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EspañolHilary Knight responds to Trump, saying his remarks were a 'distasteful joke'
Former University of Wisconsin hockey star Hilary Knight said the U.S. women's hockey team is trying to move past President Donald Trump's comments about the squad.
"I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats," Knight said on ESPN's "SportsCenter" on Feb. 25.
"We're just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men's and women's at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke."
Both the men and women hockey teams won gold over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which concluded earlier this week. But when Trump called the men's hockey team to invite them to the State of the Union address, he begrudgingly said he'd need to invite the women as well.
"I must tell you, we're going to have to bring the women's team, you do know that," Trump told the men. He added with a laugh that if he didn't invite the women, "I do believe I probably would be impeached."
The women's team were indeed asked to attend the address but declined the invitation "due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments."
The men met with Trump at the White House before being ceremoniously presented by the president at the joint session of Congress on Feb. 24. Trump said during his speech that the women plan to visit the White House at a later date.
Jack Hughes, who scored the men's gold medal game winner, and his brother Quinn were asked on Feb. 24 on "Good Morning America" about the phone call with Trump and his remarks about the women's team.
"Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Olympic Village, I think we are so tight with their group," Jack Hughes said of the women's team. "After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. in the morning with them. We go from there, pack our bags and we're on the bus.
"People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them. The same way we feel about them, they feel about us."
Knight shared the same sentiment.
"I think there's a genuine level of support there and respect," she said. "I think that's being overshadowed by a quick lapse. I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it's a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on."
This was the final Olympic Games for the UW grad, who was the flag bearer for the U.S. during the closing ceremony. The 36-year-old just completed her fifth Games. With her second gold medal, she became the most decorated player in U.S. women's hockey history.
Knight finished first among American skaters, both men and women, in Olympic goals (15) and points (33) in a career.
She told ESPN that the whole debacle with the president is a "really good learning point, to really focus on how we talk about women, not only in sport but in industry. Women aren't less than, and their achievements shouldn't be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hilary Knight responds to Trump, saying his remarks were distasteful
Reed powers No. 6 UConn to 72-40 rout against No. 15 St. John's
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Tarris Reed Jr. had 20 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, and No. 6 UConn held 15th-ranked St. John’s to 20% shooting in a 72-40 blowout Wednesday night that snapped the Red Storm’s 13-game winning streak.
Alex Karaban added 14 points and five rebounds for the Huskies, who moved back into first place in the Big East by avenging an 81-72 loss to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 6.
St. John’s missed 12 consecutive shots in the first half and then its final 24 field goal attempts of the game as the Huskies (26-3, 16-2) romped to their most lopsided victory in series history.
It was by far the largest defeat for the Johnnies in three seasons under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, and their fewest points in a game since a 66-40 loss at Notre Dame in March 2013.
Solo Ball had 11 points and four assists for UConn, and Silas Demary Jr. provided seven points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Joson Sanon scored all 10 of his points in the first half for St. John’s (22-6, 15-2), which finished 11 of 56 from the field and fell a half-game behind UConn in the conference standings. The team’s 13-game winning streak was its longest in 41 years.
NO. 7 FLORDA, 84, TEXAS 71
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Alex Condon scored 23 points, Boogie Fland had 22 and Florida beat Texas for its eighth consecutive victory.
Florida (22-6, 13-2 Southeastern Conference) has won seven straight SEC road games. The Gators have outscored their last eight opponents by an average of 20.5 points, rounding into form as they seek to defend their national title.
The 6-foot-11 Condon converted 10 of 12 shots from the field. He had five points and an assist during a 14-1 run gave the Gators a 75-65 lead with 4:16 remaining. Fland hit 7 of 10 shots and scored seven during the game-changing burst. Xavian Lee scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
Florida, a poor 3-point shooting team most of the season — 30% accuracy — has heated up to 36% during the winning streak. Coach Todd Golden’s Gators made 6 of 9 from long range during the second half against Texas, finishing 8 of 18.
Meantime, the Longhorns (17-11, 8-7) went without a field goal for the final 7:27.
Texas has lost two in a row after winning its previous five. Dailyn Swain led the Longhorns with 21 points, including 15 in the second half. Tramon Mark scored 15 points and Jordan Pope had 14.
NO. 12 NEBRASKA 74, MARYLAND 61
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Braden Frager scored 21 points off the bench to lead four Nebraska players in double figures and the Cornhuskers beat Maryland.
The Huskers (24-4) improved to 13-4 in Big Ten play, matching their program record for conference wins and moving them into a tie for second place with Illinois.
Pryce Sandfort made a couple of big 3-pointers late and finished with 16 points, Rienk Mast had 11 of his 13 in the second half and Sam Hoiberg had 12 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Andre Mills had 16 of his 19 points in the second half for Maryland (11-17, 4-13) and Elijah Saunders scored all 15 of his points on a career-high five 3s. Solomon Washington added 13 points for the Terrapins.
NO. 25 VANDERBILT 88, GEORGIA 80
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Devin McGlockton had 17 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season as Vanderbilt held off Georgia.
Tyler Tanner also scored 17 for the Commodores (22-6, 9-6 Southeastern Conference), who led by 20 in the first half before Georgia stormed back to tie the game midway through the second.
Two free throws by McGlockton with 3 1/2 minutes left made it a two-possession game, and the Bulldogs went scoreless from the field over the final 4:24.
Duke Miles scored 15 points off the bench for Vanderbilt, reaching double figures for the second consecutive game since returning from an injury. AK Okereke had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. Tyler Nickel and Jalen Washington added 10 points apiece.
Jeremiah Wilkinson made five 3-pointers and finished with 28 points off the bench to lead Georgia (19-9, 7-8). Kanon Catchings had 15 points. Blue Cain added 10 points and tied the score at 62 on a second-chance 3 from the top of the arc.
Should Benjamin Šeško be given a starting role?
It has been 13 years since Manchester United last won a Premier League title – and coincidentally, the last time they had a world-class center forward. From renowned veterans like Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku, and promising young talents like Joshua Zirkzee, Anthony Martial, and Rasmus Højlund, United have splurged a fortune on center forwards, but none of them have come close to matching the impact left by Robin van Persie. However, it seems that United might very well have found a center forward who can lead the club back to the glory days and establish himself as one of the game’s top 9s: Benjamin Šeško.
Born on May 31, 2003, Šeško left his native Slovenia at 16 years of age and joined Red Bull Salzburg, initially starting off with their reserve team FC Liefering and scoring 22 goals and 6 assists in 44 games in the Austrian second-tier, before graduating to the first team in January 2021. Šeško impressed for Salzburg’s first team, racking up 29 goals and 11 assists in 79 appearances and guiding them to three Austrian Bundesliga titles and one Austrian Cup, before making the move to RB Leipzig in 2023. He was gradually eased into the side before catching fire during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, finishing with 18 goals and 2 assists in 42 appearances and helping Leipzig defeat Bayern Munich in the DFL-Super Cup. Šeško continued to build on his performances in Germany and established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top young forwards in 2024/25 with 21 goals and 6 assists in 45 appearances. Not only did he finish as Leipzig’s top scorer, but he was also able to prove his mettle against the continent’s best sides and find the back of the net against the likes of Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting, Bayern Munich (twice), and Eintracht Frankfurt.
It’s why on August 9, 2025, Manchester United announced the signing of Šeško on a five-year contract for €76.5 million, with an additional €8.5 million in performance-related bonuses. As the club’s first-ever Slovenian player, Šeško initially struggled to find his footing in the season’s opening weeks as United stumbled out of the gates under Rúben Amorim, losing in each of his first three starts vs. Manchester City, Grimsby Town and Brentford. However, the third time would nevertheless prove to be the charm for Šeško, who opened his scoring account on September 27 against the Bees, and who proceeded to build on his momentum with a goal vs. Sunderland and an assist vs. Brighton in the Premier League season’s following weeks. Unfortunately for him, that progress came to a screeching halt after he sustained an injury to his left knee in a 2-2 draw vs. Tottenham Hotspur, missing over a month of action before returning to the side against Bournemouth.
Desperate for a new dimension in attack, Šeško was given the start in United’s next six matches, the last of which saw him score a goal vs. Brighton and a brace at Burnley, before being dropped entirely from their Manchester derby, followed by a late cameo against Arsenal. Šeško then came on for the final quarter-hour against Fulham, watching as the Cottagers scored twice in quick succession to level proceedings. But just when they looked headed for a stalemate, Šeško stepped up and delivered with a 94th-minute winner, latching onto a cross from Bruno Fernandes, taking a composed touch and settling it with his right, before rattling a rocket of a shot into the top-right corner. This, however, was not enough for him to earn a start in their following match against Tottenham, with Šeško once again replacing Matheus Cunha with a quarter-hour remaining.
It was more of the same in their following match at West Ham, with Šeško replacing Cunha in the 69th minute as United searched for a goal. It seemed that West Ham were on their way towards a famous victory and a vital three points in their fight to stay up – no matter how hard United pushed, they simply couldn’t find an answer. Answer: Šeško. Somehow, someway, the Slovenian striker managed to deflect a low, tepid cross from Bryan Mbuemo and deftly flick the ball into the back of the net, stealing a point at the death for United. And when United found themselves nullified by a stubborn Everton defense, Michael Carrick once again brought on Šeško for Amad Diallo. It took him precisely 12 minutes to repay his trust, with Cunha slicing the Toffees’ defense with an immaculate through ball and Mbuemo breaking on the counter before finding Šeško, who zoomed forward from one box to the other before coolly slotting in the game’s sole goal.
Just like he did in his maiden Bundesliga campaign, Šeško has gradually bided his time before exploding onto the scene in the new year: no player has scored more non-penalty Premier League goals in 2026 than Šeško (5). It begs the question – should Carrick consider dropping Cunha, Mbuemo or Diallo and giving Šeško a run in the starting XI? Or, should he look to continue a winning formula that has seen United take 16 points from a possible 18, and that sees them sitting fourth in the Premier League table, three points behind Aston Villa and three above Chelsea and Liverpool.
Whatever the answer is, one thing’s for sure: Benjamin Šeško is more than capable of becoming Manchester United’s next world-class center forward.