 million team option for 2028.

Atlanta acquired Sale from Boston in December 2023and he agreed to a reworked $38 million, two-year contract that included an $18 million club option for 2026. The Bravesexercised the option in November.

Sale is 25-8 with a 2.46 ERA in 49 starts and one relief appearance with the Braves. He made the All-Star team twice, raising his total to nine.

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He is 145-88 with a 3.01 ERA is 15 major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2010-16), Boston (2017-23) and Atlanta, striking out 2,579 in 2,084 innings. His 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings are the most among pitchers with 1,500 or more innings.

Sale has thrived with the Braves after making nine trips to the disabled and injured lists with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He hadTommy John surgeryon March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

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