New Orleans ? Only a Super Bowl victory parade could upstage Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Carnival floats carrying Saints players, coaches and team owner Tom Benson rolled past tens of thousands of jubilant fans in downtown New Orleans on Tuesday, two days after the 43-year-old franchise won its first NFL championship.

Players, wearing team jerseys instead of traditional Carnival masks and costumes, tossed beads into the crowd and signed autographs for throngs of screaming fans. Benson shouted “Who Dat!” into a microphone from his perch atop a float. Head coach Sean Payton blew kisses and held the Lombardi Trophy over his head.

“Here’s to the best Mardi Gras week in the history of this city,” Payton said.

NFL

Peppers, Panthers apart

Charlotte, N.C. — Julius Peppers no longer wants a long-term contract with Carolina, saying the Panthers have ignored him this offseason. In an interview aired Tuesday morning on Charlotte radio station WFNZ-AM, the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end indicated he’s irritated by the team’s “silence” and has changed his stance on whether he wants to continue his career in Carolina.

Jackson won’t be charged

Las Vegas — St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson won’t face criminal charges over allegations that he beat a girlfriend who was nine months pregnant with the couple’s child at his Las Vegas home, a police spokeswoman said.

BASEBALL

O’s, Hendrickson agree

Baltimore — Left-hander Mark Hendrickson agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract with the Orioles that guarantees him $1.4 million after pitching well out of Baltimore’s bullpen last season. The 35-year-old Hendrickson went 6-5 with a 4.37 earned-run average in 53 games with Baltimore last year. He was most effective in relief, going 4-0 with a 3.44 ERA.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UVa-Maryland postponed

College Park, Md. — With more snow in the forecast for the Washington area, Maryland has postponed tonight’s men’s college basketball game against Virginia.

Rutgers suspends Stringer

Rutgers is suspending Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer for one game for misusing practice players. Stringer will miss the Scarlet Knights’ game against Seton Hall tonight.

COLLEGES

Pac-10 mulls expansion

San Francisco — Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott says that if the conference is going to expand, a decision likely will be made in the next year. Scott spoke Tuesday on a conference call to announce the hiring of former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg as his new deputy. Scott said it made sense to have a decision about expansion before starting to negotiate new television deals.