Remarks made by American freestyle skier Hunter Hess regarding "mixed emotions" about representing the United States in the 2026 Winter Olympics have drawn criticism from some fans and observers. 

Perhaps the most famous and outspoken among them is legendary 1980 U.S. ice hockey gold medalist Mike Eruzione, who posted a response to Hess on social media.

During a press conference with the U.S. freeski team in Milan on Friday, Hess, 27, said he felt conflicted because "a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t." 

“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think,” Hess said, via Portland, Oregon's KGW8. “It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t.”

"For me, it's more I'm representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S.," he added. "I think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Those comments raised the ire of Eruzione, a captain on the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" gold medal team who scored the game-winning goal versus the Soviet Union in the medal round. He has previously shown support for Donald Trump, but in responding to Hess, he didn't mention the president. He stated that the skier shouldn't wear a uniform representing the U.S. if he'd prefer to represent friends and family instead. 

"Hunter Hess, US snowboarder, saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends," Eruzione posted. "Then don’t put on the USA uniform; maybe just put for family and friend. Some athletes just don’t get it." 

Eruzione was criticized for appearing at a Trump rally in 2020 with his U.S. hockey teammates and wearing a hat that said "Keep America Great." 

In response to the backlash received for his appearance, Eruzione expressed regret for wearing the hat.

“If we knew we were going to piss off this many people, we probably would not have put the hats on,” Eruzione, 65, told the Washington Post. “That’s the big question here. A lot of the stuff I got was, ‘You guys said it’s not political, but when you put the hats on, you made it political.’ ”

Presumably, Hess' remarks "made it political" in Eruzione's view. Yet he's not the only U.S. athlete who has voiced ambivalent sentiments toward what's currently happening. Freestyle aerialist Chris Lillis said he wouldn't want to represent any other country, but is "heartbroken" over current events.

“I feel heartbroken about what’s happened in the United States,” Lillis said, via the Washington Post. “I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect. I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”

Terrance Gore, who played in two World Series with the Kansas City Royals (and was a member of their 2015 championship team), has died at the age of 34. The Royals announced the news on Saturday. 

Gore played eight MLB seasons, five of them with Kansas City. Primarily utilized as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement due to his speed, he batted .216/.310/.270 with 43 stolen bases in 112 career games. 

His best season was in 2019, batting .275/.362/.373 with 13 stolen bases, two doubles and a triple in 58 plate appearances. Gore also recorded double-digit steals in 2016, when he swiped 11 bags. 

During his career, Gore also played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. He won World Series titles with the Dodgers and Braves. For the 2021 season, Gore only appeared in the postseason with Atlanta, entering Game 2 of the National League Division Series as a pinch-runner. 

In the postseason, Gore appeared in 11 games, compiling five stolen bases and scoring two runs. He did not record a hit and only made two plate appearances. 

[Get more Royals news: Kansas City team feed]

Gore died due to complications from a medical procedure, according to the Kansas City Star. His wife, Britney, posted a message regarding her husband's death on social media. The couple had two sons together. 

Born in Macon, Georgia, Gore was a 20th-round selection in the 2011 MLB Draft out of Gulf Coast State College. He reached the major leagues in 2014 after advancing from high Single-A to Triple-A in the Royals' minor league system. 

Micah Parsons to the Philadelphia Eagles? Jalen Carter with the Dallas Cowboys? It almost happened, according to Parsons. 

During a live taping of his podcast from San Francisco, the All-Pro linebacker revealed to Eagles receiver A.J. Brown that they were nearly teammates this past season. 

"So, to be honest with you bro, it was very close," Parsons said to Brown and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. "It was very close. Eagles before the Jaelan Phillips, before all of them, it was me. And I was really about to come."

"But there was one person I had to play with and if he was gone, I didn't want to be there and that was Jalen Carter," he added. "They wanted a D-tackle. And they wanted to trade me plus some picks. I don't really care about the picks, but I'm going to play next to JC, you feel me? Yeah. Sorry Cowboys fans, it really almost happened. I feel like the trajectory would've changed."

The full podcast can be seen here. Parsons' remarks about the Eagles begin at the 6:15 mark.

Parsons' story certainly checks out. The Eagles were reportedly aggressive in pursuing the edge rusher before the Cowboys traded him to the Green Bay Packers in August. And Parsons, who grew up near Philadelphia and played college football at Penn State, wanted to play for the Eagles someday. But not without playing next to one of the team's best players in Carter. 

Yet Dallas was unlikely to deal its defensive star to an NFC East rival. The Cowboys also wanted to ensure that the Packers wouldn't somehow flip him to Philadelphia, as unlikely as that seemed, by including a provision in the terms of the trade. A condition of the deal was that Green Bay would have to trade its 2028 first-round pick to Dallas if Parsons was traded to an NFC East team before the end of the 2026 NFL season, according to ESPN. 

The Cowboys showed that they coveted a defensive tackle by getting Kenny Clark from the Packers in exchange for Parsons, along with first-round selections in 2026 and 2027. Dallas further tried to strengthen its interior defensive line at the trade deadline by acquiring Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets. 

Parsons referencing what could have been compels "what if" dreaming for Eagles fans and Cowboys fans.

With Parsons on its defense, would Philadelphia have surged toward a second consecutive Super Bowl title? (The Eagles finished 13th among NFL teams in total defense.) Could he have made the difference in the Eagles' 23-19 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers? Philadelphia ended up trading for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips at the deadline. 

The three-time All-Pro suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a Week 15 defeat to the Denver Broncos. In 14 games, he tallied 12.5 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 41 tackles in his first season with the Packers. 

And as Parsons acknowledged, the Cowboys would have benefited by adding Carter, named to his second Pro Bowl after compiling 33 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 12 QB hits and seven passes defended. Perhaps he could have helped Dallas into the playoffs instead of finishing 7-9-1 and out of the postseason. 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will make changes to its voting process in light of controversy over Bill Belichick not being elected to the 2026 class in his first year of eligibility. 

Hall of Fame president Jim Porter told the Associated Press that the vote will go back to an in-person meeting and discussion among the 50-member committee. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the conversation and voting process was held virtually. 

Additionally, the vote will occur closer to the announcement of the inductees at the NFL Honors event, held the Thursday prior to the Super Bowl. That scheduling change, likely for Super Bowl week in the host city, is intended to decrease the possibility of discussion and results leaking before, as happened when reports of Belichick falling short of the 40 votes necessary for election circulated among media. 

Porter also said that the Hall would consider releasing vote totals and individual ballots to the public in future balloting, much like the Baseball Hall of Fame and Baseball Writers Association of America do. However, that won't be done for the 2026 class. 

One part of the voting process that will be reviewed is a rule that groups coaches and contributors with older players who have been on the ballot for multiple years. Voters feeling they had to choose longtime candidates who were eligible, such as running back Roger Craig (who was elected) and quarterback Ken Anderson (who was not), rather than vote for Belichick. That was viewed as a primary reason why the six-time Super Bowl winner was not elected. 

Voters who might have violated rules by discussing the voting debate publicly and the process by which candidates were elected or left off the ballot could be replaced on the committee, according to Porter. 

"I'm not here to tell them who the most deserving is," Porter told the AP's Josh Dubow. "If the Hall was to tell who the most deserving is, we wouldn't need them to vote. We understand that. We just want the rules followed."

Five players were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class, as announced at Thursday's NFL Honors ceremony. Quarterback Drew Brees, receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri and Craig will be formally inducted into Canton, Ohio's institution on Aug. 8. 

Detroit Tigers All-Star Javier Báez has been ruled ineligible to play for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic due to testing positive for marijuana during the 2023 tournament, The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen reports. 

Under World Baseball Softball Confederation rules, anyone testing positive for marijuana in its events for two years. Báez tested positive in 2023, which made him ineligible to play in WBSC events from April 26, 2024 to April 26, 2026. The 2026 WBC, played from March 5 to March 17, takes place during that period

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have been working in tandem to restore Báez's eligibility for the 2026 tournament. But the WBSC isn't willing to make an exception on its drug policy, according to Stavenhagen. 

Báez being ruled ineligible is another setback for Puerto Rico, which has had difficulty assembling a roster for the 2026 WBC due to players being denied insurance coverage because of previous injuries. 

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had coverage denied due to two surgeries on his right elbow over the past three years. Others unable to get insurance for the tournament include Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa was also unable to get insurance and was left off Puerto Rico's WBC roster, announced on Thursday. 

With so many players unavailable to play, Puerto Rico had considered withdrawing from the WBC. 

Báez's positive marijuana test will not result in any penalty from MLB. The league has allowed marijuana use since 2020.

The 12-year MLB veteran, 33, had a resurgent season for the Tigers this season, playing shortstop and center field. He was named to the American League All-Star team and finished with a .257/.282/.398 average, 17 doubles, 12 home runs and 57 RBI.

Báez played for Puerto Rico in the 2017 and 2023 WBC. He has a Puerto Rican flag tattooed on one of his arms.

Prior to Friday's Opening Ceremony, the second day of action at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics was a good one for Team USA as the women's ice hockey and mixed doubles curling teams won their debuts. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn showed fans that she intends to pursue a fourth Olympic medal despite a knee injury. However, Finland's women's ice hockey squad had its start delayed due to a norovirus outbreak among the players. 

Here are the top stories of the day:

U.S. women's ice hockey dominates Czechia in opener

Hailey Scamurra scored twice while three of her teammates also added goals in Team USA's 5-1 victory over Czechia. Both teams opened group play with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. 

The game was essentially put out of reach early in the second period. Already holding a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal in the first period from Alex Carpenter, Joy Dunne and Scamurra each scored goals within 83 seconds. Tessa Janecke earned the assists on both scores. Hilary Knight added another goal late in the period to give the U.S. a 4-1 lead. 

Czechia scored its lone goal when Barbora Jurickova left the penalty box and received a pass for a breakaway to cut the deficit to 3-1. But Knight answered shortly thereafter. 

The U.S. will next face Finland on Saturday in Group A play with face-off scheduled for 10:40 a.m. ET. That is, if Finland is healthy enough to compete. (See below.) 

U.S. defeats Norway and Switzerland in mixed doubles curling

Team USA took the ice in mixed doubles curling on Thursday, one day after eight other countries made their debut. 

Facing defending silver medalist Norway, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin took an early 1-0 lead before the Norwegians rallied with three points in the second end of the match. The two teams then battled back and forth, with the U.S. tying the score during the third end before Norway took a two-point lead after the fourth. 

Norway held a 6-4 lead going into the seventh end before Team USA tied the score at 6. In the final end, the U.S. took a two-point lead and Norway's final shot fell short, giving Thiesse and Dropkin the 8-6 victory. 

The U.S. later faced Switzerland in a match that carried far less drama. The Swiss did take a 2-1 lead in the second end, but Team USA rallied to gain two points in the third end when Thiesse knocked away Switzerland's stone. The U.S. increased its lead to 5-2 after the fourth end and employed a defensive strategy through the rest of the match, knocking Switzerland's stones out of the way and creating pressure to make perfect shots. Ultimately, the Swiss couldn't hit the mark and Team USA won 7-4. 

Up next for Thiesse and Dropkin is Canada and the Czech Republic on Friday. 

Lindsey Vonn 'not giving up' Alpine downhill, despite torn ACL

Any doubts that Lindsey Vonn would attack the opportunity to medal in the women's downhill despite suffering a torn ACL in her left knee during a training run were likely silenced by a video posted by the three-time Olympic medalist to social media on Thursday. 

Vonn showed footage of her doing barbell squats, agility drills, side lunges and box jumps while wearing a brace on her injured left knee. If she can handle that work, she can seemingly handle the rigors of the Alpine downhill skiing course, something that doctors have stated is very possible. 

“I’m not giving up, working as hard as I can to make it happen!" Vonn wrote in a caption with the video. "Thank you to my team and everyone for your incredible support. Keep believing.”

Vonn still has to complete a training run to qualify for the starting field in Sunday's downhill event. Weather has created an obstacle with heavy snow canceling Thursday's exercise. But opportunities could still be available Friday and Saturday, weather permitting. 

Finland women's ice hockey postpones opener due to norovirus outbreak

Elsewhere in women's ice hockey group play, Finland and Canada had their opening match postponed due to a norovirus outbreak among the Finnish team. After four sick players forced the team to cancel its Wednesday training session, 14 members of the team were ill on Thursday. Possible exposure to the virus warranted several players being placed into quarantine.

With only 10 available players for Finland and a risk of passing the virus to Canada's team, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Olympic Committee decided to postpone the game with Canada until Feb. 12. 

As mentioned above, Finland is scheduled to play the U.S. on Saturday, but it's not yet known whether enough Finnish players will be out of quarantine for the team to play. 

Team USA medals

Highlight of the day 

U.S. snowboarders Red Gerard and Jake Canter looked ready to compete for medals in the Big Air event, each landing backside 1800 jumps during qualifying rounds on Thursday. A backside 1800 involves five full 360-degree horizontal rotations, spinning in a backside direction. 

One more thing

Leading up to Friday's Opening Ceremony, the Olympic torch is making its way through Milan. Three-time snowboarding gold medalist Shaun White was among the athletes to carry the torch on Thursday.

White will next travel to Livigno to watch the snowboarding competition, which begins Saturday with the men's Big Air final.