Giants owner dies

Ann Mara, the matriarch of the NFL’s New York Giants for the past 60 years, has died. She was 85. Giants co-owner John Mara announced his mother’s death on Super Bowl Sunday.

Ann Mara, the matriarch of the NFL’s New York Giants for the past 60 years, has died. She was 85. Giants co-owner John Mara announced his mother’s death on Super Bowl Sunday. Ann Mara slipped in front of her home in Rye, N.Y., during an ice storm two weeks ago and was hospitalized with a head injury the following day. John Mara says that while there were initial hopes for recovery, complications developed and she died early Sunday. Ann Mara and her children owned 50 percent of the Giants, one of the founding families of the league, since the death of her husband, Wellington, in 2005. While she was not active in daily operations, her opinion was valued greatly.

The Atlanta Falcons are being investigated for possibly piping artificial crowd noise into the Georgia Dome over the last two seasons, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday that if the allegations are true the Falcons can be fined or have draft picks taken away.

The murder trial of ex-New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez is being delayed by a snowstorm expected today. A state courts spokeswoman said Sunday the trial is expected to resume Tuesday. Hernandez is charged in the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was dating his fiancee’s sister. Lloyd’s girlfriend testified Friday that Lloyd and Hernandez were cordial but not close, and had the beginnings of a friendship. She’s expected to return to the stand when testimony continues. Hernandez’s lawyer has said the men were friends and Hernandez had no reason to kill Lloyd. Jail officials say Hernandez is held in isolation and wasn’t watching the Patriots play Seattle in the Super Bowl on Sunday night. He scored a touchdown in the Patriots’ 2012 Super Bowl appearance.