In audio from a private conversation with the Obama Alumni Association which was obtained by Yahoo News, the 44th president also criticized how the current White House administration was handling the coronavirus pandemic, saying that it should focus Democrats on unseating President Donald Trump in the November presidential election. Flynn admitted in 2017 to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about talking to the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, during the investigation into claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election....

Speaking on a virtual fundraiser call last night, Obama said the “energy” on the streets was not an assurance of victory, and could still fail to result in “real change” being enacted. The former president also said Biden supporters had to guard against being “complacent or smug” heading into the November election, noting that President Donald Trump had already “won once.” “Just because this energy is out there does not mean that it assures our victory and it does not mean that it gets channeled in a way that results in real change,” Obama said....

Singida United’s Deus Kaseke must also be rubbing his hands with glee as the committee said he is now free to feature for his team. Chirwa and Kaseke suffered the Ligi Kuu Bara board’s wrath together with former Yanga forward Simon Msuva, who now features for Difaa El Jadida of Morocco. The disciplinary committee chairman, Peter Hela, said Thursday that Singida United and Yanga were now free to field the duo in their league matches....

After failing to secure a regular role under Zinedine Zidane in the first half of the season at Real Madrid, the 22-year-old opted for a move to the Premier League. Before moving to England, the playmaker quizzed three of his countrymen who had previously played in the division. What was said? Asked about Everton striker Josh King and Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge, Odegaard told the Premier League’s official YouTube channel: “Yeah, I spoke to both of them....

Beckham had nothing but kind words for the Panthers and Cam Newton, maybe the only name in the league hotter than Beckham right now, on ESPN following Monday’s game. MORE: Panthers an NFC South dynasty | Cam already one of best Panthers ever? “We’re going against a quarterback who’s phenomenal,” Beckham said after emulating Newton’s dab dance. “I love the way he plays. I love the celebrations, not because he’s celebrating, but because he’s having fun....

The 30-year-old wide receiver is a free agent after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Los Angeles Rams win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. Beckham Jr. refused to leave the aircraft, which was beginning to taxi on the runway, after flight crew reported that he was unresponsive. Beckham Jr. told crew that he was recovering from a night at a club, but there were concerns because he was undressing to his underwear and crew were not happy with the flight taking off with him on board....

Of these three division rivals, the Saints, at 40-to-1, are the longest shot to win Super Bowl 50. The Panthers and Falcons both sit at 30-to-1. The Bucs haven’t had a winning record in four seasons and haven’t won the division or even made the playoffs since 2007, but hope comes in the form of No.1 overall draft pick Jameis Winston. Color oddsmakers skeptical, however, with Tampa Bay’s win total set at 6 at the Westgate....

While $8 million was the same amount received by countries that only lasted in the group phase of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, there is a significant increase starting from the knockout phase. The Super Eagles under the late Stephen Keshi fetched the then Aminu Maigari-led NFF $9 million for staging a round of 16 exit at the 2014 edition in Brazil after France inflicted a 2-0 defeat on the team, however, should they achieve the same feat in the summer, they would be making $12 million [$3 million more]....

As NFL teams continue to lean more into analytics and the probabilities of converting on fourth downs, more teams than ever are rolling the dice and trying to pick up the first down, particularly in short yardage situations. Sometimes the decisions pan out. Sometimes they don’t. And if they don’t, that’s when people watching at home tend to second guess the decisions the most. What does the data say about when the best times to go for it on fourth down are, and what chances teams have on converting at certain distances?...

With the Super Bowl matchup set, here are six some observations in advance of Seahawks-Patriots. Don’t get worked up about the point spread movement in Super Bowl 49. One year ago, the Seahawks opened as 1- or 2-point favorites over the Broncos in Super Bowl 48. Two Sundays later, the Broncos were 2.5-point favorites when the big game commenced. As you recall, the underdog won by 35 points. All that Denver money gone, a good deal of it redistributed among Seattle backers....

The Texans defensive end as of Sunday was up to $18.5 million and counting with his Youcaring account fundraising to help provide relief for the many people in Houston and beyond devastated by the destruction of Hurricane Harvey. No NFL honor is greater than being forever tied to the late, great Payton for such humanitarian work. And Watt also is the early favorite for another piece of hardware, one he’s yet to win during his career....

On Friday, Trump claimed that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party was “trying to rig the debates” by scheduling them against NFL games. In fact, the debates were actually scheduled a year ago by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, a group that features both Republicans and Democrats. Trump continued to perpetuate the conspiracy theory by saying the NFL personally sent him a letter complaining about the upcoming debate schedule opposing primetime NFL games....

What happened to Jay Ajayi and the Dolphins against the Jets? How did we allow Rashard Higgins to become the chalk, only to have him let down the masses? Who would have thought Jordan Howard and the Bears could upset the Steelers? And members of both the Colts and Giants offenses top the leader board at the same position?! Week 3 was full of fun, but we have far from figured out how the NFL will shake out this season....

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he doesn’t expect Rodgers to practice until Thursday, and the quarterback’s injured calf won’t heal by Sunday, per the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Rodgers knows there’s a chance of further injuring the calf during Sunday’s game, according to the report. “I think the big thing here is how is Rodgers’ health,” Ed Salmons, manager at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, told The Linemakers on Sporting News this week....

Miami turned to small-college talent on the third and final day of the NFL draft Saturday, adding a cornerback, tight end, linebacker, receiver and defensive end. MORE: Vinnie Iyer’s draft grades | Round-by-round picks | Images | Video Their selections included Liberty Flames cornerback Walt Aikens in the fourth round, Montana Grizzlies linebacker Jordan Tripp in the fifth round, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers receiver Matt Hazel in the sixth round, and defensive end Terrence Fede of the Marist Red Foxes in the seventh round....

Gareon Conley didn’t have to go through that. Rape allegations are still in play for him, but his football home isn’t. He only slid from the top half of the first round to the bottom of it, 24th overall to the Raiders. This took place in the same draft in which running back Joe Mixon was reportedly taken off several draft boards and was expected to fall to the second round at best, for punching a woman in an incident caught on camera four years ago....

For Bowling Green offensive lineman Ryan Hunter, it was always about football. “At dinner, in the car, I’d always mention, ‘I want to play football,’” Hunter told Sporting News. “Oddly enough, my mom was scared to let me play because she thought I was going to get hurt but I was three times the size of everybody else.” SIGN UP for a FREE 30-day trial of DAZN and watch the NFL Draft LIVE...

There are a slew of questions that fans and teams alike will have to wait for until the draft kicks off, but there are some predictions, while outlandish, could very well happen. Here are five first-round surprises that could occur Thursday as the event kicks off: Kyler Murray doesn’t go No. 1 Many think because of his ties with new Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, combined with current quarterback Josh Rosen’s rookie season woes, former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray will be selected by Arizona with the top pick....

With the dust settling on Super Bowl 56, we’re officially in the NFL offseason, with the first tentpole being the Scouting Combine, coming your way the first week in March. This year’s NFL Draft will be unpredictable, especially at the top. Several solid prospects are available but there’s no bona-fide, surefire No. 1 selection, and the top five in the April event could break down in any number of ways....