Sports
Chiefs are motivated by doubters who say record is a fluke, star says: 'We'll just keep showing up'
It’s been rather commonplace to say that the 13-1 Kansas City Chiefs should not be what their record is – but that’s just fuel to the fire for the back-to-back champions.
Sure, the Chiefs have won multiple games on their last possession, and the ball has bounced their way plenty of times – literally and figuratively.
But Chiefs safety Justin Reid, quite literally, is thanking those who doubt what the Chiefs can do in the playoffs.
Justin Reid #20 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a defensive stop against the Las Vegas Raiders during the fourth quarter in the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
“Thanks for the motivation. We appreciate the motivation that people give us,” Reid told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “Despite winning two championships in a row, despite everything that they said last year, they still don’t believe. And we appreciate it. That fires us up when we hear it. I like the extra motivation. It gets me fired up, and it gets me to go out there to prove a point.
“They don’t ever have to [learn]. We’ll just keep showing up.”
Reid has won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs, but his ring back in February wasn’t the only championship he won this year. He also took home Chess.com’s BlitzChamps title.
Reid was always intrigued with chess but took it more seriously when he got into the NFL – and now, it’s become somewhat of a staple in the locker room.
“We have a tradition where we play every night before the game. Right when we finish team meetings, I have a chess board sitting at my locker, guys come, and we play quick five-minute games. Guys from the front office come down, players play, and if you win, you stay, you lose, you get back in line,” Reid said.
Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) in the fourth quarter of an NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs on September 15, 2024 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The safety added it’s become a combination of both superstition and firing up the brain before a game.
“You can’t always be too deep in anything. It’s nice to get your mind off one subject and do something else. I think it’s fun for that and it has become a bit of a tradition that we just always do that now,” he says.
NFL Films will be releasing a documentary about Reid’s chess title and how other NFL stars have gotten involved. The title also gave Reid the ability to raise money for his own charity.
“Everyone uses the same ‘it’s a game of chess’ whether it’s football or business or whatever’s going on,” Reid said, adding it’s a good way for people to connect. “It’s a way of using tactics and being three steps ahead of your opponent. It’s fun they’re promoting it. I think that it’s good, and I think it’s a fun game for anyone to play.”
Reid faces his former Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon as the Chiefs are in the final homestretch. And considering he’s a back-to-back reigning champ, he knows exactly what it takes to bring home another Lombardi Trophy.
Justin Reid #20 of the Kansas City Chiefs poses for a portrait with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
“You want to be playing your best football going into the playoffs, and we don’t feel like we’ve played our best football yes, which is great,” said Reid. “There’s still ways to build, still things to do to keep getting better. It’s just about not being satisfied and the preparation each week. The physical side will take care of itself, but whoever’s mentally prepared and doesn’t make those mental mistakes when the pressure’s on is going to be the difference. We’ve been here before, we’ll just keep continuing to do it.”
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The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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