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Martínez claps back at Man United legend Scholes

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 08:45

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez has hit back at club great Paul Scholes over his claim that the Argentina international "isn't good enough to win the Premier League."

Scholes has been critical of a number of United players as the club struggle for form in the Premier League.

Ruben Amorim's side are 13th in the table, 14 points off the top four, with Scholes taking aim at players and questioning if they had what it takes to get United back to the top.

"Even when he's fit he's not good enough to win the Premier League with," Scholes said on The Overlap on Sky Sports.

Martínez suffered an ACL injury against Crystal Palace and is set to be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

In response to Scholes, Martínez posted on social media: "This jinx guy is really hurting....You put him in Argentina, and he wouldn't survive."

Scholes also criticised other United players, including 25-year-old defender Matthijs de Ligt.

"His age and his amount of clubs already concerns me. He was brilliant at Ajax, he seems to be getting worse as he gets older," Scholes said.

"Bayern Munich, Juventus, they've let him go for some reason.

"Where are your ambitions? I'm talking about getting a team to win the Premier League.

"Are you going to win the Premier League with De Ligt and [Leny] Yoro as your centre halves?"

United travel to London to face fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

South Africa 352 for 5 (Klaasen 87, Breetzke 83, Bavuma 82, Afridi 2-66) vs Pakistan

Temba Bavuma made his highest ODI score since September 2023, Matthew Breetzke has the most number of runs by any player after two ODIs (233), and Heinrich Klaasen scored his fourth successive 80-plus score in the format. All that means Pakistan will have to complete their highest successful chase to book a place in Saturday's tri-series final against New Zealand. If South Africa can defend 352, they will advance to the final and end a five-match losing streak.

Their batters did their bit to give South Africa the best chance of progressing after an innings that ebbed and flowed, and at stages, boiled over as Pakistan's attack, without the injured Haris Rauf, struggled for control on a flat pitch and fast outfield. Only Khushdil Shah conceded at less than a run a ball, while Rauf's replacement, Mohammad Hasnain, bowled eight overs for 72.

South Africa were off to a fairly watchful start against Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, but picked up pace once Abrar Ahmed was introduced in the second half of the powerplay. Tony De Zorzi used his feet well for the innings' first six but not at all when he edged Afridi to slip in the next over. Bavuma then struck back-to-back boundaries against Abrar, and South Africa's powerplay ended at 64 for 1.

Hasnain bowled too short upfront, and both Bavuma and Breetzke took a liking to the length. Breetzke was soon striking at over 100, and allowed Bavuma to dial it down slightly as the latter approached his first fifty in 17 innings. He got there with a single off Salman Agha, and then accelerated once again.

Bavuma played more riskily than we are used to, and went for an expansive drive off left-arm spinner Khushdil, but edged past Mohammad Rizwan. Later that over, Bavuma tried to slog Khushdil over square leg but top-edged. Naseem misjudged the catch and put Bavuma down on 60.

Pakistan were able to keep South Africa fairly quiet for the next eight overs, and they scored at under five an over, but grew frustrated with their inability to break through. Breetzke brought up fifty off 46 balls before Hasnain thought he had him out lbw when he missed a leg-side whip and Rizwan was convinced to review. But ball-tracking showed it going down leg.

Sensing an opportunity to create something, Rizwan brought Afridi back in the 27th over, and he tested the batters with pace and personality. There were stare downs and words. At one point, Afridi moved into Breetzke's path as he was completing a single, and there was contact. Breetzke didn't back down, as got into Afridi's face and the pair had to be separated by the umpires and team-mates.

In the next over, Bavuma played Hasnain to backward point and raced away for a single before checking with Breetzke, who sent him back. But it was too late. Saud Shakeel swooped in, and with a one-handed pick up and throw, ran Bavuma out and celebrated in his face for good measure. Bavuma was stranded on 82, with a golden chance at a century gone begging. But at that stage, South Africa still had 21.5 overs remaining.

Klaasen was sent in at No. 4, and faced 14 balls for seven runs before he remembered who he was. He smoked Hasnain for four fours in his sixth over - over mid-on, mid-off, square leg and deep midwicket - to bring up 200, and got the innings going again. That over cost 16 runs, and the next four went for 36, as South Africa were back in sight of a massive score.

Both Breetzke and Klaasen were laden with intent, but when Breetzke tried to smash Khushdil through the covers, he found an equally determined Salman, who dived across and reached out with his right hand to pluck the ball close to the ground and pull off a stunner. Breetzke was out for 83.

Wiaan Mulder was caught at point in the next over, and South Africa entered the final ten overs at 242 for 4. The death overs are the period where Klaasen can be at his most dangerous, and he unleashed a 95-metre six five balls into the 41st over as a reminder. Klaasen brought up fifty off 38 balls, and then completely cut loose. His next 37 runs came off 18 deliveries, and he spared no one.

Afridi was treated particularly severely as Klaasen took him for back-to-back sixes in an over that cost 20. When he tried to take Naseem on in the same way, Klaasen sent a low full toss to long-on. South Africa scored 110 runs in the last ten overs, and Kyle Verreynne ended unbeaten on 44. South Africa's 352 ended up as the fourth-highest score in Karachi.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's correspondent for South Africa and women's cricket

Nizar the hero as Kerala inflict heartbreak on J&K

Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 07:00

Kerala 281 (Nizar 112, Saxena 67, Nabi 6-53) and 295 for 6 (Azharuddeen 67*, Nizar 44*) drew with J&K 280 (Wadhawan 48, Muzaffar 44, Nidheesh 6-75) and 399 for 9 decl (Dogra 132, Wadhawan 64).
Kerala qualified on first-innings lead

Salman Nizar was the hero for Kerala as they entered the Ranji Trophy semi-final only for the second time in their history. They got there having batted out the entire final day of an absorbing contest against Jammu & Kashmir that went into the last 30 minutes with all results possible.

J&K needed four wickets, while Kerala simply needed to bat time to ensure a draw was enough since they'd taken a one-run lead. Nizar was unbeaten on 44 off 162 balls, Mohammed Azharuddeen 67 off 118 balls. The seventh-wicket pair batted out 42.4 overs to grind J&K's attack to dust on the final day. Kerala are set to face Gujarat in the semi-final on February 17, while Mumbai will take on Vidarbha in the other semi-final.

As important as Nizar's second-innings rearguard was, it was his first-innings 112 that set the game up for Kerala, taking them from the brink to giving them the lead that eventually proved massive. Nizar marshalled the lower order, putting together 81 with No. 11 Basil Thampi to help steal the lead after J&K had Kerala tottering at 200 for 9 after they'd posted 280.

Nizar's unbeaten century underpinned Kerala's fight, but Jalaj Saxena's 67 was equally impactful. Saxena resurrected a floundering innings from 11 for 3 as J&K seamer Auqib Nabi, also the season's second-highest wicket-takers, made the ball track on a greenish Pune deck. Saxena counter-attacked his way to a half-century, in which he drove, cut and pulled imperiously.

Saxena's dismissal had the potential to prove game-changing, but Nizar stood up, like he did in the must-win final league game last week against Bihar when he hit a century to swell their first-innings total.

Kerala began the final day on 100 for 2, still needing 299 for victory. But it was clear from the beginning that they weren't after the runs. Sachin Baby and Akshay Chandran put together 58, but batted together for 43 overs in the process to frustrate J&K in their victory march.

The tide turned just before lunch as J&K's spinners made massive inroads. Chandran was out caught at short leg by Shubham Khajuria. Soon after the break, they were fully in the ascendancy when they lost two wickets in two overs. Sahil Lotra, the offspinner, had Baby jab at one that turned and bounced, while Saxena was out looking to drive left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq.

Having hit him through the covers off the previous delivery, he looked to repeat the shot, but was lulled in superbly by Mushtaq as he dragged his length back and had Saxena edging to first slip. When Aditya Sarwate was out looking to hoick Mushtaq over the infield, it seemed the end was nigh.

But Nizar and Azharddeen showed resilience and grit in stonewalling J&K's attack for a better part of the last three hours to secure a draw.

J&K would look back on their first innings lapse with the ball, especially when they allowed Kerala's last pair to get away as a turning point. Despite that, they bounced back to post 399 for 9 in the second innings, thanks largely to captain Paras Dogra's century. The 40-year-old, in his first season as J&K captain, hit his first century after a prolonged barren run of form - he hadn't scored a single half-century prior to this game.

Those efforts in the end were only a consolation in the end as J&K's second entry into the knockouts in the last five years ended in a heartbreak. That they're bowing out without having lost a single game this season will make their exit even tougher to digest.

Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

India 356 (Gill 112, Iyer 78, Kohli 52, Rashid 4-64) beat England 214 (Atkinson 38, Axar 2-22, Rana 2-31) by 142 runs

If India's four-wicket wins against England in the first and second ODI didn't reflect the gulf between the two sides, the 142-run victory in the third at the Narendra Modi Stadium made up for it. As does the final series score of 3-0.

The margin owed much to Shubman Gill's 112 on his 50th appearance in the format, a seventh century helping India to 356. But for Adil Rashid's 4 for 64, his career-best figures in India, it could have been a whole lot more.
The gulf on the night would have been wider had Gus Atkinson not thrashed 38 at the end, having faced just 19 deliveries. But that only served to highlight England's grim batting effort as the seamer finished as team's joint-top scorer with Tom Banton, who arrived into the country on Monday as an injury replacement for Jacob Bethell. England finish this limited overs tour having lost seven matches out of eight, with this defeat making it 16 losses in 23 ODIs since the 2023 World Cup.
The tourists were actually going steady in pursuit of their 357-run target, reaching 126 for 2 at the end of the 18th over. On cue, the middle order caved in on itself once more, collapsing to 175 for 8 midway through the 31st over. This time, with Varun Chakravarthy (suffering from a sore calf), Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami rested, the trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh had their share of the feast.

Both teams arrived in Ahmedabad looking to use this last ODI before the Champions Trophy to finetune; or in England's case, tune outright. India's trio of changes were as much about experimentation as Jos Buttler's decision to bowl first after England had batted in the first innings in Nagpur and Cuttack.

Gill relished the opportunity to go first this time. After 87 and 60 in the first two matches, he was pristine throughout his jaunt to three figures, and broke a "slump" of 14 innings without a century.

He had handy allies during his stay, with Virat Kohli's 52 and Shreyas Iyer's breezy 78 off 64 balls contributing to stands of 116 and 104, respectively. A 29-ball 40 from KL Rahul, accompanied by cameos lower down the order, lifted India to their highest score at this venue, and joint third-highest against England.

There's an argument to say the best it ever got for England on Wednesday was when Mark Wood pocketed Rohit Sharma with his first delivery of the match. Fresh from a devastating 32nd ODI century, Rohit lasted just two balls as Wood angled one into off stump that nipped off the surface, taking the edge through to a tumbling Phil Salt.

Gill and Kohli emerged from the powerplay with intent, which was only curbed when Rashid was introduced in the 15th over. The legspinner's removal of Kohli, after the 36-year-old ticked off a 123rd fifty-plus ODI score in 50 deliveries, spoke of what was to come. Dip brought the right-hander forward, and grip and rip provided another nick for Salt.

Shreyas arrived and immediately settled into a quick groove, a century stand with Gill brought up in 85 deliveries, split evenly between the two. By then, Gill had crisply struck Wood through midwicket to bring up his century from 95 balls.

Gill freed himself up a little more after the milestone, lifting Rashid down the ground for six, but was bowled by the same bowler attempting an ungainly hack to a straight delivery. And Rashid was in the act again when Shreyas, looking to launch after reaching a half-century from 43 deliveries, lazily tickled down the leg side for another fine take from Salt.

Hardik Pandya was bowled with a pristine leggie, though only after striking Rashid for consecutive sixes down the ground. Having extended his arms into the stroke, the allrounder played it safe to see out the 41st over, but was undone by a slower delivery that again spun sharply from a middle-and-leg line, this time beyond the bat, and into the middle-and-off bail. India were eventually bowled out, losing three wickets for three runs off the last seven deliveries of the innings.

For what it's worth, England were up with the required rate of 7.14 for a good chunk of the chase. The problem was the regular ticking of the wicket column as the last eight fell for just 88 runs.

Ben Duckett, having left the field in the first innings nursing a thigh injury, raced out of the blocks with four fours against both Harshit Rana and Arshdeep. Those off the former came in successive deliveries, but the left-armer had the last word, flummoxing Duckett for 34 with a knuckle ball that was skewed high to Rohit at mid-off.

A start of 60 in 6.2 overs had given England the framework of platform, though Salt's cuffing of an Arshdeep slower ball to backward point meant both openers did not emerge from the first ten overs. Joe Root and Tom Banton were able to thatch together a partnership, the latter making his first international appearance in just over a year as he replaced Jamie Overton in the XI.

Fresh from leading the ILT20 run charts for MI Emirates, Banton showcased his impressive strokeplay with reverse-swept sixes off both Washington and Axar Patel. He enjoyed two bits of good fortune, avoiding a stumping after charging and edging Washington on 7, then surviving a run-out on 24 as Axar, fielding at point, missed his overarm throw from five yards when an underarm would have sufficed.

Kuldeep was the one to prise Banton out, caught behind off a wrong 'un - the first of England's last five recognised batters to fall for just 48 runs. Root was yorked by Axar, then Rana returned for a second spell to pick up Buttler and Harry Brook, both playing on.

A torturous 23-ball stay for Liam Livingstone came to an end as he ran past a delivery from Washington, before Pandya flattened Rashid's off stump via the batter's misjudged pull. Lusty blows from Wood and Atkinson were barely streaks of silver in the mushroom cloud of this match the and white-ball tour as a whole, as England eventually folded with all of 94 balls left in their innings.

It leaves head coach Brendon McCullum with a job on his hands to lift his squad as they head to Pakistan for their Champions Trophy opener against Australia on February 22. India begin their campaign two days earlier against Bangladesh in Dubai in far better shape, having shown why they are the outright favourites for a second ICC trophy in the space of a year.

Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo

Bangladesh haven't had a great run in ODIs lately. In addition, they have little to no prep heading into the Champions Trophy 2025. But captain Najmul Hossain Shanto strongly believes Bangladesh are title contenders.

"We are going to the Champions Trophy to become champions," Shanto said. "All eight teams deserve to be champions in this tournament. They are all quality teams. I believe our team has the ability. No one will feel extra pressure. Everyone genuinely wants (to become champions), and believes in their capabilities. We don't know what Allah has written in our fate. We are working hard and doing our best. I believe we can achieve our goal."

Since 2023, Bangladesh have lost 24 out of the 41 matches they've played, which includes series losses against Afghanistan and West Indies. Shanto, too, has not been in great form, as he is coming off an injury and a string of low scores in the Bangladesh Premier League [BPL]. He also hasn't played international cricket since November after he missed the West Indies tour due to a hamstring injury. Bangladesh last played ODIs at the start of December in 2024, which they lost 3-0.
Bangladesh will also be without senior allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, although his absence was along expected lines. He has been suspended from bowling in top-flight cricket due to an illegal action and recently failed a second independent assessment of his action. When asked whether Bangladesh would miss Shakib's presence, Shanto said that the team does not linger on hopes of a miraculous Shakib comeback, adding that it was "irrelevant" to discuss the subject before the tournament.

"Of course, we will miss him but I don't know why this question is being asked," Shanto said. "Everyone already knows the answer, and many players have said it before. Of course, we will miss Shakib bhai. It would have been great if he were here. This question has been answered many times. I don't think it's relevant to talk about this before a tournament."

So who will take over Shakib's role in the team? "Whoever gets the responsibility will have to play Shakib's role," Shanto said.

There are a few more big names - like Litton Das and Tamim Iqbal - missing from the Bangladesh squad, but Shanto insisted that he was happy with his team. "I am very happy and confident with the 15 players in the squad," he said. "Anyone who plays has the ability to win a match single-handedly."

"Not too long ago, we didn't have quality pace bowlers, but now we have a strong pace bowling unit. We didn't have wristspinners before, but now we do. Overall, we have a balanced team."

Najmul Hossain Shanto

Shanto also called for Bangladesh to asses the conditions quickly and raise their game by chasing and defending 320-plus totals. Bangladesh are set to play their first match against India in Dubai before facing New Zealand and Pakistan in Rawalpindi.

"I expect the pitches in Pakistan to be 300-plus wickets. If we bat first, we need to put up such scores. Even while defending, we will need to defend such scores. In Dubai, conditions vary at different times. Still, I think scores will be around 260-280. It's tough to predict exact numbers, but historically, that's how it has been. We will analyse how many runs are needed on a given day or how many we need to restrict the opposition to."

Shanto also hopes his bowling attack, particularly the pacers, continue to give their best, and believes Bangladesh have a "balanced team".

"Not too long ago, we didn't have quality pace bowlers, but now we have a strong pace bowling unit," he said. "We didn't have wristspinners before, but now we do. Overall, we have a balanced team. If everyone fulfills their responsibilities properly, we can defeat any team at any time."

RCB set to name captain for IPL 2025 on Thursday

Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 09:05
Du Plessis in turn had taken over the captaincy from Kohli, who ended his nine-season stint as RCB captain in 2021. To date, he has led RCB in 143 matches in the IPL, the second highest for a captain after MS Dhoni. His record stands at 68 wins and 70 losses with four no-results. While RCB are yet to win the IPL, Kohli led them to the final in 2016, a season in which he scored a record 973 runs. He was the top-scorer in IPL 2024 too; his 741 runs at a strike rate of 154.69 playing an important role in RCB's late dash into the playoffs where they lost the Eliminator.

Indiana stuns MSU, denies Izzo shot to pass Knight

Published in Breaking News
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 09:10

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has been trying to downplay being on the brink of breaking Bob Knight's record for Big Ten basketball wins.

Perhaps he knew what was coming Tuesday night.

Indiana beat the 11th-ranked Spartans 71-67, leaving Izzo with 353 conference victories to remain tied with Knight a little longer.

Michigan State (19-5, 10-3), an 11.5-point favorite, lost for the third time in four games. Izzo will get his next shot Saturday night at Illinois.

"We had an opportunity for a special night," Izzo said. "I don't think the players played very well and I didn't think the coaches coached very well, so that's a bad combination against the team that was desperate. I don't want to take anything away from Indiana."

Former NFL coach Steve Mariucci surprised Izzo by showing up at the Breslin Center, sitting on the Spartans' bench with his back facing Izzo as he walked to the sideline for warmups.

Izzo and Mariucci, who coached the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, grew up together in Iron Mountain in Michigan's upper peninsula and attended nearby Northern Michigan.

The Basketball Hall of Fame coach tied Knight's Big Ten record of 353 conference wins with an 86-74 comeback victory over Oregon on Saturday.

Knight, who died in 2023, led Indiana to three NCAA titles between 1971 and 2000 and was one of Izzo's mentors during his first season as Jud Heathcote's successor at Michigan State in 1995.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson, a star player for Knight from 1976 to 1980, is in his fourth and final season in the latest attempt to return the program to glory. The school announced last week that Woodson was stepping down after the season.

"I can't let them quit," said Woodson, whose team ended a five-game losing streak. "We've just got to keep working and keep pushing each other and see where it leads us. We've still got a lot of season left."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hamlin, Toyotas pace Daytona 500 1st practice

Published in Breaking News
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 09:10

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Denny Hamlin led a trio of Toyota drivers -- the manufacturer claimed five of the top six spots -- in Wednesday's opening practice for the Daytona 500.

The 50-minute morning session was the only scheduled on-track time before qualifying Wednesday night, when the front row will be set for "The Great American Race."

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, paced Bubba Wallace, who drives a 23XI entry co-owned by Hamlin and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. Hamlin's teammate at JGR, Ty Gibbs, was third.

Chandler Smith, in a Ford for Front Row Motorsports, was fourth. 23XI and Front Row have joined together on a federal antitrust case against NASCAR, accusing the sanctioning body of being a monopoly.

John Hunter Nemechek, in a Toyota for the Jimmie Johnson-owned Legacy Motor Club, was fifth. Riley Herbst, the new driver at 23XI, was sixth in Toyota's practice romp.

Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing was the fastest Chevrolet in seventh. Helio Castroneves, who at 49 will be making his NASCAR debut Sunday, was 12th as the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner is racing for Trackhouse.

Former Cup series champions Martin Truex Jr. and Johnson were 31st and 32nd, respectively. Both drivers need to qualify their way into the race. Nine drivers are vying for the final four spots in the field.

Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner. Truex has never won the 500 in 20 starts but is the 2017 Cup champion. Both are in Toyotas.

LIV CEO: Norman's 'a gift,' remains with league

Published in Breaking News
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 09:10

Former LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman, who was replaced by sports and entertainment executive Scott O'Neil this season, remains on the league's board of directors, O'Neil told reporters in Australia on Wednesday.

Norman, a two-time Open Championship winner, helped get the Saudi Arabian-financed circuit off the ground by recruiting several PGA Tour players to join the league the past few years.

"Greg is an icon. He is a friend," O'Neil said during a news conference in Adelaide, Australia, where the second LIV Golf tournament of the season tees off Friday at The Grange Golf Club. "He is the reason I'm here today."

O'Neil, a past CEO of the parent company of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, president of Madison Square Garden, and CEO of amusement and resort company Merlin Entertainment Group, said Norman attended a LIV Golf board meeting last week.

"I spent quite a bit of time with him in my 30-day lead-up to this role and every day since engaging, asking questions and learning, and I hope that he is part of LIV forever," O'Neil said.

"He sits on the board, which is another wonderful testament that we can tap into his experience, his leadership, his friendship, and any challenges, too, at the board meeting. I was hoping for a friendly on the other side of the table, but he mixes it up pretty good. It's quite a gift to have him as part of LIV."

O'Neil, who has had the lead role at LIV Golf for the past 40 days, said he hopes a potential deal between Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour will open doors for his tour, which is in its fourth season. The proposed deal would include a $1.5 billion investment by the PIF into PGA Tour Enterprises, the U.S.-based tour's for-profit entity.

"For us at LIV, we are hoping that that unlocks opportunity," O'Neil said. "That may unlock opportunity with markets, with courses, with marketing partners, with television networks, with growing the game, with competition opportunities, with new formats.

"So, I'm excited about the agreement. I think that right now we are going to the moon and back, and I hope that'll help as an accelerant, but I'm very confident in where we are in this business and the interest we have currently."

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 4. Player director Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie, played golf with the President at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, according to a White House pool report.

The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division is reviewing the potential PIF Investment, and Monahan, Woods and Scott indicated in a statement last week that the tour asked Trump to get involved in the process.

"We know golf fans are eagerly anticipating a resolution to negotiations with the Public Investment Fund and want to thank President Trump for his interest and long-time support of the game of golf," the statement said. "We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved. We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men's professional golf."

O'Neil has already helped secure major achievements for LIV Golf, including a new TV deal with Fox Sports in the U.S. and an over-the-air broadcast agreement in the United Kingdom. The R&A and United States Golf Association also recently announced new pathways for LIV Golf players to qualify for The Open and U.S. Open, respectively.

"This is the first step of many I think we're looking to take," LIV Golf captain Brooks Koepka said. "The opportunity is there. I think the organizations around the world, the R&A, the USGA, they're looking at LIV Golf as part of the golf ecosystem now. With that is a huge, huge step forward for us."

Kelce to take time, then decide on playing future

Published in Breaking News
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 09:10

Coming off a Super Bowl performance where he was a nonfactor and his team was dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said he will take some time before making a decision on whether he will return for a 13th NFL season.

"I know everybody wants to know whether I'm playing next year, and right now, I'm just kicking everything down the road. I'm kicking every can I can down the road. I'm not making any crazy decisions," Kelce said on the "New Heights" podcast.

In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Kelce said multiple times that he planned to play in 2025, but he struck a different tone talking with his brother Jason Kelce in the podcast that was released Wednesday.

"I've been fortunate over the past five, six years -- I've played more football than anybody," Travis Kelce said. "It's because of the people that are in that building. The fact that we keep going to these AFC championships and these Super Bowls, that means I'm playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league. That's a lot of wear and tear on your body, and it's a lot of time spent in the building, focusing on your craft, focusing on the task at hand and every challenge that you set up for yourself.

"As you see yourself or not feel yourself have the success you once had, it's a tough pill to swallow. For that not to be there in the biggest moments, knowing your team's counting on you, those are all extremely hard things. ... It's just a tough reality."
Travis Kelce

"That process can be grueling. It can weigh on you. It can make you better. It can drive you crazy at the same time. And right now, it's one of those things where it was driving me crazy this year. It happens as you kind of tail off towards the back nine of your career, as SVP [Scott Van Pelt] would say."

Kelce, 35, was held to four catches for 39 yards in the Chiefs' 40-22 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX that denied Kansas City a chance at a three-peat. That ended a season in which he posted career lows (not counting his rookie season when he appeared in one game) in receiving yards (823) and touchdowns (3). He did lead the Chiefs in receptions, however, with 97.

While he had a breakout game in a divisional round playoff win over the Houston Texans with seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, he was quiet in the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills with two catches for 19 yards.

"As you see yourself or not feel yourself have the success you once had, it's a tough pill to swallow," Kelce said. "For that not to be there in the biggest moments, knowing your team's counting on you, those are all extremely hard things. ... It's just a tough reality."

Kelce, a four-time All-Pro, said he needs to be all-in if he decides to play next season.

"I think I owe it to my teammates that, if I do come back, it's going to be something that it's a whole-hearted decision. Not half-assing it," he said. "I'm fully here for them, and I think I could play. It's just whether or not I'm motivated or it's the best decision for me as a man, as a human and as a person to take on all of that responsibility."

Before Super Bowl LIX, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said he thought Kelce would play next season but that the team would give him the time he needs to make a decision.

"I personally think he'll be back because he loves the game so much, but we're going to let him take the time he needs to make that decision and certainly hope he wants to come back," Hunt said.

ESPN's Adam Teicher contributed to this report.

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Basketball

Kerr passes Attles as Warriors' winningest coach

Kerr passes Attles as Warriors' winningest coach

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsSAN FRANCISCO -- One game after Stephen Curry reached 4,000 3-point...

Bickerstaff 'disgusted' by techs in Pistons' loss

Bickerstaff 'disgusted' by techs in Pistons' loss

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDETROIT -- Coach J.B. Bickerstaff blasted the officials after the D...

Baseball

O's Henderson aiming for Opening Day return

O's Henderson aiming for Opening Day return

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsShortstop Gunnar Henderson said he believes he can return from inju...

Marlins lose OF Sanchez (oblique) for four weeks

Marlins lose OF Sanchez (oblique) for four weeks

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMiami Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez suffered a left oblique inju...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

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