Philadelphia — The Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday agreed to terms on a two-year contract with defensive end Chris Long, who won a Super Bowl last season with New England.

A No. 2 overall draft pick by the Rams in 2008, Long spent eight seasons with St. Louis before he joined the Patriots in 2016.

Long has 342 tackles, 58½ sacks, nine forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 130 games.

He had four sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 16 games for New England and was an integral part of a defense that allowed an NFL-low 250 points.

Silverdome to Be Razed

Pontiac, Mich. — The former home of the Detroit Lions will be demolished.

A judge approved a deal on Tuesday between the city of Pontiac and the owner of the Pontiac Silverdome to get rid of the stadium. The Detroit Free Press said Triple Investment Group has until June 9 to apply for a permit and announce the date of destruction.

Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman says it’s possible that implosion will be part of the strategy to bring down the Silverdome. The Lions played in Pontiac in suburban Detroit from 1975 through 2001.

NASCAR

Atlanta Stalls Repaving

Hampton, Ga. — Get ready for more slippin’ and slidin’ at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

After numerous complaints from NASCAR drivers, the track announced it has postponed the repaving of the 20-year-old racing surface at least until after next year’s race weekend.

Speedway President Ed Clark said the decision was reached after consultations with NASCAR, Goodyear tire officials, race teams and their drivers.

“We appreciate all of the input we have received from key individuals in the NASCAR industry, as well as our customers,” Clark said. “The overwhelming majority have urged us to hold off on paving so that we can enjoy at least one more weekend of high-speed slipping and sliding in 2018 before the new surface is installed.”

The 1.54-mile surface was last paved in 1997 when the track was reconfigured into its current quad-oval layout.

College Football

SEC Asks Arkansas For Gun Law Exemption

Little Rock, Ark. — The Southeastern Conference said on Tuesday it wants Arkansas lawmakers to exempt college sporting events such as football games from a new law greatly expanding where concealed handguns are allowed, citing concerns about safety at its games.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey that the measure signed into law last week by Gov. Asa Hutchinson creates concerns for the conference and its member institutions. The new law allows people with concealed handgun licenses to carry on college campuses, government buildings and some bars if they undergo up to eight hours of active shooter training.

The University of Arkansas is an SEC school, and Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium holds 72,000 people.

“Given the intense atmosphere surrounding athletic events, adding weapons increases safety concerns and could negatively impact the intercollegiate athletics program at the University of Arkansas in several ways, including scheduling, officiating, recruiting and attendance,” Sankey said in a statement. A spokesman for the conference declined to answer whether the new law would threaten future SEC games in Arkansas.

A Senate-backed measure to exempt college sporting events has the backing of Hutchinson and was expected to go before a House committee Tuesday afternoon. The National Rifle Association, which supported the expanded concealed handguns law, opposes the exemption measure.

The law takes effect Sept. 1, but Arkansas residents likely won’t be allowed to carry concealed weapons into the expanded locations until early next year. The law gives Arkansas State Police until January to design the additional training that will be required. More than 220,000 people have concealed handgun licenses in Arkansas.