Category: Sports
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Local sheriff refuses to help ICE with immigration enforcement around the Super Bowl
Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen bizarrely pledged not to work with federal agents while claiming such non-cooperation would result in increased safety for residents.
Ahead of Super Bowl LX at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the local sheriff said he is refusing to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
‘We will not be working or supporting ICE immigration enforcement.’
The Trump administration has warned illegal aliens that there would still be enforcement around the Super Bowl, which takes place on February 8, but Sheriff Jonsen told residents he will not assist the Department of Homeland Security or its agents.
“We are gonna be here for you, side by side,” Jonsen said about his own officers. “So as you’re getting off those trains, … high probability you’re going to see somebody in uniform. But if they’re not masked, if they’re wearing tan and green or blue or black, trust me, they are there for your protection.”
Jonsen told reporters on Thursday that if residents or visitors see masked law enforcement who are “trying to hide their identity,” that means “somebody hasn’t communicated” with his department.
“We’ve made it very clear to our officers — our workforce is to be open, transparent, and engaged with this community for the next few weeks,” the sheriff added.
At that point, Jonsen made it clear to his constituents that his department would not be working alongside the immigration enforcement officers.
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“I urge our federal partners — if there is something that you’re planning to do in our community, please be transparent and reach out to your local officials so we can work as best we can,” Jonsen announced to federal authorities.
“As mentioned, we are not going to be changing our policies or protocols. We will not be working or supporting ICE immigration enforcement,” he added.
In October, special adviser to Homeland Security Corey Lewandowski warned illegal aliens that if they went to the Super Bowl, there would be “repercussions to that.”
He added, “Just as there are if you are in any other neighborhood in this great country.”
DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin told TMZ this week that her department is still “committed to working with” local partners to ensure safety around the Super Bowl.
“Our mission remains unchanged,” McLaughlin noted.
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Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
The Santa Clara sheriff positioned his department as wanting to protect the level of trust it has built with its community over “decades” and expressed that he wants federal authorities to communicate their plans to him so he can relay it to his city.
Jonsen urged his constituents to contact “somebody wearing a uniform” if they see ICE operations unfolding.
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Critically ill ‘The Blind Side’ star shows signs of recovery; family credits power of prayer
A beloved Christian actor is showing possible signs of recovery while in hospital on life support.
Quinton Aaron starred in “The Blind Side,” a movie with Sandra Bullock about Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who is taken in by a Christian family and becomes a first-round NFL draft pick.
‘I grew up in the church. I was raised in the church.’
In real life, Aaron’s wife, Margarita, said she rushed the 41-year-old to the hospital after he lost feeling in his legs. The issues were initially thought to be from a bad sleep, but pain persisted in Aaron’s neck and back until he became numb.
His wife is a registered nurse, and she helped him lie down before calling 911. The big man — reportedly around 6’6″ — was in and out of consciousness on the way to hospital.
Doctors allegedly determined after several tests that he had a blood infection and recommended he be put on life support, according to TMZ.
A ‘fighter’
After initial reports looked grim, the outlet explained that Aaron was partially breathing on his own until Monday, when he “opened his eyes today and gave a thumbs-up,” his wife said.
Describing her husband as “a fighter,” Margarita had previously said, “He’s showing a lot of improvement. We all have faith in God that he will walk out of here fully recovered.”
Aaron had been dealing with health issues last March, according to E News. He was hospitalized after experiencing a bloody cough coupled with a fever and was told he was likely dealing with Type A flu and pneumonia.
In 2019, he was also admitted to a hospital for an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis.
Man of faith
The man of faith was interviewed by Blaze News in 2013 when he said, “I grew up in the church. I was raised in the church.”
“I do believe in showing more so than having to say. I feel like if I live the Christian life, then the people should be able to see it in my everyday actions.”
RELATED: Matthew McConaughey: Choose God and family, not ‘participation trophies’
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Outspoken Christian
Aaron has been outspoken about being a Christian in Hollywood. In a 2017 interview, he noted that many people in the film industry are “not very charitable” unless it benefits them.
“I’ve noticed that, especially with friends in Hollywood, if you want to keep a friend, don’t ask them for anything. I tell people all the time, I say, ‘The moment you ask for a favor, you’re probably never going to hear from them again,'” he explained.
“They may grant that favor, but don’t plan on asking for another one,” the actor added.
Oher, whom Aaron portrayed in the 2009 film, had eight seasons in the NFL, five of which were with the Baltimore Ravens.
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NASCAR Ditches Cheap Gimmicks In Favor Of A Playoff Format Focused On Racing
Most motorsports fans will find something to like in a ‘new’ format that echoes one from two decades ago.
Bad Bunny blitzes Super Bowl fans with super ‘queer’ halftime show
An insider report claims that Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny has plans to make the Super Bowl LX halftime show awfully political.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, stirred controversy for most of 2025, both before and after being named as the performer for the big game. This included telling audiences they “have four months to learn” Spanish to understand his performance and releasing a parody of President Trump in his music video song “NUEVAYoL” on the fourth of July.
‘The NFL has no idea what’s coming.’
Now outlet Radar said that members of the musician’s style team have revealed he plans on delivering a “political thunderbolt” during the halftime show.
Glam squad
Insiders described as a stylist and a member of the singer’s “glam team” alleged that Bad Bunny plans on wearing a dress during the halftime show to honor Puerto Rican “queer icons” and “generations of drag, resistance, and cultural rebellion,” the outlet wrote.
Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
“He loves controversy. He lives to push envelopes,” a stylist involved in Bad Bunny’s clothing choices allegedly told Radar.
Dress mess
“He is 100% going to wear a dress. A political thunderbolt disguised as couture,” they added.
A second source also explained, “He’s not playing it safe. The NFL has no idea what’s coming. Zero.”
An apparent third source, listed as only “a pal” of Bad Bunny’s, said that critics are free to complain, but “the dress is already being sewn.”
RELATED: Trump administration responds to Bad Bunny’s promise to perform in Spanish for ‘woke’ halftime show
Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
Harebrained
The NFL has been accused by the president of passing the responsibility of the booking on to the promoters, as the content seemingly is at odds with the league’s core fans.
“Apple Music, the NFL, and Roc Nation announced that 3x Grammy Award-winning global recording artist Bad Bunny will perform at the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday, February 8, 2026, airing on NBC,” the NFL wrote in a press release last September.
Apple Music’s key figure is listed as Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music and international content.
Roc Nation is also involved. That company was founded by rapper Jay-Z and has been working on Super Bowl halftime shows since 2019.
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter said in the same press release that Bad Bunny’s “unique ability to bridge genres, languages, and audiences makes him an exciting and natural choice to take the Super Bowl halftime stage.”
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’I don’t think that’s relevant’: American tennis star shuts down reporters fishing for anti-Trump answers
A 24-year-old professional tennis player reminded reporters that politics has nothing to do with her sport.
Amanda Anisimova, born in New Jersey to Russian immigrants, is the No.4-ranked player in the Women’s Tennis Association, just behind fellow American Coco Gauff.
‘I don’t think that’s relevant.’
After a straight-set victory in the second round of the Australian Open, the American spoke to members of the media in Melbourne, Australia.
Lodged between questions regarding her recent performance was an oddly political query about how it feels to be representing America.
“I’ve been asking a lot of the American players just how it feels to play under the American flag right now. And I’m curious how you feel,” a male reporter asked, using significant vocal fry.
Anisimova did not take the bait, replying, “I was born in America, so I’m always proud to represent my country. And yeah, a lot of us are doing really well, and it’s great to see a lot of, you know, great athletes on the women’s side, on the men’s side.”
Anisimova was likely referring to the current success her compatriots are having on the tour. Americans hold three of the top six positions in the women’s tennis rankings currently, with several more in the top 30.
“I feel like we’re all doing a great job representing ourselves,” Anisimova added.
However the reporter wasn’t ready to let the topic die just yet.
“Sorry. Um, just to clarify a little,” the man continued. “I mean, sort of in the context of the last year of everything that’s been happening in the U.S., does that complicate that feeling at all?”
Anisimova seemed to think the follow-up question was unworthy of an answer.
“I don’t think that’s relevant,” she said with a smirk.
Fans who watched the press conference on YouTube sided unanimously with the young star and pointed out that the press conference culminated with yet another political question. In fact, it was nearly identical to the first.
“America is a, you know, divided place at the moment, euphemistically,” another male reporter prefaced. “Do you ever find it difficult or distracting to play under the American flag at the moment?”
Anisimova again brushed the question off.
RELATED: Tennis player labeled ‘racist’ for scolding black opponent after match: ‘I was NEVER racist‘
Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images
“I mean, I’m not planning to, you know, switch my nationality or represent a different country. I was born there, so it’s not something that comes to my mind.”
Women’s tennis can be strangely political at times.
In fact, the WTA does not showcase the flag of its ranked players if they are from Russia. This includes world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva. Three more Russians in the top 50 do not have Russian flags on their official WTA profiles either.
The same does not apply to Ukrainian athletes, as No. 20 Marta Kostyuk and No. 28 Dayana Yastremska have their flag proudly next to their names.
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Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza gives ‘all the glory to God’ ahead of national championship
When it comes to his role in Indiana’s unlikely rise to the top of college football, Hoosier quarterback Fernando Mendoza knows just who to thank: “the man upstairs.”
“I really give a lot that I have accomplished this season in my life to the Lord and really give thanks to God. … Give all the glory to God,” Mendoza told reporters ahead of tonight’s 2026 National Championship against the University of Miami.
‘I really give a lot that I have accomplished this season in my life to the Lord.’
Team effort
At the press conference Saturday, the recent Indiana University transfer stressed that his success was a team effort — a team that includes the priests at his Catholic parish in Bloomington.
“I’m a Catholic man,” Mendonza told reporters. “And they’ve done so much to help me, whether it’s confession or just [being] able to talk or just Mass every Sunday.”
This is not the first time Mendoza has credited the men of the St. Paul Catholic Center.
Christmas gift
On Christmas Eve, the 22-year-old brought them his 2025 Heisman Trophy. Mendoza won the award — which honors the nation’s top college football player — on December 15, thanks in part to the 41 touchdown passes he threw for the Hoosiers this season.
Recalling the moment, Mendoza said, “I think it was really important to take it over [to] those guys, especially those guys who have been great religious mentors to myself.”
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Chasing a dream
In his Heisman acceptance speech, Mendoza thanked God for giving him “the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt the world away” and vowed to live up to the honor.
Mendoza, who attends Mass weekly and says he prays before every game, also thanked his younger brother Alberto, currently Indiana’s backup quarterback. Calling Alberto his “lifelong teammate,” Mendoza described him as the one person he could trust to “get through a tough day, tough play, [or] tough game.”
“I love you, bro. I love you and thank you for always giving it to me straight no matter the circumstance.”
The NCAA national football championship airs from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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